Mahakhandhako, The Great Chapter sections 1-4

IV. In Rājagaha - 171
kaṁsi tvaṁ āvuso uddissa pabbajito,
on account of whom, friend, did you go forth,
ko vā te Satthā, kassa vā tvaṁ Dhammaṁ rocesī?” ti
who is your teacher, what Dhamma do you prefer?”
“Atthāvuso Mahāsamaṇo Sakyaputto Sakyakulā pabbajito,
“There is, friend, a Great Ascetic, a Sakyan Son, who has gone forth from the Sakya
family,
tāhaṁ Bhagavantaṁ uddissa pabbajito,
on account of that Gracious One I went forth,
so ca me Bhagavā Satthā, tassa cāhaṁ Bhagavato Dhammaṁ rocemī.” ti
that Gracious One is my Teacher, that Gracious One’s Dhamma I prefer.”
“Kiṁvādī panāyasmato Satthā kim-akkhāyī?” ti
“But what is the doctrine of the venerable’s Teacher, what does he say?”
“Ahaṁ kho āvuso navo acirapabbajito,
“I am new, friend, one not long gone forth,
adhunāgato imaṁ Dhammavinayaṁ,
recently come to this Dhamma and Discipline, 210
na tāhaṁ sakkomi vitthārena Dhammaṁ desetuṁ,
I am not able to teach the Dhamma at length,
api ca te saṅkhittena atthaṁ vakkhāmī.” ti
but I can explain the meaning to you in brief.”
Atha kho Sāriputto paribbājako āyasmantaṁ Assajiṁ etad-avoca: “Hotu āvuso,
Then the wanderer Sāriputta said this to the venerable Assaji: “Friend,
Appaṁ vā bahuṁ vā bhāsassu atthaṁ yeva me brūhi,
Speak little or much, but tell the meaning to me,
Attheneva me attho, kiṁ kāhasi byañjanaṁ bahun?”-ti
The meaning is useful to me, what to do with many words?” 211
210 This Assaji is always identified as one of the group-of-five disciples, who listened to the
Discourse that Set the Dhamma Wheel Rolling and became a Worthy One while listening to
the Discourse on the Characteristic of Non-Self --- he was one of the five most senior
disciples in the Saṅgha. It is hard to reconcile these facts with his self-characterisation here.
Also there is no mention of Assaji accompanying the Buddha to Rājagaha. Assaji must have
been a common name at the time, and I think it likely we are dealing with a different Assaji
here to the one whom we met in Isipatana.
211 Byañjana literally means syllable in this context.