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72
KULLAVAGGA.
V, 3, 2.
3. 1. Now at that time the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus used to sing the Dhamma with the abrupt transitions of song-singing.
The people murmured, were annoyed, and became indignant, saying, 'How can the Sakyaputtiya Samanas (do so]?' The Bhikkhus heard (&c., as usual, down to) he addressed the Bhikkhus, and said:
These five dangers, O Bhikkhus, befall him who sings the Dhamma with the abrupt? transitions of song-singing.-He himself becomes captivated with respect to the sound thereof.-Other people become captivated with respect to the sound thereof.—The laymen are shocked.—The meditation of one who strains after accuracy in the sound is broken.-The common people fall into heresy --These five dan. gers, O Bhikkhus, befall him who sings the Dhamma with the abrupt transitions of song-singing. The Dhamma is not, O Bhikkhus, to be sung [in that manner]. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkata.'
2. Now at that time the Bhikkhus were afraid to make use of intoning. They told this matter to the Blessed One.
I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to intone.'
1 Âyata kena gîta-ssarena. Compare âyataken'eva papato at Kullavagga IX, 1, 3.
. Probably this is supposed to result because dhamma being sung and not said is not intelligible to them a complaint often made against the singing of prayers among Protestant Christians. On pakkhimâ ganatâ, compare the closing words of V, 21, 2; and on the rest of the phrase, Puggala III, 10, 14. The translation of sarakuttim is also very doubtful.
• Sara-bhaññam. So in the Mahavagga we hear that Sona
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