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Gandha (Sutta)

1. Gandha.– The name of a family of elephants; each elephant has the strength of one million men. VibhA.397; AA.ii.822; UdA.403, etc.

2. Gandha.– A millionaire of Bārāṇasī. On realising that his ancestors had died leaving immense wealth, which they had failed to enjoy, he started to spend large sums of money on luxuries, and one full-moon day he decorated the city and invited the people to watch him taking a meal. Among the assembled multitude was a villager, who felt that he would die unless he could obtain a morsel of Gandha’s rice. When this was told to Gandha he suggested that the man should work for him for three years, taking in payment a bowl of his rice. The villager agreed and henceforth became known as Bhattabhatika. At the end of the three years Gandha kept his promise and gave orders that Bhattabhatika should enjoy all his master’s own splendours for one day, and asked all the members of his household, except his wife Cintāmaṇī, to wait on him. When Bhattabhatika sat down to eat, a Pacceka Buddha appeared before him; Bhattabhatika gave his food to the Pacceka Buddha who, in sight of all those that had gathered to watch Bhattabhatika’s splendour, went through the air to Gandhamādana. When Gandha heard of what bad happened, he gave one-half of all his possessions to Bhattabhatika in return for a share of the merit he had gained. DhA.iii.87 ff.

1. Gandha Sutta.– See Araññāyatana-Isi Sutta.

2. Gandha Sutta.– The scents of the world spread only along with the wind and not against it; the fragrance of a good man’s virtue travels everywhere. A.i.225; cp. J.iii.291; Mil.333.