[reload all]
[simple read]

Mv I 36
PTS: Mv I 49 | CS: vin.mv.01.36
Upālidārakavatthu
'Line by Line'
The Story of the Boy Upāli
by
Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu
Alternate translations/layout: 'read-friendly' layout

36. upālidārakavatthu (Mv.I.49.1)
The Story of the Boy Upāli [BMC]

[111] tena kho pana samayena rājagahe sattarasavaggiyā dārakā sahāyakā honti upāli dārako tesaṁ pāmokkho hoti.

“Now at that time in Rājagaha, a group of seventeen boys were friends, with the boy Upāli as their leader.

athakho upālissa mātāpitūnaṁ etadahosi kena nu kho upāyena upāli amhākaṁ accayena sukhañca jīveyya na ca kilameyyāti.

Then the thought occurred to Upāli’s parents, “By what strategy could Upāli, after our death, live pleasantly and not wear himself out?”

(Mv.I.49.2) athakho upālissa mātāpitūnaṁ etadahosi sace kho upāli lekhaṁ sikkheyya evaṁ kho upāli amhākaṁ accayena sukhañca jīveyya na ca kilameyyāti.

Then the thought occurred to Upāli’s parents, “If he studies writing, in this way, after our death, he will live pleasantly and not wear himself out.”

athakho upālissa mātāpitūnaṁ etadahosi sace kho upāli lekhaṁ sikkhissati aṅguliyo dukkhā bhavissanti sace kho upāli gaṇanaṁ sikkheyya evaṁ kho upāli amhākaṁ accayena sukhañca jīveyya na ca kilameyyāti.

Then the thought occurred to Upāli’s parents, “If he studies writing, his fingers will hurt. If he studies calculation, in this way, after our death, he will live pleasantly and not wear himself out.”

athakho upālissa mātāpitūnaṁ etadahosi sace kho upāli gaṇanaṁ sikkhissati urassa dukkho bhavissati sace kho upāli rūpaṁ sikkheyya evaṁ kho upāli amhākaṁ accayena sukhañca jīveyya na ca kilameyyāti.

Then the thought occurred to Upāli’s parents, “If he studies calculation, his breast will hurt. If he studies money changing [or: art], in this way, after our death, he will live pleasantly and not wear himself out.”

athakho upālissa mātāpitūnaṁ etadahosi sace kho upāli rūpaṁ sikkhissati akkhīni dukkhāni bhavissanti

Then the thought occurred to Upāli’s parents, “If he studies money changing, his eyes will hurt.

ime kho samaṇā sakyaputtiyā sukhasīlā sukhasamācārā subhojanāni bhuñjitvā nīvātesu sayanesu sayanti

“Now, these Sakyan-son monks are of pleasant virtue and conduct. Having eaten good meals, they lie down in beds sheltered from the wind.

sace kho upāli samaṇesu sakyaputtiyesu pabbajeyya evaṁ kho upāli amhākaṁ accayena sukhañca jīveyya na ca kilameyyāti.

“If Upāli went forth among the Sakyan-son monks, he would live pleasantly after our death and not wear himself out.”

(Mv.I.49.3) assosi kho upāli dārako mātāpitūnaṁ imaṁ kathāsallāpaṁ.

The boy Upāli heard his parents’ conversation.

athakho upāli dārako yena te dārakā tenupasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā te dārake etadavoca etha mayaṁ ayyā samaṇesu sakyaputtiyesu pabbajissāmāti.

So he went to the boys and, on arrival, said, “Come, masters, let’s go forth among the Sakyan-son contemplatives.”

sace kho tvaṁ ayya pabbajissasi evaṁ mayampi pabbajissāmāti.

“If you go forth, master, so will we.”

athakho te dārakā ekamekassa mātāpitaro upasaṅkamitvā etadavocuṁ anujānātha maṁ agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāyāti.

So each of the boys, having gone to his parents, said, “Allow us to go forth from home into homelessness.”

athakho tesaṁ dārakānaṁ mātāpitaro sabbepime dārakā samānacchandā kalyāṇādhippāyāti anujāniṁsu.

Then the parents of the boys allowed them, (thinking,) “All these boys are unanimous in their desire. Their motives are good.”

te bhikkhū upasaṅkamitvā pabbajjaṁ yāciṁsu.

Having gone to the monks, they asked for the Going-forth.

te bhikkhū pabbājesuṁ upasampādesuṁ.

The monks gave them the Going-forth, gave them Acceptance.

(Mv.I.49.4) te rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ paccuṭṭhāya rodanti yāguṁ detha bhattaṁ detha khādanīyaṁ dethāti.

Then, waking up in the last watch of the night, they cried out, “Give us conjey! Give us a meal! Give us food!”

bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu āgametha āvuso yāva [ME inserts: ratti] vibhāyati

“The monks said, ‘Wait, friends, until the night turns light.

sace yāgu bhavissati pivissatha sace bhattaṁ bhavissati bhuñjissatha sace khādanīyaṁ bhavissati khādissatha

“If there is conjey, you will drink it. If there is a meal, you will eat it. If there is food, you will eat it.

no ce bhavissati yāgu vā bhattaṁ vā khādanīyaṁ vā piṇḍāya caritvā bhuñjissathāti.

“But if there is no conjey or meal or food, then you will eat having gone for alms.”

evampi kho te bhikkhū bhikkhūhi vuccamānā rodanteva yāguṁ detha bhattaṁ detha khādanīyaṁ dethāti

“But even then, those monks, being spoken to by the monks, cried out as before, ‘Give us conjey! Give us a meal! Give us food!’

senāsanaṁ ūhadantipi ummihantipi.

And they wet the bedding and soiled it.

(Mv.I.49.5) assosi kho bhagavā rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ paccuṭṭhāya dārakasaddaṁ sutvāna āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi kinnu kho so ānanda dārakasaddoti.

Then, waking up in the last watch of the night, the Blessed One heard the sound of the boys and, on hearing it, addressed Ven. Ānanda, “Ānanda, is that the sound of boys?”

athakho āyasmā ānando bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesi.

Then Ven. Ānanda reported the matter to the Blessed One.

Saccaṁ kira bhikkhave bhikkhū jānaṁ ūnavīsativassaṁ puggalaṁ upasampādentīti.

“Is it true, monks, that the monks knowingly gave Acceptance to an individual less than twenty years old?”

saccaṁ bhagavāti.

“It’s true, O Blessed One.”

vigarahi buddho bhagavā kathaṁ hi nāma te bhikkhave moghapurisā jānaṁ ūnavīsativassaṁ puggalaṁ upasampādessanti

The Buddha, the Blessed One, rebuked them “Monks, how can these worthless men knowingly give Acceptance to an individual less than twenty years old?”

(Mv.I.49.6) ūnavīsativasso bhikkhave puggalo akkhamo hoti sītassa uṇhassa jighacchāya pipāsāya ḍaṁsamakasavātātapasiriṁsapasamphassānaṁ duruttānaṁ durāgatānaṁ vacanapathānaṁ

“Monks, an individual less than twenty years old is not resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of flies and mosquitoes, wind and sun and creeping things; or to abusive, hurtful language.

uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ anadhivāsakajātiko hoti

“He is not the sort who can endure bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce, distasteful, disagreeable, deadly.

vīsativasso ca kho bhikkhave puggalo khamo hoti sītassa uṇhassa jighacchāya pipāsāya ḍaṁsamakasavātātapasiriṁsapasamphassānaṁ duruttānaṁ durāgatānaṁ vacanapathānaṁ

“Monks, an individual twenty years old is resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of flies and mosquitoes, wind and sun and creeping things; or to abusive, hurtful language.

uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ adhivāsakajātiko hoti

“He is the sort who can endure bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce, distasteful, disagreeable, deadly.

netaṁ bhikkhave appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya pasannānaṁ vā bhiyyobhāvāya .pe.

“Monks, this neither inspires faith in the faithless …”

Vigarahitvā dhammiṁ kathaṁ katvā bhikkhū āmantesi

Having rebuked him and given a Dhamma talk, he addressed the monks:

na bhikkhave jānaṁ ūnavīsativasso puggalo upasampādetabbo yo upasampādeyya yathādhammo kāretabboti.

“Monks, an individual less than twenty years old should not knowingly be given Acceptance. Whoever should give him Acceptance is to be dealt with in accordance with the rule (Pc 65).”

[previous page][next page]