Texts from the Buddhist canon : commonly known as Dhammapada

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134
SECTION XXIX.
WIDE AND DIFFUSIVE (SENTENCES).!
I. In days of old when Buddha was residing in the country
of Sravasti, preaching his doctrine for the conversion of *
the various orders of creatures (gods, n§,gas, men, &c.), it
happened that the king of the country, who wais called
Prasenajita, had gone on three occasions with his mini-
sters to hear Buddha's discourses. Now at this time the
king had given way to much self-indulgence in the way
of luxurious living and other gratifications of the senses,
in consequence of which he had hecome sleek and fat, and
heing so, he suffered from various aUments, such as flatu-
lency and excessive drowsiness and heaviness, so that he
could scarcely rise up without inconvenience, and was
always more or less a sufferer from discomfort.
In this condition he once came to the place where-
Buddha was, and leaning on the arms of his attendants,
he took his seat, and with clasped hands addressed the
teacher tl^us:— "World-honoured! pardon, I pray, my
want of due respect in not saluting you as I ought,
hut I know not what ailment possesses me that I am
become so fat! and it is this that pains me so that I
can pay none of the usual respects to your person."
To which the Lord replied— " Mah§,r&ja ! there are five
things which always produce the condition of which you
complain: ist, constantly eating; 2d, love of sleep; 3d,
love of pleasure; 4th, absence of thought; sth, want of
occupation. These are the things that cause corpulency
1 Translated "Miscellaneous" ivom the F&li paMnnako.