Chapter 169 - The story of Saṃdhāna, the householder

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavo vārāṇasyāṃ nagaryāṃ saṃdhano nāma gṛhapatiḥ prativasatyāḍhyo mahādhano mahābhogo vistīrṇaviśālaparigraho vaiśravaṇadhanasamudito vaiśravaṇadhanapratispardhī; tena khalu samayena vārāṇasyāṃ brahmadatto nāma rājā rājyaṃ kārayati ṛddhaṃ ca sphītaṃ ca kṣemaṃ ca subhikṣaṃ cākīrṇabahujanamanuṣyaṃ ca; yāvannaimittikairdvādaśavārṣikā anāvṛṣṭiradiṣṭā; brahmadattena rājñā svaviṣaye ghaṇṭāvaghoṣaṇaṃ kāritam: śṛṇvantu bhavanto madviṣayanivāsinaḥ paurāḥ; naimittikairdvādaśavārṣikā anāvṛṣṭirādiṣṭā; tadyeṣāṃ yuṣmākaṃ dvādaśavarṣikamannapānamasti tairmadviṣaye vastavyam; anyairnānādikṣu viprakramitavyam; dvādaśavarṣasamatikrame punarāgantavyamiti; tataḥ saṃdhāno gṛhapatiḥ (a 430 ) koṣṭhāgārikapuruṣamāmantrayate: bhoḥ puruṣa asti koṣṭhāgāre dvādaśavārṣikamannapānamiti; sa kathayati: ārya (i 15) bhaviṣyati iti; <tataḥ saṃdhāno gṛhapatiḥ saparivāro niṣaṇṇaḥ> janakāyaḥ samantādvidrutaḥ; mahaddurbhikṣaṃ prādurbhūtaṃ kṛcchraḥ kāntāraḥ durlabhaḥ piṇḍako yācanakena; asati buddhānāmutpāde pratyekabuddhā loke utpadyante hīnadīnānukampakā prāntāśayanāsanabhaktā ekadakṣiṇīyā lokasya; tena khalu samayena vārāṇasyāṃ nātidūre anyatamasminnāśramapade paṃca pratyekabuddhaśatāni prativasanti; yadā durbhikṣakālamṛtyubhayabhīto janakāyaḥ samantādvidrutaḥ tadā teṣāṃ piṇḍakā samucchinnāḥ; te sarva eva saṃbhūya saṃdhanasya gṛhapatessakāśamupasaṃkrāntāḥ kathayanti: gṛhapate, asmākaṃ paṃcānāṃ pravrajitaśatānāṃ piṇḍakena yogodvahanaṃ kuruṣva iti; sa kathayati: koṣṭhāgārkaṃ tāvadavalokayāmi iti; sa koṣṭhāgārikamāmantrayate: asti bhoḥ puruṣa asmākaṃ koṣṭhāgāre annapānaṃ yadasmākaṃ syādeṣāṃ ca paṃcānāṃ pravrajitaśatānāṃ dvādaśavarṣāṇi iti; sa kathayati ārya bhaviṣyati iti; saṃdhānena gṛhapatinā paṃcānāṃ pravrajitaśatānāṃ piṇḍaka upanibaddha iti; śrutvā aparāṇi paṃca pratyekabuddhaśatāni saṃdhānasya gṛhapateḥ sakāśamupasaṃkrāntāni; upasaṃkramya saṃdhānaṃ gṛhapatimidamavocan: gṛhapate asmākaṃ paṃcānāṃ pravrajitaśatānāṃ piṇḍakena yogodvahanaṃ kuruṣva iti; sa kathayati: āryakā dattameva yuṣmākaṃ kiṃ bhūyaḥ prārthayata iti; te kathayanti gṛhapate anye te vayamanye iti; sa kathayati: āryakā, yadyevaṃ koṣṭhāgārikaṃ tāvadavalokayāmi iti; sa koṣṭhāgārikaṃ puruṣamāmantrayate: bhoḥ puruṣa asti asmākaṃ koṣṭhāgāre annapānaṃ yadasmākaṃ syādasya ca pravrajitasahasrasya dvādaśavarṣāṇi iti; sa kathayati: bhaviṣyati iti; tena te pratyekabuddhā uktā: āryakā tiṣṭhata; ko yuṣmākaṃ bhaktakāla iti; te kathayanti: gṛhapate apariṇato madhyāhnaḥ; tataḥ saṃdhānena gṛhapatinā dānaśālā māpitā dānādhisthāyikaḥ puruṣaḥ sthāpitaḥ kālārocakaśca; te pratidinamāgamya bhaktakṛtyaṃ kurvanti; tasya pratyekabuddhasahasrasya yaḥ saṃghasthaviraḥ so'tīva prāsādikaḥ chatrākāraśirāstāṃ parṣadaṃ chatrīkṛtyāvatiṣṭhate; saṃdhānasya gṛhapaterduhitā tasya saṃghasthavirasya (i 16) chatrākāraśiraskatāṃ varṇapuṣkalatāṃ dṛṣṭvātīvābhiprasannā;
yāvadapareṇa samayena bhaktakāle devo varṣitumārabdhaḥ; tataḥ tayā dārikayā saṃghasthavirasya mūrdhni chatraṃ dhāritam; bhuktasya ca pādayornipatya praṇidhānaṃ kṛtam: anenāhaṃ kuśalamūlena evaṃvidhānāṃ guṇānāṃ lābhī syāṃ yādṛśo'yamāryaḥ yathā cāyaṃ chatrīkṛtya parṣadi niṣaṇṇaḥ evamahamapi chatrīkṛtya parṣadaṃ niṣīdeyamiti.
kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavaḥ? yāsau saṃdhānasdya gṛhapaterduhitā eṣa evāsau (a 431 ) kauṇḍinyo bhikṣuḥ; yadanena kumārikābhūtena pratyekabuddhasaṃghasthavirasya chatraṃ vidhārya praṇidhānaṃ kṛtamevaṃvidhānāṃ guṇānāṃ lābhī syāṃ chatrīkṛtya ca parṣadaṃ niṣīdeyamiti, tadetarhi sarvakleśaprahāṇādarhatvaṃ sākṣātkṛtaṃ chatrīkṛtya ca parṣadamavasthitaḥ; iti hi bhikṣavaḥ ekāntakṛṣṇānāṃ karmaṇāmekāntakṛṣṇo vipākaḥ pūrvavadyāvadevaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ śikṣitavyam.
yadā bhagavatā ājñātakauṇḍinyamāgamya aśītirdevatāsahasrāṇi saddharmarasena saṃtarpitāni tadā bhikṣavaḥ saṃśayajātāḥ sarvasaṃśayacchettāraṃ buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ papracchuḥ: paśya bhadanta bhagavatā āyuṣmantamājñātakauṇḍinyamāgamya aśītirdevatāsahasrāṇi saddharmarasena saṃtarpitāni; bhagavānāha: kimatra bhikṣava āścaryaṃ yadidānīṃ mayā vigatarāgeṇa vigatadveṣeṇa vigatamohena parimuktena jātijarāvyādhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsaiḥ sarvajñena sarvākārajñena sarvajñānajñeyavaśiprāptena ājñātakauṇḍinyamāgamya aśītirdevatāsahasrāṇi dharmarasena saṃtarpitāni? yattu mayātīte'dhvani sarāgeṇa sadveṣeṇa samohenāparimuktena jātijārāvyadhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsaiḥ vinipatitaśarīreṇa tiryagyonāvupapannena aśitikīṭasahasrāṇi kauṇḍinyaṃ kīṭikībhūtamāgamya svarudhireṇa saṃtarpitāni; tacchrūyatām.