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8. Nandagopālakavatthu3.8 The Story about Nanda the Herdsman
Diso disanti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā kosalajanapade nandagopālakaṃ ārabbha kathesi.“Whatever a thief might do to a thief,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence in the Kosala country with reference to Nanda the herdsman.The commentary explains diso as a thief. The original translation called him an ‘aggressor’ in the opening quotation.
Sāvatthiyaṃ kira anāthapiṇḍikassa gahapatino nando nāma gopālako goyūthaṃ rakkhati aḍḍho mahaddhano mahābhogo.At Sāvatthī, we are told, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika had a herdsman named Nanda who tended his herd of cattle. Nanda was rich, possessed of abundant wealth,{1.323} marks page 323 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
So kira yathā keṇiyo jaṭilo pabbajjāvesena, evaṃ gopālakattena rājabaliṃ pariharanto attano kuṭumbaṃ rakkhati.possessed of ample means of enjoyment. We are told that, as Keniya the ascetic of the matted locks protected his wealth under the guise of one gone forth,Nanda used the appearance of a herdsman to avoid the royal levy and protect his wealth, as Keniya used the appearance of an ascetic. The original translation said Nanda managed the king’s revenue.
So kālena kālaṃ pañca gorase ādāya anāthapiṇḍikassa santikaṃ āgantvā satthāraṃ passati,so Nanda protected his wealth by tending herds and avoiding the royal levy. Again and again Nanda, taking the five products of the cow, went to the house of Anāthapiṇḍika,
dhammaṃ suṇāti, attano vasanaṭṭhānaṃ āgamanatthāya satthāraṃ yācati.beheld the Teacher, listened to the Dhamma, and invited the Teacher to come to his own residence.
Satthā tassa ñāṇaparipākaṃ āgamayamāno āgantvā paripakkabhāvaṃ ñatvā ekadivasaṃ mahābhikkhusaṅghaparivuto cārikaṃ caranto maggā okkamma tassa vasanaṭṭhānāsanne aññatarasmiṃ rukkhamūle nisīdi.For some time the Teacher waited for Nanda’s wisdom to ripen, and therefore refrained from going. But one day, traveling on tour, accompanied by a large company of bhikkhus, perceiving that his wisdom had ripened, he withdrew from the road and sat down under a certain tree near Nanda’s place of abode.Cārikaṃ caranto says the Teacher was traveling on tour. The original translation said he was making almsrounds.
Nando satthu santikaṃ agantvā vanditvā paṭisanthāraṃ katvā satthāraṃ nimantetvā satthāhaṃ buddhappamukhassa bhikkhusaṅghassa paṇītaṃ pañcagorasadānaṃ adāsi.Nanda went to the Teacher, worshipped him, greeted him in a friendly manner, invited the Teacher to accept his hospitality, and for seven days gave the Saṅgha of bhikkhus the choicest of the five products of the cow. On the seventh day the Teacher,[29.23] marks page 23 of volume 29 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation.
Sattame divase satthā anumodanaṃ katvā dānakathādibhedaṃ anupubbiṃ kathaṃ kathesi.returning thanks, delivered in orderly sequence talk on almsgiving and other topics.
Kathāpariyosāne nandagopālako sotāpattiphale patiṭṭhāya satthu pattaṃ gahetvā satthāraṃ anugacchanto dūraṃ gantvā,At the conclusion of the discourse Nanda the herdsman was established in the fruition of Stream-entry. Thereupon he took the bowl of the Teacher and accompanied him on his way for a considerable distance.
“tiṭṭha, upāsakā”ti nivattiyamāno vanditvā nivatti.Then said the Teacher: “Halt, disciple.” Straightaway Nanda obeyed the Teacher’s command, worshipped him, and turned back.
Atha naṃ eko luddako vijjhitvā māresi. Pacchato āgacchantā bhikkhū naṃ disvā gantvā satthāraṃ āhaṃsu – “nando, bhante,At that moment a hunter pierced and killed Nanda. The bhikkhus saw this as they were returning, and went and said to the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, because of your coming here,The Pāli says a hunter pierced and killed Nanda. The original translation specified an arrow, though no weapon is named here.
gopālako tumhākaṃ idhāgatattā mahādānaṃ datvā anugantvā nivattento mārito, sace tumhe nāgacchissatha, nāssa maraṇaṃ abhavissā”ti.Nanda the herdsman gave abundant gifts, accompanied you on your journey, and was killed as he returned. Had you not come, his death would not have occurred.”{1.324} marks page 324 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Satthā, “bhikkhave, mayi āgatepi anāgatepi tassa catasso disā catasso anudisā ca gacchantassāpi maraṇato muccanūpāyo nāma natthi.The Teacher replied: “Bhikkhus, whether I had gone or not, whether Nanda had gone to the four cardinal points or to the four intermediate points, he could not possibly have escaped from death.
Yañhi neva corā, na verino karonti, taṃ imesaṃ sattānaṃ antopaduṭṭhaṃ micchāpaṇihitaṃ cittameva karotī”ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –For what neither thieves nor enemies do, a mind corrupt within and badly directed does to living beings here in the world.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:Antopaduṭṭhaṃ micchāpaṇihitaṃ cittaṃ is a mind corrupt within and badly directed. The original translation called it a corrupt mind attached to falsehood.
42. “Diso disaṃ yaṃ taṃ kayirā, verī vā pana verinaṃ; Micchāpaṇihitaṃ cittaṃ, pāpiyo naṃ tato kare”ti.Whatever a thief might do to a thief, or an enemy to an enemy: a mind that’s badly-directed can do far worse than that to him.The commentary glosses the first pair in verse 42 as one thief and another thief. The original translation used the broader word ‘aggressor.’ {1.325} marks page 325 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Tattha diso disanti coro coraṃ. “Disvā”ti pāṭhaseso. Yaṃ taṃ kayirāti yaṃ taṃ tassa anayabyasanaṃ kareyya. Dutiyapadepi eseva nayo.
Idaṃ vuttaṃ hoti – eko ekassa mittadubbhī coro puttadārakhettavatthu gomahiṃsādīsu aparajjhanto yassa aparajjhati, tampi tatheva attani aparajjhantaṃ coraṃ disvā,
veri vā pana kenacideva kāraṇena baddhaveraṃ veriṃ disvā attano kakkhaḷatāya dāruṇatāya yaṃ taṃ tassa anayabyasanaṃ kareyya, puttadāraṃ vā pīḷeyya, khettādīni vā nāseyya,
jīvitā vā pana naṃ voropeyya, dasasu akusalakammapathesu micchāṭhapitattā micchāpahiṇitaṃ cittaṃ pāpiyo naṃ tato kare taṃ purisaṃ tato pāpataraṃ kareyya. Vuttappakārehi,
diso disassa vā verī verino vā imasmiṃyeva attabhāve dukkhaṃ vā uppādeyya, jīvitakkhayaṃ vā kareyya. Idaṃ pana akusalakammapathesu micchāṭhapitaṃ cittaṃ diṭṭheva dhamme anayabyasanaṃ pāpeti,
attabhāvasatasahassesupi catūsu apāyesu khipitvā sīsaṃ ukkhipituṃ na detīti.
Desanāpariyosāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pattā. Mahājanassa sātthikā desanā jātā. Upāsakena pana bhavantare katakammaṃ bhikkhūhi na pucchitaṃ, tasmā satthārā na kathitanti.At the conclusion of the teaching many attained the fruition of Stream-entry and so on, and benefit arose to many people from the teaching. The bhikkhus, however, did not ask the Teacher what the disciple had done in a former birth, and therefore the Teacher said nothing about it.
Nandagopālakavatthu aṭṭhamaṃ.