Dhammapada 4.12.p2

4.12.p2

Sāvatthiyañhi sirigutto ca garahadinno cāti dve sahāyakā ahesuṃ. Tesu sirigutto upāsako buddhasāvako, garahadinno nigaṇṭhasāvako. Taṃ nigaṇṭhā abhikkhaṇaṃ evaṃ vadanti – ‘‘tava sahāyakaṃ siriguttaṃ ‘kiṃ tvaṃ samaṇaṃ gotamaṃ upasaṅkamasi, tassa santike kiṃ labhissasī’ti vatvā yathā amhe upasaṅkamitvā amhākañca deyyadhammaṃ dassati, kiṃ evaṃ ovadituṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti. Garahadinno tesaṃ vacanaṃ sutvā abhikkhaṇaṃ gantvā ṭhitanisinnaṭṭhānādīsu siriguttaṃ evaṃ ovadati – ‘‘samma, kiṃ te samaṇena gotamena, taṃ upasaṅkamitvā kiṃ labhissasi, kiṃ te mama, ayye, upasaṅkamitvā tesaṃ dānaṃ dātuṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti? Sirigutto tassa kathaṃ sutvāpi bahū divase tuṇhī hutvā nibbijjitvā ekadivasaṃ, ‘‘samma, tvaṃ abhikkhaṇaṃ āgantvā maṃ ṭhitaṭṭhānādīsu evaṃ vadesi, ‘samaṇaṃ gotamaṃ upasaṅkamitvā kiṃ labhissasi, mama, ayye, upasaṅkamitvā tesaṃ dānaṃ dehī’ti, kathehi tāva me, tava, ayyā, kiṃ jānantī’’ti? ‘‘‘Aho, sāmi, mā evaṃ vada, mama ayyānaṃ aññātaṃ nāma natthi, sabbaṃ atītānāgatapaccuppannaṃ sabbaṃ kāyavacīmanokammaṃ idaṃ bhavissati, idaṃ na bhavissatī’ti sabbaṃ bhabbābhabbaṃ jānantī’’ti? ‘‘Evaṃ vadesī’’ti. ‘‘Āma, vademī’’ti. ‘‘Yadi evaṃ, atibhāriyaṃ te kataṃ, ettakaṃ kālaṃ mayhaṃ etamatthaṃ anācikkhantena, ajja mayā ayyānaṃ ñāṇānubhāvo ñāto, gaccha, samma, ayye, mama vacanena nimantehī’’ti. So nigaṇṭhānaṃ santikaṃ gantvā te vanditvā ‘‘mayhaṃ sahāyako sirigutto svātanāya tumhe nimantetī’’ti āha. ‘‘Siriguttena sāmaṃ tvaṃ vutto’’ti? ‘‘Āma, ayyā’’ti. Te haṭṭhatuṭṭhā hutvā ‘‘nipphannaṃ no kiccaṃ, siriguttassa amhesu pasannakālato paṭṭhāya kā nāma sampatti amhākaṃ na bhavissatī’’ti vadiṃsu.

For at Sāvatthi once lived two friends, Sirigutta and Garahadinna. The former was a lay disciple of the Buddha, the latter an adherent of the Naked Ascetics, the Nigaṇṭhas. The Naked Ascetics used to say repeatedly to Garahadinna, "Go to your friend Sirigutta and say, 'Why do you visit the monk Gotama? What do you expect to get from him?' Why not admonish him thus, that he may visit us and give us alms?" Garahadinna listened to what they said, went repeatedly to Sirigutta, and wherever he found him, standing or sitting, spoke thus to him, "Friend, of what use to you is the monk Gotama? What do you expect to get by visiting him? Should you not visit my own noble teachers instead and give alms to them?"

Sirigutta listened to his friend's talk and despite it kept silence for several days. One day, however, he lost his patience and said to Garahadinna, "Friend, you constantly come to me, and wherever you find me, standing or sitting, speak thus to me, 'What do you expect to gain by visiting the monk Gotama? Visit my noble teachers instead and give alms to them.' Now just answer me this question, 'What do your noble teachers know?'" "Oh, sir, do not speak thus! There is nothing my noble teachers do not know. They know all about the past, the present, and the future. They know everybody's thoughts, words, and actions. They know everything that can happen and everything that cannot happen." "You don't say so." "Indeed I do." "If this be true, you have committed a grievous fault in allowing me to remain ignorant of it all this time. Not until to-day did I learn of the supernatural power of knowledge possessed by your noble teachers. Go, sir, and invite your noble teachers in my name."

Garahadinna went to the Naked Ascetics, paid obeisance to them, and said, "My friend Sirigutta invites you for to-morrow." "Did Sirigutta speak to you of himself?" "Yes, noble sirs." They were pleased and delighted. Said they, "Our work is done. What gain will not accrue to us from the moment Sirigutta reposes faith in us?"