24.11 The Story about the Childless Rich Man
Aputtakaseṭṭhivatthu

“Riches destroy the stupid one,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a rich man named Aputtaka (Childless). {4.77}

It seems that when King Pasenadi Kosala heard of his death, he enquired: “To whom falls the property of a man that dies leaving no children?” – “The king,” was the reply. So during the next seven days the king caused the dead man’s property to be removed to the royal palace. When the property had all been removed, the king went to wait upon the Teacher. The Teacher said to the king: “Well, great king, why do you come at this noon-day hour?” The king replied: “Venerable Sir, here in Sāvatthī a householder who was a rich man died the other day; and as he had no son, I have been superintending the removal of his property to the royal precincts, and am just returning.” All is to be understood as it occurs in the Discourse about the Childless. AJ: SN 3.20.

The king said: “It seems that whenever food flavored with all manner of choice flavors was brought to him in a golden dish, he would say: ‘So men eat such food as this, do they? Why do you make sport of me in my own house?’ If the servants ventured to serve the food, he would attack them with clods of earth and sticks and stones and drive them away. Then he would say: ‘This is the proper kind of food for men to eat,’ and eat porridge made of rice-dust, followed by sour gruel. Whenever attractive clothes and carriages [30.240] and parasols were offered him, he would attack his servants with clods of earth and sticks and stones and drive them away. He would wear clothes made of hempen cloth and drive about in an old, broken-down chariot, with a parasol made of leaves held over his head.” Then the Teacher related his deed in a previous state of existence:

11a. Story of the Past: The Selfish Rich Man

Great king, in times long past, this rich man, this householder, provided a Paccekabuddha named Tagarasikhi with alms. “Give alms to the ascetic,” he said, and rising from his seat, went his way. It seems that as this unbelieving fool spoke these words and went his way, his faithful believing wife thought to herself: “Verily it is a long time since I have heard the word ‘give’ fall from the lips of my husband. Today I will fulfill the wish of my heart and give alms.” So taking the bowl of the Paccekabuddha, and filling it with the choicest food, she presented it to him.

As the rich man returned, he met the Paccekabuddha. “Ascetic, did you get anything?” he said. Taking the bowl, he looked at it and saw the choice food. Straightaway he was filled with regret, {4.78} for, he thought to himself: “It would be better if my slaves and servants had this food to eat. For if they had this food to eat, they would work hard for me. But this ascetic will take this food and eat it and then lie down and go to sleep. My food has been given away for nothing.”

Moreover this rich man deprived of life the only son of his brother, for the sake of the property which his nephew inherited. It seems that as the nephew walked about, holding the finger of his uncle the rich man, he would say such things as these: “This carriage is the property of my father, and this ox is his ox.” The rich man thought to himself: “Thus and so he talks, just at the present time. But when he grows to manhood, is anyone likely to see his possessions in this house?” So one day he took his nephew to the forest, seized him by the neck under a certain bush, killed him as one would split open the bulb of a radish, and wringing his neck, cast the dead body into the thicket. This was the wicked deed he committed in a previous state of existence.

Therefore it is said in the discourse: AJ: SN 3.20.

Inasmuch, great king, as this rich man, this householder, caused the Paccekabuddha Tagarasikhi to be provided with food, through the ripening of this good deed he was reborn seven [30.241] times in heaven; and because the fruit of this same good deed was not yet exhausted, in seven existences he exercised the prerogatives of a rich man of this same city of Sāvatthī.

On the other hand, great king, inasmuch as this rich man, this householder, afterwards regretted the good deed which he had done and said: “It would have been better if my slaves and servants had this food to eat,” through the ripening of this wicked deed, his heart was not inclined to the enjoyment of fine food, {4.79} his heart was not inclined to the enjoyment of fine clothes, his heart was not inclined to the enjoyment of fine carriages, his heart was not inclined to the enjoyment of the five strands of sense-pleasure.

Moreover, great king, inasmuch as this rich man, this householder, deprived of life the only son of his brother for the sake of his inheritance, through the ripening of this wicked deed, he suffered torment in Niraya Hell for many hundreds of years, for many thousands of years, for many hundreds of thousands of years; and because a part of the fruit of this same wicked deed still remained, in seven successive existences he died childless, and the king’s men carried to the king’s storehouse the wealth he left behind him. And this was the seventh. Moreover, great king, inasmuch as the old merit of this rich man, this householder, has been exhausted, and he has accumulated no new merit, today, great king, this rich man, this householder, suffers torment in the Mahā Roruva Niraya Hell.

When the king heard these words of the Teacher, he said: “Venerable Sir, how grievous was the fault of this rich man in that, while all of these good things yet remained to him, he neither used them himself, nor wrought works of merit by presenting them in alms to a Buddha like you, residing in a monastery near at hand!”

The Teacher replied: “Yes, great king. Even so, when foolish men get riches, they seek not Nibbāna, but the cravings which arise within them because their riches plague them for a long time.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:

355. Hananti bhogā dummedhaṁ no ve pāragavesino,
bhogataṇhāya dummedho hanti aññe va attanaṁ.

Riches destroy the stupid one
who does not seek the way beyond,
through his craving the stupid one
destroys both others and himself.

At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.