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The earth is a veḷu leaf, The universe a well-ripened fruit; Sineru a small anthill, The ocean like a drinking cup. 210. Brahmā are mother and father, Called the first teachers; Worthy of offerings are children, Compassionate to their offspring. 211. Therefore, one should revere them, And honor them, the wise one; With food and also with drink, With clothing and with bedding. Praise of the Good Person 212. Pure is their bodily action, Speech-action is stainless; Mind-action is pure and clean, Such are the good people. 213. The best wealth is learning, wisdom, The wealth of the good is sevenfold; Faith, virtue, learning, generosity, Wisdom, and also shame and fear. 214. Good Dhamma too is seven, Faith, shame, and fear; Great learning, steadfastness too, Mindfulness, wisdom, thus it is. 215. Endowed with shame and fear, Composed in bright principles; The peaceful, good people in the world, Are called of godly nature. 216. Faithful, with shame, with fear, Heroic, wise, with respect; Capable of attaining wisdom, Growth and abundance. 217. He who is grateful, knows what is done, wise, A good friend, and firmly devoted; For one in distress, he diligently does what needs doing, Such a one they call a good person. 218. Supporting mother and father, Honoring elders in the family; Gentle, with friendly speech, Abandoning malicious talk. 219. Engaged in overcoming stinginess, A truthful man, conquering anger; Him the gods of Tāvatiṃsa, Call a good person. 220. Through diligence, Maghavā, Went to the headship of the gods; Diligence they praise, Negligence is always censured. 221. Giving, virtue, renunciation, Uprightness, Gentleness and austerity; Non-anger and non-violence, Patience and non-opposition. 222. Thus these wholesome qualities, Established I see in myself; Thence arises joy for me, And no small happiness. 223. Are not those very rivers, Seas, nor mountain peaks; Who abandon even the limits of mind, Even in destruction? 224. The scent of a flower goes not against the wind, Nor sandalwood, tagara, or jasmine; But the scent of the virtuous goes against the wind, The good person pervades all directions. 225. Those beings who are world-benefactors, The sun and moon also; Having been seen, will go to their setting, By whom is the law transgressed? 226. The Teacher of gods and humans, The master, even that sage; Has gone to extinction, All conditioned things are not permanent. 27. One should do all wholesome deeds, Bringing about auspiciousness and Nibbāna; One should remember the impermanent aggregates, The sphere of knowledge of disenchantment. 228. Be one who follows the path, young man, And avoid the outstretched hand; Never be treacherous to friends, And do not go under the power of unchaste women. 229. One who has not been intimate, nor seen before, Who invites even with a seat; For that one a person should do what is beneficial, "One who follows the path," the wise say. 230. In whose house one stays even for one night, Where a person obtains food and drink; One should not even think evil of that one in mind, The betrayer of friends burns with an ungrateful hand. The Third Good Man 231. In the shade of whose tree, One sits or lies down; One should not break its branch, For a betrayer of friends is evil. The Fourth Good Man 232. Even if one were to give me the full earth, With wealth, for a consenting woman; One should disregard even that for a moment, One should not go under the power of unchaste women. 233. Thus, one is a follower of the path, And burns the outstretched hand again; And she is unchaste, and he is a betrayer of friends, Be thou righteous, abandon unrighteousness. Explanation of Bodily Propriety 234. For one who is habitually respectful, And constantly honors the elders, Four things increase, Age, beauty, happiness, strength. 235. These five things, monks, conduce to long life, what five? One is a doer of suitable things. One knows moderation in suitable things. One is a consumer of digested food. One is a follower of the right time, and one is a follower of the holy life. These, monks, are the five things that conduce to long life. 236. These five things, monks, conduce to long life, what five? One is a doer of suitable things. One knows moderation in suitable things. One is a consumer of digested food. One is virtuous, and one has good friends. These, monks, are the five things that conduce to long life. 237. Having undertaken the five precepts, Making them equal day by day; Being mindful and wise, One should walk in all postures. 238. These five are the advantages, monks, of pacing up and down, what five? One is fit for long journeys. One is fit for exertion. One is free from disease. What is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted is properly digested. The concentration attained by pacing up and down is long-lasting. These, monks, are the five advantages of pacing up and down. 239. The giving of strainers, And the giving of dwellings; And the giving of medicine, Should be given, O lord of men. 240. An old dwelling should be made, And likewise repaired; Undertaking the five precepts, Having well protected them; And observing the Uposatha fast, Should be done on the Uposatha day. 241. Overeating is the root of disease, And causes the decline of life; Therefore, that overeating, A wise person should avoid. 242. Food undigested is poison, Difficult to obtain without reflection; Digested, easily obtained with reflection, No fault in all food. 243. Having eaten four or five mouthfuls, One should drink water; Enough for a comfortable dwelling; For a monk who is diligent. 244. For a person always mindful, Knowing moderation in food obtained; Feelings become slight, Slowly aging, preserving life. 245. For the heavy, half-emptiness, For the light, not too much; A measured amount is prescribed, One lives happily thereby. 246. For those thirsty from lack of water, They are freed from life in an instant. Therefore, in all circumstances, Give water to the thirsty. Cold water, milk, and honey, Ghee, one by one, or two; Or three together, Drunk, it makes one young again. Food is Brahmā, taste is Viṇhu, And in the eating, Mahesaro; Knowing this, one who eats, Is not tainted by the fault of food. The last part of Kattika, And also the month of Migasira; These two are called Yama's teeth, Living on light food, one survives. Conduct in accordance with the teaching, With mind under control; With intellect as a shield, A perfect elixir is made. For those not yet born, And for the turning back of those born; Whatever remedy is seen for diseases, That should be practiced by one desiring happiness. Health is the highest gain, Contentment is the greatest wealth; Trust is the best kinsman, Nibbāna is the highest bliss. Miscellaneous Exposition Who awakened the lotus? The Lord, the sun, the wise one; Who the lotus, who the water lily, Who awakened the king of men? By the mind the world is led, By the mind it is drawn along; All have come under the sway Of the mind, a single thing. A monk, a sub-king, A general, a great minister; A judge, a wise man, having seen, Should not do what is obviously wrong. A lamp shines in nine directions, Not downwards, nor on itself; Let the wise man see the faults of others, And also see his own faults. The wise man speaks fruitfully in the world, He speaks words with a reason; The fool speaks without reason or fruit, This is the mark of both. By his speech one knows, The crooked, the fool, the wise; Speech makes a friend, Speech surely abandons. Thinking evil thoughts, Speaking evil words; And doing evil deeds, This is the mark of a fool. Thinking good thoughts, Speaking good words; And doing good deeds, This is the mark of the wise. The dull-witted leads to ruin, He engages in what is not duty; Misguidance is better, Than being angered by what is well said. He knows not the Discipline, Good is his non-seeing. The wise man leads in the right way, He does not yoke to the wrong; Good guidance is the best, Rightly spoken, it does not provoke; He understands the Discipline, Good is association with him. Leadersless, they perish, They perish with many leaders; Led by women, they perish, They perish with infant leaders. The elder, in lowly tasks, Should act as if knowing, knowing; Knowing, if he acts as if unknowing, The lowly one comes to fear and affection. Deeds resemble the wicked, Hard to do, deeds resemble the good; In evil deeds, the wicked, In good deeds, one should desire the good. A wise enemy and a fool, The fool's enmity is hard to overcome; A wise enemy, through negligence, Victory over him is never certain. Secret for secret is good, Not praised is open action for a secret; The wise should endure until it is accomplished, When accomplished, he should speak as he pleases. A secret matter should not be revealed, Protect it as a treasure; For it is not good to make it public, A secret matter, by one who knows. With a woman, do not share a secret, Nor with an unfriendly wise man; Nor with one attached to gain, Nor with a man who is a thief of the heart. Speak privately by day in secret, At night, do not utter words excessively; For eavesdroppers hear the counsel, Therefore, counsel quickly meets with division. He who does not reveal a secret, Guards the secret in return; In dangers, he does not abandon duty, He is a follower of good friends. He does the difficult good, He endures the difficult straightly; He gives what is hard to give himself, He who is a good friend indeed. Friendly speech is always a friend, Not begging for a beloved object; By giving with a willing heart, He is very firm and very dear; But one who is attached to inferiority, Is unloved and liable to break. Shame in begging, "Give," And glory are the body's deities;