Verses on Dhamma 5.11.p9

5.11.p9

Satthā tassa vasanaṭṭhānato avidūre ekaṃ pabbhāraṃ atthi, taṃ niddisanto ‘‘etasmiṃ pabbhāre ko vasatī’’ti āha. ‘‘Natthi koci, mahāsamaṇā’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi etaṃ mayhaṃ dehī’’ti. ‘‘Tvaññeva jāna, mahāsamaṇā’’ti. Satthā pabbhāre nisīdanaṃ paññāpetvā nisīdi. Paṭhamayāme cattāro mahārājāno catuddisaṃ ekobhāsaṃ karontā satthu upaṭṭhānaṃ āgamiṃsu. Jambuko obhāsaṃ disvā ‘‘ko obhāso nāmeso’’ti cintesi. Majjhimayāme sakko devarājā āgami. Jambuko tampi disvā ‘‘ko nāmeso’’ti cintesi. Pacchimayāme ekāya aṅguliyā ekaṃ, dvīhi dve, dasahi dasa cakkavāḷāni obhāsetuṃ samattho mahābrahmā sakalaṃ araññaṃ ekobhāsaṃ karonto āgami. Jambuko tampi disvā ‘‘ko nu kho eso’’ti cintetvā pātova satthu santikaṃ gantvā paṭisanthāraṃ katvā ekamantaṃ ṭhito satthāraṃ pucchi – ‘‘mahāsamaṇa, tumhākaṃ santikaṃ catasso disā obhāsento ke āgatā’’ti? ‘‘Cattāro mahārājāno’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ kāraṇā’’ti? ‘‘Maṃ upaṭṭhātu’’nti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana tvaṃ catūhi mahārājehi uttaritaro’’ti? ‘‘Āma, jambuka, mahārājūnampi atirājā’’ti. ‘‘Majjhimayāme pana ko āgato’’ti? ‘‘Sakko devarājā, jambukā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ kāraṇā’’ti? ‘‘Maṃ upaṭṭhātumevā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana tvaṃ sakkadevarājatopi uttaritaro’’ti? ‘‘Āma, jambuka, sakkatopi uttaritaromhi, eso pana mayhaṃ gilānupaṭṭhāko kappiyakārakasāmaṇerasadiso’’ti. ‘‘Pacchimayāme sakalaṃ araññaṃ obhāsetvā ko āgato’’ti? ‘‘Yaṃ loke brāhmaṇādayo khipitvā pakkhalitvā ‘namo mahābrahmuno’ti vadanti, so eva mahābrahmā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana tvaṃ mahābrahmatopi uttaritaro’’ti? ‘‘Āma, jambuka, ahañhi brahmunāpi atibrahmā’’ti. ‘‘Acchariyosi tvaṃ, mahāsamaṇa, mayhaṃ pana pañca paññāsa vassāni idha vasantassa etesu ekopi maṃ upaṭṭhātuṃ nāgatapubbo. Ahañhi ettakaṃ addhānaṃ vātabhakkho hutvā ṭhitakova vītināmesiṃ, na tāva te mayhaṃ upaṭṭhānaṃ āgatapubbā’’ti.

Now there was a certain mountain-cave not far from Jambuka’s place of abode; and the Teacher, pointing to it, asked, “Is there anyone who lives in that mountain-cave?” “No one lives there, great monk.” “Well then, permit me to lodge there.” “Suit yourself, great monk.” So the Teacher prepared a bed in the mountain-cave and lay down. In the first watch the Four Great Kings came to wait upon the Teacher, illuminating the four quarters with one blaze of light. Jambuka saw the light and thought to himself, “What is that light?” In the second watch came Sakka king of the gods. Jambuka saw him and thought to himself, “Who is that?” In the third and last watch drew near Mahā Brahmā, who with one finger can illuminate one Cakkavāḷa, with two fingers two Cakkavāḷas, and with ten fingers ten, illuminating the whole forest. Jambuka saw him also and thought to himself, “Who can that be?”

So early the next morning he went to the Teacher, greeted him in a friendly manner, and taking his stand respectfully on one side, asked the Teacher, “Great monk, who were they that came to you, illuminating the four quarters as they came?” “The Four Great Kings.” “Why did they come to you?” “To wait upon me.” “But are you superior to the Four Great Kings?” “Yes, Jambuka, I am Sovereign Lord of the Four Great Kings.” “And who was it that came to you in the second watch?” “Sakka king of the gods.” “Why did he come to you?” “He came also to wait upon me.” “But are you superior to Sakka king of the gods?” “Yes, Jambuka, I am superior to Sakka. Indeed, Sakka stands to me in the relation of a novice, as it were; one who does for me anything I need to have done; my physician in time of sickness.” “Who was it that came to you in the third and last watch, illuminating the whole forest as he came?” “That was Mahā Brahmā, to whom blundering, stumbling Brahmans and others cry, ‘Praise be to Mahā Brahmā!’” “But are you superior also to Mahā Brahmā?” “Yes, Jambuka, for I am he that is Brahmā over Brahmā.”

“You are a wonderful person, great monk. But I have dwelt here for fifty-five years, and in all these years not a single person has come to wait upon me; indeed, during all this period of time I have lived upon the wind and have remained in a standing posture, and yet none have come to wait upon me.” Then said the Teacher to him, “Jambuka, you have succeeded in deceiving the foolish multitude living in the world, and now you are attempting to deceive me. Is it not a fact that during these fifty-five years you have eaten excrement, made your bed upon the ground, gone naked, and pulled out your hair with a Palmyra comb? But you have deceived the world, saying, ‘My food is the wind; I stand on one foot; I sit not down; I lie not down.’ Now you are seeking to deceive me also. It is because of the low, false views which you held in a previous state of existence that you have all this time eaten excrement, made your bed upon the ground, gone naked, and pulled out your hair with a Palmyra comb. So also now you hold only low, false views.” “But, great monk, what was it I did in a previous state of existence?” Then the Teacher related to him the evil deed he had committed in a previous state of existence.