Verses on Dhamma 6.5.p6

6.5.p6

Mahāseṭṭhi taṃ disvā ‘‘kiṃ, samma mahāduggata, bhatiṃ karissasī’’ti pucchi. ‘‘Āma, ayyā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ karissasī’’ti? ‘‘Yaṃ tumhe kāressatha, taṃ karissāmī’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi mayaṃ sve dve tīṇi bhikkhusatāni bhojessāma, ehi, dārūni phālehī’’ti vāsipharasuṃ nīharitvā dāpesi. Mahāduggato daḷhaṃ kacchaṃ bandhitvā mahussāhappatto vāsiṃ pahāya pharasuṃ gaṇhanto, pharasuṃ pahāya vāsiṃ gaṇhanto dārūni phāleti. Atha naṃ seṭṭhi āha – ‘‘samma, tvaṃ ajja ativiya ussāhappatto kammaṃ karosi, kiṃ nu kho kāraṇa’’nti? ‘‘Sāmi, ahaṃ sve ekaṃ bhikkhuṃ bhojessāmī’’ti. Taṃ sutvā seṭṭhi pasannamānaso cintesi – ‘‘aho iminā dukkaraṃ kataṃ, ‘ahaṃ duggato’ti tuṇhībhāvaṃ anāpajjitvā ‘bhatiṃ katvā ekaṃ bhikkhuṃ bhojessāmī’ti vadatī’’ti. Seṭṭhibhariyāpi tassa bhariyaṃ disvā, ‘‘amma, kiṃ kammaṃ karissasī’’ti pucchitvā ‘‘yaṃ tumhe kāressatha, taṃ karomī’’ti vutte udukkhalasālaṃ pavesetvā suppamusalādīni dāpesi. Sā naccantī viya tuṭṭhapahaṭṭhā vīhiṃ koṭṭeti ceva ophuṇāti ca. Atha naṃ seṭṭhibhariyā pucchi – ‘‘amma, tvaṃ ativiya tuṭṭhapahaṭṭhā kammaṃ karosi, kiṃ nu kho kāraṇa’’nti? ‘‘Ayye, imaṃ bhatiṃ katvā mayampi ekaṃ bhikkhuṃ bhojessāmā’’ti. Taṃ sutvā seṭṭhibhariyāpi tassaṃ ‘‘aho vatāyaṃ dukkarakārikā’’ti pasīdi. Seṭṭhi mahāduggatassa dārūnaṃ phālitakāle ‘‘ayaṃ te bhatī’’ti sālīnaṃ catasso nāḷiyo dāpetvā ‘‘ayaṃ te tuṭṭhidāyo’’ti aparāpi catasso nāḷiyo dāpesi.

A rich merchant saw Mahāduggata and said to him, “Sir Mahāduggata, do you wish to work for hire?” “Yes, your honor.” “What kind of work can you do?” “Whatever you would like to have done.” “Well then, we are going to entertain three hundred monks; come, split wood,” and he brought an axe and a hatchet and gave them to him. Mahāduggata put on a stout girdle and exerting himself to the utmost, began to split wood, first tossing the axe aside and taking the hatchet, and then tossing the hatchet aside and taking the axe. The merchant said to him, “Sir, to-day you work with unusual energy; what is the reason for it?’” “Master, I expect to provide food for one monk.” The merchant was pleased at heart and thought to himself, “It is a difficult task this man has undertaken; instead of remaining silent and refusing to give because of his poverty, he says, ‘I will work for hire and provide food for one monk.’”

The merchant’s wife also saw the poor man’s wife and said to her, “Woman, what kind of work can you do?” “Whatever you wish to have done.” So she took her into the room where the mortar was kept, gave her a winnowing-fan, a pestle, and so on, and set her at work. The woman pounded the rice and sifted it with as much joy and pleasure as if she were dancing. The merchant’s wife said to her, “Woman, you appear to take unusual joy and pleasure in doing your work; what is the reason for it?” “Lady, with the wages we earn at this work we expect to provide food for one monk.” When the merchant’s wife heard this she was pleased and said to herself, “What a difficult task it is that this woman is doing!”

When Mahāduggata had finished splitting the wood, the merchant gave him four measures of rice as pay for his work and four more as an expression of good will. The poor man went home and said to his wife, “The rice I have received for my work will serve as a supply of provisions for us. With the pay you have earned procure curds, oil, wood, relishes, and utensils.” The merchant’s wife gave the woman a cup of ghee, a vessel of curds, an assortment of relishes, and a measure of clean rice. The husband and wife between them therefore received five measures of rice.