26c: Pañcaggadāyaka – 916
At the same time, she was assailed with confusion and irreverence. The Buddha
knew all about it and directed the radiance from his body towards the couple.
When the husband saw the golden coloured radiance, he asked her: “What’s this?”
He looked around and he saw the Buddha standing at the door of the house.
Whereupon, the wife dropped the fan, hastened to the Buddha and paid homage
and worshipped him, in accordance with the time-honoured tradition. The
Buddha uttered a verse in praise of her while she was in the act of standing up,
as warranted by the favourable circumstance (Dhp 367):
Sabbaso nāma-rūpasmiṁ, yassa natthi mamāyitaṁ,
asatā ca na socati, sa ve bhikkhū ti vuccati.
One who has cut off clinging to mind and matter (
nāma-rūpa
) without
holding the erroneous views of I, my own, he or she is free from sorrow
and lamentation. Because of the cessation of mind and matter, he has
penetrated the dark mass of defilements and deserves to be regarded as a
holy, noble monastic.
The wife of the Brahmin was established in the fruition stage of Stream-entry
(
Sotāpatti
) at the conclusion of this verse.
The Buddha was invited by the Brahmin into his house and offered a seat. He
then offered him his share of the food, pouring water as a token of dedicating
food to the Fortunate One, and saying: “Most exalted Buddha, you are the most
Arahat person in the world with its Devas and humans. May you receive my
offer of food with the alms bowl.” The Fortunate One fulfilled his request by
receiving the food offered in his bowl and partaking of it. The Fortunate One
then uttered the following verse after his meal, noting that the time was
appropriate (Snp 219):
Yad-aggato majjhato sesato vā,
piṇḍaṁ labhetha para-dattūpajīvī,
nālaṁ thutuṁ no pi nipacca-vādī,
taṁ vāpi dhīrā muni vedayanti.
A monastic lives on food enthusiastically offered by supporters, either
from the
[656]
first portion or the middle portion or the last portion of the
pot, as his means of livelihood. A monastic gratefully accepts the food
regardless of which part of the pot that morsel of food comes from. He is
not over-pleased to receive the first portion of food nor is he disturbed by
being offered the leftovers. He has abandoned likes and dislikes. Such a