1On one occasion the Blessed One, while wandering on tour among the Kosalans together with a large Saṅgha of bhikkhus, arrived at Nalanda. sn.iv.323 He stayed there at Nalanda in Pavarika's Mango Grove.

2Now on that occasion Nalanda was in the grip of famine, a time of scarcity, with crops blighted and turned to straw. [n.347] I follow von Hinüber's proposals regarding the correct reading and interpretation of these terms in his paper, "The Ghost Word Dvı̄hitikā and the Description of Famines in Early Buddhist Literature." The reading, firstly, should be: Nālandā dubbhikkhā hoti duhitikā setaṭṭikā salākāvuttā. All extant mss, it seems, have been contaminated by dvīhitikā and setaṭṭhikā, though Spk recognizes duhitikā as a v.l. here and other texts on crop failure preserve setaṭṭikā (Vin II 256,21–23 = AN IV 278,28–279,2). While Spk explains both dvīhitikā and duhitikā as derived from du-īhiti (or du-ihiti, "difficult faring"), the correct derivation is from du-hita (see n. 212 above). The corrupt reading setaṭṭhikā is explained by Spk as meaning "white with bones," i.e., with the bones of people who have perished in the famine, but other commentaries identify setaṭṭikā as a crop disease (rogajāti) caused by insects that devour the pith of the grain stalks. The word is analysed seta-aṭṭi-kā, "the white disease," because the afflicted crops turn white and do not yield grain (see Sp VI 1291,5–7 = Mp IV 136,16–18; Sp I 175,4–8). On that occasion Nigaṇṭha Nataputta was residing at Nalanda together with a large retinue of nigaṇṭhas. Then Asibandhakaputta the headman, a lay disciple of the nigaṇṭhas, approached Nigaṇṭha Nataputta, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. Nigaṇṭha Nataputta then said to him: "Come, headman, refute the doctrine of the ascetic Gotama. Then a good report concerning you will be spread about thus: ‘Asibandhakaputta the headman has refuted the doctrine of the ascetic Gotama, who is so powerful and mighty.’"

3"But how, venerable sir, shall I refute the doctrine of the ascetic Gotama, who is so powerful and mighty?"

"Go, headman, approach the ascetic Gotama and ask him: ‘Venerable sir, doesn’t the Blessed One in many ways praise sympathy towards families, the protection of families, compassion towards families?’ If, when he is questioned by you thus, the ascetic Gotama answers, ‘Yes, headman, the Tathāgata in many ways praises sympathy for families, the protection of families, compassion for families,’ then you should say to him: ‘Then why, venerable sir, is the Blessed One wandering on tour with a large Saṅgha of bhikkhus at a time of famine, a time of scarcity, when crops are blighted and have turned to straw? The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, for the calamity of families, for the destruction of families.’ When the ascetic Gotama is posed this dilemma by you, he will neither be able to throw it up nor to gulp it down." sn.iv.324

"Yes, venerable sir," Asibandhakaputta the headman replied. Then he rose from his seat and, after paying homage to Nigaṇṭha Nataputta, keeping him on his right, he departed and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side and said to him:

4"Venerable sir, doesn’t the Blessed One in many ways praise sympathy for families, the protection of families, compassion for families?"

"Yes, headman, the Tathāgata in many ways praises sympathy for families, the protection of families, compassion for families."

"Then why, venerable sir, is the Blessed One wandering on tour with a large Saṅgha of bhikkhus at a time of famine, a time of scarcity, when crops are blighted and have turned to straw? The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, for the calamity of families, for the destruction of families."

"I recollect ninety-one aeons back, headman, but I do not recall any family that has ever been destroyed merely by offering cooked almsfood. Rather, whatever families there are that are rich, with much wealth and property, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant possessions and means of subsistence, with abundant wealth and grain, they have all become so from giving, from truthfulness, and from self-control. [n.348] I read saññamasambhūtāni, as in Se and Ee, as against Be samaññasambhūtani. Spk merely glosses with sesasīlaṁ.

"There are, headman, eight causes and conditions for the destruction of families. Families come to destruction on account of the king, or on account of thieves, or on account of fire, or on account of water; or they do not find what they have put away; [n.349] I read nihitaṃ vā nādhigacchati, again with Se and Ee, as against Be nihitaṁ vā ṭhānā vigacchati. or mismanaged undertakings fail; or there arises within a family a wastrel who squanders, dissipates, and fritters away its wealth; sn.iv.325 and impermanence is the eighth. These are the eight causes and conditions for the destruction of families. But while these eight causes and conditions for the destruction of families exist, if anyone speaks thus of me: ‘The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, for the calamity of families, for the destruction of families,’ if he does not abandon that assertion and that state of mind, and if he does not relinquish that view, then according to his deserts he will be, as it were, dropped off in hell."

5When this was said, Asibandhakaputta the headman said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, venerable sir! … From today let the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu cārikaṁ caramāno mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ yena nāḷandā tadavasari. Tatra sudaṁ bhagavā nāḷandāyaṁ vihārati pāvārikambavane.

2Tena kho pana samayena nāḷandā dubbhikkhā hoti dvīhitikā setaṭṭhikā salākāvuttā. Tena kho pana samayena nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto nāḷandāyaṁ paṭivasati mahatiyā nigaṇṭhaparisāya saddhiṁ. Atha kho asibandhakaputto gāmaṇi nigaṇṭhasāvako yena nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā nigaṇṭhaṁ nāṭaputtaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho asibandhakaputtaṁ gāmaṇiṁ nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto etadavoca: "ehi tvaṁ, gāmaṇi, samaṇassa gotamassa vādaṁ āropehi. Evaṁ te kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggacchissati: ‘asibandhakaputtena gāmaṇinā samaṇassa gotamassa evaṁmahiddhikassa evaṁmahānubhāvassa vādo āropito’"ti.

3"Kathaṁ panāhaṁ, bhante, samaṇassa gotamassa evaṁmahiddhikassa evaṁmahānubhāvassa vādaṁ āropessāmī"ti?

"Ehi tvaṁ, gāmaṇi, yena samaṇo gotamo tenupasaṅkama; upasaṅkamitvā samaṇaṁ gotamaṁ evaṁ vadehi: ‘nanu, bhante, bhagavā anekapariyāyena kulānaṁ anuddayaṁ vaṇṇeti, anurakkhaṁ vaṇṇeti, anukampāṁ vaṇṇetī’ti? Sace kho, gāmaṇi, samaṇo gotamo evaṁ puṭṭho evaṁ byākaroti: ‘evaṁ, gāmaṇi, tathāgato anekapariyāyena kulānaṁ anuddayaṁ vaṇṇeti, anurakkhaṁ vaṇṇeti, anukampāṁ vaṇṇetī’ti, tamenaṁ tvaṁ evaṁ vadeyyāsi: ‘atha kiñcarahi, bhante, bhagavā dubbhikkhe dvīhitike setaṭṭhike salākāvutte mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ cārikaṁ carati? Ucchedāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, anayāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, upaghātāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno’ti. Imaṁ kho te, gāmaṇi, samaṇo gotamo ubhatokoṭikaṁ pañhaṁ puṭṭho neva sakkhati uggilituṁ, neva sakkhati ogilitun"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho asibandhakaputto gāmaṇi nigaṇṭhassa nāṭaputtassa paṭissutvā uṭṭhāyāsanā nigaṇṭhaṁ nāṭaputtaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho asibandhakaputto gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

4"Nanu, bhante, bhagavā anekapariyāyena kulānaṁ anuddayaṁ vaṇṇeti, anurakkhaṁ vaṇṇeti, anukampāṁ vaṇṇetī"ti?

"Evaṁ, gāmaṇi, tathāgato anekapariyāyena kulānaṁ anuddayaṁ vaṇṇeti, anurakkhaṁ vaṇṇeti, anukampāṁ vaṇṇetī"ti.

"Atha kiñcarahi, bhante, bhagavā dubbhikkhe dvīhitike setaṭṭhike salākāvutte mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ cārikaṁ carati? Ucchedāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, anayāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, upaghātāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno"ti.

"Ito so, gāmaṇi, ekanavutikappe yamahaṁ anussarāmi, nābhijānāmi kiñci kulaṁ pakkabhikkhānuppadānamattena upahatapubbaṁ. Atha kho yāni tāni kulāni aḍḍhāni mahaddhanāni mahābhogāni pahūtajātarūparajatāni pahūtavittūpakaraṇāni pahūtadhanadhaññāni, sabbāni tāni dānasambhūtāni ceva saccasambhūtāni ca sāmaññasambhūtāni ca.

Aṭṭha kho, gāmaṇi, hetū, aṭṭha paccayā kulānaṁ upaghātāya. Rājato vā kulāni upaghātaṁ gacchanti, corato vā kulāni upaghātaṁ gacchanti, aggito vā kulāni upaghātaṁ gacchanti, udakato vā kulāni upaghātaṁ gacchanti, nihitaṁ vā ṭhānā vigacchati, duppayuttā vā kammantā vipajjanti, kule vā kulaṅgāroti uppajjati, yo te bhoge vikirati vidhamati viddhaṁseti, aniccatāyeva aṭṭhamīti. Ime kho, gāmaṇi, aṭṭha hetū, aṭṭha paccayā kulānaṁ upaghātāya. Imesu kho, gāmaṇi, aṭṭhasu hetūsu, aṭṭhasu paccayesu saṁvijjamānesu yo maṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘ucchedāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, anayāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno, upaghātāya bhagavā kulānaṁ paṭipanno’ti, taṁ, gāmaṇi, vācaṁ appahāya taṁ cittaṁ appahāya taṁ diṭṭhiṁ appaṭinissajjitvā yathābhataṁ nikkhitto evaṁ niraye"ti.

5Evaṁ vutte, asibandhakaputto gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante … pe … upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.

Navamaṁ.