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Sixth Khandhaka. Chapter 21

21.

1.
Now when the Blessed One had remained at "l"av as long as he thought fit, he set out on his journey towards R"g"agaha. And proceeding straight on, he arrived in due course at R"g"agaha. And there, at R"g"agaha, the Blessed One stayed at the Ve"l"uvana in the Kalandaka Nivpa.

Now at that time there was a scarcity of food at R"g"agaha 1. The people were unable to provide food for the (whole) Sa"m"gha and they were desirous of providing food 2 (to be sent to the Vihra) for the use of a special Bhikkhu (designated by the donor) 3 or for special Bhikkhus invited (by the donor in his own house) 4 or for (single Bhikkhus) appointed by ticket (issued by the Sa"m"gha) 5, or of providing food during a fortnight 6, or on Uposatha

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days (that is, on the last days of each fortnight) or on the first days of each fortnight.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, each of three ways of obtaining food.'

Now at that time the "Kh"abbaggiya Bhikkhus having received good food for themselves, gave over the worse food (which they had also received) to the other Bhikkhus.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to appoint as apportioner of rations 1 a Bhikkhu who is possessed of the following five qualifications--(&c., as in IV, 9, down to the end of the Kammav"k"):

Now the Bhikkhus who were apportioners of rations, thought: 'How then are the rations to be apportioned?'

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you. O Bhikkhus, to apportion them by arranging the food in small heaps, and fastening tickets or marks upon them 2.'

2. Now at that time the Sa"m"gha had no distributor

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of lodging-places--no overseer of stores--no receiver of robes--no distributor of robes, of congey, or of fruits--and no distributor of dry foods, and through not being distributed it went bad.

They told each of these matters 1 to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to appoint as distributor of lodging-places, &c., a Bhikkhu who has (&c., as in 1, down to the end of the Kammav"k", inserting throughout the appropriate variations in the fifth qualification).

3.
Now at that time articles of trifling value had accumulated in the storehouse of the Sa"m"gha.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to appoint as disposer of trifles a Bhikkhu who has (&c., as before, down to the end of the Kammav"k"). Each separate needle, and pair of scissors, and pair of sandals, and girdle, and pair of braces, and filtering cloth, and regulation strainer 2, and plait 3, and half-plait 3, and gusset 3, and half-gusset 3, and binding 4, and braiding 4, is to be given away. If the Sa"m"gha has any ghee, or oil, or honey, or molasses, he is to give it away for personal consumption only, and if it be wanted, he is to give it a second and a third time 5.'

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Now at that time the Sa"m"gha had no receiver of under-garments 1, or of bowls,--no superintendent of those who kept the grounds in order (the rmikas), and the rmikas not being looked after, the necessary work was not done,--no superintendent of sma"n"eras, and the sma"n"eras not being looked after did not perform their duties.

They told each of these matters to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to appoint as receiver of under-garments, &c., a Bhikkhu who has (&c., as before, down to the end of the Kammav"k").'

End of the Sixth Khandhaka, on Sleeping Arrangements, &c,

Footnotes

220:1
Other special rules for times of scarcity will be found at Mahvagga Vi, 17, 7; 18, 4; 19, 2; 20, 4 (repealed for times of plenty in VI, 32). Compare also Pr"g"ika Iv, 1, 1.

220:2
The above modes of receiving food (instead of collecting in a bowl morsels of food given in alms) are the dispensations allowed by Mahvagga I, 30, 4.

220:3
Uddesa-bhatta"m k"tu"m". Compare the story of Upananda at Mahvagga Vi, 19, I.

220:4
Nimantana"m" ktu"m". The word is only used in this special technical sense. Compare the whole story of "K"ulla-panthaka at "G"taka I, 116, and especially the last line.

220:5
Salka-bhatta"m k"tu"m". See especially above, "K"ullavagga Iv, 9; Iv, to.

220:6
Pakkhika"m k"tu"m". Both Childers sub voce and Frankfurter p. 221 ('Pali Handbook,' p. 165), in interpreting the passage at Mahvagga I, 30, 4, take this to mean a feast given on the eighth day of the month. But paksha is the half-month. The expression much more probably means, therefore, to provide food either during the whole of a half-month for one or more specially invited Bhikkhus, or for a larger number on any one day of the half-month to be chosen by the Sa"m"gha.

221:1
Compare above, "K"ullavagga Iv, 4, 1.

221:2
Buddhaghosa says, Salkya v pa"t"ikya v upanibandhitv opu"kh"itv uddisitun ti va"k"anato rukkhasramayya salkya v ve"l"uvilivatlapa"n"n"dinayya pa"t"ikya v asukassa nma salkabhattan ti eva"m" akkharni upanibandhitv pa"k"kh"iya"m" v "k"varabhoge v katv sabb salkyo omu"kh"itv [sic] punappuna"m" he"t"th"-vasena "l"oletv... dtabb.

222:1
There is another officer (sana-pa"paka) mentioned at "K"ullavagga Xii, 2, 7, whose omission from the list here is worthy of notice.

222:2
Dhamma-karako. See V, 13, I.

222:3
On these words, see Mahvagga Viii, 12, 2.

222:4
On these two words, see Mahvagga Viii, 1, 5.

222:5
These things were to be used only as medicines, according to Mahvagga Vi, 1, 1-5, where butter is also added. That would be under the charge of the distributor of dry foods ( 2), as if kept it would go bad. According to Vi, 15, 10, none of these five p. 222 kinds of medicine were to be kept for a period exceeding seven days, but that was a rule that was not very probable to be strictly followed.

223:1 S
\"t"iya; no doubt the same as is spelt elsewhere s"t"ik or s"t"ak, and is used for such purposes as bathing in.
1 chronicles in the bible| 1 chronicles in the bible
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