Dhammapada 4.3.p3

4.3.p3

Pasenadi kosalo rājā tassāgamanaṃ sutvā paccuggantvā mahantena sakkārena taṃ nagaraṃ pavesetvā senāpatiṭṭhāne ṭhapesi. So mātāpitaro pakkosāpetvā tattheva vāsaṃ kappesi. Athekadivasaṃ rājā uparipāsāde ṭhito antaravīthiṃ olokayamāno ‘‘anāthapiṇḍikassa cūḷaanāthapiṇḍikassa visākhāya suppavāsāyā’’ti etesaṃ gehe niccaṃ bhattakiccatthāya gacchante anekasahasse bhikkhū disvā, ‘‘kahaṃ, ayyā, gacchantī’’ti pucchitvā, ‘‘deva, anāthapiṇḍikassa gehe niccabhattasalākabhattagilānabhattādīnaṃ atthāya devasikaṃ dve bhikkhusahassāni gacchanti, cūḷaanāthapiṇḍikassa gehe pañcasatāni, tathā visākhāya tathā suppavāsāyā’’ti vutte sayampi bhikkhusaṅghaṃ upaṭṭhahitukāmo vihāraṃ gantvā bhikkhusahassena saddhiṃ satthāraṃ nimantetvā sattāhaṃ sahatthā dānaṃ datvā sattame divase satthāraṃ vanditvā, ‘‘bhante, pañcahi me bhikkhusatehi saddhiṃ nibaddhaṃ bhikkhaṃ gaṇhathā’’ti āha. ‘‘Mahārāja buddhā nāma ekaṭṭhāne nibaddhaṃ bhikkhaṃ na gaṇhanti, bahū janā buddhānaṃ āgamanaṃ paccāsīsantī’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi ekaṃ bhikkhuṃ nibaddhaṃ pesethā’’ti āha. Satthā ānandattherassa bhāraṃ akāsi. Rājā bhikkhusaṅghe āgate pattaṃ gahetvā, ‘‘ime nāma parivisantū’’ti avicāretvāva sattāhaṃ sayameva parivisitvā aṭṭhame divase vikkhittacitto pamajjamakāsi. Rājakule nāma anāṇattā āsanāni paññāpetvā bhikkhū nisīdāpetvā parivisituṃ na labhanti ‘‘na mayaṃ idha ṭhātuṃ sakkhissāmā’’ti bahū bhikkhū pakkamiṃsu. Rājā dutiyadivasepi pamajji, dutiyadivasepi bahū bhikkhū pakkamiṃsu. Tatiyadivasepi pamajji, tadā ānandattheraṃ ekakameva ṭhapetvā avasesā pakkamiṃsu. Puññavantā nāma kāraṇavasikā honti, kulānaṃ pasādaṃ rakkhanti. Tathāgatassa ca sāriputtatthero mahāmoggallānattheroti dve aggasāvakā, khemā uppalavaṇṇāti dve aggasāvikā, upāsakesu citto, gahapati, hatthako āḷavakoti dve aggaupāsakā, upāsikāsu veḷukaṇṭhakī nandamātā, khujjuttarāti dve aggaupāsikā, iti ime aṭṭha jane ādiṃ katvā ṭhānantarapattā sabbepi sāvakā ekadesena dasannaṃ pāramīnaṃ pūritattā mahāpuññā abhinīhārasampannā. Ānandattheropi kappasatasahassaṃ pūritapāramī abhinīhārasampanno mahāpuñño attano kāraṇavasikatāya kulassa pasādaṃ rakkhanto aṭṭhāsi. Taṃ ekakameva nisīdāpetvā parivisiṃsu.

King Pasenadi, hearing that he was coming, went forth to meet him, escorted him into the city with distinguished honors, and appointed him commander-in-chief of his army. Bandhula sent for his mother and father and established his residence right there in the city of Sāvatthi.

Now one day, as the king was standing on the terrace looking down into the street, he saw several thousand monks pass through the street on their way to breakfast in the houses of Anāthapiṇḍika, Culla Anāthapiṇḍika, Visākhā, and Suppavāsā. "Where are these reverend monks going?" he inquired. "Your majesty, every day two thousand monks go to the house of Anāthapiṇḍika for food, medicine, and so forth; five hundred to the house of Culla Anāthapiṇḍika; and a like number to the houses of Visākhā and Suppadāsā." The king also conceived a desire to minister to the Congregation of Monks, and going to the monastery, invited the Teacher and his thousand monks to take their meals in his house. For seven days he presented alms to the Teacher, and on the seventh day paid obeisance to him and said, "Henceforth take your meals in my house regularly with five hundred monks." "Great king, the Buddhas never take their meals regularly in any one place; many desire the Buddhas to visit them." "Well then, send one monk regularly." The Teacher imposed the duty on the Elder Ānanda.

When the Congregation of Monks arrived, the king took their bowls and for seven days waited upon them in person, allowing no one else to perform that office. On the eighth day he suffered from distraction of mind and neglected to perform his duty. The monks said to themselves, "In the house of a king no one may provide seats for the monks and wait upon them unless he is expressly ordered to do so. It will therefore be impossible for us to remain here any longer." Accordingly many departed. On the second day also the king neglected his duty, and accordingly on the second day many departed. Likewise on the third day the king neglected his duty, with the result that on that day all the remaining monks departed with the single exception of the Elder Ānanda.

They that are truly righteous rise above circumstances and guard the faith of families. The Tathāgata had two principal male disciples, the Elder Sāriputta and the Elder Mahā Moggallāna, and two principal female disciples, Khemā and Uppalavaṇṇā. Among the lay disciples there were two principal male lay disciples, the householder Citta and Hatthaka Āḷavaka, and two principal female lay disciples, Velukaṇṭhakī, mother of Nanda, and Khujjutarā. To put it briefly, all the disciples, beginning with these eight persons, had made their Earnest Wish, had fulfilled the Ten Perfections, and had thus acquired great merit. Likewise the Elder Ānanda had made his Earnest Wish, had fulfilled the Ten Perfections during a hundred thousand cycles of time, and had thus acquired great merit. Therefore did the Elder Ānanda rise superior to circumstances, and therefore did he remain, guarding the faith of the king’s house. And they provided a seat for the Elder Ānanda alone and ministered to him.