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B0102051403tikanipāto (chapter three)

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English

Washed by the stain of desire, And sharpened by thought; Not adorned, O good one, And made by an arrow-maker. Not shot from the ear, Nor feathered by a peacock; By that I am pierced in the heart, Burning all my limbs. And I do not see the wound, From where the blood flows; As long as the mind is unwise, It brings suffering to me itself. Even today it is in my mind, That you, with a handful of sesame, Having seized me by the arm, Struck me with a stick. Do you not delight in life, You who have come from Brahmā? That having seized me by the arm, You struck me thrice. A noble one, one doing ignoble deeds, Who restrains with a stick; That is instruction, not enmity, Thus the wise understand it. My food and drink, abundant and excellent, Arises on account of this gem; I will not give it to you, you are too importunate a beggar, Nor will I come to your hermitage. Like a child with hands washed clean of gravel, You frighten me, begging for the rock; I will not give it to you, you are too importunate a beggar, Nor will I come to your hermitage. One should not beg from one whose favor one desires, For one becomes hateful through excessive begging; The Nāga, begged for his gem by the brahmin, Went into hiding then. Having eaten grass and fodder, Having eaten rice gruel and husks; This was your food, Why do you not eat now? Where people do not know, By birth or by discipline; There, O great brahmin, much (is available), Even rice gruel and husks. But you know me, In the beginning, the excellent horse; Knowing, having come to know, "I will not eat your bran." The Bran-Belly-Sindh-Horse Jātaka, the fourth. 255. The Parrot Jātaka (3-1-5) 13. As long as that bird knew moderation in food; So long did he journey, and supported his mother. 14. But when he consumed too much food; Then he sank right there, for he was immoderate. 15. Therefore, moderation is good, non-greed in food; The immoderate indeed sink, the moderate do not sink. The Parrot Jātaka, the fifth. 256. The Old Well Jātaka (3-1-6) 16. Digging an old well, the merchants, seeking water; They found iron and copper, tin and lead, the merchants; Silver and gold, many pearls and lapis lazuli. 17. And they, not content with that, dug more and more; There a dreadful venomous snake, powerful, struck them with its power. 18. Therefore, dig but not too much, for over-digging is evil; By digging wealth is gained, by over-digging it is lost. The Old Well Jātaka, the sixth. 257. The Gāmaṇicanda Jātaka (3-1-7) 19. This one is not skilled in households, this monkey is greedy; He would spoil whatever is done, such is the nature of this family. 20. This is not the hair of a wise one, this is not a reassuring deer; It was taught to me by the multitude, this one knows nothing. 21. Neither mother nor father, nor his own brother or sister; Would such a person support, this was taught to me by Dasaratha. The Gāmaṇicanda Jātaka, the seventh. 258. The Mandhātu Jātaka (3-1-8) 22. As far as the moon and sun move about, shining in the directions; All are servants of Mandhātu, All beings that dwell on earth. 23. Not by a rain of coins Is satisfaction found in desires; Desires are of little taste, painful, Thus understanding, the wise one, 24. Even in divine pleasures, Does not find delight; He delights in the destruction of craving, A disciple of the Perfectly Enlightened One. The Mandhātu Jātaka, the eighth. 259. The Tirīṭavaccha Jātaka (3-1-9) 25. He has no knowledge, No kinsmen, nor any helper; Then by what merit, Tirīṭavaccha, Does he, a staff-bearer, eat the choicest food? 26. When I was defeated in battle, Alone in a dreadful forest; He extended his hand to me in distress, By that I was lifted up, overcome with suffering. 27. By his deed, he has come here, To the realms of the living, O Vesāyina; Tirīṭavaccha is worthy of gain, dear one, Give him wealth and offer sacrifices! The Tirīṭavaccha Jātaka, the ninth. 260. The Dūta Jātaka (3-1-10) 28. For whose sake they go far, Even to beg from an enemy; I am the messenger of that belly, Do not be angry with me, O chief of charioteers. 29. To whom by day and night, Young men come under his sway; I am the messenger of that belly, Do not be angry with me, O chief of charioteers. 30. I will give you, brahmin, a thousand red cows, Together with a bull; How could a messenger not give to a messenger? We too are his messengers! The Dūta Jātaka, the tenth. The Saṅkappa Vagga, the first. Its summary – The excellent arrow-maker, the sesame-fist, the gem, The king of horses, the bird, the poisonous snake; Janasandha, the rain of coins, then Tirīṭa, then the messenger, ten in all. 2. The Paduma Vagga 261. The Paduma Jātaka (3-2-1) 31. Just as hair and beard, When cut, grow again; So may your nose grow again, Give me the lotus I asked for. 32. Just as seasonal seeds, Sown in a field, grow; So may it grow. O nose, give a lotus when asked. 33. Both of them babbling, will he give lotuses? Whether they speak or not, there is no growing for the nose; Give, friend, the lotuses, I ask, being asked. The Lotus Birth Story, first. 262. The Soft-Handed Birth Story (3-2-2) 34. If the hand were soft, and the elephant well-trained; And darkness were to rain, then indeed it might be so. 35. Like fire, soft-spoken, hard to fill, like rivers; Knowing them, one sinks; one should avoid them from afar. 36. Whom these women serve, whether by desire or by wealth; Like a fire to a place, they quickly burn it up. The Soft-Handed Birth Story, second. 263. The Lesser Enticement Birth Story (3-2-3) 37. In the unbreaking water, having come by your own power; Having gone to mingle with a woman, you sink in the great ocean. 38. They are whirlpools, great illusions, destroyers of holy life; Knowing them, one sinks; one should avoid them from afar. 39. Whom these women serve, whether by desire or by wealth; Like a fire to a place, they quickly burn it up. The Lesser Enticement Birth Story, third. 264. The Great Panāda Birth Story (3-2-4) 40. Panāda was the name of that king, whose sacrificial post was golden; Sixteen cubits wide across, they say it was a thousand high. 41. With a thousand sections, a hundred spheres, its banners were green; Six thousand Gandharvas danced there, in seven ways. 42. Thus it was then, just as you speak, Bhaddaji; I was Sakka then, your attendant. The Great Panāda Birth Story, fourth. 265. The Razor-Edged Arrow Birth Story (3-2-5) 43. Seeing razor-edged arrows shot with bow-force, sharp swords taken, oiled and cleaned; In that fear, with death spread out, Why were you not terrified? 44. Seeing the arrows shot from bows, And the sharp, oil-washed swords held high; In that fear, that widespread death, I felt a great and noble thrill. 45. Filled with that thrill, I overcame my enemies, My life had already been given up; For one who clings to life, A hero can never perform a hero's deed. The Khurappa Jātaka, the fifth. 266. The Vātaggasindhava Jātaka (3-2-6) 46. By whom you are thin and pale, By whom food does not please you; That husband has arrived, Why do you flee now? 47. If familiarity arises From not knowing, A woman's reputation declines, Therefore, father, I flee. 48. She who does not desire A horse born in a noble family, Who has arrived, Grieves for a long night, Like Bhaddalī for Vātagga. The Vātaggasindhava Jātaka, the sixth. 267. The Kakkaṭaka Jātaka (3-2-7) 49. The deer with long, beautiful eyes, With bony skin, hairless, living in water; Overcome by him, I weep piteously, Lest he abandon me, who am dear as life. 50. My lady, I will not abandon you, Even for an elephant sixty years old; Throughout the four-cornered earth, You are most beloved to me. 51. Among all the crabs in the ocean, In the Ganges and Yamuna; You are the best of water-dwellers, Release your weeping husband! The Kakkaṭaka Jātaka, the seventh. 268. The Ārāmadūsaka Jātaka (3-2-8) 52. He who was considered The best among all assembled; Such is his wisdom, What then of other folk? 53. Just so, O brahmin, You criticize without understanding; How can one know a tree is well-established Without seeing its root? 54. I do not criticize you, Nor other monkeys in the forest; Trust Like a dog, contemptible, whose purpose was to plant trees. The Jātaka of the Garden-Destroyer, the eighth. 269. The Sujāta Jātaka (3-2-9) 55. Not indeed endowed with beauty, charming, pleasant to behold; A harsh-voiced one is not dear, in this world and in the next. 56. Do you not see this black one, ill-favored, marked with spots? The cuckoo, with its sweet voice, is dear to many beings. 57. Therefore, one with a gentle voice, speaking thoughtfully, not arrogant; Reveals meaning and truth, sweet is his speech. The Sujāta Jātaka, the ninth. 270. The Owl Jātaka (3-2-10) 58. Indeed, by all relatives, the owl was made lord; If by relatives permitted, I would speak one word. 59. Speak, friend, you are permitted, only meaning and truth; There are indeed young birds, wise, possessing brilliance. 60. It does not please me, good sirs, the anointing of the owl; See the face of the unangered one, how will he be when angered? The Owl Jātaka, the tenth. The Chapter of the Lotus, the second. Its summary – Padumuttama, Nāgasirivhaya, with Mahaṇṇava, Yūpa, Khurappa, Varo; Then Bhaddalī, Kuñjara, Rukkha again, Kharavāca, and the excellent Owl, these are ten. 3. The Chapter of the Well 271. The Jātaka of the Well-Defiler (3-3-1) 61. Of the forest hermit, who practiced asceticism for a long time; The well made with difficulty, how, friend, did you defile it? 62. This is the custom of jackals, that having drunk, we defile; It is the custom of our fathers and grandfathers, you should not blame it. 63. For whom such is the custom, what then is the unrighteousness? May we never see your custom or unrighteousness, never at any time. The Jātaka of the Well-Defiler, the first. 272.

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