Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
14. Rāja Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XIV: The Rajah
Sutta 138
Bhattādaka Suttaṃ
The Eater of Eatables[1]
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:
"Monks, possessed of five things a rajah's elephant —
a gross[2] eater,
filling the ways,[3]
spilling his dung,[4]
grabbing his food[5] —
is reckoned merely[6] 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.
Okasa-pharaṇo. Our expression: "Just taking up space."
— p.p.
[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 gaṇhati.
[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').
