CHAPTER XXI. THE STORY ABOUT BRIBES. PARA TAKEN preached a discourse about the evil consequences of taking bribes from a spirit of covetous ness. At one time there lived in the Savatthi country a Brahmin who addressed himself to King Kosala, stating that he was versed in the characteristic signs of daggers. The king made the smiths show all the daggers they offered him to the Brahmin, and if he approved of them, they were placed in the king's armoury. From that day the smiths used to bring bribes whenever they showed him the daggers. Of every dagger that the smiths who bribed him displayed, the Brahmin smelt the edge and said, "It is a good one;" then it was placed in the king's armoury, but all those which the smiths who did not bribe him brought, he would say were bad ones, although they were good. One day a smith said to himself, "This Brahmin says that all our daggers are bad, and that all the daggers of those who bribe him are good; I will so contrive that he will not dare to say so in future." Accordingly he filled the scabbard of a dag ger with very fine red pepper, and smeared the blade over with the same substance. He put the dagger in the sheath and presented it to the king. The king made him show it to the Brahmin. The Brahmin smelt the edge of the dagger as usual, the pepper got into the Brahmin's nose; unable to restrain himself, he sneezed violently and slit his nose completely against the edge of the dagger. The king and all his court, when they saw this, could not contain themselves, but roared with laughter. Thus we see the evil consequences of an inclination to take bribes, without having any regard to good qualities. END OF THE STORY ABOUT BRIBES. CHAPTER XXII. THE REWARD OF SARANAGAMANA.1 On one occasion, Para Taken, when he was in the Getavana monastery, preached a discourse upon the greatness of the reward of Saranagamana. One day the Brahmin Velāma completely filled with gold and silver a compartment of a rice-field, sufficient to sow ten baskets of seed-grain; and for the whole of seven years and seven months made offerings of eighty-four thousand golden cups, eighty-four thousand silver cups, eighty-four thousand copper cups; elephants, horses and carriages with ornamental trappings, milch cows, virgins, jewels, eighty-four thousand of each; besides these, food and sherbets of every kind. Greater than the reward of such an offering as this is the reward of an offering made to a Sotapan;2 greater still to a Sakadāgāmi,3 greater still to an Anāgāmi, greater still to a Rahanda, greater still to a 1 The formula, "I worship Buddha, the law, and the priesthood." 2 First state of an Ariya. Pakkeka-buddha, greater still to a Para Taken with his sacred assembly of Rahans, but greater than all these is the reward of a steadfast observance of the Saranagamana. END OF THE REWARD OF SARANAGAMANA. CHAPTER XXIII. THE FIVE COMMANDMENTS. HE preached as follows the consequences entailed by the five commandments: If a man have no teachers or priests, he should be constant in the practice of repeating each of the five commandments, beginning with Pānātipāta, with his hands raised in attitude of adoration in front of a sacred image of Parā Taken on a sacred pagoda. 1. Pānātipata. This law is broken by the killing of as much as a louse, a bug, or a tick. 2. Adinnādāna.-This law is broken by taking as much as a single thread of cotton which has not been given by another. 3. Kāmesumikkhākāra.-This law is broken by even looking at the wife of another with a lustful mind. 4. Musāvāda. -This law is broken by even jestingly uttering a falsehood which will affect the advantage and prosperity of another. 5. Surāmeraya.—This law is broken by even letting fall upon the tongue only such a drop of intoxicating liquor as would hang at the end of a blade of Thaman grass, if it is known to be intoxicating liquor. |