Verses on Dhamma 25.12.p11

25.12.p11

Satthu pana parivāratthaṃ kulapaṭipāṭiyā sākiyakumāresu pabbajantesu mahānāmena sakkena, ‘‘tāta, amhākaṃ kulā koci pabbajito natthi, tayā vā pabbajitabbaṃ, mayā vā’’ti vutte so āha – ‘‘ahaṃ atisukhumālo pabbajituṃ na sakkhissāmī’’ti. Tena hi kammantaṃ uggaṇha, ahaṃ pabbajissāmīti. Ko esa kammanto nāmāti? So hi bhattassa uṭṭhānaṭṭhānampi na jānāti, kammantaṃ kimeva jānissati, tasmā evamāha. Ekadivasañhi anuruddho bhaddiyo kimiloti tayo janā ‘‘bhattaṃ nāma kahaṃ uṭṭhātī’’ti mantayiṃsu. Tesu kimilo ‘‘koṭṭhesu uṭṭhātī’’ti āha. So kirekadivasaṃ vīhī koṭṭhamhi pakkhipante addasa, tasmā ‘‘koṭṭhe bhattaṃ uppajjatī’’ti saññāya evamāha. Atha naṃ bhaddiyo ‘‘tvaṃ na jānāsī’’ti vatvā ‘‘bhattaṃ nāma ukkhaliyaṃ uṭṭhātī’’ti āha. So kirekadivasaṃ ukkhalito bhattaṃ vaḍḍhente disvā ‘‘etthevetaṃ uppajjatī’’ti saññamakāsi, tasmā evamāha. Anuruddho te ubhopi ‘‘tumhe na jānāthā’’ti vatvā ‘‘bhattaṃ nāma ratanubbedhamakuḷāya mahāsuvaṇṇapātiyaṃ uṭṭhātī’’ti āha. Tena kira neva vīhiṃ koṭṭentā, na bhattaṃ pacantā diṭṭhapubbā, suvaṇṇapātiyaṃ vaḍḍhetvā purato ṭhapitabhattameva passati, tasmā ‘‘pātiyaṃyevetaṃ uppajjatī’’ti saññamakāsi, tasmā evamāha. Evaṃ bhattuṭṭhānaṭṭhānampi ajānanto mahāpuñño kulaputto kammante kiṃ jānissati.

Now when one after another the sons of families belonging to the Sakya clan had retired from the world to form the Teacher's retinue, Mahānāma the Sakyan said to his younger brother Anuruddha, "Dear brother, no member of our family has yet retired from the world and become a monk. Either you or I ought to retire from the world and become a monk." Anuruddha replied, "I have been delicately nurtured; I shall never be able to retire from the world and live the life of a monk." "Well then, you take up farming, and I will become a monk." "What is this *farming*?" For Anuruddha did not even know where food comes from; how therefore could he be expected to know the meaning of *farming*? Therefore did he speak thus.

For one day the three princes Anuruddha, Bhaddiya, and Kimbila engaged in a discussion of the question, "Where does food come from?" Kimbila said, "It comes from the granary." (It seems that one day Kimbila saw rice being put into a granary. So he imagined, "Food comes from the granary," and said so.) Bhaddiya said to Kimbila, "You know nothing about it; food comes from the boiler." (It seems that one day Bhaddiya saw food being taken out of the boiler. So he imagined, "Food comes from the boiler," and said so.) Anuruddha said to both of them, “You know nothing about it; food comes from a huge golden bowl with a jeweled knob.” (It seems that Anuruddha had never seen men pounding rice or boiling it, but had seen it only after it had been taken out of the boiler and set before him in a golden bowl. So Anuruddha imagined, “It comes from the bowl and nowhere else,” and said so.) How could this youth of great merit who was so unsophisticated as not to know even where food comes from, be expected to know the meaning of farming?