Mahavagga, Khandaka 1, Chapter 8

1. And in the forenoon the blessed One, having put on his under-robes^[1], took his alms-bowl, and, with his cīvara on, went with the venerable Yasa as his attendant to the house of the seṭṭhi, the householder. When he had arrived there, he sat down on a seat laid out for him. Then the mother and the former wife of the venerable Yasa went to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him and having respectfully saluted the Blessed One. they sat down near him.

2. Then the Blessed One preached to them in due course; that is to say, he talked about the merits obtained by alms-giving, . . . . (&c., as in chap. 7. 5, 6, down to:); thus they obtained, while sitting there, the pure and spotless Eye of theTruth (that is, the knowledge): 'Whatsoever is subject to the condition of origination is subject also to the condition of cessation.'

3. And having seen the Truth, . . . . (&c., as above, §§ 5, 6, down to:), dependent on nobody else for knowledge of the Teacher's doctrine, they thus spoke to the Blessed One: 'Glorious, Lord! glorious Lord! Just as if one should set up' (&c., as in chap. 7. 10, down to:). We take our refuge, Lord, in the Blessed One, and in the Dhamma, and in the fraternity of Bhikkhus; may the Blessed One receive us from this day forth, while our life lasts, as disciples who have taken their refuge in Him.'

These were the first females in the world who became lay-disciples by the formula of the holy triad.

4. And the mother and the father and the former wife of the venerable Yasa with their own hands served and offered^[2] excellent food, both hard and soft, to the Blessed One and to the venerable Yasa; and when the Blessed One had finished his meal, and cleansed his bowl and his hands, they sat down near him. Then the Blessed One taught, incited, animated, and gladdened the mother, and father, and the former wife of the venerable Yasa by religious discourse; and then he rose from his seat and went away.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The rules about the dress of a Bhikkhu who is going to the village are given in the Cullavagga VIII, 4, 3; 5, 2. Compare Rh. D.'s note on the Mahā-parinibbāna Sutta V, 45.

[2]:

According to Subhūti (in Childers's Dictionary) sampavāreti means that the host hands dishes to the guest until the latter says, 'I have had enough.' Childers accordingly translates sampavāreti, 'to cause to refuse.' But as pavāreti means, 'to cause to accept,' it is impossible that sampavāreti should have exactly the opposite meaning. We prefer, therefore, to take it as an emphatic synonym of pavāreti.