Pathama Aputtaka Sutta

Translation by Bhikkhuni Uppalavanna

The origin is Sàvatthi.

King Pasenadi of Kosala daily approached the Blessed One worshipped and sat on a side. Then the Blessed One asked king Pasenadi of Kosala, "Great king, why do you come to see me daily?"


 * "Venerable sir, a wealthy householder of Sàvatthi, who has no heirs has died. I have caused his wealth to be carried to the royal treasury and came here. Venerable sir, in gold coins only there were eighty hundred thousand, there's nothing to speak of other coins. This wealthy householder enjoyed meals of porridge prepared of broken rice accompanied with seed cakes. He wore decayed clothes of hemp. His conveyance was a decayed vehicle thatched with leaves."


 * "Great king, it is so! Non-great beings gaining wealth do not enjoy it themselves, do not please mother and father, or wife and children, or slaves and workmen, or friends and associates, nor give gifts to recluses and Brahmins, for heavenly bliss. Thus their wealth not enjoyed rightfully, either the king carries it away, or robbers carry it away or else fire burns it or is carried away by the water, or unwanted heirs. Great king when this is so, wealth, not rightfully enjoyed goes waste, and not enjoyed.


 * "Great king, it's like a pond in a well established place, with pure, cool, good white water seized by non humans. People do not, carry, drink, bathe or do anything with it. Great king in the same manner non-great beings obtaining great wealth, do not enjoy it, themselves ... re ... not rightfully enjoyed goes waste and not enjoyed.


 * "Great beings obtaining wealth enjoy it themselves, please mother and father, wife and children, slaves and workmen, and friends and associates They give gifts to recluses and Brahmins, for heavenly bliss. Thus their wealth is enjoyed rightfully. The king does not carry it away, robbers do not take it, fire does not burn it or water does not carry it, nor do unwanted heirs carry it away. Great king when this is so, wealth rightfully enjoyed does not go waste, it is enjoyed.


 * "Great king, it's like a pond well established close to the village or hamlet, with pure, cool, good, white, water. People carry it, drink it, bathe in it or do anything they like with it. Great king, in the same manner great beings obtaining great wealth enjoy it themselves ... re ... is rightfully enjoyed does not go waste it is enjoyed.

Water in a place seized by non humans,
 * Is not drunk, it gets wasted
 * Likewise the wealth obtained by low humans
 * Is neither enjoyed, nor given to others.
 * The wise one obtaining wealth,
 * Enjoys it himself and does what should be done.
 * He attends to his relations, like a bull bearing the load
 * And he blamelessly procures a place in heaven."