Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
14. Rāja Vaggo
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIV: The Rajah
Sutta 138
Bhattādaka Suttaṃ
The Eater of Eatables1
[119]
Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, possessed of five things a rajah's elephant —
a gross2 eater,
filling the ways,3
spilling his dung,4
grabbing his food5 —
is reckoned merely6 a rajah's elephant.
What five?
Herein, monks, the rajah's elephant
cannot endure forms,
sounds, smells,
tastes
or touches.
Monks, possessed of these five a rajah's elephant —
a gross eater,
filling the ways,
spilling his dung,
grabbing his food —
is reckoned merely a rajah's elephant.
§
Even so, monks, possessed of five things a monk —
a gross eater,
filling the ways,
tumbling his bed,7
grabbing his food ticket —
is reckoned merely a monk.
What five?
Herein, monks, the monk
cannot endure forms,
sounds,
smells,
tastes
or touches.
Verily, monks, possessed of these five things a monk —
a gross eater,
filling the ways,
tumbling his bed,
grabbing his food ticket —
is reckoned merely a monk.'
1 Bhattādā, which I suppose is the nom. of bhattādar.
2 Bhattādako. Comy. bahu-bhatta-bhuñjo.
3 Okasa-pharaṇo, space-pervading. Comy. okāsaṃ pharitvā, aññesaṃ sambādhaṃ katvā, ṭhānena okāsapharaṇo.
4 Laṇḍa-sādhano, but S.e. v.l. and Comy. -sāṭano, observing: tattha tatiha laṇḍaṃ sāṭeti, pāteti. See P.E.D. s.v. saṭa; I take sāṭeti to be the causative of √śad.
5 Salāka-gāhī Comy. ettakā hatthī-ti, gaṇanakāle salākaṃ gaṅhati.
6 Prof. Hardy (A. v, 393) sums up the sutta as: a bh. who deserves this name is likened to a true royal elephant; but I think just the contrary must be the meaning, in view of the following sutta and above, §§ 85 and 113.
7 Pīṭha-maddano. Comy. simply nisīdana-sayana-vasena mañca-pīṭhaṃ maddati ('by way of sitting and lying down he tumbles couch and chair').