Pañcarathasatasutta — Reader

Five Hundred Carts

Pañcarathasatasutta

Near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time Prince Ajātasattu was going with five hundred carts at daybreak and dusk to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food. Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,

Rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gacchati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro abhiharīyati. Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“Sir, Prince Ajātasattu is going with five hundred carts at daybreak and dusk to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food.” “Mendicants, don’t envy Devadatta’s possessions, honor, and popularity. As long as Prince Ajātasattu goes with five hundred carts at daybreak and dusk to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food, Devadatta can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities.

“devadattassa, bhante, ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gacchati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro abhiharīyatī”ti. “Mā, bhikkhave, devadattassa lābhasakkārasilokaṁ pihayittha. Yāvakīvañca, bhikkhave, devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gamissati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro āharīyissati, hāniyeva, bhikkhave, devadattassa pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no vuddhi.

If they were to lance a boil on a wild dog’s nose, it would get even wilder. In the same way, as long as Prince Ajātasattu goes with five hundred carts at daybreak and dusk to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food, Devadatta can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, caṇḍassa kukkurassa nāsāya pittaṁ bhindeyyuṁ, evañhi so, bhikkhave, kukkuro bhiyyoso mattāya caṇḍataro assa; evameva, bhikkhave, yāvakīvañca devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gamissati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro āharīyissati, hāniyeva, bhikkhave, devadattassa pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no vuddhi.

So grim are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”

Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti. Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Five Hundred Carts

Pañcarathasatasutta

So grim are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”

Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe… evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti. Chaṭṭhaṁ.