Dhammapada 5.8.p2

5.8.p2

So kira sāvatthito avidūre ekaṃ khettaṃ kasati. Corā udakaniddhamanena nagaraṃ pavisitvā ekasmiṃ aḍḍhakule umaṅgaṃ bhinditvā bahuṃ hiraññasuvaṇṇaṃ gahetvā udakaniddhamaneneva nikkhamiṃsu. Eko coro te vañcetvā ekaṃ sahassatthavikaṃ ovaṭṭikāya katvā taṃ khettaṃ gantvā tehi saddhiṃ bhaṇḍaṃ bhājetvā ādāya gacchanto ovaṭṭikato patamānaṃ sahassatthavikaṃ na sallakkhesi. Taṃ divasaṃ satthā paccūsasamaye lokaṃ volokento taṃ kassakaṃ attano ñāṇajālassa antopaviṭṭhaṃ disvā ‘‘kiṃ nu kho bhavissatī’’ti upadhārayamāno idaṃ addasa – ‘‘ayaṃ kassako pātova kasituṃ gamissati, bhaṇḍasāmikā corānaṃ anupadaṃ gantvā ovaṭṭikato patamānaṃ sahassatthavikaṃ disvā etaṃ gaṇhissanti, maṃ ṭhapetvā tassa añño sakkhī nāma na bhavissati, sotāpattimaggassa upanissayopissa atthi, tattha mayā gantuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti. Sopi kassako pātova kasituṃ gato. Satthā ānandattherena pacchāsamaṇena tattha agamāsi. Kassako satthāraṃ disvā gantvā bhagavantaṃ vanditvā puna kasituṃ ārabhi. Satthā tena saddhiṃ kiñci avatvāva sahassatthavikāya patitaṭṭhānaṃ gantvā taṃ disvā ānandattheraṃ āha – ‘‘passa, ānanda, āsīviso’’ti. ‘‘Passāmi, bhante, ghoraviso’’ti.

This farmer, we are told, tilled a certain field not far from Sāvatthi. One day some thieves gained entrance to the city through an underground watercourse, and digging a tunnel into the house of a certain rich man, robbed him of a large amount of gold and coin, escaping through the same watercourse. One of the thieves outwitted his companions and secreted a purse containing a thousand pieces of money in a fold of his garment. Having so done, he accompanied his companions to this field, where they divided their spoils. As the thief departed with his share, the purse dropped out of the fold of his garment, but he did not notice his loss.

That day, early in the morning, the Teacher surveyed the world, and seeing that this farmer had entered the Net of his Knowledge, he considered within himself what would happen. And he became aware of the following, “This farmer will go early in the morning to till his field. The owners of the stolen property will follow the thieves, and when they see the purse, they will arrest him. Excepting me, he will have no other witness. Since he is predestined to the Path of Conversion, it is my duty to go to him.”

Early in the morning the farmer went to till his field, and thither went also the Teacher with the Elder Ānanda as attendant-monk. Seeing the Teacher, the farmer went and paid obeisance to the Exalted One, and then resumed tilling his field. The Teacher said nothing to him. Going to the place where the purse had fallen and seeing it, he said to the Elder Ānanda, “See, Ānanda, a poisonous snake!”

“I see, Reverend Sir, a deadly, poisonous snake!” The farmer heard their conversation and thought to himself, “In season and out of season I go back and forth over this field. Can there be a snake here, as they say?” The Teacher, after making this remark, went his way. The farmer said to himself, “I will kill the snake.” So saying, he took a goad-stick, went to the spot, and discovered the purse. “The Teacher must have referred to this purse,” thought he. Not knowing exactly what to do about it, he laid the purse aside, covered it with dust, and resumed his plowing.