Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(198):Rajadatta
Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids.
Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala
Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'.
Chapter V.
Five Verses[]
198. Rājadatta[]
Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthi in a caravan-leaders' family, his parents called him (King)rājadatta ('given by the king'), because they had obtained him through praying to Vessavana, the great firmament deity.[1] Come of age, he once took 500 carts of merchandise to Rājagaha. Now there he squandered all his money, spending a thousand a day on a beautiful prostitute, so that he was penniless and had not enough to eat, and wandered about in wretchedness. So he came with other laymen to the Bamboo Grove, where the Lord(Buddha) sat teaching the Path(Dhamma) to a great congregation. And (king)rājadatta, seated at the fringe of the assembly, heard and believed, and entered the Monk’s order. Undertaking the Dhutangas,[2] he lived in a charnel-field(cemetery).
Now another caravan-leader also spent his thousand on the prostitute, and wore on his hand a ring of great value, which she coveted. She got men to steal it, but the owner's servants told the police,[3] and they raided her house, slew her, and threw her body into the charnel-field(cemetry).
The Thera (king)rājadatta, walking in that to find a sorrowful object for meditation, noticed this corpse. For a while [190] he concentrated his attention, but the portions of her yet unmangled by dogs and jackals distracted him and all but overmastered him. Much distraught, he taught his heart, and went away for a brief space; then recommencing, he induced jhāna, confirmed his insight, and so won arahantship(enlightenment).
Upon that, reflecting on his success and filled with zest and joy, he said:
[315] Bhikkhu [37] sīvathikaɱ gantvā addasaɱ itthimujjhataɱ,||
Apaviddhaɱ susānasmiɱ khajjantiɱ kimihī phuṭaɱ.|| ||
[316] Yaɱ hi eke jigucchanti mataɱ disvāna pāpakaɱ,||
Kāmarāgo pāturahu andho'va vasatī ahuɱ.|| ||
[317] Oraɱ odanapākamhā tamhā ṭhānā apakkamiɱ,||
Satimā sampajānohaɱ ekamantaɱ upāvisiɱ.|| ||
[318] Tato me vanasikāro yoniso udapajjatha,||
Ādīnavo pāturahu nibbidā samatiṭṭhatha.|| ||
[319] Tato cittaɱ vimucci me passa dhammasudhammataɱ,||
Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsanan' ti.|| ||
[315] A bhikkhu(monk) to the charnel-field(cemetery) had gone,
And there he saw a woman's body thrown
Untended amidst the dead, the food of worms.
[316] Most men had felt repugnance at the sight,
Seeing the corpse, the poor dead evil thing.
In me was sensual passion manifest,
And I became as blind and lost control.
[317] But swifter from that place than seething rice
Could boiling overflow, I turned and fled;[4]
Aside elsewhere I took my seat cross-legged,
In heedful and discriminating mood.
[318] On that arose in me the deeper thought:[5] Attention to the fact and to the cause.
The misery of it all was manifest.
Distaste, indifference the mind possessed;
[319] And so my heart was set at liberty.
O see the seemly monk’s order of the Path(Dhamma)!
The Threefold Wisdom have I made my own,
And all tñe Buddha remains us do is done.
[1] One of four so-called Great Kings, each presiding over a quarter of the visible world; called also Kuvera, he presided over the northern quarter [Dialogues, ii. 287 f.).
[2] Supererogatory austerities (Milinda, ii., book vi.).
[3] Avacārakamanusaā (?). I have not found the word elsewhere, and only guess at the meaning.
[4] The Commentary explains as follows: yāvatā kālena suparidhotatintataṇḍulanāliyā odanaɱ paccati, tato, oram eva kālaɱ, tato lahukātena rāgaɱ vinodento.
[5] = verses 269, 270.
5. Fifth Section
5.1 [198] Commentary on the stanza of Rājadattatthera[]
The stanza starting with bhikkhu(monk) sīvatthikaṃ gantvā in the fifth section constitutes that of the venerable thera Rājadatta. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit conducive towards escape from rounds of repeated rebirths (vaṭṭa) in this and that existence, was reborn fourteen aeons (kappa) ago in the world without any Buddha (budhasuñña) in a family home; on having attained the age of intelligence, he, one day want near the end of the forest on a certain business and there he happened to see a certain silent buddha seated at the foot of a tree, became pious-minded and offered a perfectly pure hog-plum mango fruit to him. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths mong divine and human beings and was reborn in a caravan-leader’s family, in Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose. His parents gave him the name Rājadatta because he was aptly gained after having propitiated the great Vessavaṇa. On having come of age, he went to Rājagaha in the capacity of a merchant taking along with him five hundred cart-loads of merchandise. On that occasion also, at Rājagaha, a certain courtesan (gaṇikā) who was extremely beautiful and good looking, earned a thousand daily owing to her highly proportionate physique (paramasobaggayoga). Thereupon, that son of a caravan-leader, making cohabitation on with that harlot daily after having paid a thousand, had all his wealth exhausted, but before long, became poverty-stricken, and not obtaining even to the extent of food and clothing (ghāsacchādanamattampi) became remorse-stricken, and kept wandering round and round, hither and thither. One day, he went along with devotees to the Veluvana monastery.
On that occasion, however, the Master was seated teaching the truth (dhamma) surrounded by a large audience. He took his seat at the all-round end of the audience, listened to the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Master, aptly gained pious faith, became a monk took upon himself the observance of the duties of austere practice (dhutaṅga) and dwelt in a cemetery; at that time a certain son of another caravan-leader, dwelt together with that prostitute on payment of a hundred (daily). That harlot, on having seen a gem jewellery of great worth in his possession (hatthe) aroused her greed, had him killed by other wicked men and seized the gem-jewellery. Thereupon, people of that caravan leader’s son, on having heard of that occurrence, sent their men to act as spies (ocaraka). They entered the house of that harlot at night, killed her, without even spoiling her skin and so on and cast her away in the cemetery. The thera Rājadatta, wandering about in the cemetery, in order to collect an unpleasant sign (asubhanimittam), went near the dead-body (kaḷevara) of that harlot in order to make himself mindful of it from the point of view of being loathsome (paṭikkūlato); having made himself mindful wisely (yoniso) for a few turns of occasion (vāra), he made his lust (rāga) for sensual pleasures in that dead-body to arise, making himself unwisely (ayoniso) mindful, owing to the death which took place not long ago, because of her skin which had not been spoilt by dogs, jackals and so on, and due to her dead body being a strange (visabhāga) substance (vatthu); he became much more excited (sambiggatara) minded (mānaso), scolded (paribhāsitvā) his own mind, went away (apasakkitvā) to one side for a while (muhuttaṃ), caught hold of the very unpleasant (Lasubha) sign (nimitta), which attended (upaṭṭhitam) upon him from the beginning and making himself wisely (yoniso) mindful, he made jhāna arise (in him), made that jhāna (his) basis, had himself established in the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā) and there and then attained Arahant beginning and making himself wisely (yoniso) mindful, he made jhāna arise (in him), made that jhāna (his) basis, had himself established in the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā) and there and then attained Arahantship. Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna.--
“Having seen the silent buddha, the
self-dependent (sayambhuṃ) and the
invincible, (aparajitaṃ), I collected
a hog-plum mango fruit and offered it to
the self-dependent silent buddha.
It was thirty one aeons (kappa) ago
that I then made my offering of fruit,
I do not remember any evil existence;
this is the fruitful result of fruit
offering.
My depravity had been burnt. …
Buddha’s instruction had been carried
out.”
Having, however, attained Arahantship, he reflected upon his own proper performance (paṭipatti), became zestful and delighted and spoke these five stanzas:–
315. “The bhikku(monk), having gone to the
grave-yard, saw a thrown away (ujjhita)
lady in the cemetery, in rejection
(apaviddhaṃ), having pervaded (phutaṃ)
and eaten by worms (kimi).
316. Indeed, some, having seen such a dead-
body as this, would become disgusted;
(in me) there arose evidently (pātu);
(not seeing) the oozing (impurities
from her nine boles), I was (ahuṃ)
like a blind man.
317. “Within the hither side of (i.e. in
less than) the time takne by rice to
be cooked (oraṃ adanapākamhā), I took
my departure from that place (of the
dead body); possessed of awareness
(satimā) and being thoughtful (sampajāno)
I sat aside (ekamantam upāvisiṃ).
318. “Thereafter, there sprang up in me
wise (yoniso) making of my mindfulness;
disadvantage became obvious (pāturahu);
disgust (for the lady) became well-established.
319. “Thereafter, my mind became emancipated;
behold the good nature of the truth (dhamma)
Three-fold knowledge (vijjā) had been attained
accordingly; Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.
There, bhikku sivatthikam gantvā means: a monk approached ‘the raw-flesh cemetry’ (āmakasusāha), for the purpose of (his) mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna) on the unpleasant (asubha); owing to his having foresight (ikkhana) of the danger in rounds of repeated rebirths (saṃsara). This expression “Bhikkhu,” the thera himself said with reference to (sandhāya) himself. Ittham means: she is obdurate (thīyati) here; she has (her) white (sukka) blood (soṇita) suppressed (saṃhaññati) owing to (her) condition of the continuity of being a creature (sattasantāna); thus, she is this, a woman (mātugāma); in this manner also she is said to be “Itthī” (woman)” also by way of natural (sabhāva) grammatical analysis (nirutti). In the case of barren women and so on, however, there is that same usage (vohāro) because of their mutual identity, and owing to its not going beyond (ativattana) that nature (sabhāva). The expression “Itthī” also bespeaks the corpse of a lade. Ujjhitaṃ means: totally thrown away (pariccattaṃ). Apaviddhaṃ means: but being thrown away; thrown off in a state of having no regard for it (anapekkha). Khajjantim kimīhi phutaṃ means: being chewed (khajjamāna) after having become filled with worms (kimī).
Yaṃ hi eke jigucchanti, mataṃ disvāna pāpakaṃ means: some who are congenitally clean (cokkha) despise one who is dead due to departure of life, heat (usmā) and conscioiusness, the dead-body, which is bad, low (nihīna) and inferior and do not desire to look at it even. Kāmarāgo pāturahū means: there arose and became evident in me lust for sensual pleasure because of the abundance of making unwise (ayoniso) mindfulness in that corpse. Andho va savati ahuṃ means: I became like a blind man owing to not seeing the condition of being unpure when that corpse was oozing and draining impurity through its nine outlets (dvāra). On that account, (Buddha) said:–-
“Ratto atthaṃ najānāti, ratio dhammaṃ ana passati.
Andhatamaṃ tadā hoti, yaṃ rāgo sahate naraṃ.”
“Having become lustful (ratto) he does
not understand; having become full of
lust, he does not see the truth. There
is then blinding darkness; in that lust overwhelms the man.”
“Kāmacchando kho brāhmaṇa and hakaraṇo, acakkhukaraṇo, O brahmin; the desire for sensual pleasure, indeed, is the making of darkness and creation of blindness (acakkhu)” and so, on. Some scholars, however, here, having made the coming of the letter and speak of the meaning as: “Owing to the all-round activity of depravity (kilesa) he is either not under control or under the control of the depravity (kilesa).” Other scholars, having stated the Pāḷi text as “Andho’va asati ahuṃ, I became unaware (asati) like a blind man,” and speak of the meaning thus: “kāmarāgena andho eva hutvā satirahito ahosiṃ, having become but similar to being blind by the lust for sensual pleasure I was devoid of awareness.” Both of them, however, do not exist in the text (Pāḷi of the Piṭakas).
Oraṃ odanapākamhā means: the hither side of the cooked-rice (odanapāka); as long as the time in which one cooks rice of a coconut-shell measure (ṇāḷi) of wet (tinta) rice-grain (taṇḍula), well washed thoroughly (suparidhota), even the hither side time from that; tamha ṭhānā apakkamiṃ means: in order to steer clear (vinodento) of list within the time swifter (lahu) than that (tato) even, I drew myself away and made my departure from that site where while having stayed, lust arose in me. Satimā sampajāno’haṃ means: I approached (upāvisiṃ) a suitable spot (ekamantaṃ) being possessed of awareness (satimā) under the influence of (vasa) making myself mindful of placing myself in awareness (satipaṭṭhāna) having procured (upaṭṭhapetvā) the perception of a monk, and having become thoughtful (sampajāno) with the recognition (jānana) of the nature of truth (dhamma) but well (sammā), and sat myself down cross-legged (pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā). Tato me manasikāro, yoniso udapajjatha means: to me who had sat down and so on. All is in the manner as has been said before (heṭṭha).
The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Rājadatta is complete.