Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.133

The Related Suttas Collection 35.133

13. Gahapativagga

13. Householders

Verahaccānisutta

Verahaccāni

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā udāyī kāmaṇḍāyaṁ viharati todeyyassa brāhmaṇassa ambavane.

At one time Venerable Udāyī was staying near Kāmaṇḍā in the brahmin Todeyya’s mango grove.

Atha kho verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā antevāsī māṇavako yenāyasmā udāyī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā udāyinā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ māṇavakaṁ āyasmā udāyī dhammiyā kathāya sandassesi samādapesi samuttejesi sampahaṁsesi.

Then a boy who was a student of the brahmin lady of the Verahaccāni clan went up to Udāyī and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side. Udāyī educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired that student with a Dhamma talk.

Atha kho so māṇavako āyasmatā udāyinā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito uṭṭhāyāsanā yena verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā verahaccānigottaṁ brāhmaṇiṁ etadavoca: “yagghe, bhoti, jāneyyāsi. Samaṇo udāyī dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ, sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsetī”ti.

Then that student went to the brahmin lady of the Verahaccāni clan and said to her, “Please, madam, you should know this. The ascetic Udāyī teaches Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And he reveals a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.”

“Tena hi tvaṁ, māṇavaka, mama vacanena samaṇaṁ udāyiṁ nimantehi svātanāya bhattenā”ti.

“Then, student, invite him in my name for tomorrow’s meal.”

“Evaṁ, bhotī”ti kho so māṇavako verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā paṭissutvā yenāyasmā udāyī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “adhivāsetu kira, bhavaṁ udāyī amhākaṁ ācariyabhariyāya verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā svātanāya bhattan”ti. Adhivāsesi kho āyasmā udāyī tuṇhībhāvena.

“Yes, madam,” he replied. He went to Udāyī and said, “Sir, might Master Udāyī please accept an offering of tomorrow’s meal from my teacher’s wife, the brahmin lady of the Verahaccāni clan.” Udāyī consented with silence.

Atha kho āyasmā udāyī tassā rattiyā accayena pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Atha kho verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappesi sampavāresi.

Then when the night had passed, Udāyī robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to the brahmin lady’s home, and sat down on the seat spread out. Then the brahmin lady served and satisfied Udāyī with her own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods.

Atha kho verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ bhuttāviṁ onītapattapāṇiṁ pādukā ārohitvā ucce āsane nisīditvā sīsaṁ oguṇṭhitvā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “bhaṇa, samaṇa, dhamman”ti.

When Udāyī had eaten and washed his hand and bowl, she put on a pair of shoes, sat on a high seat, covered her head, and said to him, “Ascetic, preach the Dhamma.”

“Bhavissati, bhagini, samayo”ti vatvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkami.

“There will be an occasion for that, sister,” he replied, then got up from his seat and left.

Dutiyampi kho so māṇavako yenāyasmā udāyī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā udāyinā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ māṇavakaṁ āyasmā udāyī dhammiyā kathāya sandassesi samādapesi samuttejesi sampahaṁsesi.

For a second time that student went to Venerable Udāyī …

Dutiyampi kho so māṇavako āyasmatā udāyinā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito uṭṭhāyāsanā yena verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā verahaccānigottaṁ brāhmaṇiṁ etadavoca: “yagghe, bhoti, jāneyyāsi. Samaṇo udāyī dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ, sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsetī”ti.

And for a second time that student went to the brahmin lady of the Verahaccāni clan …

“Evamevaṁ pana tvaṁ, māṇavaka, samaṇassa udāyissa vaṇṇaṁ bhāsasi. Samaṇo panudāyī ‘bhaṇa, samaṇa, dhamman’ti vutto samāno ‘bhavissati, bhagini, samayo’ti vatvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkanto”ti.

She said to him, “You keep praising the ascetic Udāyī like this. But when I asked him to preach the Dhamma he just said that there would be an occasion for that, and then he got up and left.”

“Tathā hi pana tvaṁ, bhoti, pādukā ārohitvā ucce āsane nisīditvā sīsaṁ oguṇṭhitvā etadavoca: ‘bhaṇa, samaṇa, dhamman’ti. Dhammagaruno hi te bhavanto dhammagāravā”ti.

“Madam, that’s because you put on a pair of shoes, sat on a high seat, and covered your head before inviting him to teach. For the masters respect the teaching.”

“Tena hi tvaṁ, māṇavaka, mama vacanena samaṇaṁ udāyiṁ nimantehi svātanāya bhattenā”ti.

“Then, student, invite him in my name for tomorrow’s meal.”

“Evaṁ, bhotī”ti kho so māṇavako verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā paṭissutvā yenāyasmā udāyī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “adhivāsetu kira bhavaṁ udāyī amhākaṁ ācariyabhariyāya verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā svātanāya bhattan”ti. Adhivāsesi kho āyasmā udāyī tuṇhībhāvena.

“Yes, madam,” he replied. …

Atha kho āyasmā udāyī tassā rattiyā accayena pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena verahaccānigottāya brāhmaṇiyā nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Atha kho verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappesi sampavāresi.

Then the brahmin lady served and satisfied Udāyī with her own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods.

Atha kho verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ bhuttāviṁ onītapattapāṇiṁ pādukā orohitvā nīce āsane nisīditvā sīsaṁ vivaritvā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “kismiṁ nu kho, bhante, sati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ paññapenti, kismiṁ asati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ na paññapentī”ti?

When Udāyī had eaten and washed his hand and bowl, she took off her shoes, sat on a low seat, uncovered her head, and said to him, “Sir, when what exists do the perfected ones declare that there is pleasure and pain? When what doesn’t exist do the perfected ones not declare that there is pleasure and pain?”

“Cakkhusmiṁ kho, bhagini, sati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ paññapenti, cakkhusmiṁ asati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ na paññapenti …pe… jivhāya sati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ paññapenti, jivhāya asati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ na paññapenti …pe…. Manasmiṁ sati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ paññapenti, manasmiṁ asati arahanto sukhadukkhaṁ na paññapentī”ti.

“Sister, when there’s an eye, the perfected ones declare that there is pleasure and pain. When there’s no eye, the perfected ones don’t declare that there is pleasure and pain. When there’s an ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, the perfected ones declare that there is pleasure and pain. When there’s no mind, the perfected ones don’t declare that there is pleasure and pain.”

Evaṁ vutte, verahaccānigottā brāhmaṇī āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: “abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante. Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ ayyena udāyinā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, ayya udāyi, taṁ bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi, dhammañca, bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsikaṁ maṁ ayyo udāyī dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

When he said this, the brahmin lady said to Udāyī, “Excellent, sir! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, Venerable Udāyī has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the bhikkhu Saṅgha. From this day forth, may Venerable Udāyī remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

Dasamaṁ.

Gahapativaggo tatiyo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Vesālī vajji nāḷandā, Bhāradvāja soṇo ca ghosito; Hāliddiko nakulapitā, Lohicco verahaccānīti.