23.1 The Story about Speaking and Rousing Oneself

23.1 The Story about Speaking and Rousing Oneself
Attānaṁ Ārabbha Kathikavatthu

Dhp 320-322

CST4: Attadantavatthu, the Story about One Who Tamed Himself

Burlingame: The Sectaries Insult the Buddha

Compare: Dhp-a 2.1

Queen Māgandiyā, who had been rejected by the Buddha, bribed the crowd and slaves to abuse him and the bhikkhus when they came to town; Elder Ānanda urged the Buddha to go elsewhere but the Buddha answered that they should be resolute and spoke about himself in these verses.

Keywords: Reviling, Similes

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“Like an elephant in battle,” [30.199] {4.1} this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to himself.

The story is related in detail in the commentary on the first verses of the Appamādavagga. AJ: Dhp-a 2.1. For it is there said: Unable to do anything to them, Māgandiyā thought to herself: “At any rate I will do to the ascetic Gotama what ought to be done.” So she bribed the citizens and said to them: “When the ascetic Gotama comes into the city and walks about, instigate slaves to revile him and abuse him and drive him out of the city.” So sectarians who did not believe in the Three Jewels followed the Teacher about when he entered the city and shouted at him: “You are a thief, a fool, deluded, a camel, an ox, an ass, a denizen of hell, a beast, {4.2} you have no hope of salvation, a state of punishment is all that you can look forward to.” Thus they reviled and abused him with the ten terms of abuse.

Venerable Ānanda heard this and said to the Teacher: “Venerable Sir, these citizens are reviling and abusing us. Let us go elsewhere.” – “Where shall we go, Ānanda?” – “To some other city, venerable Sir.” – “If men revile us there, where shall we go then, Ānanda?” – “To yet another city, venerable Sir.” – “If men revile us there, where shall we go then?” – “To still another city, venerable Sir.” – “Ānanda, one should not speak thus. Where a difficulty arises, right there it should be settled. Only under those circumstances is it permissible to go elsewhere. But who are reviling you, Ānanda?” – “Venerable Sir, everyone is reviling us, slaves and all.” – “Ānanda, I am like an elephant that has entered the fray. Even as it is the duty of an elephant that has entered the fray to withstand the arrows which come from the four quarters, [30.200] precisely so it is my duty to endure with patience the words spoken by many wicked men.” {4.3} So saying, he taught the Dhamma with reference to himself by pronouncing the following verses:

320. Ahaṁ nāgo va saṅgāme cāpāto patitaṁ saraṁ
ativākyaṁ titikkhissaṁ, dussīlo hi bahujjano.

Like an elephant in battle
endures an arrow shot from bow
so will I endure abuse, for
many people are unvirtuous.

321. Dantaṁ nayanti samitiṁ, dantaṁ rājābhirūhati,
danto seṭṭho manussesu, yotivākyaṁ titikkhati.

They lead one trained into a crowd,
a king mounts one who has been trained,
amongst humans one trained is best,
the one who can endure abuse.

322. Varam-assatarā dantā, ājānīyā ca Sindhavā,
kuñjarā ca mahānāgā, attadanto tato varaṁ.

Noble are the well-trained horses,
the well-bred horses from Sindh,
and the great tusker elephants,
and even more noble than that
is the one who has trained himself. {4.5}

At the end of the teaching all of those many people who had been bribed to stand in the streets and at the crossroads, abusing and reviling, reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.