SBE 17: Sixth Khandhaka: Chapter 35

35.

1. Now the Blessed One proceeded straight on, on his alms-pilgrimage, to Âpana. And Keniya the ascetic 2 heard the saying, 'Behold! the Samana Gotama, who was born in the Sâkya clan, and who went forth from the Sâkya clan (to adopt the religious life), has arrived at Âpana, and is staying at Âpana. Now regarding that venerable Gotama, such is the high reputation that has been noised abroad that he is said to be a fully-enlightened one, blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed, who guides men as a driver curbs a bullock, a teacher of gods and men, a blessed Buddha. He by himself thoroughly understands, and sees, as it were face to face, this universe, the world with its Devas, and with its Brahmas, and with its Mâras, and all creatures, Samanas and Brâhmanas, gods and men: and he then makes his knowledge known to others. The truth doth he make known, both in the spirit and in the letter:

1!' And Keniya the ascetic thought: 'What now should I have taken 2 to the Samana Gotama.'

2. And Keniya the ascetic thought: 'They who are the ancient Rishis of the Brâhmans, the authors of the sacred verses, the utterers of the sacred verses, whose ancient form of words, so uttered chaunted or composed, the Brâhmans of to-day chaunt over again and repeat, intoning or reciting exactly as had been intoned or recited--to wit, Atthaka, Vâmaka, Vâmadeva, Vessâmitta, Yamataggi, Aṅgirasa, Bhâradvâga, Vâsettha, and Bhagu 3--they were abstainers from food at night, and abstainers from food at the wrong time, yet they used to receive such things as drinks. (3.) Now the Samana Gotama is also an abstainer from food

1. It will be worthy of him too to receive such things as drinks. And when he had had a quantity of drinkables made ready he had them carried on pingoes and went up to the place where the Blessed One was. And when he had come there, he greeted him; and after exchanging with him the greetings of friendship and civility, he stood by on one side. And so standing Keniya the ascetic spake thus to the Blessed One:

'May the Blessed One accept at my hands these drinkables.'

'Very good then, Keniya; give them to the Bhikkhus.'

The Bhikkhus, fearing to offend, would not receive them.

'Receive them, O Bhikkhus, and make use of them.'

4. Then Keniya the ascetic having, with his own hand, satisfied the Bhikkhu-samgha with the Buddha at their head with many drinkables until they refused any more, took his seat, when the Blessed One had washed his hands, and had laid aside the bowl, on one side. And when he was so seated the Blessed One taught and incited and aroused and gladdened Keniya the ascetic with religious discourse: and Keniya the ascetic, when he had been taught and incited and aroused and gladdened by the Blessed One with religious discourse, spake thus to the Blessed One:

'May the venerable Gotama grant to me the privilege of providing the to-morrow's meal for him, together with the company of the Bhikkhus.'

1, and moka-syrup, and honey, and

1, and phârusaka 2-syrup. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the juice of all fruits, except the juice prepared from corn 3. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, drinks prepared from all leaves, except drinks prepared from potherbs 4. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, drinks prepared from all flowers, except liquorice-juice 5. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of the juice of the sugar cane.'

7. And Keniya the ascetic, at the end of the night, had sweet food, both hard and soft, made ready at his hermitage: and he had the time announced to the Blessed One, saying, 'It is time, O Gotama, and the meal is ready.'

And the Blessed One, having put on his under robes early in the morning, went, duly bowled and . robed, to the place where the hermitage of Keniya the ascetic was. And when he had arrived there, he sat down on the seat spread out for him, and with him the company of the Bhikkhus. Then

1 the fire sacrifice is the chief, of sacred verses the chief is the Sâvitthi 2;

'Among men the king is chief; and of waters the ocean,

'Of constellations the moon is chief, and of heat-givers the sun,

But of them, the conquering ones, who long after good, the Samgha, verily, is chief.'

And when the Blessed One had, in these verses, pronounced the benediction 3 on Keniya the ascetic, he rose from his seat, and departed thence 4.

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Footnotes

129:2 In Pâli Gatila; that is, 'one with long matted hair.' See our note on Mahâvagga I, 15, I; and compare also Dîpavamsa I, 38; Gâtaka I, 15, 84; Dhammapada, v. 141, and the passages quoted by Professor Oldenberg in his edition of the Kullavagga, p. 350, and by Dr. Rhys Davids in his 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 185.

130:1 This is a stock phrase. Compare above VI, 34, II, and the Tevigga Sutta I, 7, 46, and the passages quoted on the last by Rh. D., 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 287.

130:2 That is, as a present, the usual tribute of respect.

130:3 The names of these Rishis, and the above phrases from 'They who' &c. downwards, recur several times in the Tevigga Sutta. See Rh. D., 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 172, &c. Most of these names are easily to be identified, being in Sanskrit Vâmadeva, Visvâmitra, Gamadagni (who is only mentioned in this list in reference to Rig-veda III, 62, quoted from below. See also Oldenberg's note to Sâṅkhâyana's Grihya-sûtra IV, 10 in Indische Studien XV, 153), Âṅgirasa, Bhâradvâga, Vasishtha, Kasyapa, and Bhrigu. The only doubtful names are Vâmaka and Atthaka. The latter must be Ashtaka, mentioned as the author of Rig-veda X, 104, unless it be supposed to be a corrupt reading under which some representation of Atri may lurk. Vâmaka is the only unintelligible form, for it would be difficult to see how that word could come to stand for the Vamra to whom Rig-veda X, 99 is ascribed.

131:1 See the eighth section of the Kûla-sîla.

132:1 So Buddhaghosa; but it may also be cocoa-nut or cinnamon, according to Böhtlingk-Roth sub voce. Buddhaghosa's words are Koka-pânan ti atthika-kadali-phalehi kata-pânam; and he explains moka by anatthikehi kadali-phalehi kata-pânam. As kadali is the ordinary plantain or banana, which has no seeds, the meaning of the difference he makes between the two kinds is not clear. The expression ekatthithâlapakka, at Gâtaka I, 70, evidently rests on the same meaning of the word atthi, which there also 133:1 In the text read sâlûka.

133:2 This is the Grewia Asiatica of Linnaeus. See Böhtlingk-Roth under parûsaka.

133:3 Toddy and arrack are so prepared. The use of toddy was one of the famous Ten Points of the heretics at the Council of Vesâlî. See below, Kullavagga XII, 1, 11. Buddhaghosa explains this as 'drink made from any one of the seven kinds of corn;' where the seven kinds referred to must be those mentioned in the Abhidhâna-ppadîpikâ, verses 450, 451.

133:4 Dâka = sâka. Compare our note below on VI, 36, 8, and Gâtaka, ed. Fausböll, I, 308.

133:5 Madhuka-puppha-rasam; Madhuka is the Bassia Latifolia of Linnaeus.

134:1 Yaññâ. Compare above, I, 22, 4, and our note there (p. 138).

134:2 This is of course the well-known verse Rig-veda III, 62, 10. The argumentum ad hominem here is a fresh confirmation of the view already expressed above in our note on I, 15, 1, that by the Gatilas are to be understood the orthodox Brâhman ascetics.

134:3 Compare the Book of the Great Decease I, 31, and Gâtaka I, 119.

134:4 §§ 7, 8 recur in the Sela Sutta (Sutta Nipâta, III, 7, 21, 22), where they stand in a much more appropriate context.