Dhammapada 2.1.p89

2.1.p89

Kassapasammāsambuddhakāle pana ekā bārāṇasiseṭṭhino dhītā vaḍḍhamānakacchāyāya ādāsaṃ gahetvā attānaṃ alaṅkarontī nisīdi. Athassā vissāsikā ekā khīṇāsavā bhikkhunī taṃ daṭṭhuṃ agamāsi. Bhikkhuniyo hi khīṇāsavāpi sāyanhasamaye upaṭṭhākakulāni daṭṭhukāmā honti. Tasmiṃ pana khaṇe seṭṭhidhītāya santike kāci pesanakārikā natthi, sā ‘‘vandāmi, ayye, etaṃ tāva me pasādhanapeḷakaṃ gahetvā dethā’’ti āha. Therī cintesi – ‘‘sacassā imaṃ gaṇhitvā na dassāmi, mayi āghātaṃ katvā niraye nibbattissati. Sace pana dassāmi, parassa pesanakārikā hutvā nibbattissati. Nirayasantāpato kho pana parassa pesanabhāvova seyyo’’ti. ‘‘Sā anudayaṃ paṭicca taṃ gahetvā tassā adāsi. Tassa kammassa nissandena paresaṃ pesanakārikā jātā’’ti.

In the dispensation of Kassapa, the Supremely Enlightened, a certain treasurer’s daughter of Benāres took her mirror one day, as the shades of evening drew on, and sat down to adorn herself. Now a certain intimate friend of hers, a nun freed from the Depravities, came to see her. For nuns freed from the Depravities like to visit the households of their supporters at eventide. But at that moment the treasurer’s daughter happened to have no errand-girl with her. So she said to the nun, “I greet you, Reverend Lady. Just take that basket of ornaments and give it to me.” The nun thought to herself, “If I do not take this basket and give it to her, she will take a dislike to me and will be reborn in Hell; but if I do give it to her, she will be reborn as the errand-girl of another. However, it is better to be the errand-girl of another than to suffer torment in Hell.” So out of pity for her she took the basket and gave it to her. In consequence of this act she became the errand-girl of another. Stories of the Past concluded. Again one day in the Hall of Truth the monks started a discussion. “Sāmāvatī and her five hundred women were burned with fire in their house; as for Māgandiyā and her kinswomen, a fire of straw was built over their bodies, and their bodies were torn asunder with iron plows, and Māgandiyā was boiled in boiling oil. Which of these are alive and which are dead?” The Teacher came in and asked, “Monks, what are you sitting here now talking about?” When they told him, he said to them, “Monks, they that are heedless, though they live a hundred years, yet are they dead. They that are heedful, be they dead or alive, yet are they alive. Māgandiyā, while she yet lived, was dead already. Sāmāvatī and her followers, though they be dead, yet are they alive. For, monks, the heedful never die.” So saying, he pronounced the following Stanzas,