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B0102051521asītinipāto (eighty chapter)

English

“Sujāta by name, was his own son; Having obtained the fruit of the jambu tree, he died at its destruction. 382. “Even so, I, O Kāla, having eaten the most excellent food; Not having obtained human flesh, I think I shall lose my life.” 383. “Young man, you are handsome, born in a good family; You ought not, dear one, eat what is not to be eaten.” 384. “This is one of the flavors, why do you restrain me? I will go there, where I shall obtain such. 385. “So I will depart, I will not stay near you; Since you, brahmin, do not rejoice at my sight.” 386. “Indeed, we shall obtain other heirs, sons, young man; And you, wretch, may you perish, where your voice is not heard.” 387. “Even so, O king, lord of bipeds, listen to me; They will banish you from the realm, like a drunken young man.” 388. “Sujāta by name, a disciple with a developed self; Desiring a nymph, he neither ate nor drank. 389. “Taking water on the tip of a kusa grass, one measures the water in the ocean; Thus are human desires, compared to divine desires. 390. “Even so, I, O Kāla, having eaten the most excellent food; Not having obtained human flesh, I think I shall lose my life.” 391. “Just as those Dhataraṭṭha geese, moving through the air; Through improper enjoyment, all met with disaster. 392. “Even so, O king, lord of bipeds, listen to me; You, O king, eat what is not to be eaten, therefore they will banish you.” “that.” 393. “Though told by me, ‘Stop!’, you go with your face averted; Though standing, you say, ‘I am standing,’ O ascetic; This is fitting for a recluse, and you think me a kite-feather.” 394. “I am standing in the good Dhamma, O king, I do not change my name and lineage; They call a thief in the world ‘not standing,’ one bound for the woeful states, for hell, fallen from here. 395. “If you believe, O king, take what is heard, O khattiya; Having offered a sacrifice with it, thus you will go to heaven.” 396. “In what country is your birthplace, or for what purpose have you come here? Tell me this matter, O brahmin, what you wish, I will give you today, what is desired.” 397. “Four verses, O lord of the earth, deep in meaning, like the best ocean; For your own benefit I have come here, listen to the verses, full of ultimate truth.” 398. “Indeed, the wise and discerning do not weep, the learned who ponder many things; This is indeed the supreme lamp for men, that the wise become dispellers of sorrow. 399. “Yourself, relatives, or children and wife, grain, wealth, silver, gold; What is it you lament, O Sutasoma, best of the Kurus, let us hear your words.” 400. “I do not lament myself, nor children and wife, nor wealth, nor kingdom; But the ancient Dhamma practiced by the good, that promise to the brahmin I lament. 401. “A promise was made by me to a brahmin, while I was established in my own kingdom and sovereignty; That promise to the brahmin, having given it, I will return, guarding the truth.” 402. “I do not believe this, that a man, happy and escaped from the mouth of death, would return to the hands of an enemy, best of the Kurus, you do not approach me. 403. “You are freed from the hand of the man-eater, go to your own…” Longing for desires; Having obtained sweet, dear life, O king, whence will you come to my presence? 404. "Let one of pure virtue choose death, not life, if censured for evil deeds; For it does not protect that person from misfortunes, for whose sake one might speak a lie. 405. "Even if the wind should carry away a mountain, and the moon and sun should fall to earth; And all rivers should flow upstream, I, O king, would never speak a lie. 406. The sky might split, the ocean might dry up, the earth, supporter of beings, might collapse; Mount Meru, the peak of rocks, might be uprooted, I, O king, would never speak a lie. 407. "I grasp the sword and spear, and I make an oath to you, good sir; Having been released by you, and being free from debt, I will return, guarding the truth." 408. "The defilement that was made for you by the brahmin, who stood in his own dominion; Having given that defilement to the brahmin, return, guarding the truth." 409. "The defilement that was made for me by the brahmin, who stood in his own dominion; Having given that defilement to the brahmin, I will return, guarding the truth." 410. And he, freed from the man-eater's hands, went and said to that brahmin; "Let us hear verses worthy of a hundred, which I have heard, for my benefit, O brahmin." 411. "Once only, Sutasoma, let there be association with the good; That association protects him, not much association with the bad. 412. "Associate only with the good, make friendship with the good; Understanding the good Dhamma of the virtuous, one becomes better, not worse. 413. "Indeed, royal chariots, well-decorated, wear out, and the body too goes to old age; But the Dhamma of the good does not go to old age, the peaceful ones declare it among the good. 414. The sky is far, and the earth is far, the far shore of the ocean then What is far? From that, they say, is even farther, the Dhamma of the good and the bad, O king. These verses are worth a thousand, these verses are not worth a hundred; You, take four thousand, quickly, O brahmin. Verses of eighty or ninety, or verses worth a hundred might there be; Sutasoma, know for yourself, what kind of verse is called 'worth a thousand'. I desire the growth of my own learning, that good people may associate with me; Like the great ocean with its rivers, I am never sated, dear one, with well-spoken words. As fire burning grass and wood, is not sated, or the ocean with rivers; So too, O best of kings, the wise, hearing well-spoken words, are not sated. When I hear from my own slave, a meaningful verse, O lord of men; I listen to it carefully, for, dear one, I have no satiety in Dhamma. This kingdom of yours, with wealth and equipment, with its own armaments, endowed with all desires; For what desire do you revile me? I go to the kinsman of the man-eater. These exist for self-protection, elephant-riders, charioteers, and foot-soldiers; horse-riders and archers; Let us deploy the army, let us slay the enemy. The man-eater did what was very difficult, having taken my life, he released me; Remembering such a former deed, how can I betray him, O lord of men? Having saluted his father and mother, and having instructed the citizens and the army; A speaker of truth, guarding the truth, he went to where a man-eater." 424. "A transgression was made by me, a brahmin, While holding power in my own country; To atone for that transgression, brahmin, Protecting truth, I have returned; Perform the sacrifice, eat me, man-eater." 425. "My eating will not be delayed later, This pyre is still smoking; When cooked without smoke, well-ripened, Let us hear verses worthy of a hundred." 426. "You are unrighteous, man-eater, Expelled from the country for the sake of your belly; These verses speak of Dhamma, Where do Dhamma and unrighteousness meet?" 427. "For the unrighteous, the cruel, Always drinking blood; There is no truth, how can there be Dhamma? What will you do with what you have heard?" 428. "Whoever hunts for meat, Or whoever kills a man for self-interest; Both of them are equal after death, Why do you call me unrighteous?" 429. "Five five-clawed animals are edible, For a khattiya who knows; You ate what is not edible, O king, Therefore you are unrighteous." 430. "You were freed from the man-eater's hand, You went to your own palace, desiring pleasures; You have returned to the enemy's hand, You are not skilled in the khattiya's duty, O king." 431. "Those who are skilled in the khattiya's duty, Mostly they go to hell; Therefore, abandoning the khattiya's duty, Protecting truth, I have returned; Perform the sacrifice, eat me, man-eater." 432. "Dwelling in palaces, ruling the earth, Desired women, and Kasi sandalwood; All that you obtain there through mastery, What advantage do you see in truth?" 433. "Whatever flavors there are on earth, Truth is better than those flavors; Ascetics and brahmins, established in truth, Cross to the other shore of birth and death." 434. "You were freed from the man-eater's hand, You went to your own palace, desiring pleasures; To the enemy's hand..." You have come back. Surely, O king, you have no fear of death. You are undaunted in mind, a speaker of truth. Many kinds of good deeds have been done by me, Sacrifices have been offered, vast and praised. The path to the other world has been purified. Who, standing in Dhamma, would fear death? Many kinds of good deeds have been done by me, Sacrifices have been offered, vast and praised. Without regret I shall go to the other world. Offer your sacrifice, eat me, O man-eater. Father and mother have been attended to by me. My sovereignty has been praised by Dhamma. The path to the other world has been purified. Who, standing in Dhamma, would fear death? Father and mother have been attended to by me. My sovereignty has been praised by Dhamma. Without regret I shall go to the other world. Offer your sacrifice, eat me, O man-eater. Deeds have been done for relatives and friends by me. My sovereignty has been praised by Dhamma. The path to the other world has been purified. Who, standing in Dhamma, would fear death? Deeds have been done for relatives and friends by me. My sovereignty has been praised by Dhamma. Without regret I shall go to the other world. Offer your sacrifice, eat me, O man-eater. Gifts have been given by me in many ways to many. Ascetics and brahmins have been satisfied. The path to the other world has been purified. Who, standing in Dhamma, would fear death? Gifts have been given by me in many ways to many. Ascetics and brahmins have been satisfied. Without regret I shall go to the other world. Offer your sacrifice, eat me, O man-eater. A man who knowingly would eat poison, A fiery, highly venomous snake,