Verses on Dhamma 26.32.p7

26.32.p7

Therassa ‘‘aho vata me bhāriyaṃ anupadhāretvā katakamma’’nti mahāsaṃvego udapādi. Tasmiṃ khaṇe satthā pañcacattālīsayojanamatthake jetavane nisinnova taṃ kāraṇaṃ disvā sitaṃ pātvākāsi. Atha naṃ ānandatthero pucchi – ‘‘bhante, ko nu kho hetu, ko paccayo sitassa pātukammāyā’’ti. Ānanda, rājagahanagare sattabhūmikapāsādatale sundarasamuddassa ca bhikkhuno gaṇikāya ca saṅgāmo vattatīti. Kassa nu kho, bhante, jayo bhavissati, kassa parājayoti? Satthā, ‘‘ānanda, sundarasamuddassa jayo bhavissati, gaṇikāya parājayo’’ti therassa jayaṃ pakāsetvā tattha nisinnakova obhāsaṃ pharitvā ‘‘bhikkhu ubhopi kāme nirapekkho pajahā’’ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –

Thought the Elder, “Alas, I have committed a grievous sin! I did not consider what I was doing.” And he was deeply moved. At that moment the Teacher, although seated within the Jetavana, forty-five leagues distant, saw the whole affair and smiled. Elder Ānanda asked him, “Reverend Sir, what is the cause, what is the occasion of your smiling?” “Ānanda, in the city of Rājagaha, on the topmost floor of a seven-storied palace, there is a battle on between the monk Ocean-of-Beauty and a harlot.” “Who is going to win, Reverend Sir, and who is going to lose?” The Teacher replied, “Ānanda, Ocean-of-Beauty is going to win, and the harlot is going to lose.” Having thus proclaimed that the Elder would win the victory, the Teacher, remaining seated where he was, sent forth a luminous image of himself and said, “Monk, renounce both lusts and free yourself from desire.” So saying, he pronounced the following Stanza,