Dhammapada 8.5: 5. Sāriputtattherassa mātulabrāhmaṇavatthu

8.5.p1

Māse māseti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā veḷuvane viharanto sāriputtattherassa mātulabrāhmaṇaṃ ārabbha kathesi.

*Though a man, month after month.* This religious instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Veḷuvana with reference to Elder Sāriputta's uncle.

8.5.p2

Thero kira tassa santikaṃ gantvā āha – ‘‘kiṃ nu kho, brāhmaṇa, kiñcideva kusalaṃ karosī’’ti? ‘‘Karomi, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ karosī’’ti? ‘‘Māse māse sahassapariccāgena dānaṃ dammī’’ti. ‘‘Kassa desī’’ti? ‘‘Nigaṇṭhānaṃ, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ patthayanto’’ti? ‘‘Brahmalokaṃ, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Kiṃ pana brahmalokassa ayaṃ maggo’’ti? ‘‘Āma, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Ko evamāhā’’ti? ‘‘Ācariyehi me kathitaṃ, bhante’’ti. ‘‘No tvaṃ brahmalokassa maggaṃ jānāsi, nāpi te ācariyā, satthāva eko jānāti, ehi, brāhmaṇa, brahmalokassa te maggaṃ kathāpessāmī’’ti taṃ ādāya satthu santikaṃ netvā, ‘‘bhante, ayaṃ brāhmaṇo evamāhā’’ti, ‘‘taṃ pavattiṃ ārocetvā sādhu vatassa brahmalokassa maggaṃ kathethā’’ti. Satthā ‘‘evaṃ kira, brāhmaṇā’’ti pucchitvā ‘‘āma, bho gotamā’’ti vutte, ‘‘brāhmaṇa, tayā evaṃ dadamānena vassasataṃ dinnadānatopi muhuttamattaṃ pasannacittena mama sāvakassa olokanaṃ vā kaṭacchubhikkhāmattadānaṃ vā mahapphalatara’’nti vatvā anusandhiṃ ghaṭetvā dhammaṃ desento imaṃ gāthamāha –

The story goes that Elder Sāriputta once went to his uncle and said, "Brahman, do you ever do a single good deed?" "I do, Reverend Sir." "What do you do?" "Month after month, I give alms to the value of a thousand pieces of money." "To whom do you give this money?" "To the Naked Ascetics, Reverend Sir." "And what do you hope to gain thereby?" "I hope to gain the World of Brahmā." "But is this the way to reach the World of Brahmā?" "Yes, Reverend Sir." "Who told you so?" "My teachers told me so, Reverend Sir." "Brahman, neither you nor your teachers know the way to the World of Brahmā. The Teacher alone knows the way thereto. Come with me, and I will ask him to tell you the way to the World of Brahmā."

So Elder Sāriputta took his uncle with him, went to the Teacher, and told him all about it, saying, "Reverend Sir, this Brahman said

so and so. Be so good as to tell him the way to the World of Brahmā.” The Teacher asked, “Brahman, are you correctly reported?” “Yes, Sir Gotama.” “Brahman, though you should give alms in this way for a hundred years, yet were it far more fruitful for a man, with believing heart, for but a single instant to look upon my disciple or to bestow upon him a mere spoonful of boiled rice.” So saying, he joined the connection, and preaching the Law, pronounced the following Stanza,

8.5.106

‘‘Māse māse sahassena, yo yajetha sataṃ samaṃ;
Ekañca bhāvitattānaṃ, muhuttamapi pūjaye;
Sāyeva pūjanā seyyo, yañce vassasataṃ huta’’nti.

106. Though a man, month after month, for a hundred years, should sacrifice a thousand pieces of money,
Yet, should he honor for even a single instant a man who has trained himself,
It were better for him so to render honor than to offer sacrifice for a hundred years.

8.5.106_2

Tattha sahassenāhi sahassapariccāgena. Yo yajetha sataṃ samanti yo vassasataṃ māse māse sahassaṃ pariccajanto lokiyamahājanassa dānaṃ dadeyya, ekañca bhāvitattānanti yo pana ekaṃ sīlādiguṇavisesena vaḍḍhitaattānaṃ heṭṭhimakoṭiyā sotāpannaṃ, uparimakoṭiyā khīṇāsavaṃ gharadvāraṃ sampattaṃ kaṭacchubhikkhādānavasena vā yāpanamattaāhāradānavasena vā thūlasāṭakadānamattena vā pūjeyya. Yaṃ itarena vassasataṃ hutaṃ. Tato sāyeva pūjanā seyyo. Seṭṭho uttamoti atthoti.

8.5.106_3

Desanāvasāne so brāhmaṇo sotāpattiphalaṃ patto, aññepi bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsūti.

8.5.106_4

Sāriputtattherassa mātulabrāhmaṇavatthu pañcamaṃ.