BURLING AME. — BUDDHAGHOSA's DHAMMAPADA COMMENTARY. 539 



tary kingdom. Thereupon he decided to go to Savatthi and live with 

 his friend Pasenadi. King Pasenadi received him with distinguished 

 honors, and made him Commander-in-chief of his army. Bandhula 

 sent word to his mother and father to come and live with him, and 

 they did so. (337-9) 



One day King Pasenadi saw from his terrace a great company of 

 monks passing along the street. " Where are they going ? " said he. 

 One of his retinue replied, "Sire, every day two thousand monks go 

 to the house of Anathapindika to obtain food, medicine, and the other 

 requisites ; five hundred, to Ciila Anathapindika's ; a like number to 

 Visakha s and to Suppavasa's." " I, too, will serve the Congregation 

 of Monks," thought the king; and immediately went to the Teacher 

 and asked to be allowed the privilege. For seven days the king enter- 

 tained Buddha and the monks, and when he bade farewell to the 

 Teacher, he invited the latter to come regularly to his house thereafter. 

 The Teacher declined the invitation, however, on the ground that 

 many other persons desired his presence, and sent Ananda in his 

 place. For seven days the king served Ananda and the monks in 

 person ; during the three following days he was so remiss in the per- 

 formance of his duty to the monks that the latter dropped off, one by 

 one, until finally Ananda was the only one left. The king was so 

 provoked at the conduct of the monks that he went to the Teacher 

 and complained. The Teacher exonerated the monks from blame, and 

 told the king that the monks lacked confidence in him. (339-341) 



" A family must possess nine distinctive marks," said the Teacher, 

 "to be entitled to the privilege of entertaining monks. They must 

 rise courteously to meet them ; greet them pleasantly ; seat them com- 

 fortably ; conceal not what they possess ; possessing much, give much ; 

 possessing good things, give good things ; present their offerings with 

 deference ; sit to hear the Law ; speak in an agreeable tone of voice. 

 It was doubtless because you failed in your duty to the monks that 

 they left your house. Just so the wise men of old time went to a 

 place where they felt secure." The Teacher then told the following 

 story of the past : (341-2) 



Kesava, Kappa. Narada, and the King of Benares. 34 Once upon a 

 time, when Brahmadatta reigned at Benares, a hermit named Kesava, 

 accompanied by his following, accepted the offer of the King to enter- 

 tain them during the rainy season. The monks were so annoyed by 

 the cries of elephants, however, that they dropped off, one by one, un- 

 til finally Kesava was left alone with his faithful pupil Kappa. After 



a* Cf Ja. iii. 142-145. 



