nagaraṃ yathāti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto sambahule āgantuke bhikkhū ārabbha kathesi.
te kira ekasmiṃ paccante vassaṃ upagantvā paṭhamamāse sukhaṃ vihariṃsu. majjhimamāse corā āgantvā tesaṃ gocaragāmaṃ paharitvā karamare gahetvā agamaṃsu. tato paṭṭhāya manussā corānaṃ paṭibāhanatthāya taṃ paccantanagaraṃ abhisaṅkharontā te bhikkhū sakkaccaṃ upaṭṭhātuṃ okāsaṃ na labhiṃsu. te aphāsukaṃ vassaṃ vasitvā vutthavassā satthu dassanāya sāvatthiṃ gantvā satthāraṃ vanditvā ekamantaṃ nisīdiṃsu. satthā tehi saddhiṃ katapaṭisanthāro “kiṃ, bhikkhave, sukhaṃ vasitthā”ti pucchitvā, “bhante, mayaṃ paṭhamamāsameva sukhaṃ vasimhā, majjhimamāse corā gāmaṃ pahariṃsu, tato paṭṭhāya manussā nagaraṃ abhisaṅkharontā sakkaccaṃ upaṭṭhātuṃ okāsaṃ na labhiṃsu. tasmā aphāsukaṃ vassaṃ vasimhā”ti vutte “alaṃ, bhikkhave, mā cintayittha, phāsuvihāro nāma niccakālaṃ dullabho, bhikkhunā nāma yathā te manussā nagaraṃ gopayiṃsu, evaṃ attabhāvameva gopayituṃ vaṭṭatī”ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha —
315.
“nagaraṃ yathā paccantaṃ, guttaṃ santarabāhiraṃ.
evaṃ gopetha attānaṃ, khaṇo vo mā upaccagā.
khaṇātītā hi socanti, nirayamhi samappitā”ti.
tattha santarabāhiranti, bhikkhave, yathā tehi manussehi taṃ paccantanagaraṃ dvārapākārādīni thirāni karontehi sāntaraṃ, aṭṭālakaparikhādīni thirāni karontehi sabāhiranti santarabāhiraṃ suguttaṃ kataṃ, evaṃ tumhepi satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā ajjhattikāni cha dvārāni pidahitvā dvārarakkhikaṃ satiṃ avissajjetvā yathā gayhamānāni bāhirāni cha āyatanāni ajjhattikānaṃ upaghātāya saṃvattanti, tathā aggahaṇena tānipi thirāni katvā tesaṃ appavesāya dvārarakkhikaṃ satiṃ appahāya vicarantā attānaṃ gopethāti attho. khaṇo vo mā upaccagāti yo hi evaṃ attānaṃ na gopeti, taṃ puggalaṃ ayaṃ buddhuppādakhaṇo majjhimadese uppattikhaṇo sammādiṭṭhiyā paṭiladdhakhaṇo channaṃ āyatanānaṃ avekallakhaṇoti sabbopi ayaṃ khaṇo atikkamati, so khaṇo tumhe mā atikkamatu. khaṇātītāti ye hi taṃ khaṇaṃ atītā, te ca puggale so ca khaṇo atīto, te nirayamhi samappitā hutvā tattha nibbattitvā socantīti attho.
desanāvasāne te bhikkhū uppannasaṃvegā arahatte patiṭṭhahiṃsūti.
sambahulabhikkhuvatthu sattamaṃ.