Dhammapada Commentary - Kodha Vagga

Dhammapada Commentary ( Dhammapada Atthakatha )

Edited by
Bhikkhu Pesala


17 — Kodha Vagga
Anger
Give Up Anger
1. Kodhaṃ jahe vippajaheyya mānaṃ,
saṃyojanaṃ sabbam atikkameyya
Taṃ nāmarūpasmiṃ asajjamānaṃ,
akiñcanaṃ nānupatanti dukkhā.221
1. One should give up anger. One should abandon pride. One should
overcome all fetters. Ills never befall him who clings not to mind and
body and is passionless.
Rohiṇī’s Story
When the Elder Anuruddha visited Kapilavatthu with five hundred monks, his
sister Rohiṇī did not come to greet him because she was suffering from a skin
disease. He told his relatives to summon her, so she came, having covered her
face with a cloth. He advised her to undertake to erect an Assembly Hall for the
Saṅgha. She sold a valuable necklace to pay for it, and the Elder Anuruddha stayed
in Kapilavatthu to supervise the work. When the hall was completed the Buddha
was invited, and Rohiṇī swept the hall and set out seats for the Saṅgha. When the
meal was finished, the Buddha asked whose the offering was. Rohiṇī was
summoned and came reluctantly. The Buddha asked her if she knew why she was
suffering from this skin disease. When she replied that she did not, the Buddha
told her that it was due to anger, and related a story of the past.
The Jealous Queen
In the distant past, the chief queen of the king of Benares took a dislike to a
certain dancing girl. She made a powder from scabs and had it sprinkled on the
girl’s bedding and clothes. The girl suffered terribly from skin disease.
Having attributed Rohiṇī’s skin disease to anger and jealousy, the Buddha
uttered the above verse. On the conclusion of the verse Rohiṇī attained Stream-
winning and her skin disease vanished completely.


Sequel: The Celestial Nymph
When Rohiṇī passed away from that existence, she was reborn in Tāvatiṃsa
in a place at the boundary of the realms of four deities. She was so beautiful that
they quarrelled over her. They asked Sakka to settle the dispute, but when he saw
her, he also desired her, saying that he would die if he could not have her. The
other deities agreed to give up the nymph to Sakka, and she become his favourite.
The True Charioteer
2. Yo ve uppatitaṃ kodhaṃ,
rathaṃ bhantaṃ ’va vāraye1
Tam ahaṃ sārathiṃ brūmi,
rasmiggāho itaro jano.222
2. Whoever checks his uprisen anger as though it were a rolling chariot,
I call a true charioteer. Others merely hold the reins.
A Certain Monk’s Story
A monk, while cutting down a tree with an axe to make a dwelling for
himself, accidentally severed the arm of a tree deity’s child. She grew angry and
wanted to kill him, but she controlled her anger, reflecting that she would be
reborn in hell if she killed a virtuous man, and that other deities would also kill
monks in future following her bad example. Instead, she reported the matter to
the Buddha, who praised her self-restraint and uttered the above verse. On the
conclusion of the verse, the deity was established in Stream-winning. The Buddha
pointed out an empty tree at Jetavana near his Perfumed Chamber, and she took
up residence there. This occasion was the reason for the laying down of the rule
for monks regarding damaging plants.
Conquer Anger by Love
3. Akkodhena jine kodhaṃ, asādhuṃ sādhunā jine
Jine kadariyaṃ dānena, saccenālikavādinaṃ.223
3. Conquer anger by love. Conquer evil by good.
Conquer the stingy by giving. Conquer the liar by truth.

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dhāraye


Uttarā’s Story
Uttarā was the daughter of Puṇṇa, a poor man who worked for hire. While
others were enjoying a holiday, Puṇṇa had to work because he was so poor. One
day, the Elder Sāriputta, who had just arisen from spending seven days in
absorption (nirodha samāpatti), wished to bestow a blessing on Puṇṇa. He went
to the field where Puṇṇa was working and stood there gazing at a bush. Puṇṇa cut
off a piece to offer tooth-sticks to the elder. Then he took the elder’s water filter
and offered him clean water. The elder waited a while until Puṇṇa’s wife had set
off from home, then walked into the village for alms. Seeing the elder, she paid
homage to him and offered the rice she had brought for her husband. The elder
covered his bowl when she had given half, but she asked him to let her give it all.
She then returned home to cook more rice for her husband. Arriving late, she
told Puṇṇa not to be angry, explaining why she was late. He was pleased.
Exhausted from working the whole morning without food, after eating his meal
he fell asleep in his wife’s lap. When he woke up, the field that he had ploughed
had turned to gold. Thinking that he was hallucinating he rubbed his eyes, and
taking some earth, rubbed it on the plough handle. Seeing that it was gold, he
filled a basket with the earth and went to the king’s palace. He suggested to the
king that the gold should be fetched to the palace. The king appointed Puṇṇa as
his chief treasurer and gave him a site to build a house near the palace. When the
house was complete, Puṇṇa invited the Buddha for alms, and at the conclusion of
the thanksgiving sermon, Puṇṇa, his wife, and Uttarā all gained Stream-winning.
The treasurer of Rājagaha urged Puṇṇa to arrange the marriage of Uttarā to
his son, but because he was a heretic, Puṇṇa was reluctant to agree. Eventually he
relented and the marriage was arranged. Uttarā was miserable in her new home
because she had no opportunity to invite the monks or to offer alms. She sent a
message to her father who sent her a large sum of money with a message to hire
the services of an expensive prostitute named Sirimā for her husband. Thus
during the last fortnight of the Rains Retreat, Uttarā was free to cook food to
offer to the monks.
Wondering what she was up to, her husband looked to see her toiling in the
kitchen and laughed. Wondering why he laughed, Sirimā looked and saw Uttarā,
and grew jealous. She went to the kitchen, and taking a ladle of boiling ghee,
advanced towards Uttarā. Seeing her coming, Uttarā radiated metta towards
Sirimā, grateful that with her help she had been able to offer alms. When Sirimā


threw the boiling ghee on her head, it was as if she had sprinkled cold water.
Uttarā’s servants attacked Sirimā, but Uttarā fought them off, and protected her.
Sirimā came to her senses, and begged forgiveness from Uttarā. She replied
that she would forgive her if she begged forgiveness from the Buddha, who was
her spiritual father. Sirimā told the Buddha what she had done, and the Buddha
asked Uttarā what she had thought when attacked by Sirimā. He praised Uttarā,
reciting the above verse.
Be Truthful, Patient, and Generous
4. Saccaṃ bhaṇe na kujjheyya,
dajjā appampi
1 yācito
Etehi tīhi ṭhānehi,
gacche devāna santike.224
4. One should speak the truth. One should not be angry. One should give
even from a scanty store to him who asks. By these three ways one may
go to the presence of the gods.
The Questions of Moggallāna
While visiting the celestial realms, the Elder Moggallāna asked the devas what
meritorious acts had led to their rebirth. They mentioned trifling actions done
with truthfulness, patience, generosity, and so forth. The Elder Moggallāna asked
the Buddha for confirmation and he uttered the above verse in explanation.
The Harmless Attain the Deathless
5. Ahiṃsakā ye munayo, niccaṃ kāyena saṃvutā
Te yanti accutaṃ ṭhānaṃ, yattha gantvā na socare.225
5. Those sages who are harmless, and are ever restrained in body,
go to the deathless state (nibbāna), whither gone they never grieve.
The Buddha’s Father
One day, while the Buddha was walking for alms in Sāketa with the monks,
an elderly Brahmin paid homage to him and grasped him by the ankles speaking
to the Buddha as if he was his own son, upbraiding him for not visiting for so
long. He escorted him into the house, where the Brahmin’s wife greeted him as

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dajjā’ppasmim


her own son. They invited him to come for alms to their house every day, but the
Buddha declined saying that it was not his custom to do that. So they asked that
anyone who invited him should be sent to see them. From that time on,
whenever the Buddha was invited, he asked the donor to inform the Brahmin and
his wife, and they took food from their own house and went wherever the
Buddha was invited. If there was no invitation, they offered alms to the Buddha
in their own house. Due to hearing the Dhamma frequently, they soon became
Non-returners. By the end of the Rains Retreat they attained Arahantship and
passed into parinibbāna. The people cremated their bodies with great respect and
the Buddha attended the funeral. Hearing that the Buddha’s parents had died, a
great multitude attended the funeral. When people consoled the Buddha not to
grieve, he was not offended, but instead taught the Jarā Sutta beginning with the
verse:
Short is this life; one dies within a hundred years,
but if anyone survives longer than that, he surely dies of decay. (Sn 810)
When the monks were talking about the odd behaviour of the Brahmin and
his wife, the Buddha explained that this intimacy was due to their past association
throughout many lives as his parents, grand-parents, or other relatives. After
their death the monks wished to know in what state they would be reborn. The
Buddha explained that they had attained Arahantship at death and uttered the
above verse.
The Diligent Destroy the Defilements
6. Sadā jāgaramānānaṃ, ahorattānusikkhinaṃ
Nibbānaṃ adhimuttānaṃ, atthaṃ gacchanti āsavā.226
6. The defilements of those who are ever vigilant, who discipline
themselves day and night, who are wholly intent on nibbāna, are
destroyed.
The Slave Woman Puṇṇā
Having worked hard grinding paddy until late at night, Puṇṇā stepped out of
the house and saw some monks moving about on the nearby mountain where
Dabba the Malla was using his psychic powers to illuminate the path while
showing the monks to their quarters. She thought to herself “I cannot sleep as I
am too tired, but why can’t the monks sleep? Are they discontented or oppressed
by life-long habits?” In the morning, she made a rice cake from the flour, and


went to bathe, taking it with her. She met the Buddha on the way and offered the
rice cake to him. She reflected, “He will probably just give it to a crow or a dog
later while he goes to eat delicious food in some king or prince’s house.”
Knowing her thoughts, the Buddha looked at the Elder Ānanda, who prepared a
seat with his robe. The Buddha sat there to eat his meal while Puṇṇā stood and
watched. After taking his meal, the Buddha said to Puṇṇā, “Why did you show
disrespect to my disciples?” She replied that she meant no disrespect, but thought
that they might be unable to sleep due to discontent or being oppressed by life-
long habits.
The Buddha uttered the above verse to explain to her why the monks slept
little at night. On the conclusion of the verse Puṇṇā attained Stream-winning.
No One Avoids Blame in this World
7. Porāṇam etaṃ atula, n’etaṃ ajjatanām iva
Nindanti tuṇhimāsīnaṃ, nindanti bahubhāṇinaṃ
Mitabhāṇinam pi nindanti, natthi loke anindito.227
8. Na cāhu na ca bhavissati, na c’etarahi vijjati
Ekantaṃ nindito poso, ekantaṃ vā pasaṃsito.228
9. Yañce viññū pasaṃsanti, anuvicca suve suve
Acchiddavuttiṃ medhāviṃ, paññāsīlasamāhitaṃ.229
10. Nikkhaṃ1 jambonadass’eva, ko taṃ ninditum arahati
Devā’pi naṃ pasaṃsanti, brahmunā’pi pasaṃsito.230
7. This, Atula, is an old saying; it is not one of today only: they blame those
who are silent, they blame those who speak too much. Those speaking
little too they blame. No one avoids blame in this world.
8. There never was, there never will be, nor does there exist now, a person
who is wholly blamed or wholly praised.
9. Examining day by day, the wise praise him who is of flawless life,
intelligent, endowed with knowledge and virtue.
10. Who dares to blame him who is like a piece of refined gold?
Even the gods praise him; by Brahma too he is praised.

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Nekkhaṃ


The Lay Disciple Atula
Atula, the leader of a group of five hundred lay disciples, wishing to hear the
Dhamma, visited the Elder Revata, paid homage and sat down, but the elder
remained silent as he was cultivating solitude. Displeased, Atula got up and went
to the Elder Sāriputta, telling him what had happened. The Elder Sāriputta
discoursed at length on the Abhidhamma. Not able to understand this, and
displeased again, Atula went to the Elder Ānanda, who delivered a brief discourse
that was simple to understand. Displeased with him too, Atula approached the
Buddha, and complained to him. The Buddha said that even kings were blamed
by some and praised by others. The great earth itself, the sun and the moon, and
even the Fully Enlightened Buddha were blamed by some and praised by others.
However, the praise and blame of the foolish was of little account, only the praise
and blame of the wise was meaningful. Saying thus he uttered the above verses,
on the conclusion of which the five hundred lay disciples gained Stream-winning.
Be Pure in Body, Speech, and Mind
11. Kāyappakopaṃ rakkheyya, kāyena saṃvuto siyā
Kāyaduccaritaṃ hitvā, kāyena sucaritaṃ care.231
12. Vacīpakopaṃ rakkheyya, vācāya saṃvuto siyā
Vacīduccaritaṃ hitvā, vācāya sucaritaṃ care.232
13. Manopakopaṃ rakkheyya, manasā saṃvuto siyā
Manoduccaritaṃ hitvā, manasā sucaritaṃ care.233
14. Kāyena saṃvutā dhīrā, atho vācāya saṃvutā
Manasā saṃvutā dhīrā, te ve suparisaṃvutā.234
11. One should guard against misdeeds (caused by) the body, and one should
be restrained in body. Giving up evil conduct in body, one should be of
good bodily conduct.
12. One should guard against misdeeds (caused by) speech, and one should
be restrained in speech. Giving up evil conduct in speech, one should be
of good conduct in speech.
13. One should guard against misdeeds (caused by) the mind, and one should
be restrained in mind. Giving up evil conduct in mind, one should be of
good conduct in mind.


14. The wise are restrained in deed; in speech, too, they are restrained.
The wise, restrained in mind, are perfectly restrained.
The Group of Six Monks
The group of six monks walked up and down wearing wooden sandals, and
using a staff in each hand, thus creating a great noise. Advising them to be
controlled in thought, word and, deed, the Buddha uttered the above verses.