Verses on Dhamma 25.12.p10

25.12.p10

Anuruddhopi cintesi – ‘‘na maṃ maññe ito pubbe mātā piyāyati. Na hi me aññadā tāya natthipūvā nāma pakkapubbā’’ti. So gantvā mātaraṃ evamāha – ‘‘amma, nāhaṃ tava piyo’’ti. Tāta, kiṃ vadesi, mama akkhīhipi hadayamaṃsatopi tvaṃ piyataroti. Sacāhaṃ, amma, tava piyo, kasmā mama pubbe evarūpe natthipūve nāma na adāsīti. Sā taṃ purisaṃ pucchi – ‘‘tāta, kiñci pātiyaṃ ahosī’’ti. Āma, ayye, pūvānaṃ pāti paripuṇṇā ahosi, na me evarūpā diṭṭhapubbāti. Sā cintesi – ‘‘putto me katapuñño, devatāhissa dibbapūvā pahitā bhavissantī’’ti. Sopi mātaraṃ āha – ‘‘amma, na mayā evarūpā pūvā khāditapubbā, ito paṭṭhāya me natthipūvameva paceyyāsī’’ti. Sā tato paṭṭhāya tena ‘‘pūve khāditukāmomhī’’ti vuttakāle suvaṇṇapātiṃ dhovitvā aññāya pātiyā paṭikujjitvā pahiṇati, devatā pātiṃ pūrenti. Evaṃ so agāramajjhe vasanto natthīti padassa atthaṃ ajānitvā dibbapūveyeva paribhuñji.

Anuruddha thought, "Doubtless my mother never loved me before, for never at any other time has she fried *isn't* cakes for me." So he went to his mother and said to her, "Dear mother, do you not love me?" "Dear son, what are you saying? You are dearer to me than my very eyes, dearer to me than my heart's flesh." "Dear mother, if you really love me, why have you never before given me such cakes as these *isn't* cakes?" Anuruddha's mother asked the man, "Friend, was there anything in the dish?" "Yes, my lady, the dish was filled with cakes the like of which I never saw before." Anuruddha's mother thought, "My son has wrought works of merit, and deities must therefore have sent him celestial cakes." Anuruddha said to his mother, "Dear mother, I never ate such cakes as these before. From this time forth fry *isn't* cake alone for me." So from that time forth, whenever Anuruddha said, "I should like some cakes to eat," his mother would wash a golden bowl, cover it with another bowl, and send it to him, and the deities would fill the dish with celestial cakes. Thus during all the time Anuruddha lived amid the cares of the household life, he never knew the meaning of the word *isn't* and lived altogether on celestial cakes.