Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XVIII. Upāsaka Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XVIII: The Lay-Disciple
Sutta 178
Rāja Suttaɱ
Rajahs
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] 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:
'Now what think you, monks,
has this thing been seen
and heard of by you:
"This man gave up taking life
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from taking life,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)[1]
or wreak their wrath[2] upon him"?'
'No, indeed, lord, it has not.'
'Well, monks, neither by us
has this thing been seen
and heard of that:
"This man gave up taking life
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from taking life,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?
■
But if folk give evidence against him
of just some evil deed as this:
"This man has caused the death
of a woman or man,"
then rajahs,
because he has taken life,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth from the country
or wreak their wrath upon him —
has such a thing been seen
and heard by by you?'
'Lord, by us
this thing has been both seen and heard of;
yea, and we shall hear of it again.'
§
'Now what think you, monks,
has this thing been seen
and heard of by you:
and heard of by you:
"This man gave up taking what is not given
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from what is not given,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?'
'No, indeed, lord, it has not.'
'Well, monks, neither by us
has this thing been seen
and heard of that:
"This man gave up taking what is not given
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from taking what is not given,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?
■
But if folk give evidence against him
of just some evil deed as this:
"This man stealthily took from village or forest what was not given [154] him," —
then rajahs,
because he has taken what is not given,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
ör thrust him forth from the country
or wreak their wrath upon him —
has such a thing been seen
and heard by by you?'
'Lord, by us
this thing has been both seen and heard of;
yea, and we shall hear of it again.'
§
'Now what think you, monks,
has this thing been seen
and heard of by you:
and heard of by you:
"This man gave up lusts of the flesh
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from lusts of the flesh,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?'
'No, indeed, lord, it has not.'
'Well, monks, neither by us
has this thing been seen
and heard of that:
"This man gave up lusts of the flesh
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from lusts of the flesh,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?
■
But if folk give evidence against him
of just some evil deed as this:
"This man had intercourse
with others' wives
or others' maidens," —
then rajahs,
because he misbehaved because of lusts of the flesh,[ed1]
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
ör thrust him forth from the country
or wreak their wrath upon him —
has such a thing been seen
and heard by by you?'
'Lord, by us
this thing has been both seen and heard of;
yea, and we shall hear of it again.'
§
'Now what think you, monks,
has this thing been seen
and heard of by you:
"This man gave up lying
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from lying,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?'
'No, indeed, lord, it has not.'
'Well, monks, neither by us
has this thing been seen
and heard of that:
"This man gave up lying
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from lying,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?
■
But if folk give evidence against him
of just some evil deed as this:
"This man by lying
has broken up the home[3] of this householder
or that householder's son," —
then rajahs,
because he has lied,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
ör thrust him forth from the country
or wreak their wrath upon him —
has such a thing been seen
and heard by by you?'
'Lord, by us
this thing has been both seen and heard of;
yea, and we shall hear of it again.'
§
'Now what think you, monks,
has this thing been seen
and heard of by you:
and heard of by you:
"This man gave up drinking all spirituous liquors
that cause indolence
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from drinking all spirituous liquors
that cause indolence,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?'
'No, indeed, lord, it has not.'
'Well, monks, neither by us
has this thing been seen
and heard of that:
"This man gave up drinking all spirituous liquors
that cause indolence
and abstains therefrom;
and rajahs, because he abstains from drinking all spirituous liquors
that cause indolence,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
or thrust him forth (from the country)
or wreak their wrath upon him"?
■
But if folk give evidence against him
of just some evil deed as this:
"This man given over to drinking indolence-causing liquors,
has taken the life of some woman or man;
given over to drinking indolence-causing liquors,
has stealthily taken from village or forest
what was not given him;
given over to drinking indolence-causing liquors,
has had intercourse with others' wives or others' maidens;
given over to drinking indolence-causing liquors,
has by lying broken up the home
of this householder
or that householder's son," —
then rajahs,
because he was given over to drinking indolence-causing liquors,
seize and slay him
or put him in fetters
ör thrust him forth from the country
or wreak their wrath upon him —
has such a thing been seen
and heard by by you?'
'Lord, by us
this thing has been both seen and heard of;
yea, and we shall hear of it again.'
[1] So Comy.
[2] Yathāpaccayaɱ vā karoti. Comy. yathādhippayo yathājjhasayaɱ karoti.
[3] Attha; Cf. S. iv, 347, where this recurs.
[ed1] Hare has abridged this whole section and his translation of kāmesu micchācāraɱ, (literally 'mis-behavior (or contrary or mis-begoten, or low carrying-on) in sense-pleasures') does not fit in this case so I have modified it with the addition of 'misbehaved because of".
