Dhammapada Verse 290
Attanopubbakamma Vatthu
Matta sukhapariccaga
passe ce vipulam sukham
caje mattasukhirh dhiro
sampassam vipulam sukham1.
Verse 290: If by giving up small pleasures great happiness is to be found,
the wise should give up small pleasures seeing (the prospect of) great
happiness.
1. vipulam sukham: According to the Commentary, it means the bliss of
Nibbana.
The Story of the Buddha's Former Deeds
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (290) of
this book, with reference to the power and glory of the Buddha as witnessed by
many people on his visit to Vesali.
Once, a famine broke out in Vesali. It began with a serious drought. Because
of drought, there was almost a total failure of crops and many people died of
starvation. This was followed by an epidemic of diseases and as people could
hardly cope with the disposal of the corpses there was a lot of stench in the
air. This stench attracted the ogres. The people of Vesali were facing the
dangers of destruction by famine, disease and also by the ogres. In their grief
and sorrow they tried to look for a refuge. They thought of going for help from
various sources but finally, they decided to invite the Buddha. So a mission
headed by Mahali, the Licchavi prince, and the son of the chief brahmin were
sent to King Bimbisara to request the Buddha to pay a visit to Vesali and help
them in their distress. The Buddha knew that this visit would be of much benefit
to many people, so he consented to go to Vesali.
Accordingly, King Bimbisara repaired the road between Rajagaha and the bank
of the river Ganga. He also made other preparations and set up special
resting-places at an interval of every yojana. When everything was ready, the
Buddha set out for Vesali with five hundred bhikkhus. King Bimbisara also
accompanied the Buddha. On the fifth day they came to the bank of the river
Ganga and King Bimbisara sent word to the Licchavi princes. On the other side of
the river, the Licchavi princes had repaired the road between the river and
Vesali and had set up resting places as had been done by King Bimbisara on his
side of the river. The Buddha went to Vesali with Licchavi princes but King
Bimbisara stayed behind.
As soon as the Buddha reached the other bank of the river heavy rains fell in
torrents, thus cleansing up Vesali. The Buddha was put up in the rest-house
which was specially prepared for him in the central part of the city. Sakka,
king of the devas, came with his followers to pay obeisance to the Buddha, and
the ogres fled. That same evening the Buddha delivered the Ratana Sutta and
asked the Venerable Ananda to go round between the threefold walls of the city
with the Licchavi princes and recite it. The Venerable Ananda did as he was
told. As the protective verses (parittas) were being recited, many of those who
were sick recovered and followed the Venerable Ananda to the presence of the
Buddha. The Buddha delivered the same Sutta and repeated it for seven days. At
the end of the seven days, everything was back to normal in Vesali. The Licchavi
princes and the people of Vesali were very much relieved and were overjoyed.
They were also very grateful to the Buddha. They paid obeisance to the Buddha
and made offerings to him on a grand and lavish scale. They also accompanied the
Buddha on his return journey until they came to the bank of the Ganga at the end
of three days.
On arrival at the river bank, King Bimbisara was waiting for the Buddha; so
also were the devas and the brahmas and the king of the Nagas with their
respective entourage. All of them paid obeisance and made offerings to the
Buddha. The devas and the brahmas paid homage with umbrellas, flowers, etc., and
sang in praise of the Buddha. The Nagas had come with barges made of gold,
silver and rubies to invite the Buddha to the realm of the Nagas; they had also
strewn the surface of the water with five hundred kinds of lotuses. This was one
of the three occasions in the life of the Buddha when human beings, devas and
brahmas came together to pay homage to the Buddha. The first occasion was when
the Buddha manifested his power and glory by the miracle of the pairs, emitting
rays of light and sprays of water; and the second was on his return from the
Tavatimsa deva world after expounding the Abhidhamma.
The Buddha, wishing to honour the Nagas, then paid a visit to the realm of
the Nagas accompanied by the bhikkhus. The Buddha and his entourage went in the
five hundred barges brought by the Nagas. After his visit to the realm of the
Nagas, the Buddha returned to Rajagaha accompanied by King Bimbisara. They
arrived at Rajagaha on the fifth day. Two days after their arrival at Rajagaha,
while the bhikkhus were talking about the amazing grandeur and glory of the trip
to and from Vesali, the Buddha arrived on the scene. On learning the subject of
their talk, the Buddha said to them, "Bhikkhus, that I have been revered
so much by brahmas, devas and human beings alike and that they have made
offerings on such a grand and lavish scale to me on this occasion is not due to
the power I now possess; it is simply because I had done some small meritorious
deeds in one of my previous existences that I now enjoy such great
benefits". Then the Buddha related the story of one of his past
existences, when he was a brahmin by the name of Sankha.
Once there was a brahmin named Sankha who lived in the city of Taxila. He had
a son named Susima. When Susima was sixteen years old, he was sent by his father
to another brahmin to study astrology. His teacher taught him all that should be
learnt, but Susima was not fully satisfied. So, his teacher directed him to
approach the paccekabuddhas who were then staying in Isipatana. Susima went to
Isipatana, but the paccekabuddhas told him that he must first become a bhikkhu.
Thus, he became a bhikkhu, and was instructed how to conduct himself as a
bhikkhu. Susima diligently practised meditation and he soon comprehended the
Four Noble Truths, acquired Bodhi nana, and became a paccekabuddha himself. But
as a result of his previous kamma Susima did not live long; he realized
parinibbana soon afterwards.
Sankha, the father of Susima, came in search of his son, but when he arrived
he only found the stupa where the relics of his son were enshrined. The brahmin
felt very much distressed at the loss of his son. He proceeded to clean up the
precincts of the stupa, by clearing away grass and weeds; then he covered up the
ground with sand and sprinkled it with water. Next, he went into the nearby
woods for some wild flowers and stuck them on the wet ground. In that way, he
offered his services and paid respect to the paccekabuddha who was once his son.
It was because of that good deed done in that previous existence of his that the
Buddha gained such benefits, that he was showered with such lavish offerings,
that he was shown such deep reverence and great devotion on that particular
occasion.
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
| Verse 290: If by giving up small pleasures great
happiness is to be found, the wise should give up small pleasures
seeing (the prospect of) great happiness.
|