Dhammapada 4.12.p3

4.12.p3

Siriguttassāpi mahantaṃ nivesanaṃ. So tasmiṃ dvinnaṃ gehānaṃ antare ubhato dīghaṃ āvāṭaṃ khaṇāpetvā gūthakalalassa pūrāpesi. Bahiāvāṭe dvīsu pariyantesu khāṇuke koṭṭāpetvā tesu rajjuyo bandhāpetvā āsanānaṃ purimapāde āvāṭassa purimapasse ṭhapāpetvā pacchimapāde rajjukesu ṭhapāpesi. ‘‘Evaṃ nisinnakāle evaṃ avaṃsirā patissantī’’ti maññamāno yathā āvāṭo na paññāyati, evaṃ āsanānaṃ upari paccattharaṇāni dāpesi. Mahantā mahantā cāṭiyo ṭhapāpetvā kadalipaṇṇehi ca setapilotikāhi ca mukhāni bandhāpetvā tā tucchā eva gehassa pacchimabhāge bahi yāgubhattasitthasappitelamadhuphāṇitapūvacuṇṇamakkhitā katvā ṭhapāpesi. Garahadinno pātova tassa gharaṃ vegena gantvā, ‘‘ayyānaṃ sakkāro sajjito’’ti pucchi. ‘‘Āma, samma, sajjito’’ti. ‘‘Kahaṃ pana eso’’ti. ‘‘Etāsu ettikāsu cāṭīsu yāgu, ettikāsu bhattaṃ, ettikāsu sappiphāṇitapūvādīni pūritāni, āsanāni paññattānī’’ti. So ‘‘sādhū’’ti vatvā gato tassa gatakāle pañcasatā nigaṇṭhā āgamiṃsu. Sirigutto gehā nikkhamitvā pañcapatiṭṭhitena nigaṇṭhe vanditvā tesaṃ purato añjaliṃ paggayha ṭhito evaṃ cintesi – ‘‘tumhe kira atītādibhedaṃ sabbaṃ jānātha, evaṃ tumhākaṃ upaṭṭhākena mayhaṃ kathitaṃ. Sace sabbaṃ tumhe jānātha, mayhaṃ gehaṃ mā pavisittha. Mama gehaṃ paviṭṭhānañhi vo neva yāgu atthi, na bhattādīni. Sace ajānitvā pavisissatha, gūthaāvāṭe vo pātetvā pothessāmī’’ti evaṃ cintetvā purisānaṃ saññaṃ adāsi. Evaṃ tesaṃ nisīdanabhāvaṃ ñatvā pacchimapasse ṭhatvā āsanānaṃ upari paccattharaṇāni apaneyyātha, mā tāni asucinā makkhayiṃsūti.

Now Sirigutta's place of residence was a large one, and in one place there was a long empty space between two houses. Here, therefore, he caused a long ditch to be dug, and this ditch he caused to be filled with dung and slime. Beyond the ditch, at both ends, he caused posts to be driven into the ground, and to these posts he caused ropes to be attached. He caused the seats to be so placed, with the front legs resting on the ground and the back legs resting on the ropes, that the instant the heretics sat down they would be tipped over backwards and flung head first into the ditch. In order that no sign of a ditch might be visible, he had coverlets spread over the seats. He caused several large earthenware vessels to be washed clean, and their mouths to be covered with plaintain-leaves and pieces of cloth. And these vessels, empty though they were, he caused to be placed behind the house, smeared on the outside with rice-porridge, lumps of boiled rice, ghee, jaggery, and cake-crumbs.

Early in the morning Garahadinna went quickly to the house of Sirigutta and asked him, "Has food been prepared for my noble teachers?" "Yes, friend, food has been prepared." "But where is it?" "In all these earthenware vessels is rice-porridge, in all these is boiled rice, in all these are ghee, jaggery, cakes, and other kinds of food. Likewise have seats been prepared." "Very well," said Garahadinna, and went his way.

As soon as Garahadinna had departed, five hundred Naked Ascetics arrived. Sirigutta came forth from the house, paid obeisance to the Naked Ascetics with the Five Rests, and taking his stand before them and raising his clasped hands in an attitude of reverent salutation, thought to himself, "So you know all about the past, the present, and the future! So at least your supporter tells me. If you really do know all this, do not enter my house. For even if you enter my house, there is no rice-porridge prepared for you, nor boiled rice, nor any other kind of food. If you do not know all this and still enter my house, I will cause you to be flung into a ditch filled with dung, and will then cause you to be beaten with sticks." Having thus reflected, he gave the following order to his men, "When you observe that they are about to sit down, take your places in the rear and pull the coverlets which are spread over the seats out from under, lest the coverlets be smeared with filth."