35b: Stories about Wrong View– 1185
The Buddha reflected as follows: “The king has indeed given at great sacrifice
as though he let a great flood roll down wave after wave. Could he succeed in
gladdening the hearts of the people or could he not?”
Then he came to know the reactions in the minds of the two ministers and came
to know further thus: “If I were to give a detailed discourse that goes well with
the king’s gift, the minister Kāḷa’s head will be split into seven pieces but the
other minister, Juṇha, will be established in Stream-entry (
Sotāpatti-magga
).
Taking pity on Kāḷa, the Buddha delivered only a four line verse (
catuppadika
)
despite such a great alms giving having been performed by the king; then he
rose from his seat and left for the monastery.
Ven. Angulimāla’s Courage
On their arrival back at the monastery, the monks asked Ven. Aṅgulamāla:
“When you saw the wild elephant holding the umbrella over you, friend, were
you not afraid?” Getting the answer in the negative, the monks drew near to the
Buddha and complained with doubt: “Ven. Aṅgulimāla, exalted Buddha,
professes to be an Arahat.”
“Monks,” addressed the Buddha, “Aṅgulamāla was not afraid indeed. Ascetics
like my dear sons who are highly noble amidst Arahats have no fear.” And the
Buddha added the following verse as contained in the Dhamma Verses
(
Dhammapada
, Dhp 422):
Usabhaṁ pavaraṁ vīraṁ, mahesiṁ vijitāvinaṁ;
anejaṁ nhātakaṁ Buddhaṁ, tam-ahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇaṁ
Monks! The Arahat with the pollutants (
āsava
) destroyed, who is
courageous as he knows no trembling like a bull-king, who possesses noble
energy, who has
[821]
sought and acquired the aggregate of virtues, who
has triumphed over the three evils: Māra as deity,
māra
as moral
defilement, and
māra
as conditioning factors, who has quenched all
craving for existences, who has washed away his mental dirt with the
clear water of the path and who has realized the four truths, him I declare
a Brahmin.
Destinies of the Two Ministers
King Pasenadi Kosala was unhappy and thought to himself as follows: “The
Fortunate One has risen from his seat and left without giving me a discourse