Dhammapada 10.9.p2

10.9.p2

So hi ekasmiṃ kāle rañño pasenadikosalassa paccantaṃ kupitaṃ vūpasametvā āgato. Athassa rājā tuṭṭho satta divasāni rajjaṃ datvā ekaṃ naccagītakusalaṃ itthiṃ adāsi. So satta divasāni surāmadamatto hutvā sattame divase sabbālaṅkārapaṭimaṇḍito hatthikkhandhavaragato nhānatitthaṃ gacchanto satthāraṃ piṇḍāya pavisantaṃ dvārantare disvā hatthikkhandhavaragatova sīsaṃ cāletvā vanditvā pakkāmi. Satthā sitaṃ katvā ‘‘ko nu kho, bhante, sitapātukaraṇe hetū’’ti ānandattherena puṭṭho sitakāraṇaṃ ācikkhanto āha – ‘‘passānanda, santatimahāmattaṃ, ajja sabbābharaṇapaṭimaṇḍitova mama santikaṃ āgantvā catuppadikagāthāvasāne arahattaṃ patvā sattatālamatte ākāse nisīditvā parinibbāyissatī’’ti. Mahājano therena saddhiṃ kathentassa satthu vacanaṃ assosi. Tattha micchādiṭṭhikā cintayiṃsu – ‘‘passatha samaṇassa gotamassa kiriyaṃ, mukhappattameva bhāsati, ajja kira esa evaṃ surāmadamatto yathālaṅkatova etassa santike dhammaṃ sutvā parinibbāyissati, ajjeva taṃ musāvādena niggaṇhissāmā’’ti. Sammādiṭṭhikā cintesuṃ – ‘‘aho buddhānaṃ mahānubhāvatā, ajja buddhalīḷañceva santatimahāmattalīḷañca daṭṭhuṃ labhissāmā’’ti.

For once upon a time Santati returned from suppressing disorder on King Pasenadi Kosala’s frontier, and the king was so pleased that he turned over his kingdom to him for seven days and gave him a woman who danced and sang. For seven days Santati steeped himself in liquor, and on the seventh day, adorned with all the adornments, he mounted the back of the state elephant and set out for the bathing-place. As he passed out of the gateway, he saw the Teacher entering the city for alms. Remaining seated as he was on the back of the elephant, he nodded his head by way of salute to the Teacher and passed on.

The Teacher smiled. “Why do you smile, Reverend Sir?” asked

Elder Ānanda. Said the Teacher, explaining the reason for his smile, “Ānanda, just look at the king’s minister Santati! This very day, adorned as he is with all the adornments, he will come into my presence, and at the conclusion of a Stanza consisting of four verses he will attain Arahatship. He will then assume a sitting posture at a height of seven palm-trees above the earth and will then and there pass into Nibbāna.”

The populace heard the words that passed between the Teacher and the Elder. Those of the crowd who held false views thought to themselves, “Look at the way the monk Gotama acts! Whatever comes into his head he speaks with his mouth! This very day, so he says, that drunken sot, adorned as he is with all the adornments, will come into his presence and listen to the Law and pass into Nibbāna! But that is precisely what will not happen; this very day we shall catch him in a lie.” On the other hand the orthodox thought to themselves, “Oh how great and how marvelous is the supernatural power of the Buddhas! To-day we shall have the privilege of beholding the grace of the Buddha and the grace of the king’s minister Santati.”