English
Brahma, Mahinda, or Prajapati? By conscience, indeed, among the gods, a daughter, a chief queen of Mahinda, was born. 286. Come now, ascend to heaven, having mounted this chariot of mine; Indra longs for you, O kinsman of Indra, today itself, attain companionship with Indra. 287. Thus are purified those who have done no evil, and the fruit of good deeds does not perish; Whoever saw the meal of ambrosia, all of them attained companionship with Indra. 288. Hiri was Uppalavaṇṇā, Kosiya was the donor monk; Anuruddha was Pañcasikha, Ananda was Mātali. 289. Kassapa the monk was Sūriya, Moggallāna was Candimā; Sāriputta was Nārada, the Fully Awakened One was Vāsava. The Jātaka of the Ambrosia Meal, the third. 536. The Kuṇāla Jātaka (4) Thus it is told, thus it is heard. On the earth bearing all medicinal herbs, spread with many flower garlands, frequented by elephants, wild oxen, buffaloes, deer, yaks, antelopes, rhinoceroses, roebucks, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, wolves, hyenas, otters, mouse-deer, wild cats, hares, and kāṇikā deer; inhabited by herds of great boars with dark circles, and families of elephants and she-elephants; served by wild goats, monkeys, sarabha deer, eṇī deer, vāta deer, pasada deer, forest-men, kimpurisas, yakkhas, and rakkhasas; spread with many trees bearing lovely flower clusters, with joyful, blooming, and blossoming tips; constantly [resounding with] flocks of kurara birds, cakora birds, wild geese, peacocks, cuckoos, jīvañjīvaka birds, celāvaka birds, bhiṅkāra birds, and karavīka birds, intoxicated [with joy]... Indeed, sirs, in such a delightful forest grove, a place adorned with hundreds of various metals like collyrium, red arsenic, yellow orpiment, cinnabar, gold, silver, and other precious metals, a bird named Kuṇāla dwells, exceedingly beautiful, exceedingly beautiful in its wing-feathers. Indeed, sirs, for that very bird Kuṇāla, two and a half thousand bird-maidens were attendants. Then indeed, sirs, two bird-maidens, having grasped a stick with their mouths, having made that bird Kuṇāla sit in the middle, flew, (thinking) "May weariness not overcome the bird Kuṇāla on the journey path." Five hundred bird-maidens flew below, below, (thinking) "If this bird Kuṇāla should fall from his seat, we shall catch him with our wings." Five hundred bird-maidens flew above, above, (thinking) "May the heat not torment the bird Kuṇāla." Five hundred bird-maidens flew on both sides, (thinking) "May cold or heat, or grass, or dust, or wind, or dew not touch the bird Kuṇāla." Five hundred bird-maidens flew in front, in front, (thinking) "May cowherds or herdsmen, or grass-gatherers, or wood-gatherers, or forest workers not strike the bird Kuṇāla with a stick, or a piece of wood, or a hand, or a clod of earth, or a staff, or a weapon, or pebbles. May this bird Kuṇāla not (collide) with thickets, or vines, or trees, or branches, or posts, or rocks, or powerful (beings)..." or fought with birds. Five hundred bird-maidens flew behind him, speaking with soft, gentle, sweet, and charming voices: "May this Kunāla bird not be weary on his perch!" Five hundred bird-maidens flew in every direction, bringing various kinds of fruit from many trees: "May this Kunāla bird not be tormented by hunger!" Then, good sirs, those bird-maidens quickly gathered for that Kunāla bird from grove to grove, from park to park, from river-ford to river-ford, from mountain-peak to mountain-peak, from mango-grove to mango-grove, from rose-apple-grove to rose-apple-grove, from breadfruit-grove to breadfruit-grove, from coconut-plantation to coconut-plantation, for his pleasure. Then, good sirs, the Kunāla bird, though surrounded by those bird-maidens all day, thus scorned them: "Perish, you low-caste women! Be destroyed, you low-caste women! You are thieves, rogues, unchaste, fickle-minded, ungrateful for what is done, like the wind, going wherever you wish!" And then, good sirs, on the eastern side of that very King of Mountains, Himavā, from very subtle and skillful mountain springs, green plants grow. In places where water-lilies, lotuses, white lotuses, red lotuses, hundred-petaled lotuses, fragrant lotuses, and mandālaka flowers have grown together, pure and fragrant, delightful. Kuravaka, Mucalinda, Ketaka, Vedisa, Vañjula, Punnāga, Bakula, Tilaka, Piyaka, Hasana, Sāla, Saḷala, Campaka, Asoka, Nāgarukkha, Tirīṭi, Bhujapatta, Lodda, Candana, in groves of Agallochum, Padmaka, Priyaṅgu, Devadāru, Cocagahana, Kakudha, Kuṭaja, Aṅkola, Kaccikāra, Kaṇikāra, Kaṇṇikāra, Kanavera, Koraṇḍaka, Koviḷāra, Kiṃsuka, Yodhika, Vanamallikā. In a forest grove, spotless, blameless, adorned, bearing very beautiful garlands and wreaths of new jasmine, spread with thickets of jasmine, sumana, sweet-scented madhuka, bandhuka, dhanutakkari, talisa, tagara, usira, and kottha, in a place adorned, spread with profusely flowered Atimuttaka creepers, resounded by swans, ducks, Kadamba, and Karandava birds, inhabited by groups of Vidyadharas, Siddhas, ascetics, and hermits, in a place frequented by excellent devas, Yakkhas, Rakkhasas, Danavas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and Mahoragas— Indeed, sirs, in such a charming forest grove, there lives a cuckoo named Punṇamukha, with an exceedingly sweet voice, with playful, lustrous eyes. Indeed, sirs, that very Punṇamukha cuckoo had two hundred and fifty bird-maidens as attendants. Then indeed, sirs, two bird-maidens, having bitten a stick with their mouths, and having made that Punṇamukha cuckoo sit in the middle, they fly, thinking: "Lest weariness should overcome that Punṇamukha cuckoo on the journey path." Fifty bird-maidens fly underneath, thinking: "If this Punṇamukha cuckoo should fall from his seat, we will catch him with our wings." Fifty bird-maidens fly overhead, thinking: "Lest the sun's heat should torment that Punṇamukha cuckoo." Fifty and fifty bird-maidens fly on both sides, thinking: "Lest cold or heat, or grass, or dust, or wind, or dew should touch that Punṇamukha cuckoo." Fifty bird-maidens fly ahead, thinking: "Lest cowherds or herdsmen, or grass-gatherers or wood-gatherers, or forest workers should strike that Punṇamukha cuckoo with a stick, or a clod, or a hand, or a lump of earth, or a club, or a weapon, or stones. Lest this Punṇamukha cuckoo by branches or by creepers..." or with trees, or with branches, or with trunks, or with stones, or with strong birds, he fought.’’ Fifty bird-maidens flew after him, uttering soft, kind, charming, sweet words: ‘‘May this Full-faced Cuckoo not be weary on his seat!’’ Fifty bird-maidens flew in every direction, bringing various kinds of fruit from many trees: ‘‘May this Full-faced Cuckoo not be afflicted by hunger!’’ Then, sirs, those bird-maidens quickly met that Full-faced Cuckoo from park to park, from garden to garden, from river-ford to river-ford, from mountain-peak to mountain-peak, from mango grove to mango grove, from rose-apple grove to rose-apple grove, from breadfruit grove to breadfruit grove, from coconut plantation to coconut plantation, for his pleasure. Then, sirs, the Full-faced Cuckoo, attended by those bird-maidens all day, praised them thus: ‘‘Excellent, excellent, sisters! This, sisters, is fitting for you, daughters of good families, that you should attend your husband.’’ Then, sirs, the Full-faced Cuckoo approached where the Kunāla bird was. The bird-maidens attending the Kunāla bird saw that Full-faced Cuckoo coming from afar; having seen him, they approached where the Full-faced Cuckoo was; having approached, they said to the Full-faced Cuckoo: ‘‘This Kunāla bird, friend Full-face, is exceedingly harsh, exceedingly harsh-spoken; perhaps because of you, we might obtain kind speech.’’ ‘‘Perhaps, sisters,’’ he said, and then approached where the Kunāla bird was; having approached, and exchanged greetings with the Kunāla bird, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Full-faced Cuckoo said to that Kunāla bird: ‘‘Why, friend Kunāla, To well-born women, daughters of good families, who behave properly, you behave improperly! Even to women who speak unpleasantly, friend Kuṇāla, one should speak pleasantly. How much more so to those who speak pleasantly! When this was said, the bird Kuṇāla drove away that Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo, saying: "Perish, you baseborn wretch! Be destroyed, you baseborn wretch! Who is there who would be pleased with you, a wife-conqueror?" And being thus driven away, Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo turned back from that very spot. Then, sirs, after some time, not long after, a severe illness arose for Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo: bloody dysentery. Strong pains afflicted him, leading to death. Then, sirs, the attendant bird-maidens of Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo thought this: "Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo is ill; perhaps he might recover from this illness." Leaving him alone, they approached the bird Kuṇāla. The bird Kuṇāla saw those bird-maidens coming from afar. Seeing those bird-maidens, he said this: "Where, you wretches, is your master?" "Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo is ill, friend Kuṇāla; perhaps he might recover from that illness." When this was said, the bird Kuṇāla drove away those bird-maidens, saying: "Perish, you wretches! Be destroyed, you wretches! You are thieves, deceitful, unfaithful, fickle-minded, ungrateful for what is done, going wherever you wish, like the wind!" Having said this, he approached Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo. Having approached, he said this to Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo: "Haṃ, friend Puṇṇamukha!" "Haṃ, friend Kuṇāla!" Then, sirs, the bird Kuṇāla, holding that Puṇṇamukha the cuckoo with his wings and with his beak, Having administered various medicines, he made him drink them. Then, sir, that illness of Puṇṇamukha, the cuckoo, subsided. Then, sir, the Kuṇāla bird, seeing that Puṇṇamukha, the cuckoo, had recovered from his illness, having recently recovered from sickness, said this: "I have seen, friend Puṇṇamukha, Kaṇhā, who had two fathers, and five husbands,