Dhammapada 5.2: 2. Mahākassapattherasaddhivihārikavatthu

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Carañce nādhigaccheyyāti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā sāvatthiyaṃ jetavane viharanto mahākassapattherassa saddhivihārikaṃ ārabbha kathesi. Desanā rājagahe samuṭṭhitā.

Should a man fail to find a companion. This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Sāvatthi with reference to a pupil of Elder Kassapa the Great.

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Theraṃ kira rājagahaṃ nissāya pippaliguhāyaṃ vasantaṃ dve saddhivihārikā upaṭṭhahiṃsu. Tesu eko sakkaccaṃ vattaṃ karoti, eko tena kataṃ kataṃ attanā kataṃ viya dassento mukhodakadantakaṭṭhānaṃ paṭiyāditabhāvaṃ ñatvā, ‘‘bhante, mukhodakadantakaṭṭhāni me paṭiyāditāni, mukhaṃ dhovathā’’ti vadati, pādadhovananhānādikālepi evameva vadati. Itaro cintesi – ‘‘ayaṃ niccakālaṃ mayā kataṃ kataṃ attanā kataṃ viya katvā dasseti, hotu, kattabbayuttakamassa karissāmī’’ti. Tassa bhuñjitvā supantasseva nhānodakaṃ tāpetvā ekasmiṃ ghaṭe katvā piṭṭhikoṭṭhake ṭhapesi, udakatāpanabhājane pana nāḷimattaṃ udakaṃ sesetvā usumaṃ muñcantaṃ ṭhapesi. Taṃ itaro sāyanhasamaye pabujjhitvā usumaṃ nikkhantaṃ disvā ‘‘udakaṃ tāpetvā koṭṭhake ṭhapitaṃ bhavissatī’’ti vegena gantvā theraṃ vanditvā, ‘‘bhante, koṭṭhake udakaṃ ṭhapitaṃ, nhāyathā’’ti vatvā therena saddhiṃyeva koṭṭhakaṃ pāvisi. Thero udakaṃ apassanto ‘‘kahaṃ udakaṃ, āvuso’’ti āha. Daharo aggisālaṃ gantvā bhājane uḷuṅkaṃ otāretvā tucchabhāvaṃ ñatvā ‘‘passatha duṭṭhassa kammaṃ tucchabhājanaṃ uddhane āropetvā kuhiṃ gato, ahaṃ ‘koṭṭhake udaka’nti saññāya ārocesi’’nti ujjhāyanto ghaṭaṃ ādāya titthaṃ agamāsi. Itaropi piṭṭhikoṭṭhakato udakaṃ āharitvā koṭṭhake ṭhapesi.

The story goes that while the Elder was in residence at Pipphali Cave, he had two pupils to wait upon him. One of these performed his duties faithfully, but the other frequently shirked his duties and sought to take credit for work really done by his brother-pupil. For example, the faithful pupil would set out water for washing the face, and a tooth-stick. Knowing this, the faithless pupil would go to the Elder and say, “Reverend Sir, water for washing the face is set out, and a tooth-stick. Go wash your face.” And when it was time to prepare water for bathing the feet and for the bath, he would pursue the same tactics.

The faithful pupil thought to himself, “This fellow is constantly shirking his work and is seeking to take credit for my work. Very well! I will attend to him.” So one day, while the faithless pupil was asleep after a meal, he heated water for the bath, poured it into a water-jar, and set it in the back room, leaving only a pint-pot of water steaming in the boiler. In the evening the faithless pupil woke up and saw steam coming out. “He must have heated water

and put it in the bathroom,” thought he. So he went quickly to the Elder, bowed, and said, “Reverend Sir, water has been placed in the bathroom; go and bathe.” So saying, he accompanied the Elder to the bathroom. But when the Elder saw no water, he said, “Brother, where is the water?” The youth went to the room where the fire was kept, and lowering a ladle into the boiler, perceived that it was empty. “See what the rascal has done!” he exclaimed. “He has set an empty boiler on the brazier, and then gone — who knows where? Of course I thought there was water in the bathroom and went and told the Elder so.” Much put out, he took a water-jar and went to the bathing-place on the river.

When the faithful pupil returned, he brought water from the back room and set it in the bathroom. The Elder thought to himself, “I supposed that this young fellow had heated water for me, for he came to me and said, ‘Water has been placed in the bathroom; come and bathe.’ But just now, in a fit of irritation, he took a water-jar and went to the bathing-place on the river. What can this mean?” After considering the matter, he came to the following conclusion, “All this time this young fellow has been shirking his duties and has sought to take credit for work really done by his brother-pupil.”

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Thero cintesi – ‘‘ayaṃ daharo ‘udakaṃ me tāpetvā koṭṭhake ṭhapitaṃ, etha, bhante, nhāyathā’ti vatvā idāni ujjhāyanto ghaṭaṃ ādāya titthaṃ gacchati, kiṃ nu kho eta’’nti upadhārento ‘‘ettakaṃ kālaṃ esa daharo iminā kataṃ vattaṃ attanāva kataṃ viya pakāsetī’’ti ñatvā sāyaṃ āgantvā nisinnassa ovādamadāsi, ‘‘āvuso, bhikkhunā nāma ‘attanā katameva kata’nti vattuṃ vaṭṭati, no akataṃ, tvaṃ idāneva ‘koṭṭhake udakaṃ ṭhapitaṃ, nhāyatha, bhante’ti vatvā mayi pavisitvā ṭhite ghaṭaṃ ādāya ujjhāyanto gacchasi, pabbajitassa nāma evaṃ kātuṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti. So ‘‘passatha therassa kammaṃ, udakamattakaṃ nāma nissāya maṃ evaṃ vadesī’’ti kujjhitvā punadivase therena saddhiṃ piṇḍāya na pāvisi. Thero itarena saddhiṃ ekaṃ padesaṃ agamāsi. So tasmiṃ gate therassa upaṭṭhākakulaṃ gantvā ‘‘thero kahaṃ, bhante’’ti puṭṭho ‘‘therassa aphāsukaṃ jātaṃ, vihāreyeva nisinno’’ti āha. ‘‘Kiṃ pana, bhante, laddhuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti? ‘‘Evarūpaṃ kira nāma āhāraṃ dethā’’ti vutte tena vuttaniyāmeneva sampādetvā adaṃsu. So antarāmaggeva taṃ bhattaṃ bhuñjitvā vihāraṃ gato. Theropi gataṭṭhāne mahantaṃ sukhumavatthaṃ labhitvā attanā saddhiṃ gatadaharassa adāsi. So taṃ rajitvā attano nivāsanapārupanaṃ akāsi.

When the faithless pupil returned and sat down, the Elder admonished him, saying, “Brother, a monk ought not to say he has done a thing unless he has done it. For example, just now you came to me and said, ‘Reverend Sir, water has been placed in the bathroom; come and bathe.’ But when I went in, you were annoyed and took a water-jar and went out. One who has become a monk should not do so.” The pupil was highly offended. Said he to himself, “See what the Elder has done! What a way to talk to me just because of a few drops of water!” On the following day he refused to accompany the Elder on his rounds. The Elder therefore took his other pupil with him to a certain place.

While he was away, the faithless pupil went to the house of a layman who was a supporter of the Elder. The layman asked him, “Reverend Sir, where is the Elder?” “The Elder doesn’t feel well, and therefore remained at the monastery.” “What then should he have, Reverend Sir?” “Give him such and such food,” said the novice, pretending that the Elder had told him to ask for it. Accordingly they prepared food such as he asked for, and gave it to him. He took the food, ate it himself on the way back, and returned to the monastery. Now the Elder had received from his supporter robes of great size and fine texture, and these he presented to the novice who accompanied him. The novice dyed them and converted them into under and upper garments for himself. On the following day the Elder went to the house of his supporter. "Reverend Sir," said they, "your novice told us that you were not feeling well, and therefore we prepared food such as he suggested and sent it to you. Evidently, after eating it, you recovered." The Elder said nothing, but returned to the monastery. In the evening, when the faithless novice came in and after bowing to him sat down, the Elder said to him, "Brother, yesterday, I am informed, you did such and such. Such conduct ill becomes those who have renounced the world. You should not eat food which you got for another by hinting."

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Thero punadivase taṃ upaṭṭhākakulaṃ gantvā, ‘‘bhante, ‘tumhākaṃ kira aphāsukaṃ jāta’nti amhehi daharena vuttaniyāmeneva paṭiyādetvā āhāro pesito, paribhuñjitvā vo phāsukaṃ jāta’’nti vutte tuṇhī ahosi. Vihāraṃ pana gantvā taṃ daharaṃ vanditvā nisinnaṃ evamāha – ‘‘āvuso, tayā kira hiyyo, idaṃ nāma kataṃ, idaṃ pabbajitānaṃ na anucchavikaṃ, viññattiṃ katvā bhuñjituṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti. So kujjhitvā there āghātaṃ bandhitvā ‘‘purimadivase udakamattaṃ nissāya maṃ musāvādiṃ katvā ajja attano upaṭṭhākakule bhattamuṭṭhiyā bhuttakāraṇā maṃ ‘viññattiṃ katvā bhuñjituṃ na vaṭṭatī’ti vadati, vatthampi tena attano upaṭṭhākasseva dinnaṃ, aho therassa bhāriyaṃ kammaṃ, jānissāmissa kattabbayuttaka’’nti punadivase there gāmaṃ pavisante sayaṃ vihāre ohīyitvā daṇḍaṃ gahetvā paribhogabhājanāni bhinditvā therassa paṇṇasālāya aggiṃ datvā yaṃ na jhāyati, taṃ muggarena paharanto bhinditvā nikkhamitvā palāto. So kālaṃ katvā avīcimahāniraye nibbatti.

The novice was provoked and conceived a grudge against the Elder. He said to himself, "Yesterday, just because of a few drops of water, he called me a liar. To-day, just because I ate a fistful of food his supporter gave me, he said to me, 'You should not eat food which you got for another by hinting.' Besides that, he gave an entire set of robes to his other pupil. Oh, the Elder has treated me very badly! I shall find some way of getting even with him."

On the following day, when the Elder entered the village for alms, leaving him alone in the monastery, he took a stick, broke all the vessels used for eating and drinking, set fire to the Elder's hut of leaves and grass, smashed to pieces with a hammer everything that didn't burn, and ran away. When he died, he was reborn in the Great Hell of Avīci.

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Mahājano kathaṃ samuṭṭhāpesi – ‘‘therassa kira saddhivihāriko ovādamattaṃ asahanto kujjhitvā paṇṇasālaṃ jhāpetvā palāto’’ti. Atheko bhikkhu aparabhāge rājagahā nikkhamitvā satthāraṃ daṭṭhukāmo jetavanaṃ gantvā satthāraṃ vanditvā satthārā paṭisanthāraṃ katvā ‘‘kuto āgatosī’’ti puṭṭho ‘‘rājagahato, bhante’’ti āha. ‘‘Mama puttassa mahākassapassa khamanīya’’nti? ‘‘Khamanīyaṃ, bhante, eko pana saddhivihāriko ovādamattena kujjhitvā paṇṇasālaṃ jhāpetvā palāto’’ti. Satthā ‘‘na so idāneva ovādaṃ sutvā kujjhati, pubbepi kujjhiyeva. Na idāneva kuṭiṃ dūseti, pubbepi dūsesiyevā’’ti vatvā atītaṃ āhari –

The populace discussed the incident: "They say that a pupil of the Elder, unable to endure a slight rebuke, took offense, set fire to the Elder's hut of leaves and grass, and ran away." Some time afterwards a certain monk left Rājagaha, and desiring to see the Teacher, came to Jetavana and paid obeisance to the Teacher. The Teacher greeted him in a friendly manner and asked, "Whence have you come?" "From Rājagaha, Reverend Sir." "Is all well with my son Kassapa the Great?" "All is well with him, Reverend Sir. But a certain pupil of his, taking offense at a slight rebuke, set fire to his hut of leaves and grass and ran away." Said the Teacher, "This is not the first time he has taken offense at receiving an admonition. He did the same thing in a previous state of existence also. This is not the first time he has destroyed a house. He did the same thing in a previous state of existence also." So saying, he related the following

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Atīte bārāṇasiyaṃ brahmadatte rajjaṃ kārente himavantapadese eko siṅgilasakuṇo kulāvakaṃ katvā vasi. Athekadivasaṃ deve vassante eko makkaṭo sītena kampamāno taṃ padesaṃ agamāsi. Siṅgilo taṃ disvā gāthamāha –

In times long past, when Brahmadatta reigned at Benāres, a siṅgila bird built him a nest and made his home in the Himālaya country. Now one day, while it was raining, a monkey came there shivering with the cold. The siṅgila saw him and pronounced the following Stanza,

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‘‘Manussasseva te sīsaṃ, hatthapādā ca vānara;
Atha kena nu vaṇṇena, agāraṃ te na vijjatī’’ti. (jā. 1.4.81);

Monkey, your head and your hands and your feet are just like a man’s.
What excuse have you, pray, for having no house?

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Makkaṭo ‘‘kiñcāpi me hatthapādā atthi, yāya pana paññāya vicāretvā agāraṃ kareyyaṃ, sā me paññā natthī’’ti cintetvā tamatthaṃ viññāpetukāmo imaṃ gāthamāha –

The monkey thought to himself, “It is true that I have hands and feet; but I lack the intelligence to build a house.” And desiring to make his meaning clear, he pronounced the following Stanza,

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‘‘Manussasseva me sīsaṃ, hatthapādā ca siṅgila;
Yāhu seṭṭhā manussesu, sā me paññā na vijjatī’’ti. (jā. 1.4.82);

Siṅgila, my head and my hands and my feet are indeed just like those of a man;
But as for what they say is man’s highest endowment, intelligence, I have it not.

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Atha naṃ ‘‘evarūpassa tava kathaṃ gharāvāso ijjhissatī’’ti garahanto siṅgilo imaṃ gāthādvayamāha –

The bird thought, “To live in a house would never do for one like you.” And out of scorn for the monkey he pronounced the two following Stanzas,

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‘‘Anavaṭṭhitacittassa, lahucittassa dubbhino;
Niccaṃ addhuvasīlassa, sukhabhāvo na vijjati.

He that is unstable, light-minded, and treacherous,
He that never keeps the moral precepts, such a one will never attain happiness.

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‘‘So karassu ānubhāvaṃ, vītivattassu sīliyaṃ;
Sītavātaparittāṇaṃ, karassu kuṭavaṃ kapī’’ti. (jā. 1.4.83-84);

Monkey, exert yourself to the utmost, abandon your past habits.
Build yourself a hut to protect yourself from the cold and the wind.

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Makkaṭo ‘‘ayaṃ maṃ anavaṭṭhitacittaṃ lahucittaṃ mittadubbhiṃ addhuvasīlaṃ karoti, idānissa mittadubbhibhāvaṃ dassessāmī’’ti kulāvakaṃ viddhaṃsetvā vippakiri. Sakuṇo tasmiṃ kulāvakaṃ gaṇhante eva ekena passena nikkhamitvā palāyi.

The monkey said to himself, “This bird calls me unstable, light-minded, treacherous to my friends, one who never keeps the moral precepts. Very well! Now I will show him what happiness is.” So saying, he destroyed the nest and scattered it to the winds. When the monkey seized the nest, the bird slipped out and flew away.

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Satthā imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ āharitvā jātakaṃ samodhānesi – ‘‘tadā makkaṭo kuṭidūsakabhikkhu ahosi, siṅgilasakuṇo kassapo ahosī’’ti. Jātakaṃ samodhānetvā ‘‘evaṃ, bhikkhave, na idāneva, pubbepi so ovādakkhaṇe kujjhitvā kuṭiṃ dūsesi, mama puttassa kassapassa evarūpena bālena saddhiṃ vasanato ekakasseva nivāso seyyo’’ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –

When the Teacher had given this religious instruction, he identified the characters in the Jātaka as follows, “At that time the monkey was the novice that destroyed the house; the siṅgila bird was Kassapa.” And he said, “Monks, this is not the first time the novice took offense at an admonition and destroyed a house. He did the same thing in a previous state of existence also. It were better for my son Kassapa to live alone than to live with such a simpleton.” So saying, he pronounced the following Stanza,

5.2.61

‘‘Carañce nādhigaccheyya, seyyaṃ sadisamattano;
Ekacariyaṃ daḷhaṃ kayirā, natthi bāle sahāyatā’’ti.

61. Should a man fail to find a companion who is his better or his equal,
He should resolutely pursue a solitary course. One cannot be friends with a simpleton.

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Tattha caranti iriyāpathacāraṃ aggahetvā manasācāro veditabbo, kalyāṇamittaṃ pariyesantoti attho. Seyyaṃ sadisamattanoti attano sīlasamādhipaññāguṇehi adhikataraṃ vā sadisaṃ vā na labheyya ce. Ekacariyanti etesu hi seyyaṃ labhamāno sīlādīhi vaḍḍhati, sadisaṃ labhamāno na parihāyati, hīnena pana saddhiṃ ekato vasanto ekato saṃbhogaparibhogaṃ karonto sīlādīhi parihāyati. Tena vuttaṃ – ‘‘evarūpo puggalo na sevitabbo na bhajitabbo na payirupāsitabbo aññatra anuddayā aññatra anukampā’’ti (pu. pa. 121; a. ni. 3.26). Tasmā sace kāruññaṃ paṭicca ‘‘ayaṃ maṃ nissāya sīlādīhi vaḍḍhissatī’’ti tamhā puggalā kiñci apaccāsīsanto taṃ saṅgaṇhituṃ sakkoti, iccetaṃ kusalaṃ. No ce sakkoti, ekacariyaṃ daḷhaṃ kayirā ekībhāvameva thiraṃ katvā sabbairiyāpathesu ekakova vihareyya. Kiṃ kāraṇā? Natthi bāle sahāyatāti sahāyatā nāma cūḷasīlaṃ majjhimasīlaṃ mahāsīlaṃ dasa kathāvatthūni terasa dhutaṅgaguṇā vipassanāguṇā cattāro maggā cattāri phalāni tisso vijjā cha abhiññā. Ayaṃ sahāyatāguṇo bālaṃ nissāya natthīti.

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Desanāvasāne āgantuko bhikkhu sotāpattiphalaṃ patto, aññepi bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsu, desanā mahājanassa sātthikā ahosīti.

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Mahākassapattherasaddhivihārikavatthu dutiyaṃ.