Dhammapada 5.2.p2

5.2.p2

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.”