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Mv V 11
PTS: Mv V 13 | CS: vin.mv.05.11
Soṇakuṭikaṇṇavatthu
'Line by Line'
The Story of Soṇa Kuṭīkaṇṇa
by
Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu
Alternate translations/layout: 'read-friendly' layout

157. soṇakuṭikaṇṇavatthu (Mv.V.13.1)
The Story of Soṇa Kuṭīkaṇṇa [Ud 5.6]

[20] tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākaccāno avantīsu viharati kuraraghare papāte pabbate.

And on that occasion Ven. Mahā Kaccāna was living among the Avantīs on Papāte [Precipice] Mountain near the Osprey Habitat.

tena kho pana samayena soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo āyasmato mahākaccānassa upaṭṭhāko hoti.

And at that time the lay follower Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa was a supporter of Ven. Mahā Kaccāna.

athakho soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.

So he went to Ven. Mahā Kaccāna and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side.

ekamantaṁ nisinno kho soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavoca

As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Mahā Kaccāna,

yathā yathāhaṁ bhante ayyena mahākaccānena dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmi nayidaṁ sukaraṁ agāraṁ ajjhāvasatā ekantaparipuṇṇaṁ ekantaparisuddhaṁ saṅkhalikhitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ icchāmahaṁ bhante kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajituṁ pabbājetu maṁ bhante ayyo mahākaccānoti.

“Venerable sir, as I understand the Dhamma that Master Mahā Kaccāna teaches, it’s not easy living at home to live the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, like a polished shell. I want to shave off my hair & beard, put on the ochre robes, and go forth from the household life into homelessness. Give me the Going-forth, Master Mahā Kaccāna!”

(Mv.V.13.2) evaṁ vutte āyasmā mahākaccāno soṇaṁ upāsakaṁ kuṭikaṇṇaṁ etadavoca dukkaraṁ kho soṇa yāvajīvaṁ ekaseyyaṁ ekabhattaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ

When this was said, Ven. Mahā Kaccāna said to the lay follower Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa, “It’s hard, Soṇa, to live the life-long, sleeping-alone, one-meal-a-day holy life.

iṅgha tvaṁ soṇa tattheva agārikabhūto buddhānaṁ sāsanaṁ anuyuñja kālayuttaṁ ekaseyyaṁ ekabhattaṁ brahmacariyanti.

“Please, right there as you are a householder, devote yourself to the message of the Awakened Ones and to the proper-time [i.e., Uposatha day], sleeping-alone, one-meal-a-day holy life.”

athakho soṇassa upāsakassa kuṭikaṇṇassa yo ahosi pabbajjābhisaṅkhāro so paṭippassambhi.

And so Soṇa Koṭikaṇṇa’s aspiration for going forth subsided.

dutiyampi kho soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo .pe.

Then a second time, Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa …

tatiyampi kho soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.

Then a third time, Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa went to Ven. Mahā Kaccāna and on arrival, having bowed down to Ven. Mahā Kaccāna, sat to one side.

ekamantaṁ nisinno kho soṇo upāsako kuṭikaṇṇo āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavoca

As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Mahā Kaccāna,

yathā yathāhaṁ bhante ayyena mahākaccānena dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmi nayidaṁ sukaraṁ agāraṁ ajjhāvasatā ekantaparipuṇṇaṁ ekantaparisuddhaṁ saṅkhalikhitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ icchāmahaṁ bhante kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajituṁ pabbājetu maṁ bhante ayyo mahākaccānoti.

“Venerable sir, as I understand the Dhamma that Master Mahā Kaccāna teaches, it’s not easy living at home to live the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, like a polished shell. I want to shave off my hair & beard, put on the ochre robes, and go forth from the household life into homelessness. Give me the Going-forth, Master Mahā Kaccāna!”

athakho āyasmā mahākaccāno soṇaṁ upāsakaṁ kuṭikaṇṇaṁ pabbājesi.

So Ven. Mahā Kaccāna gave Soṇa Koṭikaṇṇa the going-forth.

tena kho pana samayena avantidakkhiṇāpatho appabhikkhuko hoti.

Now at that time Avantī and the Southern Route [The Deccan] had few monks.

athakho āyasmā mahākaccāno tiṇṇaṁ vassānaṁ accayena kicchena kasirena tato tato dasavaggaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ sannipātāpetvā āyasmantaṁ soṇaṁ upasampādesi.

So only after three years — having gathered from here & there with hardship & difficulty a quorum-of-ten Saṅgha of monks — did Ven. Mahā Kaccāna give the Acceptance to Ven. Soṇa.

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