English
The Book of Eights The Kaccāni Birth Story (1) 1. With white clothes, clean, with wet hair, Kaccāni, why, leaning over the pot, Do you grind sesame and wash rice grains? For what reason will there be sesame rice? 2. Indeed, O brahmin, this is not for food, This sesame rice will be well-cooked. Righteousness is dead, for him a great offering, I will make it in the midst of the charnel ground. 3. Having understood, Kaccāni, do your deed. Who indeed told you that Dhamma is dead? The thousand-eyed one, of incomparable power, The excellent Dhamma never dies. 4. I have firm proof in this, O brahmin, That Dhamma is dead, I have no doubt in this. Those who are now wicked, Those very ones are now happy. 5. Indeed, my daughter-in-law was barren, She, having struck me, gave birth to a son. She is now mistress of the whole family, But I am abandoned, alone. 6. Indeed, I live, I am not dead, I have come here for your very purpose. She who, having struck you, gave birth to a son, Her, together with her son, I will turn to ashes. 7. If this indeed pleases you, O king of gods, That you have come here for my very purpose, Then I and my son, daughter-in-law and grandson, Let us dwell in the house, living in harmony. 8. If this indeed pleases you, Kātiyāni, Though being struck, you do not abandon Dhamma. You and your son, daughter-in-law and grandson, May you dwell in the house, living in harmony. 9. That Kātiyāni, together with her daughter-in-law, Dwelt in the house, living in harmony. And her son and grandson attended her, Having been protected by the king of gods. The Kaccāni Birth Story, the first. The Eight Sounds Birth Story (2) 10. This formerly, they called a deep pool, With many fish, with much water. The dwelling of the king of cranes, My ancestral home. But today, by a frog, we live, Not abandoning our home. We shall approach. 11. Who will break the second bond Of the immoral one, the bound one? Who will make my children, My nest, and me safe? 12. All decay is worthless, As long as her destiny was; His food exhausted, O great king, The worm delights not in the pith. 13. Surely I, having gone from here, Freed from the king's abode, Will delight myself, Dwelling in tree branches. 14. Surely I, having gone from here, Freed from the king's abode, Will drink the best waters, Going before the herd. 15. Me, intoxicated by desires, Attached to desires, infatuated, The hunter Bharata brought, O Bāhika, may you be well. 16. In the dark gloom, On the high mountain top, She, gently and softly, Lest my foot slip on the rock. 17. Without doubt, seeing the end of birth, I shall not return to a womb-sleep again; This is my last, final womb-sleep, My wandering is exhausted for rebirth. The Second Jātaka of Eight Noises. 419. The Sulasā Jātaka (3) 18. This golden armlet, Many pearls and beryls; Take all, good sir, And proclaim me a slave. 19. Put it down, fair one, Do not lament so much; And I do not know, Wealth brought without killing. 20. Since I remember myself, Since I attained understanding; And I do not know, Anyone dearer than you. 21. Come, I will embrace you, And make a circumambulation; For now there will be no more, Meeting for me and you. 22. Not in all places, Is a man wise; A woman too is wise, Discerning here and there. 23. Not in all places, Is a man wise; A woman too is wise, Quickly pondering the meaning. 24. And quickly indeed and quickly, she remembered the nearby one; With a full bow, Sulasā killed the enemy. 25. Whoever does not quickly understand the meaning that has arisen; That dull-witted one is slain, like a thief in a mountain cave. 26. And whoever quickly understands the meaning that has arisen; Is freed from the enemy's oppression, like Sulasā from her enemy. The Sulasā Jātaka, the third. 420. The Sumaṅgala Jātaka (4) 27. Seeing that he is very angry, a ruler should not inflict punishment at once; He would cause much suffering to others, inappropriately and unsuitably for himself. 28. But when he knows his own composure, he should apply the matter to the other's misdeed; Then, having considered for himself, "This is the matter," he should inflict a suitable punishment upon him. 29. He does not burn others or himself, the unconfused one who leads with right and wrong; The ruler who is a punisher here, protected by good reputation, does not decline in glory. 30. Those kings who act without reflection, and inflict punishment rashly, confused; Associated with disgrace, they abandon life, and even after release from here, they go to a bad destination. 31. And those who delight in the Dhamma proclaimed by the Noble Ones, they are supreme in word, mind, and deed; Established in peace, gentleness, and concentration, such ones go to both worlds. 32. "I am the king, the ruler of men and women; even if I get angry, I restrain myself; Restraining such people, I inflict punishment compassionately and wisely." 33. "Glory and fortune be yours, O king, O lord of men, never abandon them; Unangered, with a mind ever serene, may you, free from trouble, rule for a hundred years." 34. "Endowed with these qualities, O king, steadfast in noble conduct, gentle, unangered; Happy, without oppressing, rule the earth, and even after release from here, go to a good destination." 35. Thus, by one well-guided... By good speech, by Dhamma, by justice, by skillful means, by policy; One should extinguish the agitated great multitude, just as a great cloud extinguishes the earth with water. Sumaṅgala Jātaka, the fourth. 421. Gaṅgamāla Jātaka (5) 36. The earth is like embers, the ground covered with hot ashes; Yet you sing songs, the heat does not burn you. 37. Above, the sun burns, below, the sand burns; Yet you sing songs, the heat does not burn you. 38. The heat does not burn me, it is the burning efforts that burn me; For various are the purposes, O king, they burn, not the heat. 39. I have seen your root, O craving, you are born from intentions, O craving; I will not intend you, thus, O craving, you will not be. 40. Even few desires are not enough, one is not satisfied even with many; Alas, the babbling of fools, avoid it, O vigilant one. 41. This is the fruit of my small deed, a great attainment has arisen; Truly a well-gained acquisition for the young man, who went forth, abandoning sensual desire. 42. By ascetic practice they abandon evil deeds, by ascetic practice, the state of barber and potter; By ascetic practice, having overcome, O Gaṅgamāla, you addressed Brahmadatta by name. 43. See, mother, this visible result, this is the fruit of patience and gentleness; He who is honored by all people, him we honor, with the king and ministers. 44. Do not say anything to Gaṅgamāla, who is training in the paths of silence of the sages; For he has crossed the ocean, having crossed which, they wander free from sorrow. Gaṅgamāla Jātaka, the fifth. 422. Cetiya Jātaka (6) 45. Truly, Dhamma, when destroyed, destroys, when not destroyed, it destroys nothing; Therefore, do not destroy Dhamma, lest Dhamma, destroyed, destroy you. 46. For one speaking falsely, the deities depart; And a foul smell comes from the mouth, and one falls from one's own place; He who, knowing, when asked a question, otherwise he answers it. 47. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, stand in the earth, Cetiya. 48. For him it rains at the wrong time, for him it does not rain at the right time; Who, knowing, when asked a question, answers it otherwise. 49. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, enter the earth, Cetiya. 50. His tongue becomes twofold, like that of a snake, O lord of men; Who, knowing, when asked a question, answers it otherwise. 51. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, enter further, Cetiya. 52. His tongue does not exist, like that of a fish, O lord of men; Who, knowing, when asked a question, answers it otherwise. 53. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, enter further, Cetiya. 54. Only daughters are born to him, no sons are born in his family; Who, knowing, when asked a question, answers it otherwise. 55. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, enter further, Cetiya. 56. He has no sons, they depart in all directions; Who, knowing, when asked a question, answers it otherwise. 57. If indeed you speak the truth, be king as before; If you speak falsehood, O king, enter further, Cetiya. 58. That king, cursed by the sage, who once roamed the sky; Entered the earth, Cetiya, having fallen to a low state. 59. Therefore, the wise do not praise going by desire; One should speak with an uncorrupted mind, words endowed with truth. The Sixth Cetiya Jātaka. 423. The Indriya Jātaka (7) 60. Whoever, O Nārada, goes under the sway of the senses through desire; He, abandoning both worlds, withers away while still alive. After happiness, suffering, after suffering, happiness. You have reached suffering from happiness, expect supreme happiness. In time of hardship, enduring hardship, who does not overcome hardship; That wise one, having endured hardship, attains happiness. Not for desires, nor for other aims, nor for gain's sake, nor by undoing what's done, should you depart from Dhamma. A diligent householder is good, and shares his food. You have lost in matters of gain, undisturbed by loss of wealth. This much is wisdom, even that Asita Devala said: Nothing is worse than this, who comes under the power of the senses. Like being in enemies' hands, Sivi attains, just like me. In action and knowledge, one should be skilled, in marriage, virtue, and gentleness. Having lost these glories, he is reborn by his own deeds. So I, like a thousand-lived worm, without kin, without refuge; Departed from the noble Dhamma, as a ghost, so indeed am I.