sutta » sn » sn17 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 17.36

Pañcarathasatasutta

Five Hundred Carts

Rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
Near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Tena kho pana samayena devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gacchati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro abhiharīyati.
Now at that time Prince Ajātasattu was going with five hundred carts in the morning and the evening to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:
Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,

“devadattassa, bhante, ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gacchati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro abhiharīyatī”ti.
“Sir, Prince Ajātasattu is going with five hundred carts in the morning and the evening to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food.”

“Mā, bhikkhave, devadattassa lābhasakkārasilokaṁ pihayittha.
“Mendicants, don’t envy Devadatta’s possessions, honor, and popularity.

Yāvakīvañca, bhikkhave, devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gamissati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro āharīyissati, hāniyeva, bhikkhave, devadattassa pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no vuddhi.
As long as Prince Ajātasattu goes with five hundred carts in the morning and the evening 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;
If they were to pop a boil on a wild dog’s nose, it would get even wilder.

evameva, bhikkhave, yāvakīvañca devadattassa ajātasattukumāro pañcahi rathasatehi sāyaṁ pātaṁ upaṭṭhānaṁ gamissati, pañca ca thālipākasatāni bhattābhihāro āharīyissati, hāniyeva, bhikkhave, devadattassa pāṭikaṅkhā kusalesu dhammesu, no vuddhi.
In the same way, as long as Prince Ajātasattu goes with five hundred carts in the morning and the evening to attend on Devadatta, presenting him with an offering of five hundred servings of food, Devadatta can expect decline, not growth, in skillful qualities.

Evaṁ dāruṇo kho, bhikkhave, lābhasakkārasiloko …pe…
So brutal are possessions, honor, and popularity. …”

evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.