Verses on Dhamma 11.2.p4

11.2.p4

Gāthāpariyosāne sotāpattiphalaṃ pāpuṇi. Ayamettha saṅkhepo, vitthārakathā pana kodhavagge anumodanagāthāvaṇṇanāyameva āvibhavissati. Evaṃ sotāpattiphalaṃ pattā pana sirimā dasabalaṃ nimantetvā punadivase mahādānaṃ datvā saṅghassa aṭṭhakabhattaṃ nibaddhaṃ dāpesi. Ādito paṭṭhāya nibaddhaṃ aṭṭha bhikkhū gehaṃ gacchanti. ‘‘Sappiṃ gaṇhatha, khīraṃ gaṇhathā’’tiādīni vatvā tesaṃ patte pūreti. Ekena laddhaṃ tiṇṇampi catunnampi pahoti. Devasikaṃ soḷasakahāpaṇaparibbayena piṇḍapāto dīyati. Athekadivasaṃ eko bhikkhu tassā gehe aṭṭhakabhattaṃ bhuñjitvā tiyojanamatthake ekaṃ vihāraṃ agamāsi. Atha naṃ sāyaṃ therupaṭṭhāne nisinnaṃ pucchiṃsu – ‘‘āvuso, kahaṃ bhikkhaṃ gahetvā āgatosī’’ti. Sirimāya aṭṭhakabhattaṃ me bhuttanti. Manāpaṃ katvā deti, āvusoti. ‘‘Na sakkā tassā bhattaṃ vaṇṇetuṃ, ativiya paṇītaṃ katvā deti, ekena laddhaṃ tiṇṇampi catunnampi pahoti, tassā pana deyyadhammatopi dassanameva uttaritaraṃ. Sā hi itthī evarūpā ca evarūpā cā’’ti tassā guṇe vaṇṇesi.

At the conclusion of the Stanza Sirimā obtained the Fruit of Conversion. (This is a brief synopsis of the story; as for the complete story, it will be found related at length in the Commentary on the Stanza of Thanksgiving in the Kodha Vagga.)

Having thus attained the Fruit of Conversion, Sirimā invited the Possessor of the Ten Forces to be her guest, and on the following day presented rich offerings. From that time on she gave regularly the Eight Ticket-foods, and from that time on eight monks came regularly to her house. "Accept ghee, accept milk," she would say, filling their bowls; what she gave to one monk would have sufficed for three or four; every day sixteen pieces of money were expended on the alms which were presented to the monks who visited her house.

Now one day a certain monk who had eaten the Eight Ticket-foods in her house went a journey of three leagues and stopped at a certain monastery. In the evening, as he sat in the monastery, the monks asked him, "Brother, where did you obtain food just before you came here?" "I have just eaten Sirimā's Eight Ticket-foods." "Is the food which she gives pleasing to the taste, brother?" "It is impossible to describe her food; it is the choicest of choice food that she gives. But a single portion would suffice even for three or four. But good as her food is, she herself is still more pleasing to look upon; such and such are the marks of beauty which she possesses." Thus did the monk describe her good qualities.