Mahavogga 6.15

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Adapted from the Translation by T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg

MAHAVAGGA

SIXTH KHANDHAKA(ON MEDICAMENTS)

Chapter-15.

1. Now at that time the venerable Pilindavakkha had a mountain cave at Rajagaha cleared out, with the object of making it into a cave dwelling-place. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara went to the place where the venerable Pilindavakkha was; and when he had come there, he saluted the venerable Pilindavakkha, and took his seat on one side.

And when he was so seated the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara said to the venerable Pilindavakkha, 'What is it that my Lord, the Thera, is having done?'

'I am having a cave cleared out, with the object of making it into a cave dwelling-place.'

'Do you then, Sir, require an aramika (a park-keeper)?'

'Not so, great king! A park-keeper has not been prescribed by the Lord Buddha.'

'Then, Sir, enquire, of the Lord Buddha (concerning this matter), and let me then know.'

'Very well, O King!' said the venerable Pilindavakkha in assent to the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara.

2. Then the venerable Pilindavakkha taught and encouraged and roused and gladdened the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara with dhamma discourse. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara, when he had been taught &c. by the dhamma discourse, rose from his seat, and bowed down before the venerable Pilindavakkha, and passing round him with his right side towards him, departed From there.

Then the venerable Pilindavakkha sent a message to the Lord Buddha, saying, 'Lord! the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara desires to present me with a park-keeper. What am I, therefore, Lord, to do?'

Then the Lord Buddha, in that connection, after delivering a dhamma discourse, said to the Bhikkhus:

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the accepting of a park-keeper.'

3. And a second time the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara went to the place where the venerable Pilindavakkha was; and when he had come there he saluted the venerable Pilindavakkha, and took his seat on one side.

And when he was so seated the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara said to the venerable Pilindavakkha, 'Has the Lord Buddha allowed a park-keeper?'

'Yes, O King!'

Then, Sir, I will present a park-keeper to you.'

Now the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara, after he had (thus) promised a park-keeper to the venerable Pilindavakkha, forgot it. And after a time he

recovered recollection of it, and addressed a certain minister who had charge of general affairs, and said: 'The park-keeper whom I promised to the venerable one, has he been given to him?'

'No, your Majesty!'

'How long is it then, good Sir, since that was determined?'

4. Then that minister, counting up the nights, said to the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara, 'Five hundred nights, your Majesty.'

'Give then, my good Sir, five hundred park-keepers to the venerable one!'

'As your Majesty commands,' said that minister in assent to the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara; and he gave over to the venerable Pilindavakkha five hundred park-keepers, and (for their use) a distinct village grew up. And they called it Aramika-gama, and they called it also Pilinda-gama. From then the venerable Pilindavakkha depended upon the families living in that village (for alms, &c.). And the venerable Pilindavakkha robed himself early in the morning, and entered into Pilinda-gama, duly bowled and robed for alms.

5. Now at that time there was a feast in that village, and the children were celebrating it, with their ornaments on, and decked with garlands. And the venerable Pilindavakkha, when he was going his rounds for alms, straight on from house to house, came to the dwelling-place of a certain park-keeper; and when he had come there he sat down on a seat prepared for him.

And at that time the daughter of that park-keeper's wife, seeing the other children with their ornaments on, and decked with garlands, began to

cry (saying), 'Give me too a garland, give me an ornament!'

And the venerable Pilindavakkha said to that park-keeper's wife: 'Why does that girl cry?'

'This girl, venerable Sir, seeing the other children with their ornaments on, and decked with garlands, is crying (and saying), "Give me too a garland, give me too an ornament!" But from where should we, who have become so poor, get garlands or ornaments?'

6. Then the venerable Pilindavakkha took a grass chumbat, and said to the park-keeper's wife: 'Bind, I pray you, this grass chumbat round the child's head.'

And the park-keeper's wife took the grass chumbat, and bound it round the girl's head. And that became a chaplet of gold, beautiful, lovely, and pleasing, such that there was no chaplet of gold in the king's seraglio like it.

And people told the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara, 'There is a chaplet of gold, your Majesty, in the house of such and such a park-keeper, such that there is no chaplet of gold in the king's seraglio like it. How could he, poor as he is, have got (such a thing)? For a certainty he must have procured it by theft.'

Then the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara had (the whole of) that park-keeper's family thrown into bonds.

7. Now the venerable Pilindavakkha robed himself again early in the morning, and went, duly bowled and robed, into Pilinda-gama for alms. And going his round for alms straight on from house to house he came to the dwelling-place of that park-keeper; and

when he had come there he asked the neighbours, 'Where is the family of this park-keeper gone to?'

'The king, Sir, has had them thrown into bonds on account of that chaplet of gold.'

Then the venerable Pilindavakkha went on to the residence of the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara: and when he had come there he sat down on the seat prepared for him. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara went to the place where the venerable Pilindavakkha was; and when he had come there, he bowed down before the venerable Pilindavakkha, and took his seat on one side. And when he was so seated the venerable Pilindavakkha said to the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara:

8. 'Why, O King, has the park-keeper's family been thrown into bonds?'

'That park-keeper, Sir, has in his house a chaplet of gold, such that there is no chaplet of gold in the king's seraglio like it. From where should he, poor as he is, have got (such a thing)? For a certainty he has procured it by theft.'

Then the venerable Pilindavakkha determined that the palace of the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara should be gold. And it became all of gold.

'Now, your Majesty, from where have you this so great quantity of gold?'

'I understand, Lord. This is your miraculous power' (said the king. And so saying) he set that park-keeper's family free.

9. When the people, glad at heart and full of satisfaction, saw that so great a miracle had been shown by the venerable Pilindavakkha to the king and his royal retinue, they brought to the venerable Pilindavakkha the five kinds of medicine,--that is to

say, ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses. Now (besides this) the venerable Pilindavakkha was accustomed to receive the five kinds of medicine; and whatever he received he distributed among his attendant (Bhikkhus). So the retinue became abounding in that, and as they received it they laid it aside, filling vessels and pots; and filling water-strainers and bags with it they laid them in the windows, and they remained there clinging and adhering together, and the Viharas became sprinkled and scattered all over with them through the (gnawing of) rats. People who saw this, when they went round the Viharas, were annoyed, murmured, and became indignant (saying), 'These Sakyaputtiya Samanas(monks) are becoming storers up of goods like the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara.'

To. The Bhikkhus heard the people thus murmuring, &c. And those Bhikkhus(Monks) who were moderate were indignant, &c., saying,

'How can Bhikkhus think (of possessing) such abundance?'

And those Bhikkhus told the matter to the Lord Buddha.

'Is it true, Bhikkhus, as they say, that Bhikkhus think (of possessing) such abundance?'

'It is true, Lord.'

The Lord Buddha rebuked them, and after delivering a dhamma discourse, he addressed the Bhikkhus:

'Whatsoever kinds of medicine are meet for the use of sick Bhikkhus,--that is to say, ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses,--when such are received they must be used within a period of seven days during which they may be stored up. Whosoever

goes beyond that limit shall be dealt with according to law.'

End of the first Bhanavara on the law of medicines.