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The Fifties Collection The Niḷinikā Jātaka (1) 1. The country is burning, and the kingdom is perishing; Come, Niḷinikā, go, bring that brahmin to me. 2. I am not able to bear hardship, O King, I am not skilled in journeys; How shall I go, to the forest frequented by elephants? 3. Having gone to the prosperous country, by elephant and by chariot; By a vehicle of joined wood, thus go, Niḷinikā. 4. Take elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry, go taking Khattiyas; By your own beauty and form, you will bring him under control. 5. With a plantain-tree banner as a sign, surrounded by creepers; There appears the delightful hermitage, of Isisiṅga. 6. That is called fire, that smoke appears; I think the mighty Isisiṅga, does not neglect the fire. 7. And seeing her approaching, adorned with jewelled earrings; Isisiṅga, frightened, entered his leaf-covered hermitage. 8. And at the door of the hermitage, she played with a ball; Displaying her limbs, both hidden and revealed. 9. And seeing her playing, the ascetic, who had gone to his leaf-hut; Came out of the hermitage, and spoke these words. 10. Oh, what is the name of that tree, whose fruit is like this; Even when thrown far away, it returns, it does not go away leaving you. 11. Near my hermitage, O brahmin, on Gandhamādana; There are many such trees, whose fruit is like this; Even when thrown far away, it returns, it does not go away leaving me. 12. Let your reverence come, and enter this hermitage; I will give you water for the feet, and food; This is a seat, let your reverence sit here; From here let your reverence eat, roots and fruits. 13. What is this between your thighs, so well-adorned, appearing like a black thing? Tell me, when asked, this matter, into what sheath has your best limb entered? While I was searching for roots and fruits in the forest, I encountered a terrible, frightful bear. It suddenly attacked me, and struck me, tearing off my scalp. 15. Now this wound itches and scratches, and I never find comfort at any time. Are you able, sir, to relieve this itch? Please do this for the Brahmin's sake, as requested. 16. Your wound is deep and bloody, and its smell is putrid and strong. I will make you some herbal concoction, so that you may become supremely happy. 17. Neither mantra-potions nor herbal-potions, nor medicines, O holy one, are effective. Rub the itch gently with what is soft, so that I may become supremely happy. 18. Which way from here is your hermitage, sir? Do you enjoy yourself in the wilderness? Are roots and fruits abundant for you? Do wild animals not harm you? 19. Straight from here, in the northern direction, the Khemā River flows from the Himalayas. On its bank is my delightful hermitage; Oh, sir, please see my hermitage. 20. Mangoes and sāl trees, tilakas and jambu trees, uddālakas and pāṭalīs are in bloom. All around, it is sung by kinnaras; Oh, sir, please see my hermitage. 21. There are palms and roots and fruits there, endowed with color and fragrance. That place is endowed with beautiful spots; Oh, sir, please see my hermitage. 22. Fruits and roots are abundant there, endowed with color, fragrance, and taste. Hunters also come to that region; May they not take my roots and fruits from there. 23. My father has gone to search for roots and fruits; he will return now in the evening. Let us both go to that hermitage, until father returns from his search for roots and fruits. 24. Many other ascetics, good ones O father, royal sages dwell along the path; Ask them about my hermitage, they will lead you to me. Your firewood is not split, your water is not brought; Your fire is not kindled, why do you meditate so sluggishly? The firewood is split, the fire is offered, your austerities are complete, O ascetic; There is a seat and water for me, you delight, having become a Brahma, in the east. You have unsplit firewood, unbrought water, unlit fire, uncooked food; You do not speak to me today, has some mental suffering been lost? A matted-haired ascetic came here, very handsome, with a beautiful body, he leads; Neither too tall nor too short, with beautiful dark coverings, sir. He is beardless, of fresh complexion, and there is a support-like thing on his neck; Two pairs of swellings are born on his chest, shining like golden tinduka fruits. And his face is very handsome, and curled ends hang from his ears; They shine as the youth walks, and the thread that binds his matted hair. And he has four other bindings, blue, yellow, red, and white; They flutter as the youth walks, like cirīṭi birds in the rainy season. He does not wear a muñja-grass girdle, nor a mat, nor a monk's robe; They shine, attached to his waist, like a hundred flashes of lightning in the sky. And unpegged, unstemmed things, placed on his hips below the navel; Unstruck, they constantly play, ha ṃ, father, what kind of tree fruits are those? 34. His matted hair is very beautiful, a hundred strands curled at the ends, fragrant; His head is nicely divided into two, Oh, if only my matted hair were like that! 35. And when he scatters those matted locks, endowed with color and fragrance; Like a blue lotus stirred by the wind, so this hermitage becomes fragrant. 36. And his mud is very beautiful, not like the mud on my body; It is wafted by the wind, like a forest in full bloom in late summer. 37. He strikes down tree fruit to the ground, beautifully colored, lovely, delightful to see; And when thrown, it returns to his hand, ṃ, father, what kind of tree fruit is that? 38. And his teeth are very beautiful, pure, even, like a conch shell; They gladden the mind when revealed, surely he did not eat raw food with them. 39. His speech is not harsh, not stammering, always soft, straight, not arrogant, not fickle; His delightful crying, like the sweet voice of a cuckoo, is heart-touching, it gladdens my mind. 40. His voice is clear, his words not too spread out, surely he is not overly devoted to chanting; I wish to see him again, for that youth was my friend before. 41. Well-joined everywhere, a smooth wound, broad, well-formed, like a rough leaf; With that, the youth, coming over me, pressed my open thigh with his hip. 42. They shine, they glow, and they glitter, like a hundred flashes of lightning in the sky; His soft arms, like collyrium-colored hair, with varied, rounded fingers, they are beautiful. 43. His body is not harsh, nor is his hair long, his nails are long, with reddish tips; Embracing with soft arms, the handsome one attended, delighting me. 44. D like cotton, radiant, with a beautiful skin like a golden blanket; His hands are soft, having touched me with them, he went from here, therefore they burn me, father. 45. Surely he did not carry a carrying-pole, surely he did not himself break firewood; Surely he did not fell trees with an axe, for there are no calluses on his hands. 46. And a bear made a wound on him, he said to me, "Make me well"; I did so, and I had joy from it, and he said, "I am well, brahmin." 47. And this bed of māluva leaves for you, scattered by me and by him; Looking tired after playing in the water, again and again we went to the leaf-hut. 48. Now the mantras do not occur to me, father, nor the fire-offering, nor the sacrificial ritual; Nor will I eat your roots and fruits, until I see that brahmacārī. 49. Surely you too know, father, in which direction the brahmacārī dwells; Lead me quickly to that direction, father, lest I die in your hermitage. 50. Indeed, I have heard of a forest with various flowers, resounding with birds, frequented by flocks of birds; Lead me quickly to that forest, father, before I abandon my life in your hermitage." 51. In this forest, full of light, frequented by throngs of gandhabbas and devaccharās; In the ancient dwelling place of sages, you should not experience such discontent. 52. Friends come to be, and then they are not, among relatives and friends, they make love; And this foolish one, to what is he attached, who does not even know from where he came. 53. Indeed, by living together, friendships are formed again and again; But that friend, not associating, with no cohabitation, withers away. 54. If you see the brahmacārī, if you speak even with a celibate; Like a ripe crop with much water, This ascetic virtue you will quickly lose. 55. "Again if you see a celibate, Again if you speak with a celibate; Like a ripe crop with much water, This ascetic fervor you will quickly lose. 56. "These beings, dear one, wander, In various forms in the human world; A wise person should not associate with them, By approaching them, the celibate perishes." The First Niḷinikā Jātaka. 527. The Ummādantī Jātaka (2) 57. "Whose dwelling is this, Sunanda, Guarded by a pale yellow wall? Who appears like a flame of fire from afar, Like a blaze on a mountain peak in the sky? 58. "Whose daughter is this, Sunanda? Whose daughter-in-law, or perhaps whose wife? Tell me quickly, as I ask you here, Is she unattached, or does she have a husband?" 59. "Indeed I know this, O king, By her mother and by her father, and by her; That man, O protector of the earth, is yours, Diligent day and night for your sake. 60. "He is prosperous and thriving and well-grown, And one of your ministers, O king; She is the wife of that Abhipāraka, Ummādantī by name, O king." 61. "Oh, oh, this name of hers, Well-made by mother and father; For then, looking at me, Ummādantī made me mad." 62. "She, with eyes like a full moon, With a body like a white lotus, sat down; I thought there were two full moons that day, Seeing her, dressed in pigeon-red. 63. "With charming, beautiful, delightful glances, When she looks at me, enticing me; Vi Yawning, she steals my mind, like a kimpurisī born on a mountain. 64. Then indeed the tall, dark woman, wearing jeweled earrings, in a single garment, looks around like a bewildered doe. 65.