Dhammapada 2.3.p18

2.3.p18

‘‘Atīte, bhikkhave, bārāṇasinagaravāsī eko māṇavo takkasilaṃ gantvā sippuggahaṇatthāya disāpāmokkhassa ācariyassa dhammantevāsiko hutvā pañcannaṃ māṇavakasatānaṃ antare ativiya ācariyassa upakārako ahosi, pādaparikammādīni sabbakiccāni karoti. Dandhatāya pana kiñci uggaṇhituṃ na sakko’’ti. Ācariyo ‘‘ayaṃ mama bahūpakāro, sikkhāpessāmi na’’nti vāyamantopi kiñci sikkhāpetuṃ na sakkoti. So ciraṃ vasitvā ekagāthampi uggaṇhituṃ asakkonto ukkaṇṭhitvā ‘‘gamissāmī’’ti ācariyaṃ āpucchi. Ācariyo cintesi – ‘‘ayaṃ mayhaṃ upakārako, paṇḍitabhāvamassa paccāsīsāmi, na naṃ kātuṃ sakkomi, avassaṃ mayā imassa paccupakāro kātabbo, ekamassa mantaṃ bandhitvā dassāmī’’ti so taṃ araññaṃ netvā ‘‘ghaṭṭesi ghaṭṭesi, kiṃ kāraṇā ghaṭṭesi? Ahampi taṃ jānāmi jānāmī’’ti imaṃ mantaṃ bandhitvā uggaṇhāpento anekasatakkhattuṃ parivattāpetvā, ‘‘paññāyati te’’ti pucchitvā, ‘‘āma, paññāyatī’’ti vutte ‘‘dandhena nāma vāyāmaṃ katvā paguṇaṃ kataṃ sippaṃ na palāyatī’’ti cintetvā maggaparibbayaṃ datvā, ‘‘gaccha, imaṃ mantaṃ nissāya jīvissasi, apalāyanatthāya panassa niccaṃ sajjhāyaṃ kareyyāsī’’ti vatvā taṃ uyyojesi. Athassa mātā bārāṇasiyaṃ sampattakāle ‘‘putto me sippaṃ sikkhitvā āgato’’ti mahāsakkārasammānaṃ akāsi.

Once upon a time a certain young man who lived in the city of Benāres went to Takkasilā for the purpose of acquiring the arts and became the pupil of a world-renowned teacher. He was by all odds the most helpful to the teacher of all the five hundred young men who were his pupils. All of his duties, such as bathing and perfuming the feet, he performed most faithfully. But he was such a dullard that he was not able to learn a single thing. The teacher thought, "This young man is most helpful to me; I will instruct him in the arts." But in spite of his best efforts he was unable to teach him a single thing. When, after a long residence, the young man was unable to learn a single Stanza, he became discouraged, and resolving to return home, asked leave of the teacher.

The teacher thought to himself, "This young man is a devoted servitor of mine. I should like to make a learned man of him, but this I cannot do. However, I ought certainly to make him some return for the assistance he has rendered me. I will compose a certain charm for him and give it to him." So he took him to the forest and composed for him the charm, "You're rubbing! you're rubbing! Why are you rubbing? I know too!" And this charm he taught him, causing him to repeat it many hundred times. "Do you know it now?" asked the teacher. "Yes," replied the young man; "I know it now." Thought the teacher, "If a dullard by dint of hard labor once learns by heart a form of words, it will never leave him." And giving him money to defray the expenses of his journey, he dismissed him, saying, "Now go make your living by this charm. But in order that you may not forget it, keep repeating it over and over." When he arrived at Benāres, his mother said to herself, "My son has returned after acquiring the arts," and held high festival in his honor.