[Pali Class] The Story of Cakkhupala Thera #3

Question

Paragraph 4 for translation (submit translations as answers):

tadā sāvatthiyaṃ satta manussakoṭiyo vasanti. tesu satthu dhammakathaṃ sutvā pañcakoṭimattā manussā ariyasāvakā jātā, dvekoṭimattā manussā puthujjanā. tesu ariyasāvakānaṃ dveyeva kiccāni ahesuṃ — purebhattaṃ dānaṃ denti, pacchābhattaṃ gandhamālādihatthā vatthabhesajjapānakādīni gāhāpetvā dhammassavanatthāya gacchanti. athekadivasaṃ mahāpālo ariyasāvake gandhamālādihatthe vihāraṃ gacchante disvā “ayaṃ mahājano kuhiṃ gacchatī”ti pucchitvā “dhammassavanāyā”ti sutvā “ahampi gamissāmī”ti gantvā satthāraṃ vanditvā parisapariyante nisīdi.

-- DPR Source

Answer 1

At that time in Sāvatthi lived 700.000 people [more realistic than 70 mil. as it should be calculated acc. to PTS]. After having heard Teacher's exposition of the Dhamma, 500.000 of them became noble disciples, 200.000 [remained] ordinary people.
For noble disciples there were these two duties – before noon to give gifts and after noon with perfumes and garlands in their hands, having caused [monks] to take cloth, medicine, drink etc. to come and listen to the Dhamma.

Than one day Mahāpālo, having seen a noble disciple going to the monastery with perfumes and garlands in his hands, asked: "Where does this man go?" Having heard: "To listen to the Dhamma" [said:] "I will go too". Having gone and saluted the Teacher, he sat at one end of the assembly.

Comments

I think gāhāpetvā refers to having someone else take something for you, not offering to the monk; the Thai translation thinks so too, and from a quick search, it looks like that is how the causative of this verb is used...

Answer 2

Word-by-word:

sāvatthiyaṃ in Savatthi tadā then vasanti. were dwelling satta seven manussakoṭiyo koti of humans tesu of them pañcakoṭimattā a total of five koti manussā humans sutvā having heard dhammakathaṃ a dhamma talk satthu of the teacher jātā, had become ariyasāvakā noble disciples dvekoṭimattā a total of two koti manussā humans puthujjanā. [were] defiled beings. tesu of them, ahesuṃ there were dveyeva just two kiccāni duties ariyasāvakānaṃ of the noble disciples purebhattaṃ before the meal denti, they give dānaṃ charity pacchābhattaṃ after the meal gandhamālādihatthā with hands full of scents, garlands, etc. gāhāpetvā having ordered the bringing of vatthabhesajjapānakādīni cloth, medicines, drinks, etc. gacchanti. would go dhammassavanatthāya for the purpose of listening to the dhamma. athekadivasaṃ then, one day, mahāpālo Mahapaala disvā having seen ariyasāvake the noble disciples gandhamālādihatthe with hands full of scents, garlands, etc. gacchante going to vihāraṃ the monastery pucchitvā having asked, iti thus: kuhiṃ "to where ayaṃ [is] this mahājano great crowd gacchati going?" sutvā having heard, iti thus: “dhammassavanāya” "for listening to the dhamma" iti [thought] thus: “ahampi "I, too, gamissāmi” will go." gantvā having gone, vanditvā having paid homage satthāraṃ to the teacher, nisīdi. sat parisapariyante at the perimeter of the assembly.

Proper:

In Savatthi, just then, were dwelling seven koti of people. Of them, a total of five koti of people, having heard talk on the dhamma from the teacher, had become noble disciples. A total of two koti humans were still fully-defiled beings.

Of them, two duties were undertaken only by the noble disciples:
1) before the meal they would give charity;
2) after the meal, with hands full of scents, garlands, etc. having ordered the bringing of cloth, medicines, drinks, etc. they would go for the purpose of listening to the dhamma.

Then, one day, Mahapaala having seen the noble disciples with hands full of scents, garlands, etc. going to the monastery, asked, "to where [is] this great crowd going?" Having heard, "for listening to the dhamma", he thought, "I, too, will go." Having gone and paid homage to the teacher, he sat at the perimeter of the gathering.