Mahākhandhako The Great Chapter - Ancient Buddhist Texts

II. Progress of the Sāsana - 91
“Yaso kira kulaputto kesamassuṁ ohāretvā,
“The young man Yasa, it seems, after shaving off his hair and beard,
kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā, agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito.” ti
and donning brown garments, 148 has gone forth from the home to the homeless life.”
Sutvāna nesaṁ etad-ahosi:
After hearing (it), this occurred to them:
“Na hi nūna so orako Dhammavinayo, na sā orakā pabbajjā
“This is not an inferior Dhamma and Discipline, not an inferior going-forth
yattha Yaso kulaputto kesamassuṁ ohāretvā,
in which the young man Yasa, after shaving off his hair and beard,
kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā, agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito.” ti
and donning brown garments, has gone forth from the home to the homeless life.”
Te yenāyasmā Yaso tenupasaṅkamiṁsu,
They approached the venerable Yasa,
upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ Yasaṁ abhivādetvā, ekam-antaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu.
and after approaching and worshipping the venerable Yasa, they stood on one side.
Atha kho āyasmā Yaso te cattāro gihisahāyake ādāya
Then the venerable Yasa took those four householder friends
yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami,
and approached the Gracious One,
upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā, ekam-antaṁ nisīdi.
and after approaching and worshipping the Gracious One, he sat down on one side.
Ekam-antaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā Yaso Bhagavantaṁ etad-avoca:
While sitting on one side the venerable Yasa said this to the Gracious One:
“Ime me Bhante cattāro gihisahāyakā
“These, venerable Sir, are four of my householder friends
Bārāṇasiyaṁ seṭṭhānuseṭṭhīnaṁ kulānaṁ puttā,
sons of good families of greater and lesser merchants in Bārāṇasī,
148 It is not clear what colour kāsāya really was, as the dictionaries mention red, ochre, yellow
and brown. According to CPD (s.v. kasāya) it was made from the juice of myrobalan. It is
interesting that the word used in these stock phrases is vattha, garments or clothes, rather
than cīvara, robes.