Verses on Dhamma 6.5.p8

6.5.p8

Taṃ divasaṃ pana satthā paccūsakāle lokaṃ volokento mahāduggataṃ attano ñāṇajālassa anto paviṭṭhaṃ disvā ‘‘kiṃ nu kho bhavissatī’’ti āvajjento ‘‘mahāduggato ‘ekaṃ bhikkhuṃ bhojessāmī’ti bhariyāya saddhiṃ hiyyo bhatiṃ akāsi, kataraṃ nu kho bhikkhuṃ labhissatī’’ti cintetvā ‘‘manussā paṇṇe āropitasaññāya bhikkhū gahetvā attano attano gehesu nisīdāpessanti, mahāduggato maṃ ṭhapetvā aññaṃ bhikkhuṃ na labhissatī’’ti upadhāresi. Buddhā kira duggatesu anukampaṃ karonti. Tasmā satthā pātova sarīrapaṭijagganaṃ katvā ‘‘mahāduggataṃ saṅgaṇhissāmī’’ti gandhakuṭiṃ pavisitvā nisīdi. Mahāduggatepi macche gahetvā gehaṃ pavisante sakkassa paṇḍukambalasilāsanaṃ uṇhākāraṃ dassesi. So ‘‘kiṃ nu kho kāraṇa’’nti olokento ‘‘hiyyo, mahāduggato ‘ekassa bhikkhuno bhikkhaṃ dassāmī’ti attano bhariyāya saddhiṃ bhatiṃ akāsi, kataraṃ nu kho bhikkhuṃ labhissatī’’ti cintetvā ‘‘natthetassa añño bhikkhu, satthā pana mahāduggatassa saṅgahaṃ karissāmī’’ti gandhakuṭiyaṃ nisinno. Mahāduggato attano upakappanakaṃ yāgubhattaṃ paṇṇasūpeyyampi tathāgatassa dadeyya, ‘‘yaṃnūnāhaṃ mahāduggatassa gehaṃ gantvā bhattakārakakammaṃ kareyya’’nti aññātakavesena tassa gehasamīpaṃ gantvā ‘‘atthi nu kho kassaci kiñci bhatiyā kātabba’’nti pucchi. Mahāduggato taṃ disvā āha – ‘‘samma, kiṃ kammaṃ karissasī’’ti? ‘‘Ahaṃ, sāmi, sabbasippiko, mayhaṃ ajānanasippaṃ nāma natthi, yāgubhattādīnipi sampādetuṃ jānāmī’’ti. ‘‘Samma, mayaṃ tava kammena atthikā, tuyhaṃ pana kiñci dātabbaṃ bhatiṃ na passāmā’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana te kattabba’’nti? ‘‘Ekassa bhikkhussa bhikkhaṃ dātukāmomhi, tassa yāgubhattasaṃvidhānaṃ icchāmī’’ti. ‘‘Sace bhikkhussa bhikkhaṃ dassasi, na me bhatiyā attho, kiṃ mama puññaṃ na vaṭṭatī’’ti? ‘‘Evaṃ sante sādhu, samma, pavisā’’ti. So tassa gehaṃ pavisitvā telataṇḍulādīni āharāpetvā ‘‘gaccha, attano pattabhikkhuṃ ānehī’’ti taṃ uyyojesi. Dānaveyyāvaṭikopi paṇṇe āropitaniyāmeneva tesaṃ tesaṃ gehāni bhikkhū pahiṇi.

Now as the Teacher surveyed the world on the morning of that day, he observed that Mahāduggata had entered the Net of his Knowledge. And he considered within himself, “What is going to happen? Yesterday Mahāduggata and his wife worked for hire that they might provide food for one monk. Which monk will he obtain?” And he came to the following conclusion, “The residents will obtain monks to entertain in their houses according to the names written on the leaf; none other monk will Mahāduggata obtain, save only me.” Now the Buddhas are said to show particular tenderness to poor men. So when the Teacher, very early in the morning, had attended to his bodily needs, he said to himself, “I will bestow my favor on Mahāduggata.” And he went into the Perfumed Chamber and sat down.

When Mahāduggata went into his house with the fish, the Yellowstone Throne of Sakka showed signs of heat. Sakka looked about and said to himself, “What can be the reason for this?” And he considered within himself, “Yesterday Mahāduggata and his wife worked for hire that they might provide food for one monk; which monk will he obtain?” Finally he came to the following conclusion, “Mahāduggata will obtain none other monk than the Buddha, who is sitting in the Perfumed Chamber with this thought in his mind, ‘I will bestow my favor on Mahāduggata.’ Now it is Mahāduggata’s intention to offer the Tathāgata a meal of his own making, consisting of porridge and rice and leaf-curry. Suppose I were to go to Mahāduggata’s house and offer to act as cook?”

Accordingly Sakka disguised himself, went to the vicinity of his house and asked, “Would anyone like to hire a man to work for him?” Mahāduggata saw him and said to him, “Sir, what kind of work can you do?” “Master, I am a man-of-all-work; there is nothing I do not know how to do; among other things I know how to cook porridge and boil rice.” “Sir, we need your services, but we have no money to pay you.” “What work is it you have to do?” “I wish to provide food for one monk and I should like to have some one prepare the porridge and rice.” “If you intend to provide food for a monk, it will not be necessary for you to pay me; is it not proper that I should perform a work of merit?” “If that is the case, very well, sir; come in.” So Sakka entered the poor man’s house, had him bring the rice and other articles of food, and then dismissed him, saying, “Go fetch the monk allotted to you.”