The Discourse about the Cowherd

ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Kosalesu cārikaṁ carati, The cognate accusative here is simultaneous with the action; lit.: walked a walk. Wijesekera, Syntax § 35, following Brugman, calls this the Object of Contents.⁰¹
at one time the Gracious One was walking on walking tour amongst the Kosalans,

mahatā Bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ.
together with a great Community of monks.

Atha kho Bhagavā maggā okkamma,
Then the Gracious One, having gone down from the road,

yena aññataraṁ rukkhamūlaṁ tenupasaṅkami,
went to the root of a certain tree,

upasaṅkamitvā, paññatte āsane nisīdi.
and after going, he sat down on the prepared seat.

Atha kho aññataro gopālako yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami,
Then a certain cowherd went to the Gracious One,

upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā, ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
and after going and worshipping the Gracious One, he sat down on one side.

Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ gopālakaṁ Bhagavā
^o While sitting on one side the Gracious One

Dhammiyā kathāya sandassesi, samādapesi, samuttejesi, sampahaṁsesi.
instructed, roused, enthused, and cheered that cowherd with a Dhamma talk.

Atha kho so gopālako Bhagavatā
^o Then that cowherd, having been instructed,

Dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito,
roused, enthused, and cheered by the Gracious One with a Dhamma talk,

“Adhivāsetu me bhante Bhagavā,
“May the Gracious One consent, reverend Sir, to me

svātanāya bhattaṁ saddhiṁ Bhikkhusaṅghenā” ti.
(offering him) a meal on the morrow, together with the Community of monks.”

Adhivāsesi Bhagavā tuṇhībhāvena.
The Gracious One consented by maintaining silence.

Atha kho so gopālako Bhagavato adhivāsanaṁ viditvā,
Then that cowherd, having understood the Gracious One's consent,

uṭṭhāyāsanā, Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.
after rising from his seat, worshipping and circumambulating the Gracious One, went away.

Atha kho so gopālako tassā rattiyā accayena, sake nivesane,
Then with the passing of that night, that cowherd, in his own residence,

pahūtaṁ appodakapāyāsaṁ Appodakapāyāsa, lit.: milk-rice with but little water.⁰² paṭiyādāpetvā Paṭiyādāpeti is, very unusually, a causative of a causative verb, s.v. PED. The simplex of the original verb paṭi√yat, only appears as a past participle in the canon, paṭiyatta. The causative is paṭiyādeti, which means to make ready; the causative of the causative means to have (someone) make ready. The formation of the double causative is an innovation in Pāḷi, see Perniola, PG § 223.⁰³ navañ-ca sappiṁ,
having had an abundance of rich milk-rice and fresh ghee made ready,

Bhagavato kālaṁ ārocesi: “Kālo bhante niṭṭhitaṁ bhattan”-ti.
announced the time to the Gracious One, (saying): “It is time, reverend Sir, the meal is ready.”

Atha kho Bhagavā, pubbanhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā,
Then the Gracious One, having dressed in the morning time,

pattacīvaram-ādāya, saddhiṁ Bhikkhusaṅghena,
after picking up his bowl and robe, together with the Community of monks,

yena tassa gopālakassa nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami,
went to that cowherd's residence,

upasaṅkamitvā, paññatte āsane nisīdi.
and after going, he sat down on the prepared seat.

Atha kho so gopālako Buddhapamukhaṁ Bhikkhusaṅghaṁ
^o Then that cowherd with his own hand, served and satisfied

appodakapāyāsena navena ca sappinā sahatthā santappesi sampavāresi.
the Community of monks with the Buddha at its head with rich milk-rice and fresh ghee.

Atha kho so gopālako, Bhagavantaṁ bhuttāviṁ onītapattapāṇiṁ, This is an accusative absolute construction, which occurs only rarely in the texts.⁰⁴
Then that cowherd, when the Gracious One had eaten and washed his hand and bowl,

aññataraṁ nīcaṁ āsanaṁ gahetvā, ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
having taken a low seat, sat down on one side.

Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ gopālakaṁ Bhagavā,
^o While sat on one side the Gracious One,

Dhammiyā kathāya sandassetvā, samādapetvā,
^o after instructing, rousing, enthusing, and cheering

samuttejetvā, sampahaṁsetvā, uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi.
that cowherd with a Dhamma talk, having risen from the seat, went away.

Atha kho acirapakkantassa Bhagavato,
Then not long after the Gracious One had gone,

taṁ gopālakaṁ aññataro puriso sīmantarikāya jīvitā voropesi.
while between the boundaries (of the villages), a certain man deprived that cowherd of life.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu,
Then many monks went to the Gracious One,

upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā, ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.
and after going and worshipping the Gracious One, they sat down on one side.

Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū Bhagavantaṁ etad-avocuṁ:
While sat on one side those monks said this to the Gracious One:

“Yena bhante gopālakena ajja Buddhapamukho Bhikkhusaṅgho
^o “Today, reverend Sir, the Community of monks with the Buddha at its head,

appodakapāyāsena navena ca sappinā sahatthā santappito sampavārito,
was served and satisfied by a cowherd with rich milk-rice and fresh ghee,

aññatarena purisena sīmantarikāya jīvitā voropito” ti.
while between the boundaries (of the villages), was deprived of life by a certain man.

Atha kho Bhagavā, etam-atthaṁ viditvā,
Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it,

tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

“Diso disaṁ yan-taṁ kayirā, ~ verī vā pana verinaṁ,
“Whatever an enemy might do to an enemy, ~ or a foe to a foe,

Micchāpaṇihitaṁ cittaṁ ~ pāpiyo naṁ tato Notice the use of the comparative ablative. It must be said that this Udāna doesn't seem to relate very well to the story that precedes it.⁰⁵ kare” ti.
A wrongly directed mind ~ may do (more) harm to him than that.”