1. Now when the Blessed One had stayed at Anupiyâ as long as he thought fit, he
set out on his journey towards Kosambî. And journeying straight on he arrived in
due course at Kosambî, and there, at Kosambî, he stayed at the Ghosita Ârâma.
Now the following thought occurred to Devadatta when he had retired into
solitude, and was plunged in meditation: 'Whom now 1 can I so gain over that, he
being well pleased with me, much gain and honour may result to me? And it
occurred to him, 'Now this prince Agâtasattu is young, and has a lucky future
before him. Let me then gain him over; and he being well pleased with me, much
gain and honour will result.'
Then Devadatta folded up his sleeping-mat, and set out, fully bowled and robed,
for Râgagaha; and in due course he arrived at Râgagaha. Then he laid aside his
own form, and took upon himself the form of a child clad in a girdle of snakes,
and appeared on the lap of prince Agâtasattu 2. Then was
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prince Agâtasattu terrified, and startled, and anxious, and alarmed.
And Devadatta said to prince Agâtasattu, 'Are you afraid of me, O prince?'
'Yes, I am. Who are you?'
'I am Devadatta.'
'If you, Sir, are really the worthy Devadatta, be good enough to appear in your
own shape.'
Then Devadatta, laying aside the form of the child, appeared there before prince
Agâtasattu with his inner and outer robes on, and with his bowl in his hand. And
prince Agâtasattu was well pleased with Devadatta by reason of this marvel of
Iddhi, and morning and evening he used to go in five hundred chariots to wait
upon him, and food was brought and laid before him in five hundred dishes.
Then there arose in Devadatta's mind, possessed and vanquished by gain and
hospitality and fame 1, some such thought as this: 'It is I who ought to lead
the Bhikkhu-samgha.' And as the idea rose up within him, (that moment) was
Devadatta deprived of that his power of Iddhi.
2. Nov at that time a Koliyan, by name Kakudha, who had been (as Bhikkhu) the
attendant on Moggallâna, had just died, and had appeared again in a certain
spiritual body 2, possessed of a personality as large as two or three of the
common rice-fields of a Mâgadha village, and yet so constituted 3 that he was
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not in the way either of himself or of others 1. And this celestial being,
Kakudha, went to the venerable Moggallâna, and bowed down before him, and took
his stand on one side. And so standing, he told the venerable Moggallâna [of the
thought that had arisen in Devadatta's mind, and of the result thereof]. And
when he had told him, he bowed down before the venerable Moggallâna, and keeping
him on his right side as he passed him, he vanished away.
And the venerable Moggallâna went to the place where the Blessed One was, and
told him [the whole matter] 2.
'What then, Moggallâna, have you so penetrated the mind of that celestial being
Kakudha, that you know that whatsoever he speaks, that will be accordingly, and
not otherwise 3?'
'I have, Lord.'
'Keep that saying, Moggallâna, secret; keep that saying secret. Even now that
foolish man will himself make himself known.
3 4. 'There are, Moggallâna, these five kinds of teachers now existing in the
world. What are the five?
'In the first place, Moggallâna, there is one kind of teacher whose conduct not
being pure, he yet
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gives out that he is a person of pure conduct, one whose conduct is pure, and
innocent, and without stain. His disciples know that that is so, but they think,
"If we announce the fact to the laity, he will not like it. And how can we
conduct ourselves towards him in a way that is displeasing to him? And besides
he is honoured with gifts of the requisite clothing, food, lodging, and medicine
for the sick. He will sooner or later become known by that which he himself will
do." Such a teacher, Moggallâna, do his disciples protect in respect of his own
conduct. And being as he is, he expects 1 to be protected by his disciples in
respect of his own conduct.
4. 'Again, Moggallâna,' &c. [as before, putting successively 'mode of
livelihood,' 'preaching of the Dhamma,' 'system of exposition,' &c., 'insight
arising from knowledge,' 'for 'conduct']. 'These, Moggallâna, are the five kinds
of teachers now existing in the world. But I being pure in conduct, mode of
livelihood, preaching of the Dhamma, system of exposition, and insight arising
from knowledge, give out that I am so, that I am pure, innocent, and without
stain in all these things. And neither do my disciples protect me in respect of
my own conduct, nor do I expect them to do so.'
5. Now when the Blessed One had remained at Kosambî as long as he thought fit,
he set out on his journey towards Râgagaha. And journeying straight on, he
arrived in due course at Râgagaha; and there, at Râgagaha, he stayed at the
Veluvana in the Kalandaka Nivâpa.
p. 237
And a number of Bhikkhus went to the Blessed One, and bowed down before him, and
took their seats on one side., And when so seated, they said to the Blessed One:
'Prince Agâtasattu is in the habit of going morning and evening with five
hundred carts to wait upon Devadatta, and food is brought and laid before him in
five hundred dishes.'
'Envy not, O Bhikkhus, the gain and hospitality and fame of Devadatta. So long,
O Bhikkhus, as Agâtasattu [so waits upon him and gives him alms] so long may we
expect Devadatta not to prosper, but to decline in virtuous qualities 1. Just, O
Bhikkhus, as if you were to burst a gall (bladder) 2 before the nose of a fierce
dog, the dog would thereby become so much the fiercer, just so long, O Bhikkhus
(&c., as before). To his own hurt, O Bhikkhus, has this gain, hospitality, and
fame come to Devadatta, to his own destruction. Just, O Bhikkhus, as a plantain,
or a bamboo, or a reed gives fruit to its own hurt and its own destruction 3,
just so to his own hurt (&c., as before). Just as a young she-mule conceives to
her own hurt and her own destruction 4, just so, O Bhikkhus, to his own hurt has
this gain, &c., come to Devadatta.
'Its fruit destroys the plantain-tree; its fruit the bamboo and the reed.
p. 238
'Honour destroys the evil man, just as its foal destroys the young she-mule.'
________________________
Here endeth the First Portion for Recitation.
Footnotes
233:1 In the text, for kin nu read kam nu.
233:2 This taking upon oneself another shape is not one of the powers of Iddhi
included in the first list referred to at note 5, p. 230.
234:1 Compare Mahâvagga V, 1, 22, on this expression. Also below, § 5.
234:2 Aññataram manomayam kâyam upapanno. Perhaps 'in a mode of existence in
which his body was changeable at will.' (See Childers, sub voce manomayo.)
234:3 Attabhâvo. See IX, 1, 3.
235:1 Vyâbâdheti. He could occupy the same space as other beings without
incommoding them. The word occurs in the same sense in the passage quoted from
Buddhaghosa in Rh. D.'s note 1 on the Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta V, 10, but
originally occurring in the Aṅguttara Nikâya.
235:2 The last paragraph is here repeated in the text.
235:3 On the use here of ketasâ keto parikka, compare Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta I,
16, 17.
235:4 The following two sections are repeated below, VII, 3, 10, to all the
Bhikkhus.
236:1 Pakkâsimsati. Perhaps this word here means 'he requires, needs.'
237:1 This phrase runs in the same mould as the one so constantly repeated at
the commencement of the Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta (I, §§ 4-11).
237:2 Pittam bhindeyyum. Literally, 'should break a gall.'
237:3 These three plants die after producing fruit.
237:4 Because she would die if she did. On assatarî, compare above, VI, 4, 3,
and our note there.
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