Dhammapada 13.5: 5. Sammajjanattheravatthu

13.5.p1

Yo ca pubbeti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto sammajjanattheraṃ ārabbha kathesi.

He who, heedless before. This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Elder Sammuñjani.

13.5.p2

So kira pāto vā sāyaṃ vāti velaṃ pamāṇaṃ akatvā abhikkhaṇaṃ sammajjantova vicarati. So ekadivasaṃ sammajjaniṃ gahetvā divāṭṭhāne nisinnassa revatattherassa santikaṃ gantvā ‘‘ayaṃ mahākusīto janassa saddhādeyyaṃ bhuñjitvā āgantvā nisīdati, kiṃ nāmetassa sammajjaniṃ gahetvā ekaṃ ṭhānaṃ sammajjituṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti āha. Thero ‘‘ovādamassa dassāmī’’ti cintetvā ehāvusoti. Kiṃ, bhanteti? Gaccha nhatvā ehīti. So tathā akāsi. Atha naṃ thero ekamantaṃ nisīdāpetvā ovadanto āha – ‘‘āvuso, bhikkhunā nāma na sabbakālaṃ sammajjantena vicarituṃ vaṭṭati, pāto eva pana sammajjitvā piṇḍāya caritvā piṇḍapātapaṭikkantena āgantvā rattiṭṭhāne vā divāṭṭhāne vā nisinnena dvattiṃsākāraṃ sajjhāyitvā attabhāve khayavayaṃ paṭṭhapetvā sāyanhe uṭṭhāya sammajjituṃ vaṭṭati, niccakālaṃ asammajjitvā attanopi nāma okāso kātabbo’’ti. So therassa ovāde ṭhatvā na cirasseva arahattaṃ pāpuṇi. Taṃ taṃ ṭhānaṃ uklāpaṃ ahosi. Atha naṃ bhikkhū āhaṃsu – ‘‘āvuso sammajjanatthera, taṃ taṃ ṭhānaṃ uklāpaṃ kasmā na sammajjasī’’ti? ‘‘Bhante, mayā pamādakāle evaṃ kataṃ, idānāmhi appamatto’’ti. Bhikkhū ‘‘ayaṃ thero aññaṃ byākarotī’’ti satthu ārocesuṃ. Satthā ‘‘āma, bhikkhave, mama putto pubbe pamādakāle sammajjanto vicari, idāni pana maggaphalasukhena vītināmento na sammajjatī’’ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –

Elder Sammuñjani, it appears, went about sweeping continually, both in the morning and in the afternoon, taking no account whatever of the time. One day he took his broom, went to the cell where Elder Revata spent the day, and found him sitting there as usual. Thereupon he thought to himself, “This great idler enjoys the pious

offerings of the faithful, and then returns and sits in his cell. Why should he not take a broom and sweep at least one room?” Elder Revata thought to himself, “I will give him an admonition.” So he said to him, “Come here, brother.” “What is it, Reverend Sir?” “Go and bathe and then return to me.” Elder Sammuñjani did so.

On his return he seated himself respectfully beside Elder Revata, who thereupon admonished him as follows, “Brother, a monk ought not to go about sweeping all the time. Early in the morning he should of course sweep the rooms, and then he should go forth for alms. Returning from his alms-pilgrimage, he should enter the monastery, seat himself either in the night-quarters or in the day-quarters, and rehearse the Thirty-two Constituent Parts of the Body, grasping firmly the thought of the perishableness of the body. In the evening he should rise from his seat and sweep the rooms again. But he should not spend the whole day sweeping; rather should he allow himself a certain amount of leisure.” Elder Sammuñjani adhered scrupulously to the admonition of Elder Revata, and in no long time attained Arahatship.

After that, however, all the rooms remained full of rubbish. Therefore the monks said to Elder Sammuñjani, “Brother, all the rooms remain full of rubbish; why do you not sweep them?” “Reverend Sirs, I used to do that in the days when I was heedless; now, however, I have become heedful.” The monks reported the matter to the Teacher, saying, “This Elder does one thing and says another.” But the Teacher replied, “Monks, my son the Elder spoke the truth; formerly, in the days of his heedlessness, my son spent the whole time sweeping, but now he spends his time in the enjoyment of the bliss of the Paths and the Fruits, and therefore sweeps no more.” So saying, he pronounced the following Stanza,

13.5.172

‘‘Yo ca pubbe pamajjitvā, pacchā so nappamajjati;
Somaṃ lokaṃ pabhāseti, abbhā muttova candimā’’ti.

172. He who, heedless before, heedless is no more,
Illumines this world as does the moon freed from a cloud.

13.5.172_2

Tassattho – yo puggalo pubbe vattapaṭivattakaraṇena vā sajjhāyādīhi vā pamajjitvā pacchā maggaphalasukhena vītināmento nappamajjati, so abbhādīhi mutto candova okāsalokaṃ maggañāṇena imaṃ khandhādilokaṃ obhāseti, ekālokaṃ karotīti.

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Desanāvasāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsūti.

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Sammajjanattheravatthu pañcamaṃ.