Dhammapada 4.1: 1. Pathavikathāpasutapañcasatabhikkhuvatthu

4.1.p1

Ko imaṃ pathaviṃ vicessatīti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā sāvatthiyaṃ viharanto pathavikathāpasute pañcasate bhikkhū ārabbha kathesi.

Who shall overcome this earth? This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Sāvatthi with reference to five hundred monks who spent their time talking about the soil.

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Te kira bhagavatā saddhiṃ janapadacārikaṃ caritvā jetavanaṃ āgantvā sāyanhasamaye upaṭṭhānasālāyaṃ sannisinnā attanā gatagataṭṭhānesu ‘‘asukagāmato asukagāmagamanaṭṭhāne samaṃ visamaṃ kaddamabahulaṃ sakkharabahulaṃ kāḷamattikaṃ tambamattika’’nti pathavikathaṃ kathesuṃ. Satthā āgantvā, ‘‘kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā’’ti pucchitvā, ‘‘bhante, amhehi vicaritaṭṭhāne pathavikathāyā’’ti vutte, ‘‘bhikkhave, esā bāhirapathavī nāma, tumhehi ajjhuttikapathaviyaṃ parikammaṃ kātuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti vatvā imā dve gāthā abhāsi –

One evening, it appears, these monks returned to Jetavana after a journey through the country with the Teacher, and assembling in the Hall of State, began to talk about the various kinds of soil they had seen in going from one village to another, such as even and uneven, abounding in mud, abounding in gravel, black clay, red clay. The Teacher approached and asked them, “Monks, what is it that you are sitting here now talking about?” “Reverend Sir,” they replied, “we were talking about the different kinds of soil we saw in the places we visited.” “Monks,” said the Teacher, “this is the outer soil. It behooves you rather to cleanse the inner soil of the heart.” So saying, he pronounced the two following Stanzas,

4.1.44

‘‘Ko imaṃ pathaviṃ vicessati,
Yamalokañca imaṃ sadevakaṃ;
Ko dhammapadaṃ sudesitaṃ,
Kusalo pupphamiva pacessati.

44. Who shall overcome this earth, and this World of Yama, and the World of the
Gods?
Who shall pluck the well-taught Words of Truth, even as a good man plucks a
flower?

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‘‘Sekho pathaviṃ vicessati,
Yamalokañca imaṃ sadevakaṃ;
Sekho dhammapadaṃ sudesitaṃ,
Kusalo pupphamiva pacessatī’’ti.

45. The disciple shall overcome this earth, and this World of Yama, and the World of
the Gods.
The disciple shall pluck the well-taught Words of Truth, even as a good man
plucks a flower.

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Tattha ko imanti ko imaṃ attabhāvasaṅkhātaṃ pathaviṃ. Vicessatīti attano ñāṇena vicinissati vijānissati, paṭivijjhissati, sacchikarissatīti attho. Yamalokañcāti catubbidhaṃ apāyalokañca. Imaṃ sadevakanti imaṃ manussalokañca devalokena saddhiṃ ko vicessati vicinissati vijānissati paṭivijjhissati sacchikarissatīti pucchi. Ko dhammapadaṃ sudesitanti yathāsabhāvato kathitattā sudesitaṃ sattatiṃsabodhipakkhiyadhammasaṅkhātaṃ dhammapadaṃ kusalo mālākāro pupphaṃ vicinanto viya ko pacessati vicinissati vijānissati upaparikkhissati paṭivijjhissati, sacchikarissatīti attho. Sekhoti adhisīlasikkhā, adhicittasikkhā, adhipaññāsikkhāti imā tisso sikkhā sikkhanato sotāpattimaggaṭṭhaṃ ādiṃ katvā yāva arahattamaggaṭṭhā sattavidho sekho imaṃ attabhāvasaṅkhātaṃ pathaviṃ arahattamaggena tato chandarāgaṃ apakaḍḍhanto vicessati vicinissati vijānissati paṭivijjhissati sacchikarissati. Yamalokañcāti taṃ yathāvuttapakāraṃ yamalokañca imaṃ manussalokañca saha devehi sadevakaṃ sveva vicessati vicinissati vijānissati paṭivijjhissati sacchikarissati. Sekhoti sveva sattavidho sekho, yathā nāma kusalo mālākāro pupphārāmaṃ pavisitvā taruṇamakuḷāni ca pāṇakaviddhāni ca milātāni ca gaṇṭhikajātāni ca pupphāni vajjetvā sobhanāni sujātasujātāneva pupphāni vicināti, evameva imaṃ sukathitaṃ suniddiṭṭhaṃ bodhipakkhiyadhammapadampi paññāya pacessati vicinissati upaparikkhissati paṭivijjhissati sacchikarissatīti satthā sayameva pañhaṃ vissajjesi.

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Desanāvasāne pañcasatāpi bhikkhū saha paṭisambhidāhi arahattaṃ pāpuṇiṃsu. Sampattaparisāyapi sātthikā dhammadesanā ahosīti.

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Pathavikathāpasutapañcasatabhikkhuvatthu paṭhamaṃ.