The gift ( — gift, giving) given to those worthy of immediate giving (takkhiṇeyya-puggala — worthy of immediate giving / recipients deserving of prompt alms) bears great fruit.
“Whatever I might desire, by a gift ( — gift, giving) empty of a takkhiṇeyya-person (takkhiṇeyya-puggala — worthy of immediate giving) — this yakṣa (yakṣa — yakṣa; spirit/being) named Indaka, having given (datta / tatta / tatvā — give / given) even a little, flourishes more than I, like the moon among the stars.”
Those verses, the stanza reading tacchā (tacchā — [textual stanza form]), are corrected to tatvā (tatvā — given) — meaning “given.”
When Āṅkura-devaputta (Āṅkura-devaputta — proper name: Āṅkura, devaputta / heavenly youth) thus addressed, the Blessed One said to Indaka-devaputta (Indaka-devaputta — proper name: Indaka, devaputta / heavenly youth), “Indaka, sit at my right. Why do you not move off and sit elsewhere?” Indaka-devaputta replied, “Lord, I have wealth of the takkhiṇeyya kind (takkhiṇeyya — worthy of immediate giving), like the farmer who scatters a little seed in a good field.” Having so spoken, when the declaration about takkhiṇeyya-persons was to be made, he spoke thus:
“Even if much seed a person scatters in a poor field (khetta — field), the yield is not flourishing and does not give joy to the farmer; likewise, gifts ( — gift, giving) many, which a person sets among a crowd of the unvirtuous, the fruit will not be flourishing nor will they gladden the donor. Even so: if a little seed a person scatters in a good field (khetta — field), when the rains come at the proper time and the streams and waters reach it, the yield will gladden the farmer; likewise, if even a little worship (archana / upaṭṭhāna — worship / reverential attention) a donor performs among those who are virtuous and of settled merit, the fruit will gladden the donor.”
(1) “Devaputta” here means a heavenly youth to be reverenced.
The gift ( — gift, giving) given to takkhiṇeyya-persons (takkhiṇeyya-puggala — worthy of immediate giving) bears great fruit.
They asked, “What was the former deed (kamma — action, deed) of that Indaka-devaputta?” The answer given was: “It is heard that Indaka-devaputta once gave a single ladleful **(tappī — ladleful) — which he had carried for himself — to the Venerable Aniruddha (Aniruddha — proper name) who went for alms within the house. His merit surpassed the gift that Āṅkura-devaputta made by laying out a row of fire-hearths twelve yojanas long (yojana — measure of distance), having given them for ten thousand years; therefore Indaka-devaputta spoke thus.” When Indaka-devaputta had so spoken, the Blessed One said, “Āṅkura, choice beforehand and then giving is proper; such a gift will be fruitful in that manner, like seed sown well in a good field (khetta — field); but you did not act so, therefore your gift does not bear much fruit.” To make this clear He declared:
“Where a gift ( — gift, giving) is given, and it bears great fruit, one should choose to give in that place; the choosing of giving praised by the Well-gone One — the gifts given to those takkhiṇeyya-persons (takkhiṇeyya-puggala — worthy of immediate giving) that exist in the world, namely these beings now present, are fruitful, just like seed sown in a good field (khetta — field).”
To enlarge the teaching He uttered these stanzas:
“The fields (khetta — field) have grass as their harm; these beings have lust (rāga — lust / attachment) as harm; therefore gifts given to those in whom lust is gone have great fruit.
The fields (khetta — field) have grass as harm; these beings have hatred (dosa — hatred / aversion) as harm; therefore gifts given to those in whom hatred is gone have great fruit.
The fields (khetta — field) have grass as harm; these beings have delusion (moha — delusion / ignorance) as harm; therefore gifts given to those in whom delusion is gone have great fruit.
The fields (khetta — field) have grass as harm; these beings have craving (taṇhā — craving / thirst) as harm; therefore gifts given to those in whom craving is gone have great fruit.”
When the sermon was concluded, Āṅkura-devaputta and Indaka-devaputta attained the fruit of stream-entry (sotāpatti-phala — fruit of stream-entry / first path fruit). (The Dhamma-discourse had proved beneficial even for the many.)
Short Pāli Glossary (concise · intensive)
— gift, giving. The meritorious act of giving.
takkhiṇeyya — worthy of immediate giving; recipient deserving of prompt alms.
takkhiṇeyya-puggala — worthy recipient / someone appropriate to receive immediate alms.
yakṣa — yakṣa; spirit/being (here a heavenly being named Indaka).
datta, tatta, tatvā — give / given (verbal forms; tatvā noted as corrected form meaning “given”).
Āṅkura-devaputta — proper name: Āṅkura, devaputta (heavenly youth).
Indaka-devaputta — proper name: Indaka, devaputta (heavenly youth).
kamma — action, deed (here: former deed).
tappī — ladleful.
yojana — measure of distance.
khetta — field.
archana, upaṭṭhāna — worship / reverential attention.
rāga — lust, greed; attachment.
dosa — hatred, aversion.
moha — delusion, ignorance.
taṇhā — craving, thirst (for becoming).
sotāpatti-phala — fruit of stream-entry (first path fruit).