Sutta Nipāta 1-2: Dhaniyasutta

1. ‘I have boiled (my) rice, I have milked (my cows),’—so said the herdsman Dhaniya,—‘I am living together with my fellows near the banks of the Mahī (river), (my) house is covered, the fire is kindled: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (18)

2. ‘I am free from anger, free from stubbornness,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘I am abiding for one night near the banks of the Mahī (river), my house is uncovered, the fire (of passions) is extinguished: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (19)

3. ‘Gad-flies are not to be found (with me),’—so said the herdsman Dhaniya,—‘in meadows abounding with grass the cows are roaming, and they can endure rain when it comes: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (20)

4. ’(By me) is made a well-constructed raft,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘I have passed over (to Nibbāna), I have reached the further bank, having overcome the torrent (of passions); there is no (further) use for a raft: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (21)

5. ‘My wife is obedient, not wanton,’—so said the herdsman Dhaniya,—‘for a long time she has been living together (with me), she is winning, and I hear nothing wicked of her: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (22)

6. ‘My mind is obedient, delivered (from all worldliness),’—so said Bhagavat,—‘it has for a long time been highly cultivated and well-subdued, there is no longer anything wicked in me: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (23)

7. ‘I support myself by my own earnings,’—so said the herdsman Dhaniya,—‘and my children are (all) about me, healthy; I hear nothing wicked of them: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (24)

8. ‘I am no one’s servant,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘with what I have gained I wander about in all the world, there is no need (for me) to serve: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (25)

9. ‘I have cows, I have calves,’— so said the herdsman Dhaniya;—‘I have cows in calf and heifers, and I have also a bull as lord over the cows: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (26)

10. ‘I have no cows, I have no calves,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘I have no cows in calf and no heifers, and I have no bull as a lord over the cows: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky! (27)

11. ‘The stakes are driven in, and cannot be shaken,’—so said the herdsman Dhaniya,—‘the ropes are made of muñja grass, new and well-made, the cows will not be able to break them: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (28)

12. ‘Having, like a bull, rent the bonds; having, like an elephant, broken through the galucchi creeper, I shall not again enter into a womb: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!’ (29)

Then at once a shower poured down, filling both sea and land. Hearing the sky raining, Dhaniya spoke thus:

13. ‘No small gain indeed (has accrued) to us since we have seen Bhagavat; we take refuge in thee, O (thou who art) endowed with the eye (of wisdom); be thou our master, O great Muni!’ (30)

14. ‘Both my wife and myself are obedient; (if) we lead a holy life before Sugata, we shall conquer birth and death, and put an end to pain.’ (31)

15. ‘He who has sons has delight in sons,’—so said the wicked Māra,—‘he who has cows has delight likewise in cows; for upadhi (substance) is the delight of man, but he who has no upadhi has no delight.’ (32)

16. ‘He who has sons has care with (his) sons,’—so said Bhagavat,—‘he who has cows has likewise care with (his) cows; for upadhi (is the cause of) people’s cares, but he who has no upadhi has no care.’ (33)

Dhaniyasutta is ended.