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:
p. 130
lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation. The
higher life doth he proclaim, in all its purity and all its perfectness. Blessed
is the sight of Arahats like that 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
p. 131
at night, an abstainer from food at the wrong time 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.'
p. 132
5. 'Great, O Keniya, is the company of the Bhikkhus. Two hundred and fifty are
the Bhikkhus in number. And thou art greatly devoted to the Brâhmans.'
Yet a second time spake Keniya the ascetic to the Blessed One thus:
'What though the company of the Bhikkhus, O Gotama, be great; and though two
hundred and fifty be the number of the Bhikkhus. 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.'
'Great, O Keniya (&c., as before).'
Yet a third time spake Keniya the ascetic to the venerable Gotama thus:
'What though the company of the Bhikkhus (&c., as before).'
Then the Blessed One granted, by remaining silent, his consent. And when Keniya
the ascetic perceived that the Blessed One had granted his consent, he arose
from his seat, and departed thence.
6. Then the Blessed One on that occasion, and in that connection, after he had
delivered a religious discourse, addressed the Bhikkhus, and said:
'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, eight kinds of drink-able things: mango-syrup, and
jambu-syrup, and plantain-syrup 1, and moka-syrup, and honey, and
p. 133
grape juice, and syrup made from the edible root of the water-lily 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
p. 134
[paragraph continues] Keniya the ascetic, with his own hand, offered to the
company of the Bhikkhus with the Buddha at their head, and satisfied them with
the sweet food, both hard and soft. And when the Blessed One had finished his
meal and had washed his hands and his bowl, he (Keniya) took his seat on one
side.
8. And when he was so seated the Blessed One pronounced the benediction on
Keniya the ascetic in these verses:
'Of the offerings 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.
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 p. 133 cannot be, as usual,
seed; for there is no such thing as a palmyra fruit with one seed. See Rh. D.'s
note on p. 94 of the 'Buddhist Birth Stories.'
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.
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