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Saį¹yutta NikÄya 3.13 Linked Discourses 3.13
2. Dutiyavagga 2. Childless
Doį¹apÄkasutta A Bucketful of Rice A Bucket Measure of Food
SÄvatthinidÄnaį¹. At SÄvatthÄ«. This Sutta presents what is probably the worldās first weight loss diet.At SaĢvatthiĢ.
Tena kho pana samayena rÄjÄ pasenadi kosalo doį¹apÄkakuraį¹ bhuƱjati. Now at that time King Pasenadi of Kosala used to eat boiled rice by the bucketful. A doį¹a (ābucketfulā) was a wooden trough to receive the filtered Soma (Rig Veda 4.32.17). In the ArthaÅÄstra it measures feed for horses (2.30.12) and elephants (2.15.50). One doį¹a was the monthly allotment of grain for a servant (Manu 7.126). Olivelle estimates it at 5 liters or 9.6 kg (King, Governance, and Law, appendix 2, pg. 458). | The use of present tense (bhuƱjati) here indicates that it is an ongoing situation, not just a single large meal (compare the aorist in the previous Sutta).Now on that occasion King Pasenadi of Kosala had eaten a bucket measure of rice and curries.
Atha kho rÄjÄ pasenadi kosalo bhuttÄvÄ« mahassÄsÄ« yena bhagavÄ tenupasaį¹
kami; upasaį¹
kamitvÄ bhagavantaį¹ abhivÄdetvÄ ekamantaį¹ nisÄ«di. Then after eating King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha, huffing and puffing. He bowed and sat down to one side. Then, while still full, huffing and puffing, the king approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side.
Atha kho bhagavÄ rÄjÄnaį¹ pasenadiį¹ kosalaį¹ bhuttÄviį¹ mahassÄsiį¹ viditvÄ tÄyaį¹ velÄyaį¹ imaį¹ gÄthaį¹ abhÄsi: Then, knowing that King Pasenadi was huffing and puffing after eating, on that occasion the Buddha spoke this verse: Then the Blessed One, having understood that King Pasenadi was full and was huffing and puffing, on that occasion recited this verse:
āManujassa sadÄ satÄ«mato, āWhen a man is always mindful, āWhen a man is always mindful,
Mattaį¹ jÄnato laddhabhojane; knowing moderation in eating, Knowing moderation in the food he eats,
Tanukassa bhavanti vedanÄ, his discomfort fades, For vedanÄ as ādiscomfortā, compare the stock reflection on eating (SN 35.120:4.3).His ailments then diminish:
Saį¹ikaį¹ jÄ«rati ÄyupÄlayanāti. and he ages slowly, taking care of his life.ā He ages slowly, guarding his life. ā
Tena kho pana samayena sudassano mÄį¹avo raƱƱo pasenadissa kosalassa piį¹į¹hito į¹hito hoti. Now at that time the student Sudassana was standing behind the king. This Vedic student attending the king is otherwise unknown.Now on that occasion the brahmin youth Sudassana was standing behind King Pasenadi of Kosala.
Atha kho rÄjÄ pasenadi kosalo sudassanaį¹ mÄį¹avaį¹ Ämantesi: Then King Pasenadi addressed him, The king then addressed him thus:
āehi tvaį¹, tÄta sudassana, bhagavato santike imaį¹ gÄthaį¹ pariyÄpuį¹itvÄ mama bhattÄbhihÄre bhattÄbhihÄre bhÄsa. āPlease, dear Sudassana, memorize this verse in the Buddhaās presence and recite it to me whenever I am served a meal. This passages well illustrates the meaning of pariyÄpuį¹Äti as āmemorizeā. āCome now, dear Sudassana, learn this verse from the Blessed One and recite it to me whenever I am taking my meal.
AhaƱca te devasikaį¹ kahÄpaį¹asataį¹ kahÄpaį¹asataį¹ niccaį¹ bhikkhaį¹ pavattayissÄmÄ«āti. Iāll set up a regular daily allowance of a hundred dollars for you.ā NiccabhikkhÄ at Ja 398:4.1 refers to the daily offering of food to a yakkha. Here and at MN 94:33.1 it refers to money.I will then present you daily with a hundred kahaĢpanĢ£as as a perpetual grant. ā
āEvaį¹, devÄāti kho sudassano mÄį¹avo raƱƱo pasenadissa kosalassa paį¹issutvÄ bhagavato santike imaį¹ gÄthaį¹ pariyÄpuį¹itvÄ raƱƱo pasenadissa kosalassa bhattÄbhihÄre sudaį¹ bhÄsati: āYes, Your Majesty,ā replied Sudassana. He memorized that verse in the Buddhaās presence, and then whenever the king was served a meal he would repeat it: āYes, sire, ā the brahmin youth Sudassana replied. Having learned this verse from the Blessed One, whenever King Pasenadi was taking his meal the brahmin youth Sudassana recited:
āManujassa sadÄ satÄ«mato, āWhen a man is always mindful, āWhen a man is always mindful,
Mattaį¹ jÄnato laddhabhojane; knowing moderation in eating,
Tanukassa bhavanti vedanÄ, his discomfort fades,
Saį¹ikaį¹ jÄ«rati ÄyupÄlayanāti. and he ages slowly, taking care of his life.ā He ages slowly, guarding his life. ā
Atha kho rÄjÄ pasenadi kosalo anupubbena nÄįø·ikodanaparamatÄya saį¹į¹hÄsi. Then the king gradually got used to having at most a cup of rice. NÄlikÄ was a cup made from a hollow bamboo. It was a modest meal for a king (SN 22.96:4.10, DN 17:2.15.10), sufficient for a medium-sized mendicantās bowl (Bi NP 1:2.1.10). It does not appear in this sense in the ArthaÅÄstra, but the Indian Epigraphical Glossary says it is one-sixteenth of a doį¹a and equivalent to a prastha. Olivelle estimates the prastha at around 600 g, which is indeed one sixteenth of a doį¹a. Bear in mind that rice constituted the bulk of the meal, and for monastics, it would often have been the only meal of the day.Then King Pasenadi of Kosala gradually reduced his intake of food to at most a pint-pot measure of boiled rice.
Atha kho rÄjÄ pasenadi kosalo aparena samayena susallikhitagatto pÄį¹inÄ gattÄni anumajjanto tÄyaį¹ velÄyaį¹ imaį¹ udÄnaį¹ udÄnesi: After some time King Pasenadiās body slimmed right down. Stroking his limbs with his hands, at that time he expressed this heartfelt sentiment: Interesting use of sallikhati = sallekha (ācut downā = āslimmedā), related to the idea of āeffacingā writing as the stone wears away. For the Jains, sallekhanÄ was the practice of refusing all food at the end of life (TattvÄrthasÅ«tra 7.22; compare the Buddhist practice at MN 8:4.3).At a later time, when his body had become quite slim, King Pasenadi of Kosala stroked his limbs with his hand and on that occasion uttered this inspired utterance:
āubhayena vata maį¹ so bhagavÄ atthena anukampiāāIn both ways the Buddha has sympathy for me: āThe Blessed One showed compassion towards me in regard to both kinds of goodā
diį¹į¹hadhammikena ceva atthena samparÄyikena cÄāti. in the good of this life and the good of lives to come.ā the good pertaining to the present life and that pertaining to the future life.ā