SN7:13 Devahita
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the Blessed One was afflicted by winds and the Venerable Upavaṇa was his attendant.
[n.466] That is, he was afflicted by an illness arisen from the wind humour, one of the three bodily humours according to the ancient Indian system of ayurvedic medicine; on wind as one of the eight causes of illness, see SN36.21.
Spk: The Buddha was prone to occasional gastric ailments as a consequence of his six years of ascetic practices before his enlightenment.
Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Upavaṇa thus: "Come now, Upavaṇa, find some hot water for me."
"Yes, venerable sir," the Venerable Upavaṇa replied. Then he dressed and, taking bowl and robe, went to the residence of the brahmin Devahita, where he stood silently to one side. The brahmin Devahita saw the Venerable Upavaṇa standing silently to one side and addressed him in verse: sn.i.175
2v.673 "Silent, the worthy one stands,
Shaven-headed, clad in a stitched robe.
What do you want, what do you seek,
What have you come here to beg?"
The Venerable Upavaṇa:
3v.674 "The Arahant, the Fortunate One in the world,
The Sage, is afflicted with winds.
If there is any hot water, brahmin,
Please give it for the Sage.
4v.675 "He is worshipped by those worthy of worship,
Honoured by those worthy of honour,
Respected by those worthy of respect:
It is to him that I wish to take it."
5Then the brahmin Devahita ordered a man to bring a carrying pole with hot water and presented a bag of molasses to the Venerable Upavaṇa. Then the Venerable Upavaṇa approached the Blessed One. He had the Blessed One bathed with the hot water, and he mixed the molasses with hot water and offered it to him. Then the Blessed One's ailment subsided.
6Then the brahmin Devahita approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him, after which he sat down to one side and addressed the Blessed One in verse:
7v.676 "Where should one give a proper gift?
Where does a gift bear great fruit?
How, for one bestowing alms,
Does an offering bring success—just how?"
[n.467] For a full analysis of the two questions, see SN3.24 and nn. 253 and 254. I take kathaṁ in pāda d here, and evaṁ in v. 678d, to be mere metrical fillers.
The Blessed One:
8v.677 "One who has known his past abodes,
Who sees heaven and the plane of woe,
Who has reached the destruction of birth,
A sage consummate in direct knowledge:
9v.678 Here one should give a proper gift,
Here a gift bears great fruit.
That's how, for one bestowing alms,
An offering brings success—just so!"
10When this was said, the brahmin Devahita said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! … Let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who from today has gone for refuge for life."
1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā vātehābādhiko hoti; āyasmā ca upavāṇo bhagavato upaṭṭhāko hoti. Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ upavāṇaṁ āmantesi: "iṅgha me tvaṁ, upavāṇa, uṇhodakaṁ jānāhī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā upavāṇo bhagavato paṭissutvā nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena devahitassa brāhmaṇassa nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā tuṇhībhūto ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Addasā kho devahito brāhmaṇo āyasmantaṁ upavāṇaṁ tuṇhībhūtaṁ ekamantaṁ ṭhitaṁ. Disvāna āyasmantaṁ upavāṇaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
2"Tuṇhībhūto bhavaṁ tiṭṭhaṁ,
muṇḍo saṅghāṭipāruto;
Kiṁ patthayāno kiṁ esaṁ,
kiṁ nu yācitumāgato"ti.
3"Arahaṁ sugato loke,
vātehābādhiko muni;
Sace uṇhodakaṁ atthi,
munino dehi brāhmaṇa.
4Pūjito pūjaneyyānaṁ,
sakkareyyāna sakkato;
Apacito apaceyyānaṁ,
tassa icchāmi hātave"ti.
5Atha kho devahito brāhmaṇo uṇhodakassa kājaṁ purisena gāhāpetvā phāṇitassa ca puṭaṁ āyasmato upavāṇassa pādāsi. Atha kho āyasmā upavāṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ uṇhodakena nhāpetvā uṇhodakena phāṇitaṁ āloletvā bhagavato pādāsi. Atha kho bhagavato ābādho paṭippassambhi.
6Atha kho devahito brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho devahito brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
7"Kattha dajjā deyyadhammaṁ,
kattha dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ;
Kathañhi yajamānassa,
kathaṁ ijjhati dakkhiṇā"ti.
8"Pubbenivāsaṁ yo vedī,
saggāpāyañca passati;
Atho jātikkhayaṁ patto,
abhiññāvosito muni.
9Ettha dajjā deyyadhammaṁ,
ettha dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ;
Evañhi yajamānassa,
evaṁ ijjhati dakkhiṇā"ti.
10Evaṁ vutte, devahito brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe … upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.