4: The Book of the Fours
59. Food
1 "Bhojanaṃ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṃ cattāri ṭhānāni deti. Katamāni cattāri? Āyuṃ deti, vaṇṇaṃ deti, sukhaṃ deti, balaṃ deti. Āyuṃ kho pana datvā āyussa bhāgī hoti dibbassa vā mānusassa vā. Vaṇṇaṃ datvā … sukhaṃ datvā … balaṃ datvā balassa bhāgī hoti dibbassa vā mānusassa vā. Bhojanaṃ, bhikkhave, dadamāno dāyako paṭiggāhakānaṃ imāni cattāri ṭhānāni detīti.
2 Yo saññatānaṃ paradattabhojinaṃ,
Kālena sakkacca dadāti bhojanaṃ;
Cattāri ṭhānāni anuppavecchati,
Āyuñca vaṇṇañca sukhaṃ balañca.3 So āyudāyī vaṇṇadāyī,
sukhaṃ balaṃ dado naro;
Dīghāyu yasavā hoti,
yattha yatthūpapajjatī"ti.
Navamaṃ.