Dhammapada 5.3: 3. Ānandaseṭṭhivatthu

5.3.p1

Puttā matthīti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā sāvatthiyaṃ viharanto ānandaseṭṭhiṃ ārabbha kathesi.

I have sons. This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while at Sāvatthi with reference to Treasurer Ānanda.

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Sāvatthiyaṃ kira ānandaseṭṭhi nāma cattālīsakoṭivibhavo mahāmaccharī ahosi. So anvaḍḍhamāsaṃ ñātake sannipātetvā puttaṃ mūlasiriṃ nāma tīsu velāsu evaṃ ovadati – ‘‘idaṃ cattālīsakoṭidhanaṃ ‘bahū’’’ti mā saññaṃ kari, vijjamānaṃ dhanaṃ na dātabbaṃ, navaṃ dhanaṃ uppādetabbaṃ. Ekekampi hi kahāpaṇaṃ vayaṃ karontassa pana khīyateva. Tasmā –

At Sāvatthi, we are told, lived a treasurer named Ānanda. He had eighty crores of treasure, but he was a great miser. Every fortnight he would gather his kinsfolk together and admonish his son Mūlasiri on these three points: "Do not think that these eighty crores of treasure are a large sum. What one possesses one should never give away. One should always be acquiring more. For if a man lets penny after penny slip through his fingers, slowly but surely his substance wastes away. Therefore it is said,

5.3.p3

‘‘Añjanānaṃ khayaṃ disvā, upacikānañca ācayaṃ;
Madhūnañca samāhāraṃ, paṇḍito gharamāvase’’ti.

Observing how pigments fade away, how ants amass their store,
How bees gather honey, so should the wise man administer his household."

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So aparena samayena attano pañca mahānidhiyo puttassa anācikkhitvā dhananissito maccheramalamalino kālaṃ katvā tasseva nagarassa ekasmiṃ dvāragāmake caṇḍālānaṃ kulasahassaṃ paṭivasati. Tatthekissā caṇḍāliyā kucchismiṃ paṭisandhiṃ gaṇhi. Rājā tassa kālakiriyaṃ sutvā puttamassa mūlasiriṃ pakkosāpetvā seṭṭhiṭṭhāne ṭhapesi. Tampi caṇḍālakulasahassaṃ ekatova bhatiyā kammaṃ katvā jīvamānaṃ tassa paṭisandhiggahaṇato paṭṭhāya neva bhatiṃ labhati, na yāpanamattato paraṃ bhattapiṇḍampi. Te ‘‘mayaṃ etarahi kammaṃ karontāpi piṇḍabhattampi na labhāma, amhākaṃ antare kāḷakaṇṇiyā bhavitabba’’nti dve koṭṭhāsā hutvā yāva tassa mātāpitaro visuṃ honti, tāva vibhajitvā ‘‘imasmiṃ kule kāḷakaṇṇī uppannā’’ti tassa mātaraṃ nīhariṃsu.

Some time afterwards, after showing his son his five great stores of treasure, he died, given over to pride and stained with the stains of avarice. Now in a certain village near the gate of that city lived a thousand families of Caṇḍālas, and Ānanda was conceived in the womb of one of these Caṇḍāla women. The king, learning of his death, sent for his son Mūlasiri and appointed him to the post of treasurer.

These thousand families of Caṇḍālas, who made their living by working for hire in a body, from the day of his conception received no more wages and had not a morsel of rice to sustain them. They said to each other, "Although we are now working, we receive no food. There must be a Jonah amongst us." So they divided into two groups and made a thorough investigation while his mother and father were absent, and coming to the conclusion, "A Jonah has arisen in this house," they removed his mother. From the time of his conception she had been able only with great difficulty to procure sufficient food to sustain her. Finally she gave birth to a son.

5.3.p5

Sāpi yāvassā so kucchigato, tāva yāpanamattampi kicchena labhitvā puttaṃ vijāyi. Tassa hatthā ca pādā ca akkhīni ca kaṇṇā ca nāsā ca mukhañca yathāṭhāne na ahesuṃ. So evarūpena aṅgavekallena samannāgato paṃsupisācako viya ativirūpo ahosi. Evaṃ santepi taṃ mātā na pariccaji. Kucchiyaṃ vasitaputtasmiñhi sineho balavā hoti. Sā taṃ kicchena posayamānā taṃ ādāya gatadivase kiñci alabhitvā gehe katvā sayameva gatadivase bhatiṃ labhati. Atha naṃ piṇḍāya caritvā jīvituṃ samatthakāle sā kapālakaṃ hatthe ṭhapetvā, ‘‘tāta, mayaṃ taṃ nissāya mahādukkhaṃ pattā, idāni na sakkomi taṃ posetuṃ, imasmiṃ nagare kapaṇaddhikādīnaṃ paṭiyattabhattāni atthi, tattha bhikkhāya caritvā jīvāhī’’ti taṃ vissajjesi. So gharapaṭipāṭiyā caranto ānandaseṭṭhikāle nivuttaṭṭhānaṃ gantvā jātissaro hutvā attano gehaṃ pāvisi. Tīsu pana dvārakoṭṭhakesu na koci sallakkhesi. Catutthe dvārakoṭṭhake mūlasiriseṭṭhino puttakā disvā ubbiggahadayā parodiṃsu. Atha naṃ seṭṭhipurisā ‘‘nikkhama kāḷakaṇṇī’’ti pothetvā nīharitvā saṅkāraṭṭhāne khipiṃsu. Satthā ānandattherena pacchāsamaṇena piṇḍāya caranto taṃ ṭhānaṃ patto theraṃ oloketvā tena puṭṭho taṃ pavattiṃ ācikkhi. Thero mūlasiriṃ pakkosāpesi. Atha mahājanakāyo sannipati. Satthā mūlasiriṃ āmantetvā ‘‘jānāsi eta’’nti pucchitvā ‘‘na jānāmī’’ti vutte, ‘‘pitā te ānandaseṭṭhī’’ti vatvā asaddahantaṃ ‘‘ānandaseṭṭhi puttassa te pañca mahānidhiyo ācikkhāhī’’ti ācikkhāpetvā saddahāpesi. So satthāraṃ saraṇaṃ agamāsi. Tassa dhammaṃ desento imaṃ gāthamāha –

His hands and feet and eyes and ears and nose and mouth were

not where they should have been. Monstrosity that he was, he looked like a mud sprite and was exceedingly repulsive. In spite of this, however, his mother did not abandon him, for great is the love of a mother for the child she has carried in her womb. She had great difficulty in feeding him. If she took him with her when she went out, she got nothing. But if she left him at home and went out alone, she received food to support her. When he was old enough to get a living by begging alms, she placed a potsherd in his hand and sent him away, saying to him, “Dear son, because of you we have been brought to great distress. Now we can support you no longer. In this city meals are provided for poor folk and travelers. Get your living by begging alms in the city.”

He went from house to house, finally coming to the house where he had formerly lived in his existence as Treasurer Ānanda. Remembering his former existence, he entered his own house. He went through three chambers, and no one noticed him. But when he entered the fourth chamber, the young sons of Treasurer Mūlasiri took fright and burst into tears. The treasurer’s servants came in and said to him, “Leave this house, unspeakable monster!” So saying, they beat him and pulled him and dragged him out and threw him on the dust-heap.

As the Teacher was going his round for alms, accompanied by the Elder Ānanda as junior monk, he came to this very place. The Teacher looked at the Elder and, in response to a question, told him what had happened. The Elder sent for Mūlasiri, and a great company of people assembled. The Teacher, addressing Mūlasiri, asked him, “Do you know that man?” “I do not.” “He is your father, Treasurer Ānanda.” Mūlasiri would not believe it. So the Teacher said to Treasurer Ānanda, “Ānanda, point out your five great stores of treasure to your son.” He did so, and Mūlasiri believed and sought refuge in the Teacher. The Teacher, instructing him in the Law, pronounced the following Stanza,

5.3.62

‘‘Puttā matthi dhanammatthi, iti bālo vihaññati;
Attā hi attano natthi, kuto puttā kuto dhana’’nti.

62. “I have sons, I have wealth.” With these thoughts the simpleton vexes himself.
But he is not his own. How then can sons be his? How can wealth be his?

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Tassattho – puttā me atthi, dhanaṃ me atthi, iti bālo puttataṇhāya ceva dhanataṇhāya ca haññati vihaññati dukkhayati, ‘‘puttā me nassiṃsū’’ti vihaññati, ‘‘nassantī’’ti vihaññati, ‘‘nassissantī’’ti vihaññati. Dhanepi eseva nayo. Iti chahākārehi vihaññati. ‘‘Putte posessāmī’’ti rattiñca divā ca thalajalapathādīsu nānappakārato vāyamantopi vihaññati, ‘‘dhanaṃ uppādessāmī’’ti kasivāṇijjādīni karontopi vihaññateva. Evaṃ vihaññassa ca attā hi attano natthi tena vighātena dukkhitaṃ attānaṃ sukhitaṃ kātuṃ asakkontassa pavattiyampissa attā hi attano natthi, maraṇamañce nipannassa māraṇantikāhi vedanāhi aggijālāhi viya pariḍayhamānassa chijjamānesu sandhibandhanesu, bhijjamānesu aṭṭhisaṅghāṭesu nimīletvā paralokaṃ ummīletvā idhalokaṃ passantassāpi divase divase dvikkhattuṃ nhāpetvā tikkhattuṃ bhojetvā gandhamālādīhi alaṅkaritvā yāvajīvaṃ positopi sahāyabhāvena dukkhaparittāṇaṃ kātuṃ asamatthatāya attā hi attano natthi. Kuto puttā kuto dhanaṃ puttā vā dhanaṃ vā tasmiṃ samaye kimeva karissanti, ānandaseṭṭhinopi kassaci kiñci adatvā puttassatthāya dhanaṃ saṇṭhapetvā pubbe vā maraṇamañce nipannassa, idāni vā imaṃ dukkhaṃ pattassa kuto puttā kuto dhanaṃ. Puttā vā dhanaṃ vā tasmiṃ samaye kiṃ dukkhaṃ hariṃsu, kiṃ vā sukhaṃ uppādayiṃsūti.

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Desanāvasāne caturāsītiyā pāṇasahassānaṃ dhammābhisamayo ahosi. Desanā mahājanassa sātthikā ahosīti.

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Ānandaseṭṭhivatthu tatiyaṃ.