UD 8.7  Dvidhāpatha sutta - Fork in the Road

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti āyasmatā nāgasamālena pacchāsamaṇena. Addasā kho āyasmā nāgasamālo antarāmagge dvidhāpathaṁ. Disvāna bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ayaṁ, bhante, bhagavā pantho; iminā gacchāmā”ti. Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā āyasmantaṁ nāgasamālaṁ etadavoca: “ayaṁ, nāgasamāla, pantho; iminā gacchāmā”ti.

Thus have I heard—At one time the Blessed One was traveling along the main road in Kosala with venerable Nāgasamāla as his attendant. While on the way, venerable Nāgasamāla saw a fork in the road. Having seen it, he said to the Blessed One: “This is the path, venerable sir; let us go by this one, Blessed One.” When this was said, the Blessed One said to venerable Nāgasamāla: “This, Nāgasamāla, is the path; let us go by this one.”

Dutiyampi kho …pe… tatiyampi kho āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ayaṁ, bhante, bhagavā pantho; iminā gacchāmā”ti. Tatiyampi kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ nāgasamālaṁ etadavoca: “ayaṁ, nāgasamāla, pantho; iminā gacchāmā”ti. Atha kho āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavato pattacīvaraṁ tattheva chamāyaṁ nikkhipitvā pakkāmi: “idaṁ, bhante, bhagavato pattacīvaran”ti.

For a second time, and for a third time venerable Nāgasamāla said to the Blessed One: “This is the path, venerable sir; let us go by this one, Blessed One.” For a third time the Blessed One said to venerable Nāgasamāla: “This, Nāgasamāla, is the path; let us go by this one.” Then venerable Nāgasamāla put down the Blessed One’s bowl and robe right there on the ground and left: “This, venerable sir, is the Blessed One’s bowl and robe.”

Atha kho āyasmato nāgasamālassa tena panthena gacchantassa antarāmagge corā nikkhamitvā hatthehi ca pādehi ca ākoṭesuṁ pattañca bhindiṁsu saṅghāṭiñca vipphālesuṁ. Atha kho āyasmā nāgasamālo bhinnena pattena vipphālitāya saṅghāṭiyā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā nāgasamālo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “idha mayhaṁ, bhante, tena panthena gacchantassa antarāmagge corā nikkhamitvā hatthehi ca pādehi ca ākoṭesuṁ, pattañca bhindiṁsu, saṅghāṭiñca vipphālesun”ti.

Then, as venerable Nāgasamāla was going along that path, robbers came out halfway and struck him with hands and feet, broke his bowl, and tore his outer robe. Then venerable Nāgasamāla, with broken bowl and torn outer robe, approached the Blessed One; having approached and bowed to the Blessed One, he sat to one side. Sitting to one side, venerable Nāgasamāla said to the Blessed One: “Just now, venerable sir, while I was going along that path, robbers came out halfway and struck me with hands and feet, broke my bowl, and tore my outer robe.”

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:

“Saddhiṁ caramekato vasaṁ,
Misso aññajanena vedagū;
Vidvā pajahāti pāpakaṁ,
Koñco khīrapakova ninnagan”ti.

“Walking and dwelling together,
the |knowledge master::one who has complete understanding [vedagū]| mixes with |ignorant persons::those who do not know [aññajane]|;
Yet the |wise one::who is knowing, intelligent; lit. having the knowing quality [vidvant]| abandons the |harmful::injurious, bad, or evil. Encompasses the deceptively alluring that is ultimately detrimental or ruinous [pāpaka]|,
like a milk-drinking heron the water.”