Commentary on the stanza on rasa-gedha

121. What is the origin of the stanza, starting with rasesu? It is said that a certain king of Benares, surrounded by young ministers bemused himself at the stone-slab lotus lake in his royal garden. His royal cook took essence of all kinds of flesh, cooked an interim meal resembling celestial food, exceedingly well-finished, and served the same to the king. getting covetous over that meal, the king ate it himself without giving anything to anybody. While sporting himself in the water of the lade, he went out at an extremely odd time and ate swiftly and quickly. In doing so, the king did not recollect any one of those who had eaten together with him before. then, afterwards, the king provoked reflection thus: “Alas! By me, an evil deed has been done, in that I ate but alone, without remembering all people, being overwhelmed by the craving of tasteful eatable; now I am going to control that taste-craving (rasataṇhā)”. the king, then, abdicated his sovereignty, became a monk, developed spiritual insight, visualised silent buddhahood and recited this stanza of joyous utterance, reproaching his own previous practice and illuminating the quality of its reverse.

121.1. Rasesu, there, in the tastes, connotes in the savouries, of such varieties as: sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, salt, alkaline, astringent and so on. Gedham akaram connotes not doing covetousness, (or) not evoking one's eagerness; not provoking craving (taṇhā); thus, is the statement. Alolo (not eagerly greedy) connotes being undisturbed in different tastes in this manner: “I shall taste this; I shall taste that”. Anaññaposī (one who does not nourish others) to be rid of such people as should be nourished, co-residents and so on; contented with just supporting his own body; thus, is the statement. In other words, just as formerly, in the royal garden, the king was one who nourished others in his practice of making himself covetously eager for tasteful eatables; without being thus, the king became greedy and made covetousness in tasteful eatables; having forsaken that craving (taṇhā), and by not upbringing another existence based on craving, in future, he becomes a non-nourisher of others; thus, is the statement. Then, in other words, all kinds of depravity (kilesa), are said to be aññe, others, due to???breakage of advantage; by not nourishing those kilesas, he is a non-nourisher of others;thus, is the meaning here. Sapadānacārī (wandering from house to house serially) connotes wandering without deviation, wandering successively;without discarding the serial order of houses, entering rich family as well as poor family without any gap for collecting alms-food; thus, is the meaning. Kule Kule appaṭibaddhacitto (without the mind being bound to any family) connotes in such families as the princely and so on, without the mind being hung clingingly to this or that family under the influence of depravity (kilesa); being ever new similar to the moon; thus, is the meaning. the rest is in the manner, aforesaid.

The Commentary on the stanza, starting with rasagedha, has ended.