Verses on Dhamma 5.14.p3

5.14.p3

Aparena samayena cittassa guṇakathaṃ sutvā dve aggasāvakā tassa saṅgahaṃ kattukāmā macchikāsaṇḍaṃ agamaṃsu. Citto gahapati tesaṃ āgamanaṃ sutvā aḍḍhayojanamaggaṃ paccuggantvā te ādāya attano vihāraṃ pavesetvā āgantukavattaṃ katvā, ‘‘bhante, thokaṃ dhammakathaṃ sotukāmomhī’’ti dhammasenāpatiṃ yāci. Atha naṃ thero, ‘‘upāsaka, addhānena āgatāmhā kilantarūpā. Apica thokaṃ suṇāhī’’ti tassa dhammaṃ kathesi. So therassa dhammaṃ suṇantova anāgāmiphalaṃ pāpuṇi. So dve aggasāvake vanditvā, ‘‘bhante, sve bhikkhusahassena saddhiṃ mama gehe bhikkhaṃ gaṇhathā’’ti nimantetvā pacchā nevāsikaṃ sudhammattheraṃ ‘‘tumhepi, bhante, sve therehi saddhiṃ āgaccheyyāthā’’ti nimantesi. So ‘‘ayaṃ maṃ pacchā nimantetī’’ti kuddho paṭikkhipitvā punappunaṃ yāciyamānopi paṭikkhipi eva. Upāsako ‘‘paññāyissatha, bhante’’ti pakkamitvā punadivase attano nivesane mahādānaṃ sajjesi. Sudhammattheropi paccūsakāleyeva ‘‘kīdiso nu kho gahapatinā aggasāvakānaṃ sakkāro sajjito, sve gantvā passissāmī’’ti cintetvā pātova pattacīvaraṃ ādāya tassa gehaṃ agamāsi.

Some time afterwards, the two Chief Disciples, hearing the rumor of Citta’s good qualities, decided to pay their respects to him and therefore went to Macchikāsaṇḍa. Citta the householder, hearing that they were coming, proceeded forth half a league to meet them, escorted them to the monastery, invited them within, performed the usual duties for visitors, and then made the following request of the Captain of the Faith, “Reverend Sir, we desire to listen to a short discourse on the Law.” The Elder replied, “Lay disciple, we are weary with the journey; nevertheless listen for a short while.” Citta, merely by listening to the Elder’s discourse on the Law, obtained the

Fruit of the Second Path. Then he bowed to the two Chief Disciples and invited them to be his guests, saying, “Reverend Sirs, pray take a meal in my house to-morrow with your thousand monks.” Then he turned to the resident monk, the Elder Sudhamma, and invited him, saying to him, “Reverend Sir, you also come to-morrow with the Elders.” Angry at the thought, “He invited me last,” Sudhamma refused the invitation; and although Citta repeated the invitation again and again, he still refused. The lay disciple said, “Pray be present, Reverend Sir,” and went out. On the following day he prepared splendid offerings in his own residence. Very early in the morning the Elder Sudhamma thought to himself, “What manner of food has the householder prepared for the Chief Disciples? I will go see.” So very early in the morning he took bowl and robe and went to his house.