Verses on Dhamma 5.15.p15

5.15.p15

Atha naṃ sāriputtatthero pucchi – ‘‘atthi nu kho, upāsaka, imasmiṃ padese āraññakavihāro’’ti? ‘‘Atthi, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Sabhikkhuko, abhikkhuko’’ti? ‘‘Sabhikkhuko, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Ko nāmo tattha vasatī’’ti? ‘‘Vanavāsītisso, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi maggaṃ no ācikkhā’’ti. ‘‘Ke tumhe, bhante’’ti? ‘‘Mayaṃ sāmaṇerassa santikaṃ āgatā’’ti. Upāsako oloketvā dhammasenāpatiṃ ādiṃ katvā sabbepi mahāsāvake sañjānitvā nirantaraṃ pītiyā phuṭṭhasarīro hutvā ‘‘tiṭṭhatha tāva, bhante’’ti vegena gāmaṃ pavisitvā ‘‘ete, ayyā, sāriputtattheraṃ ādiṃ katvā asīti mahāsāvakā attano attano parivārehi saddhiṃ sāmaṇerassa santikaṃ āgatā, mañcapīṭhapaccattharaṇadīpatelādīni gahetvā vegena nikkhamathā’’ti ugghosesi. Manussā ‘‘tāvadeva mañcādīni gahetvā therānaṃ padānupadikā hutvā therehi saddhiṃyeva vihāraṃ pavisiṃsu. Sāmaṇero bhikkhusaṅghaṃ sañjānitvā katipayānaṃ mahātherānaṃ pattacīvarāni paṭiggahetvā vattamakāsi. Tassa therānaṃ vasanaṭṭhānaṃ saṃvidahantassa pattacīvaraṃ paṭisāmentasseva andhakāro jātā’’ti. Sāriputtatthero upāsake āha – ‘‘gacchatha, upāsakā, tumhākaṃ andhakāro jāto’’ti. ‘‘Bhante, ajja dhammassavanadivaso, na mayaṃ gamissāma, dhammaṃ suṇissāma, ito pubbe dhammassavanampi natthī’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi, sāmaṇera, dīpaṃ jāletvā dhammassavanassa kālaṃ ghosehī’’ti. So tathā akāsi. Atha naṃ thero āha – ‘‘tissa tava upaṭṭhākā ‘dhammaṃ sotukāmāmhā’ti vadanti, kathehi tesaṃ dhamma’’nti. Upāsakā ekappahāreneva uṭṭhāya, ‘‘bhante, amhākaṃ ayyo ‘sukhitā hotha, dukkhā muccathā’ti imāni dve padāni ṭhapetvā aññaṃ dhammakathaṃ na jānāti, amhākaṃ aññaṃ dhammakathikaṃ dethā’’ti vadiṃsu. ‘‘Sāmaṇero pana arahattaṃ patvāpi neva tesaṃ dhammakathaṃ kathesī’’ti.

The lay disciple looked at them and recognized in them quite all the Chief Disciples, beginning with the Captain of the Faith. His whole body suffused with joy, he said, “Wait a moment, Reverend Sirs.” So saying, he quickly entered the village and proclaimed, “Here are the eighty noble Chief Disciples beginning with the Elder Sāriputta. They have come here, each with his own retinue of five hundred monks, to see the novice. Take beds, chairs, coverlets, lamps, and oil, and go out quickly.” The inhabitants straightway took beds and so forth as they were bidden, and falling in behind the Elders, entered the monastery with them. The novice recognized the congregation of monks, took the bowls and robes of a few of the Chief Elders and performed the customary duties for them.

Even as he was arranging places for the Elders to reside and putting away their bowls and robes, the darkness of night came on. The Elder Sāriputta said to the lay disciples, “Retire, lay disciples, the darkness of night is come upon you.” They replied, “Reverend Sir, we expected to hear the Law to-day; we will not retire; we will hear the Law; we have not hitherto heard the Law.” “Well then, lay disciple, light the lamp and announce that it is time to hear the Law.” When he had done so the Elder said to him, “Tissa, your supporters say that they wish to hear the Law; preach the Law to them.” The lay disciples arose with one accord and said, “Reverend Sir, our revered novice knows no discourse on the Law except these two sentences, ‘May you be happy; may you obtain release from suffering.’ Let some one else preach the Law to us.” Then his preceptor said to him, “Novice, but how may one be happy? How may one obtain release from suffering? Tell us the meaning of these two sentences.” “Very well, Reverend Sir,” said he. So taking a variegated fan and mounting the Seat of the Law, he preached the Law to the pinnacle of Arahatship, even as a thunderstorm rains incessantly upon the four great continents, drawing the meaning and the matter from the five Nikāyas, and analyzing the attributes of being as set forth by the Buddha; namely, the Aggregates of Being, the Elements of Being, and the Organs and Objects of Sense. “Reverend Sirs,” said he, “thus does one who has become an Arahat obtain happiness, thus does one who has become an Arahat obtain release from suffering; other folk obtain not release from the suffering connected with birth and the rest, and from the pains of Hell and the rest.” “Well done, novice! you have interpreted the sacred texts well; now intone them.” Then the novice also intoned them.