{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an8.48/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an8.48","id":"suttacentral_an8.48","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an8.48/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Bhaggas at Crocodile\u2019s Bellow, in the deer park at Bhesaka\u1e37\u0101\u2019s Wood. Then the housewife Nakula\u2019s mother went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to her: \u201cNakula\u2019s mother, when they have eight qualities ladies\u2014when their body breaks up, after death\u2014are reborn in company with the Gods of the Agreeable Host. What eight? Take the case of a lady whose mother and father give her to a husband wanting what\u2019s best for her, out of kindness and sympathy. She would get up before him and go to bed after him, and be obliging, behaving nicely and speaking politely. She honors, respects, esteems, and venerates those her husband respects, such as mother and father, and ascetics and brahmins. And when they arrive she serves them with a seat and water. She\u2019s deft and tireless in her husband\u2019s household duties, such as knitting and sewing. She understands how to go about things in order to complete and organize the work. She knows what work her husband\u2019s domestic bondservants, servants, and workers have completed, and what they\u2019ve left incomplete. She knows who is sick, and who is fit or unwell. She distributes to each a fair portion of fresh and cooked foods. She ensures that any income her husband earns is guarded and protected, whether money, grain, silver, or gold. She doesn\u2019t overspend, steal, waste, or lose it. She\u2019s a lay follower who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, his teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha. She\u2019s ethical. She doesn\u2019t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. She\u2019s generous. She lives at home with heart rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share. When they possess these eight qualities ladies\u2014when their body breaks up, after death\u2014are reborn in company with the Gods of the Agreeable Host. She\u2019d never look down on her husband, who\u2019s always eager to work hard, always looking after her, and bringing whatever she wants. And a good woman never scolds her husband with jealous words. Being astute, she reveres those respected by her husband. She gets up early, works tirelessly, and manages the domestic help. She\u2019s agreeable to her husband, and preserves his wealth. A lady who fulfills these duties according to her husband\u2019s desire, is reborn among the gods called \u2018Agreeable\u2019.\u201d","title":"With Nakula\u2019s Mother on the Agreeable Gods","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":413}