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7. Therapaṭisandahanāpaṭisandahanapañha

Question on the Elder's Reconnection or Non-Reconnection

Rājā āha—
The king asked:

“bhante nāgasena, tvaṁ pana paṭisandahissasī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, will you then reconnect?”

“Alaṁ, mahārāja, kiṁ te tena pucchitena, nanu mayā paṭikacceva akkhātaṁ ‘sace, mahārāja, saupādāno bhavissāmi, paṭisandahissāmi, sace anupādāno bhavissāmi, na paṭisandahissāmī’”ti.
“Enough, your majesty, why are you asking this? Have I not declared to you previously, ‘If, your majesty, I am with clinging I will reconnect, and if I am without clinging I will not reconnect?’”

“Opammaṁ karohī”ti.
“Please give me an analogy.”

“Yathā, mahārāja, kocideva puriso rañño adhikāraṁ kareyya.
“Just as, your majesty, some person or other might perform a service for the king,

Rājā tuṭṭho adhikāraṁ dadeyya, so tena adhikārena pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgibhūto paricareyya, so ce janassa āroceyya ‘na me rājā kiñci paṭikarotī’ti.
and the king, satisfied, would repay that service. And that person, because of that service, would go about provided with and possessed of the five strands of sensual pleasure, and might announce to the populace, ‘The king does not do anything for me.’

Kiṁ nu kho so, mahārāja, puriso yuttakārī bhaveyyā”ti?
Would that man, your majesty, be acting rightly?”

“Na hi, bhante”ti.
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”

“Evameva kho, mahārāja, kiṁ te tena pucchitena, nanu mayā paṭikacceva akkhātaṁ ‘sace saupādāno bhavissāmi, paṭisandahissāmi, sace anupādāno bhavissāmi, na paṭisandahissāmī’”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, why are you asking this? Have I not declared to you previously, ‘If I am with clinging I will reconnect, and if I am without clinging I will not reconnect?’”

“Kallosi, bhante nāgasenā”ti.
“You are clever, venerable Nāgasena!”

Therapaṭisandahanāpaṭisandahanapañho sattamo.
Question on the Elder's Reconnection or Non-Reconnection seventh