Deep Commentary

This verse was taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery, related to the story of Venerable Udāyi. According to the account, in Sāvatthī there were about fifty million lay Buddhists who regularly came to the monastery to offer food and listen to the Dhamma. They often praised Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna for teaching the Dhamma so well. Hearing this, Venerable Udāyi, overcome with jealousy, told them, "How can those two teach better than me?" So the next day they invited Udāyi to preach. He accepted. After ascending the seat, he simply fanned himself and could not utter a word. He told them he would recite a charm and would invite another monk to teach the Dhamma instead. This happened four times – each time Udāyi only made promises but never recited any charm. The audience grew furious. They threw dirt, stones, and sticks at him, cursing, "You just stay silent and say nothing, yet you are jealous of Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna. You are not a good person." As they yelled and threw things, Udāyi fled. They chased him, and he fell into a cesspit. Then the devotees discussed Udāyi's behavior among themselves. The Buddha, knowing what had happened, told the monks, "This is not the first time Udāyi has fallen into a cesspit; in the past, he did the same." Once, a pig and a lion challenged each other to a fight. Before the contest, the pig rolled in a pile of dung, making itself filthy and stinking. Because of that, the pig defeated the lion, since the lion dared not come near. The Buddha said, "The pig was Udāyi in a past life, and the lion was Sāriputta." After telling this past story, the Buddha told the monks, "Monks, Udāyi learned only one line of scripture but never recites it – that is a great fault." Then the Buddha spoke this verse.