Pali text, illustration and English translation of Dhammapada verse 49:
yathāpi bhamaro pupphaṃ vaṇṇagandhaṃ aheṭhayaṃ |
paḷeti rasamādāya evaṃ gāme munī care || 49 ||
49. Just as a bee in a flower harming neither hue nor scent gathers nectar, flies away, so in towns a Wise One fares.
The Story of Kosiya, the Miserly Rich Man
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this Verse, with reference to the chief disciple Mahā Moggallāna and the miserly rich man, Kosiya.
In the village of Sakkara, near Rājagaha, there lived a miserly rich man by the name of Kosiya, who was very reluctant to give away even the tiniest part of anything belonging to him. One day, to avoid sharing with others, the rich man and his wife were making pancakes in the uppermost story of their house, where no one would see them.
Early in the morning, on that day, the Buddha through his supernormal power, saw the rich man and his wife in his vision, and knew that both of them would soon attain sotāpatti fruition. So he sent Mahā Moggallāna to the house of the rich man, with instructions to bring the couple to the Jetavana Monastery in time for the midday meal. By supernormal power, he reached Kosiya’s house in an instant and stood at the window.
The rich man saw him and asked him to leave. He just stood there without saying anything. In the end, Kosiya said to his wife, “Make a very small pancake and give it to the monk.” So she took just a little amount of dough and put it in the pan, and the cake filled up the whole pan. Kosiya thought his wife must have put in too much, so he took just a pinch of dough and put it into the pan; his pancake also swelled into a big one. It so happened that however little dough they put in, they were unable to make small pancakes. At last, Kosiya asked his wife to offer one from the basket to the monk.
When she tried to take out one from the basket it would not come off because all the pancakes were sticking together and could not be separated. By this time Kosiya had lost all appetite for pancakes and offered the whole basket of pancakes to Mahā Moggallāna. The chief disciple then delivered a discourse on charity to the rich man and his wife. He also told the couple about how the Buddha was waiting with five hundred monks at the Jetavana Monastery in Sāvatthi, forty-five yojanas away from Rājagaha. Mahā Moggallāna, by his supernormal power, then took both Kosiya and his wife together with their basket of pancakes, to the presence of the Buddha. There, they offered the pancakes to the Buddha and the five hundred monks. At the end of the meal, the Buddha delivered a discourse on charity, and both Kosiya and his wife attained sotāpatti fruition.
The next evening, while the monks were talking in praise of Mahā Moggallāna, the Buddha came to them and said, “Monks, you should also dwell and act in the village like Mahā Moggallāna, receiving the offerings of the villagers without affecting their faith and generosity or their wealth.”
Explanatory Translation (Verse 49)
yathā api bhamaro pupphaṃ vaṇṇagandhaṃ aheṭhayaṃ
rasaṃ ādāya paleti evaṃ munī gāme care
yathā api: just as; bhamaro [bhamara]: the bee; pupphaṃ [puppha]: flower; vaṇṇagandhaṃ [vaṇṇagandha]: colour and the fragrance; aheṭhayaṃ [aheṭhaya]: without harming; rasaṃ [rasa]: the nectar; ādāya: taking; paleti: makes bear fruit; evaṃ munī: this way the silent sage; gāme care: should go about in the village
The bee extracts honey from flowers without damaging either the colour or the fragrance of the flower and in so doing helps the tree bear much fruit. Similarly, the silent sage goes about in the village collecting alms without harming anyone even minutely, and in so doing helps people gain much merit and happiness.
Commentary and exegetical material (Verse 49)
gāme munī care: the silent sage goes on his alms round in the village, from house to house, taking only a handful from each house, and only what is willingly and respectfully given. The wandering ascetics, and all other religious mendicants, are dependent on the village for their requisites. But, the virtuous silent sage sees to it that the village is not exploited in any way. The bee, while extracting honey from flowers, pollinates them, without harming them in the least. While seeking alms, the silent sage is also doing a favour to the people spiritually. The merit that he earns through his practice is shared with the people who support his survival. The donors gain much merit which brings them happiness here and hereafter. A Buddhist monk, even though he is withdrawn from society, is not working only for his own benefit, as some think. He is working for the sake of all. This verse reminds us of this fact.