Verses on Dhamma 10.1: 1. Chabbaggiyabhikkhuvatthu

10.1.p1

Sabbe tasantīti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto chabbaggiye bhikkhū ārabbha kathesi.

All men tremble. This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the monks of the Band of Six.

10.1.p2

Ekasmiñhi samaye sattarasavaggiyehi senāsane paṭijaggite chabbaggiyā bhikkhū ‘‘nikkhamatha, mayaṃ mahallakatarā, amhākaṃ etaṃ pāpuṇātī’’ti vatvā tehi ‘‘na mayaṃ dassāma, amhehi paṭhamaṃ paṭijaggita’’nti vutte te bhikkhū pahariṃsu. Sattarasavaggiyā maraṇabhayatajjitā mahāviravaṃ viraviṃsu. Satthā tesaṃ saddaṃ sutvā ‘‘kiṃ ida’’nti pucchitvā ‘‘idaṃ nāmā’’ti ārocite ‘‘na, bhikkhave, ito paṭṭhāya bhikkhunā nāma evaṃ kattabbaṃ, yo karoti, so imaṃ nāma āpattiṃ āpajjatī’’ti pahāradānasikkhāpadaṃ (pāci. 449 ādayo) paññāpetvā, ‘‘bhikkhave, bhikkhunā nāma ‘yathā ahaṃ, tatheva aññepi daṇḍassa tasanti, maccuno bhāyantī’ti ñatvā paro na paharitabbo, na ghātetabbo’’ti vatvā anusandhiṃ ghaṭetvā dhammaṃ desento imaṃ gāthamāha –

For once upon a time, when lodging had been made ready by the monks of the Band of Seventeen, the monks of the Band of Six said to the former, "We are older; this belongs to us." The Band of Seventeen replied, "We will not give it to you; we were the first to make it ready." Then the Band of Six struck their brother monks. The Band of Seventeen, terrified by the fear of death, screamed at the top of their lungs. The Teacher, hearing the outcry, asked, "What was that?" When they told him, he promulgated the precept regarding the delivering of blows, saying, "Monks, henceforth a monk must not do this; whoever does this is guilty of sin." Having so done, he said, "Monks, one should say to himself, 'As do I, so also do others tremble at the rod and fear death.' Therefore one should not strike another or kill another." So saying, he joined the connection, and preaching the Law, pronounced the following Stanza,

10.1.129

‘‘Sabbe tasanti daṇḍassa, sabbe bhāyanti maccuno;
Attānaṃ upamaṃ katvā, na haneyya na ghātaye’’ti.

129. All men tremble at the rod; all men fear death.
One should treat one's neighbor as oneself, and therefore neither strike nor kill.

10.1.129_2

Tattha sabbe tasantīti sabbepi sattā attani daṇḍe patante tassa daṇḍassa tasanti. Maccunoti maraṇassāpi bhāyantiyeva. Imissā ca desanāya byañjanaṃ niravasesaṃ, attho pana sāvaseso. Yathā hi raññā ‘‘sabbe sannipatantū’’ti bheriyā carāpitāyapi rājamahāmatte ṭhapetvā sesā sannipatanti, evamidha ‘‘sabbe tasantī’’ti vuttepi hatthājāneyyo assājāneyyo usabhājāneyyo khīṇāsavoti ime cattāro ṭhapetvā avasesāva tasantīti veditabbā. Imesu hi khīṇāsavo sakkāyadiṭṭhiyā pahīnattā maraṇakasattaṃ apassanto na bhāyati, itare tayo sakkāyadiṭṭhiyā balavattā attano paṭipakkhabhūtaṃ sattaṃ apassantā na bhāyantīti. Na haneyya na ghātayeti yathā ahaṃ, evaṃ aññepi sattāti neva paraṃ pahareyya na paharāpeyyāti attho.

10.1.129_3

Desanāvasāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsūti.

10.1.129_4

Chabbaggiyabhikkhuvatthu paṭhamaṃ.