Verses on Dhamma 5.14.74_7

5.14.74_7

Satthā ānandattheraṃ āha – ‘‘ānanda, ajja vaḍḍhamānakacchāyāya citto gahapati pañcahi upāsakasatehi parivuto āgantvā maṃ vandissatī’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana, bhante, tassa tumhākaṃ vandanakāle kiñci pāṭihāriyaṃ bhavissatī’’ti? ‘‘Bhavissati, ānandā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ, bhante’’ti? Tassa āgantvā ‘‘maṃ vandanakāle rājamānena aṭṭhakarīsamatte padese jaṇṇukamattena odhinā pañcavaṇṇānaṃ dibbapupphānaṃ ghanavassaṃ vassissatī’’ti. Taṃ kathaṃ sutvā nagaravāsino ‘‘evaṃ mahāpuñño kira citto nāma gahapati āgantvā ajja satthāraṃ vandissati, evarūpaṃ kira pāṭihāriyaṃ bhavissati, mayampi taṃ mahāpuññaṃ daṭṭhuṃ labhissāmā’’ti paṇṇākāraṃ ādāya maggassa ubhosu passesu aṭṭhaṃsu. Vihārasamīpe āgatakāle pañca bhikkhusatāni paṭhamaṃ āgamiṃsu. Citto gahapati, ‘‘ammā, tumhe pacchato āgacchathā’’ti mahāupāsikāyo ṭhapetvā pañcahi upāsakasatehi parivuto satthu santikaṃ agamāsi. Buddhānaṃ sammukhaṭṭhāne pana ṭhitā vā nisinnā vā ito vā etto vā na honti, buddhavīthiyā dvīsu passesu niccalāva tiṭṭhanti. Citto gahapati mahantaṃ buddhavīthiṃ okkami. Tīṇi phalāni pattena ariyasāvakena olokitolokitaṭṭhānaṃ kampi. ‘‘Eso kira citto gahapatī’’ti mahājano olokesi. So satthāraṃ upasaṅkamitvā chabbaṇṇānaṃ buddharasmīnaṃ anto pavisitvā dvīsu gopphakesu satthu pāde gahetvā vandi. Taṃ khaṇaññeva vuttappakāraṃ pupphavassaṃ vassi, sādhukārasahassāni pavattayiṃsu. So ekamāsaṃ satthu santike vasi, vasamāno ca sakalaṃ buddhappamukhaṃ bhikkhusaṅghaṃ vihāreyeva nisīdāpetvā mahādānaṃ adāsi, attanā saddhiṃ āgatepi antovihāreyeva katvā paṭijaggi. Ekadivasampi attano sakaṭesu kiñci gahetabbaṃ nāhosi, devamanussehi ābhatapaṇṇākāreneva dānaṃ adāsi, sabbakiccāni akāsi. So satthāraṃ vanditvā āha – ‘‘bhante, ahaṃ ‘tumhākaṃ dānaṃ dassāmī’ti āgacchanto māsaṃ antarāmagge ahosiṃ. Idheva me māso vītivatto, mayā ābhataṃ paṇṇākāraṃ kiñci gahetuṃ na labhāmi, ettakaṃ kālaṃ devamanussehi ābhatapaṇṇākāreneva dānaṃ adāsiṃ, sohaṃ sacepi idha saṃvaccharaṃ vasissāmi, neva mama deyyadhammaṃ dātuṃ labhissāmi. Ahaṃ sakaṭāni otāretvā gantuṃ icchāmi, paṭisāmanaṭṭhānaṃ me ārocāpethā’’ti.

The Teacher addressed Elder Ānanda, “Ānanda, as the shadows of evening draw on, the householder Citta will arrive with five hundred carts and will pay obeisance to me.” “Reverend Sir, when he pays obeisance to you, will any miracle take place?” “Yes, Ānanda, a miracle will take place.” “What miracle, Reverend Sir?” “When he arrives and pays obeisance to me, a rain of celestial flowers will begin and will continue without interruption until a space eight karīsas in extent is covered with a glistening mass of flowers knee-deep.” Hearing rumor of this, the residents of the city said, “So great, they say, is the merit of the householder Citta who will to-day come and pay obeisance to the Teacher. Such, they say, is the miracle that will take place. We must without fail obtain the privilege of seeing this person of great merit.” So they took presents and stood on both sides of the way.

As the procession approached the monastery, five hundred monks led the way. The householder Citta said to the eminent female lay disciples, “Reverend Sisters, you follow in the rear.” So saying, accompanied by five hundred male lay disciples, he went into the presence of the Teacher. (Now those that stand or sit in the presence of the Buddhas move not hither and thither, but stand on both sides immovable in the street of the Buddhas.) The householder Citta, a Noble Disciple who had attained the Three Fruits, entered the street trod by the Buddhas; whereupon every place he looked at trembled. “That must be the householder Citta,” said the multitude and gazed at him. The householder Citta, penetrating the six-colored rays of light of the Buddha, approached the Teacher, and grasping the Teacher’s feet by the two ankles, paid obeisance to him. At that very moment a rain of flowers fell precisely as the Teacher had predicted, and thousands of cries of applause went up.

For one month the householder Citta abode with the Teacher. While he there abode, he provided seats for the Congregation of Monks presided over by the Buddha within the monastery and bestowed rich offerings upon them. He also housed and cared for within the monastery those that came with him. Not for a single day was it necessary for him to use what he had in his own carts; he performed all his duties of almsgiving solely with the presents brought by gods and men. Finally he paid obeisance to the Teacher and said, “Reverend Sir, when I said to myself, ‘I will give alms to you,’ and set out on my journey, I was a month on the way. Here I have spent a month, and I find it impossible to present to you anything which I have myself brought. All this time have I presented to you alms solely of presents brought to me by gods and men. Even were I to remain here a year, I should not receive the privilege of bestowing alms of my own upon you. I desire to empty my carts and go; tell me where I can put away the offerings which I have brought.”