Verses on Dhamma 6.5.p17

6.5.p17

Sāmaṇeropi upajjhāyaṃ vanditvā nivattanto, ‘‘bhante, mayhaṃ āhāraṃ āharanto rohitamaccharaseneva āhareyyāthā’’ti āha. ‘‘Kathaṃ labhissāmāvuso’’ti? ‘‘Bhante, attano puññena alabhantā mama puññena labhissathā’’ti āha. Thero ‘‘daharasāmaṇerassa bahi nisinnakassa paripanthopi bhaveyyā’’ti kuñjikaṃ datvā ‘‘mayhaṃ vasanagabbhassa dvāraṃ vivaritvā anto pavisitvā nisīdeyyāsī’’ti āha. So tathā katvā attano karajakāye ñāṇaṃ otāretvā attabhāvaṃ sammasanto nisīdi. Athassa guṇatejena sakkassa āsanaṃ uṇhākāraṃ dassesi. So ‘‘kiṃ nu kho kāraṇa’’nti upadhārento ‘‘paṇḍitasāmaṇero upajjhāyassa pattacīvaraṃ datvā ‘samaṇadhammaṃ karissāmī’ti nivatto, mayāpi tattha gantuṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti cintetvā cattāro mahārāje āmantetvā ‘‘vihārassa upavane vasante sakuṇe palāpetvā samantato ārakkhaṃ gaṇhathā’’ti vatvā candadevaputtaṃ ‘‘candamaṇḍalaṃ ākaḍḍhitvā gaṇhāhī’’ti, sūriyadevaputtaṃ ‘‘sūriyamaṇḍalaṃ ākaḍḍhitvā gaṇhāhī’’ti vatvā sayaṃ gantvā āviñchanarajjuṭṭhāne ārakkhaṃ gahetvā aṭṭhāsi, vihāre purāṇapaṇṇassa patantassapi saddo nāhosi, sāmaṇerassa cittaṃ ekaggaṃ ahosi. So antarābhatteyeva attabhāvaṃ sammasitvā tīṇi phalāni pāpuṇi.

The Elder thought to himself, "Should this young novice sleep out of doors some danger may befall him." Therefore he gave him a key and said to him, "Open the door of the cell where I reside, go in, and remain there." The novice did so. Sitting down, he strove to gain a knowledge of his own body and to master the thought of his own personality. Through the power of his virtue Sakka's seat showed signs of heat. Sakka considered within himself, "What can be the cause of this?" and came to the following conclusion, "The novice Paṇḍita has given his preceptor his bowl and robe and turned back, saying, 'I will strive for the attainment of Arahatship;' therefore I also ought to go there."

So Sakka addressed the Four Great Kings, saying, "Drive away the birds that make their homes in the monastery park and guard the approaches from all quarters." And he said to the moon-deity, "Hold back the disk of the moon;" and to the sun-deity, "Hold back the disk of the sun." Having so said, he went in person to the place where hung the rope for opening and closing the door and stood on guard. There was not so much as the sound of a withered leaf in the monastery. The novice's mind was tranquil, and in the course of his meal he mastered the thought of his own personality and obtained the Three Fruits.