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B0102051416tiṃsanipāto (thirty chapters)

English

270. Mother, father, sister, and brothers, Or friends who are on one's side; Even to them one should not reveal the utmost secret, Fearing the breaking of counsel. 271. If a wife is dear to a man, A young woman, speaking pleasantly; Endowed with children, beauty, and fame, Honored by a host of relatives, Even to her one should not reveal the utmost secret; Fearing the breaking of counsel. 272. A secret matter should not be... A secret matter, one should clarify it, should protect it like a treasure. Not indeed made public is good, a secret matter, by one who knows. 273. A wise person should not tell a secret to a woman, nor to an enemy, nor to one corrupted by gain, nor to one who is a thief of the heart. 274. Whoever reveals a secret matter not understood (by others), from fear of the secret being broken, one endures, having become his slave. 275. As many as know a person's secret matter, so many are his anxieties. Therefore, a secret should not be disclosed. 276. In private, speak a secret by day. By night, speech do not utter excessively. For eavesdroppers indeed hear the secret counsel. Therefore, the secret quickly comes to breaking. 277. Just as there might be a great city, without a gate, of iron, with good ramparts, surrounded by moats and ditches on all sides. Even so are my secret counsels here. 278. Those who have secret counsels, whose speech is not scattered, men firm in their own affairs, from them, enemies, the two-tongued ones, keep far away, like venomous snakes, hosts of enemies. 279. Having left home, gone forth, without clothes, naked, shaven-headed, he wanders for food. In that (state) indeed, I revealed a secret matter. Both gain and Dhamma have gone away from me. 280. How does he act, O King of Supaṇṇas? What is his virtue, by what vow is he vowed? A recluse wandering, having abandoned possessiveness, how acting, attains the heavenly state? 281. Endowed with moral shame, with patience, with self-control, not angry, having abandoned slander; A recluse wandering, having abandoned possessiveness, thus acting, attains the heavenly state. 282. Like a mother, her son, young, born of her body, touching, makes her whole body thrill. Even so to me, you have appeared, O King of Birds, like a mother her son, showing compassion. 283. Come now, today, you release from slaughter, the two-tongued one. Ah, three sons indeed, no other is there; A disciple, an adopted son, and a natural son, one of these was dear to me. 284. Having thus spoken, the Supaṇṇa released him, the bird with a forked tongue landed on the ground; You are freed today, having overcome all fear, be protected by me on land and in water. 285. As a skilled physician to the sick, as a cool lake to the thirsty; As a house to those afflicted by cold and frost, even so shall I be a refuge for you. 286. Having made a pact with an enemy, an egg-born with a womb-born; You sleep with fangs exposed, from where has fear come to you? 287. One should be wary of an enemy, and not trust even a friend; Fear arising from the fearless, even cuts off roots. 288. How can I trust you, with whom there has been a quarrel? One should stand firm in resolution, he does not delight in that direction. 289. One should not trust him, nor should he be trusted, one should be both unsuspecting and suspecting; Thus and thus should the wise one strive, so that the other's intention is not known. 290. Those of divine complexion, of delicate form, both equally victorious, masses of merit; Approached Karampiya the naked ascetic, mingled like elephants with horse-riders. 291. Then indeed Paṇḍaraka approached the naked ascetic himself, and said this; I am freed today, having overcome all fear, surely I am not dear to your mind. 292. Dear to me was the Supaṇṇa king, truly by Paṇḍaraka without doubt; He, inflamed by passion, did this, a wicked deed, knowing, not out of delusion. 293. Neither dear nor unpleasant is it to me, seeing this world and the next; By the appearance of the well-restrained, you wander this world unrestrained. 294. You are of noble opportunity, or you are ignoble unrestrained, appearing as if restrained; You are of dark birth, of ignoble form, you have done much evil, ill-conducted. 295. You betray the innocent, you are a betrayer and a slanderer; By this truth-utterance, may your head split into seven pieces. 296. Therefore, one should not betray friends, there is no greater evil than betraying friends; The poured-out being was struck down on the earth, for by Indra's word, Saṃvara was slain. The Paṇḍara Nāga King Jātaka, the eighth. 519. The Sambulā Jātaka (9) 297. Who are you, trembling in the mountain cave, standing alone with thighs pressed together? I ask you, within arm's reach, tell me your name and your relatives. 298. Illuminating the delightful forest, frequented by lions and tigers; Who are you, O beautiful one, and whose are you, O slender-waisted one? I salute you, O good lady, I am a demon, homage to you. 299. The son of the king of Kāsi, they know him as Sotthisena; I am Sambulā, his wife, know this, O demon; I salute you, sir, I am Sambulā, homage to you. 300. The son of Videha, sir, lives sick in the forest; I, alone, attend to him, who is afflicted with illness. 301. And when I bring him, by gleaning in the forest, honey, meat, and game; That is his food, surely he will not have it today. 302. What will you do with a sick prince in the forest? O Sambulā, served by me, I will be your husband. 303. What beauty is there in me, sorrow-stricken and ill-favored? Seek another, sir, one more beautiful than I. 304. Come, ascend this mountain, I have four hundred wives; You shall be the chief among them, endowed with all desires. 305. Surely, O one with the color of stars, Whatever you desire in your mind, All that is abundant with me; Enjoy yourself with me today. 306. If you, Sambula, Will not make me your chief queen; Then you will be enough As food for my breakfast. 307. That fierce, seven-haired, Dark-skinned man-eater; Seized Sambula in his arms, As she saw no protector in the forest. 308. Overcome by the demon, The fierce one with flesh-eating eyes; She, having fallen into the enemy's power, Mourned only for her husband. 309. This is not such a sorrow to me, That the ogre might eat me; But that my noble son's Mind will be otherwise. 310. Surely there are no gods dwelling, Surely there are no world-guardians here; For those who act violently, unrestrained, Surely there are no restrainers. 311. This glorious woman is supreme among women, Calm, composed, with fire-like splendor; If you, ogre, should seize this maiden, Your head would surely split into seven pieces; Do not abandon her, release her for her devotion to her husband. 312. And she came to the hermitage, Released from the man-eater; Like a bird to its nest and fruit, Like a deer to its lair. 313. There she lamented, The glorious princess Sambula, Who knew the seasons, Seeing no protector in the forest. 314. I salute ascetics and brahmins, Sages perfect in conduct; Seeing no prince, I have come to you for refuge. 315. I salute lions and tigers, And other beasts in the forest; Seeing no prince, I have come to you for refuge. 316. Grasses, vines, herbs, Mountains and forests; Seeing no prince, I have come to you for refuge. 317. I salute the night, dark as a blue lotus, Adorned with garlands of stars; Seeing no prince, I have come to you for refuge. 318. I salute the Bhagirathi Ganga, The chief of rivers... Seized; Not seeing the prince, I have come to you for refuge. 319. I salute the chief of mountain kings, Himavanta, the pile of rocks; Not seeing the prince, I have come to you for refuge. 320. You have come very late, O glorious princess; With whom have you come now? Who is dearer to you than I? 321. This indeed I said then, Seized by that enemy; This is not so painful to me, That a demon might eat me; But that my noble son's Mind might be otherwise. 322. Of thieving women, with many wiles, In whom truth is very hard to find; The nature of women is hard to know, Like the path of a fish in water. 323. May truth protect me thus, If it will protect me; As I do not know Anyone dearer than you; By this utterance of truth, May your illness subside. 324. Those seven hundred noble elephants, Guarding day and night with weapons ready; And sixteen hundred archers, What kind of enemies do you see, O good lady? 325. Adorned, with skin like the finest lotus, I see them, charming like swans; Having heard their measured singing and music, It is not now for me, my dear, as it was before. 326. Wearing golden girdles, with beautiful forms, Adorned, like human nymphs; Dear to the army, my dear, with unblemished limbs, These royal maidens entice him. 327. If I, my dear, as before, Could again support my husband in the forest by gleaning; And he would honor me and not despise me, That would be better for me, my dear, than this. 328. When abundant food and drink are offered, A woman with polished ornaments, adorned; Though endowed with all limbs, yet disliked by her husband, For her, death is better than that. 329. Even if poor, wretched, without wealth, With a mat as her only companion, yet dear to her husband; Even to one endowed with all limbs, yet disliked, This one is better, even if poor, if she is dear. 330. Very hard to find is a wife who is good for a man, and hard to find is a husband who is good for a wife; But you have a good and virtuous wife, O king, practice the Dhamma, Sambulā. 331. If you, having obtained great enjoyments, overcome by jealousy, come to death; Then I, O good one, and these royal maidens, will all be obedient to your word. The Sambulā Jātaka, the ninth. 520. The Gandhatinduka Jātaka (10) 332. Mindfulness is the path to the Deathless, heedlessness is the path to death; The mindful do not die, the heedless are as if dead. 333.