Dhammapada Verse 223
Uttara Upasika Vatthu
Akkodhena jine kodham
asadhum sadhuna jine
jine kadariyam danena
saccena' likavidinam.
Verse 223. Four Forms Of Victories
Anger conquer by amity,
evil conquer with good,
by giving conquer miserly,
with truth the speaker of falsity.
Explanation: Let anger be conquered by love. Let bad be conquered
by good. Let miserliness be overcome be generosity. Let the liar by
conquered by the truth.
The Story of Uttara the Lay-Disciple
While residing at the Veluvana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse
(223) of this book, with reference to Uttara, a female
lay-disciple.
Uttara was the daughter of a farm labourer named Punna and his
wife. Punna worked for a rich man named Sumana, in Rajagaha. One
day, Punna and his wife offered alms-food to Thera Sariputta soon
after his arising from sustained deep mental absorption (nirodha
samapatti), and as a result of that good deed they suddenly became
very rich. Punna came upon gold in the field he was ploughing, and
the king officially declared him a royal banker. On one occasion,
the family of Punna offered alms-food to the Buddha and the
bhikkhus for seven days. and on the seventh day, after hearing the
Buddha's discourse, all the three members of the family attained
Sotapatti Fruition.
Later, Uttara the daughter of Punna married the son of the rich man
Sumana. That family being non-Buddhist, Uttara did not feel happy
in her husband's home. So, she told her father, "My father, why
have you put me in this cage? Here, I do not see any bhikkhu and I
have no chance to offer anything to any bhikkhu." Her father felt
sorry for her and sent her fifteen thousand in cash. With this
money, after getting permission from her husband, Uttara engaged a
courtesan to look to the needs of her husband. So it was arranged
that Sirima, a well-known and very beautiful courtesan, was to take
her place as a wife for fifteen days.
During that time, Uttara offered alms-food to the Buddha and the
bhikkhus. On the fifteenth day, as she was busy preparing food in
the kitchen, her husband saw her from the bedroom window and
smiled, and then muttered to himself, "How foolish she is! She does
not know how to enjoy herself. She is tiring herself out with this
alms-giving ceremony!" Sirima saw him smile, and forgetting that
she was only a paid substitute wife felt very jealous of Uttara.
Being unable to control herself, Sirima went into the kitchen and
got a ladleful of boiling butter with the intention of pouring it
over the head of Uttara. Uttara saw her coming, but she bore no ill
will towards Sirima. She reflected that because Sirima had stood in
for her, she had been able to listen to the dhamma, make offerings
of alms-food for fifteen days, and perform other acts of charity.
Thus she was quite thankful to Sirima. Suddenly, she realized that
Sirima had come very close to her and was going to pour boiling-hot
butter over her; so she made this asseveration: "If I bear any ill
will towards Sirima may this boiling-hot butter burn me; if I have
no ill will towards her may it not burn me."
As Uttara had no ill will towards Sirima, the boiling butter poured
over her head by Sirima was just like cold water. Then Sirima
thought the butter must have gone cold; and as she went for another
ladleful of boiling butter, the attendants of Uttara fell upon her
and beat her hard. Uttara stopped her attendants and instructed
them to rub Sirima with medicinal ointment.
Then, Sirima remembered her true position and she regretted that
she had done wrong to Uttara and asked Uttara to forgive her. To
her Uttara replied, "I have my father; I shall ask him whether I
should accept your apology." Sirima then said that she would
readily go and apologize to the rich man, the father of Uttara.
Uttara then explained to Sirima, "Sirima,. when I said 'My father',
I did not mean my real father, who had brought me into this round
of rebirths. I was referring to my father, the Buddha, who had
helped me break the chain of rebirths, who had taught me the
Dhamma, the Noble Truths." Sirima then expressed her wish to see
the Buddha. So it was arranged that Sirima should offer alms-food
to the Buddha and the bhikkhus on the following day at the house of
Uttara.
After the meal, the Buddha was told everything that had happened
between Sirima and Uttara. Sirima then owned up that she had done
wrong to Uttara and entreated the Buddha that she should be
forgiven, for otherwise Uttara would not forgive her. The Buddha
then asked Uttara how she felt in her mind when Sirima poured
boiling butter on her head, and Uttara answered, "Venerable Sir,
because I owed so much to Sirima I had resolved not to lose my
temper, not to bear any ill will towards her. I sent forth my love
towards her". The Buddha then said, "Well done, well done, Uttara!
By not bearing any ill will you have been able to conquer one who
has done you wrong through hate. By not abusing, you should conquer
one who abuses you; by being generous you should conquer one who is
stingy; by speaking the truth you should conquer one who tells
lies."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 223: Conquer the angry one by not getting angry (i.e., by
loving-kindness); conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the
stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.
At the end of the discourse Sirima and five hundred ladies attained
Sotapatti Fruition.