62. In such a state is that awful house, where thousands of flames are breaking out on every side. But the man who is the master of the house looks on from without.
63. And he hears his own children, whose minds are engaged in playing with their toys, in their fond¬ ness of which they amuse themselves, as fools do in their ignorance.
64. And as he hears them he quickly steps in 1 to save his children, lest his ignorant children might perish in the flames.
65. He tells them the defect of the house, and says: This, young man 2 of good family, is a miser¬ able house, a dreadful one; the various creatures in it, and this fire to boot, form a series of evils.
66. In it are snakes, mischievous goblins, urchins, and ghosts in great number; hyenas, troops of dogs and jackals, as well as vultures, seeking their prey.
67. Such beings live in this house, which, apart 1 This trait is wanting in the prose relation. The explana¬ tion, I fancy, is this: If the description of the glowing house refers to morning twilight, the father (Pitamaha, or Day-god) will needs step in afterwards; if, on the other hand, the evening twilight is meant, he will already have left the house. In the former case he calls his children to activity, to their daily work; in the latter he admonishes them to take their rest, exhorts them to think of the end of life.
2 In addressing more persons it is not uncommon that only one is addressed as representing the whole company.
86 III.
from the fire, is extremely dreadful, and miserable enough; and now comes to it this fire blazing on all sides.
68. The foolish boys, however, though admo¬ nished, do not mind their father’s words, deluded as they are by their toys; they do not even under¬ stand him.
69. Then the man thinks: I am now in anxiety on account of my children. What is the use of my having sons if I lose them? No, they shall not perish by this fire.
70. Instantly a device occurred to his mind: These young (and ignorant) children are fond of toys, and have none just now to play with. Oh, they are so foolish!
71. He then says to them: Listen, my sons, I have carts of different sorts, yoked with deer, goats, and excellent bullocks, lofty, great, and completely furnished.
72. They are outside the house; run out, do with them what you like; for your sake have I caused them to be made. Run out all together, and rejoice to have them.
73. All the boys, on hearing of such carts, exert themselves, immediately rush out hastily, and reach, free from harm, the open air.
74. On seeing that the children have come out, the man betakes himself to the square in the centre of the village 1, and there from the throne he is sitting on he says: Good people, now I feel at ease.
1 The sun reaches the meridian point. The poetic version which makes the father enter the blazing house is consistent; the prose version has effaced a necessary trait of the story. Therefore A PARABLE.
87 III.
75. These poor sons of mine, whom I have re¬ covered with difficulty, my own dear twenty young children, were in a dreadful, wretched, horrible house, full of many animals.
76. As it was burning and wrapt in thousands of flames, they were amusing themselves in it with playing, but now I have rescued them all. There¬ fore I now feel most happy.
77. The children, seeing their father happy, ap¬ proached him, and said: Dear father, give us, as you have promised 1, those nice vehicles of three kinds; 78. And make true all that you promised us in the house when saying, ‘ I will give you three sorts of vehicles.’ Do give them; it is now the right time.
79. Now the man (as we have supposed) had a mighty treasure of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; he possessed bullion, numerous slaves, domestics, and vehicles of various kinds; 80. Carts made of precious substances, yoked with bullocks, most excellent, with benches 2 and a row of tinkling bells, decorated with umbrellas and flags, and adorned with a network of gems and pearls.
81. They are embellished with gold, and arti¬ ficial wreaths hanging down here and there; covered all around with excellent cloth and fine white muslin.
82. Those carts are moreover furnished with choice mattresses of fine silk, serving for cushions, it is posterior to the version in metre, and apparently belongs to a much later period.
1 Yathabhibhdshitam, var. lect. °bhavitam.
2 Vedikas.
88 III.
and covered with choice carpets showing the images of cranes and swans, and worth thousands of ko/is.
83. The carts are yoked with white bullocks, well fed, strong, of great size, very fine, who are tended by numerous persons.
84. Such excellent carts that man gives to all his sons, who, overjoyed and charmed, go and play with them in all directions.
85. In the same manner,.Sariputra, I, the great Seer, am the protector and father of all beings, and all creatures who, childlike, are captivated by the pleasures of the triple world, are my sons.
86. This triple world is as dreadful as that house, overwhelmed with a number of evils, entirely in¬ flamed on every side by a hundred different sorts of birth, old age, and disease.
87. But I, who am detached from the triple world and serene, am living in absolute retirement 1 in a wood 2. This triple world is my domain, and those who in it are suffering from burning heat are my sons.
88. And I told its evils because I had resolved upon saving them, but they would not listen to me, because all of them were ignorant and their hearts attached to the pleasures of sense.
89. Then I employ an able device, and tell them of the three vehicles, so showing them the means of evading 3 the numerous evils of the triple world which are known to me.
90. And those of my sons who adhere to me, 1 Ek&ntasthayin.
2 Van a, a wood, also means a cloud, the cloudy region.
III.
A PARABLE.
89 who are mighty in the six transcendent faculties (Abhy/w&s) and the triple science, the Pratyeka- buddhas, as well as the Bodhisattvas unable to slide back; 91. And those (others) who equally are my sons, to them I just now am showing, by means of this excellent allegory, the single Buddha-vehicle. Re¬ ceive it; ye shall all become Ginas.
92. It is most excellent and sweet, the most ex¬ alted in the world, that knowledge of the Buddhas, the most high among men; it is something sublime and adorable.
93. The powers, meditations, degrees of emanci¬ pation and self-concentration by many hundreds of ko^is, that is the exalted vehicle in which the sons of Buddha take a never-ending delight.
94. In playing with it they pass days and nights, fortnights, months, seasons, years, intermediate kal- pas, nay, thousands of ko/is of kalpas 1.
95. This is the lofty vehicle of jewels which sundry Bodhisattvas and the disciples listening to the Sugata employ to go and sport on the terrace of enlightenment.
96. Know then, Tishya 2, that there is no second 1 As the mean duration of a man’s life extends over thousands of ko/is of kalpas or /Eons, it is evident that the /Eon here meant is in reality an extremely small particle of time, an atom. The meaning attached to it was perhaps that of asu or prdrca, a respiration. It seems to me, however, more probable that kalpa, as synonymous with rftpa, simply denotes a unit, e.g. of atoms of time.
2 I. e. •S'&riputra, otherwise named Upatishya, i. e. secondary Tishya. The canonical etymology of the name of Upatishya is to be found in Burnoufs Introduction, p. 48, and Schiefner’s Lebensbeschreibung, p. 255.
90 III.
vehicle in this world anywhere to be found, in what¬ ever direction thou shalt search, apart from the device (shown) by the most high among men.
97. Ye are my children, I am your father, who has removed you from pain, from the triple world, from fear and danger, when you had been burning for many ko/is of /Eons, 98. And I am teaching blessed rest (Nirvana), in so far as, though you have not yet reached (final) rest, you are delivered from the trouble of the mundane whirl, provided you seek the vehicle of the Buddhas.
99. Any Bodhisattvas here present obey my Buddha-rules. Such is the skilfulness of the £ina that he disciplines many Bodhisattvas.
100. When the creatures in this world delight in low and contemptible pleasures, then the Chief of the world, who always speaks the truth, indicates pain as the (first) great truth.
101. And to those who are ignorant and too simple-minded to discover the root of that pain I lay open the way: ‘ Awaking of full consciousness, strong desire is the origin of pain V 102. Always try, unattached 1 2, to suppress desire. This is my third truth, that of suppression. It is an infallible means of deliverance; for by practising this method one shall become emancipated 3.
103. And from what are they emancipated, Y&ri- 1 Samud&gama^, trz'shwa du^khasya sambhava^. Iam not certain of the translation of samudagama, which recurs below in Chap. V, in the apparent sense of full knowledge, agreeing with what the dictionaries give.
2 Anijri'taA 3 Na io m&rga m hi bh&vitva vimu'ktu bhoti (var. lect. bhotu). The words na ko spoil metre and sense, and must be expunged.
III.
A PARABLE.
91 putra? They are emancipated from chimeras 1. Yet they are not wholly freed; the Chief declares that they have not yet reached (final and complete) rest in this world.
104. Why is it that I do not pronounce one to be delivered before one’s having reached the highest, supreme enlightenment? (Because) such is my will; I am the ruler of the law 2, who is born in this world to lead to beatitude.
105. This, Yiriputra, is the closing word of my law which now at the last time I pronounce 3 for the weal of the world including the gods. Preach it in all quarters.
106. And if some one speaks to you these words, ‘ I joyfully accept,’ and with signs of utmost reverence receives this Sfttra, thou mayst consider that man to be unable to slide back 4 *.
107. To believe in this Shtra one must have seen former Tathagatas, paid honour to them, and heard a law similar to this.
108. To believe in my supreme word one must have seen me; thou and the assembly of monks have seen all these Bodhisattvas.
109. This Sfttra is apt to puzzle the ignorant 6, 1 Kutasvfca te, Yariputa, vimukta? Asantagrahatu (abl.) vimukta bhonti; na[£a] tava te sarvatu mukta bhonti.
2 Dharmara^a, a well-known epithet of Yama the god of death; he is the real tamer of men, the master of gods and men, &c.
8 Mama dharmamudra (properly, seal, closure of my law) yk paj^akSle (var. lect. pa$£imi kfile) maya adya (var. lect. mam&dya) bh&shita.
4 Or, to swerve from his course, his purpose.
B Properly, young children, because one must have seen former Tathagatas, i. e. lived some revolving suns before having an idea of death.
92 III.
and I do not pronounce it before having penetrated to superior knowledge. Indeed, it is not within the range of the disciples, nor do the Pratyekabuddhas come to it.
no. But thou,.Sariputra, hast good will, not to speak of my other disciples here. They will walk in my faith, though each cannot have his individual knowledge.
in. But do not speak of this matter to haughty persons, nor to conceited ones, nor to Yogins who are not self-restrained; for the fools, always revelling in sensual pleasures, might in their blindness scorn the law manifested.
112. Now hear the dire results when one scorns my skilfulness and the Buddha-rules for ever fixed in the world; when one, with sullen brow, scorns the vehicle.
113. Hear the destiny of those who have scorned such a Shtra like this, whether during my lifetime or after my Nirvana, or who have wronged the monks.
114. After having disappeared from amongst men, they shall dwell in the lowest hell (AvL£i) during a whole kalpa, and thereafter they shall fall lower and lower, the fools, passing through repeated births for many intermediate kalpas.
115. And when they have vanished from amongst the inhabitants of hell, they shall further descend to the condition of brutes, be even as dogs and jackals, and become a sport to others.
116. Under such circumstances they shall grow blackish of colour, spotted, covered with sores, itchy; moreover, they shall be hairless and feeble, (all) those who have an aversion to my supreme en¬ lightenment.
ITT.
A PARABLE.
93 117. They are ever despised amongst animals; hit by clods or weapons they yell; everywhere they are threatened with sticks, and their bodies are emaci¬ ated from hunger and thirst.
118. Sometimes they become camels or asses, carrying loads, and are beaten with whips 1 and sticks; they are constantly occupied with thoughts of eating, the fools who have scorned the Buddha- rule.
119. At other times they become ugly jackals, half blind and crippled 2; the helpless creatures are vexed by the village boys, who throw clods and weapons at them.
120. Again shooting off from that place, those fools become animals with bodies of five hundred yo^anas, whirling round, dull and lazy.
121. They have no feet, and creep on the belly 3 4; to be devoured by many kods of animals is the dreadful punishment they have to suffer for having scorned a Sfttra like this.
122. And whenever they assume a human shape, they are born crippled, maimed*, crooked, one-eyed, blind, dull, and low, they having no faith in my Sfttra.
1 Kasha, var. lect. sata, with a marginal correction sada (for sadd). Burnouf’s ‘cent batons’ is evidently based upon the reading sata.
2 K&wakakutf <?ak §.s kz., var. lect. valaka°,with marginal correc¬ tion kanaka 0. The translation is doubtful; cf. st. 116 below. Ku»</aka I connect with ku«/= vikalikarawe and the Greek kuXXos.
3 Kro<fasawkrin,var.lect.°sa»z^win,with correction°sawkkin, the reading I have followed, taking sawkkin to be identical with sakkin, a Prakrit form of Sanskrit sarpin.
94 III.
123. Nobody keeps their side 1; a putrid smell is continually issuing from their mouths; an evil spirit has entered the body of those who do not believe in this supreme enlightenment.
124. Needy, obliged to do menial labour, always in another’s service, feeble, and subject to many diseases they go about in the world, unprotected.
125. The man whom they happen to serve is unwilling to give them much, and what he gives is soon lost. Such is the fruit of sinfulness.
126. Even the best-prepared medicaments, admi¬ nistered to them by able men, do, under those circumstances, but increase their illness, and the disease has no end.
127. Some commit thefts, affrays, assaults, or acts of hostility, whereas others commit robberies of goods; (all this) befalls the sinner.
128. Never does he behold the Lord of the world, the King of kings ruling the earth 2, for he is doomed to live at a wrong time 3, he who scorns my Buddha- rule.
129. Nor does that foolish person listen to the law; he is deaf and senseless; he never finds rest, because he has scorned this enlightenment.
130. During many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of./Eons equal to the sand of the Ganges he shall be dull and defective; that is the evil result from scorning this Sutra.
1 Apratyanika, var. lect. apratyaniya. The rendering is doubtful. I take it to be synonymous with apaksha; cf. note, 2 Mahi, i.e. Sansk. mahtm.
3 In the darkness of hell, i. e. in common parlance, at night¬ time, when nobody can behold the sun.
III.
A PARABLE.
95 131. Hell is his garden (or monastery), a place of misfortune 1 his abode; he is continually living amongst asses, hogs, jackals, and dogs.
132. And when he has assumed a human shape he is to be blind, deaf, and stupid, the servant of another, and always poor.
133. Diseases, myriads of kotfs of wounds on the body, scab, itch, scurf, leprosy, blotch, a foul smell are, in that condition, his covering and apparel.
134. His sight is dim to distinguish the real. His anger appears mighty in him, and his passion is most violent; he always delights in animal wombs.
135. Were I to go on, ^Sariputra, for a whole JEon, enumerating the evils of him who shall scorn my Sfttra, I should not come to an end.
136. And since I am fully aware of it, I com¬ mand thee,.Sciriputra, that thou shalt not expound a Sfttra like this before foolish people.
137. But those who are sensible, instructed, thoughtful, clever, and learned, who strive after the highest supreme enlightenment, to them ex¬ pound its real meaning.
138. Those who have seen many ko/is of Bud¬ dhas, planted immeasurably many roots of good¬ ness, and undertaken a strong vow, to them expound its real meaning.
139. Those who, full of energy and ever kind- hearted, have a long time been developing the feeling of kindness, have given up body and life, in their presence thou mayst preach this Sutra.
1 Apaya, properly ‘going away, disappearance,’ the reverse of up sly a, ‘approaching.’
96 III.
140. Those who show mutual love and respect, keep no intercourse with ignorant people, and are content to live in mountain caverns, to them expound this hallowed Sutra.
141. If thou see sons of Buddha who attach them¬ selves to virtuous friends and avoid bad friends, then reveal to them this Sutra.
142. Those sons of Buddha who have not broken the moral vows, are pure like gems and jewels, and devoted to the study of the great Sutras, before those thou mayst propound this Sutra.
143. Those who are not irascible, ever sincere, full of compassion for all living beings, and respect¬ ful towards the Sugata, before those thou mayst propound this Sfitra.
144. To one who in the congregation, without any hesitation and distraction of mind, speaks to expound the law, with many myriads of ko/is of illustrations, thou mayst manifest this Sutra.
145. And he who, desirous of acquiring all-know- ingness, respectfully lifts his joined hands to his head, or who seeks in all directions to find some monk of sacred eloquence; 146. And he who keeps (in memory) the great Sutras, while he never shows any liking for other books, nor even knows a single stanza from another work; to all of them thou mayst expound this sublime Sfitra.
147. He who seeks such an excellent Sfitra as this, and after obtaining it devoutly worships it, is like the man who wears a relic of the Tathagata he has eagerly sought for.
148. Never mind other Sfitras nor other books in which a profane philosophy is taught; such books III.
A PARABLE.
97 are fit for the foolish; avoid them and preach this Sutra.
149. During a full Jion,.Sariputra, I could speak of thousands of ko/is of (connected) points, (but this suffices); thou mayst reveal this Sutra to all who are striving after the highest supreme en¬ lightenment.
IY.
CHAPTER IV.
DISPOSITION.
As the venerable Subhftti, the venerable MaM- Katy&yana, the venerable Maha - K&xyapa, and the venerable Maha -Maudgalyayana heard this law unheard of before, and as from the mouth of the Lord they heard the future destiny of Aariputra to superior perfect enlightenment, they were struck with wonder, amazement, and rapture. They instantly rose from their seats and went up to the place where the Lord was sitting; after throwing their cloak over one shoulder, fixing the right knee on the ground and lifting up their joined hands before the Lord, looking up to him, their bodies bent, bent down and inclined, they addressed the Lord in this strain: Lord, we are old, aged, advanced in years; honoured as seniors in this assemblage of monks. Worn out by old age we fancy that we have attained Nirvana; we make no efforts, O Lord, for supreme perfect enlightenment; our force and exertion are inadequate to it. Though the Lord preaches the law and has long continued sitting, and though we have attended to that preaching of the law, yet, O Lord, as we have so long been sitting and so long attended the Lord’s service, our greater and minor members, as well as the joints and articulations, begin to ache. Hence, O Lord, we are unable, in spite of the Lord’s preaching, to IV.
DISPOSITION.
99 realise the fact that all is vanity (or void), purpose¬ less (or causeless, or unconditioned), and unfixed 1; we have conceived no longing after the Buddha-laws, the divisions of the Buddha-fields, the sports 2 of the Bodhi- sattvas or Tathagatas. For by having fled out of the triple world, O Lord, we imagined having attained Nirvcl?za, and we are decrepit from old age. Hence, O Lord, though we have exhorted other Bodhisattvas and instructed them in supreme perfect enlighten¬ ment, we have in doing so never conceived a single thought of longing. And just now, O Lord, we are hearing from the Lord that disciples also may be predestined to supreme perfect enlightenment. We are astonished and amazed, and deem it a great gain, O Lord, that to-day, on a sudden, we have heard from the Lord a voice such as we never heard before. We have acquired a magnificent jewel, O Lord, an incomparable jewel. We had not sought, nor searched, nor expected, nor required so mag¬ nificent a jewel. It has become clear to us 3, O Lord; it has become clear to us, O Sugata.
It is a case, O Lord, as if a certain man went 1 Sftnyatanimittfipraflihitaw? sarvam. The commentary on Dhammapada, ver. 92 (p. 281), gives an explanation of the Pali terms suwnata, animitta, and appamhita. His interpretation is too artificial to be of much use. In the verse referred to we find suwwata apparently as an adjective, but till we find such an adjective in another place, it is safer to doubt its existence altogether. Aprawihita is, to my apprehension, unfixed, not fixed beforehand, not determined providentially; it may also mean unpremeditated.
2 Or, display of magical phenomena.
8 Pratibh&ti no; a would-be correction has pratilfibhino, which is inadmissible, because with this reading the pronoun vayam cannot be left out.
IOO IV.
away from his father and betook himself to some other place. He lives there in foreign parts for many years, twenty or thirty or forty or fifty. In course of time the one (the father) becomes a great man; the other (the son) is poor; in seeking a live¬ lihood for the sake of food and clothing he roams in all directions and goes to some place, whereas his father removes to another country. The latter has much wealth, gold, corn 1, treasures, and granaries; possesses much (wrought) gold and silver, many gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conch shells, and stones(?), corals, gold and silver; many slaves male and female, servants for menial work and journeymen; is rich in elephants, horses, carriages, cows, and sheep. He keeps a large retinue; has his money invested in great territories 2, and does great things in business, money-lending, agriculture, and commerce.
In course of time, Lord, that poor man, in quest of food and clothing, roaming through villages, towns, boroughs, provinces, kingdoms, and royal capitals, reaches the place where his father, the owner of much wealth and gold, treasures and granaries, is residing. Now the poor man’s father, Lord, the owner of much wealth and gold, treasures and granaries, who was residing in that town, had always and ever been thinking of the son he had lost fifty years ago, but he gave no utterance to his thoughts before others, and was only pining in himself and thinking: I am old, aged, advanced 1 Dhanya, wanting in some MSS.
2 Mahd^anapadeshu dhanika/ 5. The translation is doubtful; the words may as well mean, a creditor of people at large.
IV.
DISPOSITION.
IOI in years, and possess abundance of bullion, gold, money and corn, treasures and granaries, but have no son. It is to be feared lest death shall overtake me and all this perish unused. Repeatedly he was thinking of that son: O how happy should I be, were my son to enjoy this mass of wealth!
Meanwhile, Lord, the poor man in search of food and clothing was gradually approaching the house of the rich man, the owner of abundant bullion, gold, money and corn, treasures and granaries. And the father of the poor man happened to sit at the door of his house, surrounded and waited upon by a great crowd of Brihmans, Kshatriyas, Vabyas, and Audras; he was sitting on a magnificent throne with a foot¬ stool decorated with gold and silver, while dealing with hundred thousands of kods of gold-pieces, and fanned with a chowrie, on a spot under an extended awning inlaid with pearls and flowers and adorned with hanging garlands of jewels; sitting (in short) in great pomp. The poor man, Lord, saw his own father in such pomp sitting at the door of the house, surrounded with a great crowd of people and doing a householder’s business. The poor man frightened, terrified, alarmed, seized with a feeling of horripilation all over the body, and agitated in mind, reflects thus: Unexpectedly have I here fallen in with a king or grandee. People like me have nothing to do here; let me go; in the street of the poor I am likely to find food and clothing without much difficulty. Let me no longer tarry at this place, lest I be taken to do forced labour or incur some other injury.
Thereupon, Lord, the poor man quickly departs, runs off, does not tarry from fear of a series of SA DDHARMA-PUAWArIka.
IV.
supposed dangers. But the rich man, sitting on the throne at the door of his mansion, has recog¬ nised his son at first sight, in consequence whereof he is content, in high spirits, charmed, delighted, filled with joy and cheerfulness. He thinks: Won¬ derful! he who is to enjoy this plenty of bullion, gold, money and corn, treasures and granaries, has been found! He of whom I have been thinking again and again, is here now that I am old, aged, advanced in years.
At the same time, moment, and instant, Lord, he despatches couriers, to whom he says: Go, sirs, and quickly fetch me that man. The fellows thereon all run forth in full speed and overtake the poor man, who, frightened, terrified, alarmed, seized with a feeling of horripilation all over his body, agitated in mind, utters a lamentable cry of distress, screams, and exclaims: I have given you no offence. But the fellows drag the poor man, however lamenting, violently with them. He, frightened, terrified, alarmed, seized with a feeling of horripilation all over his body, and agitated in mind, thinks by himself: I fear lest I shall be punished with capital punishment 1; I am lost. He faints away, and falls on the earth. His father dismayed and near de¬ spondency 2 says to those fellows: Do not carry 3 the 1 According to the reading vadhyadarcafya^. If we read vadhyo d'&ndys.h, the rendering would be, executed or punished (fined). Cf. stanza 19 below.
2 Visha««ar^a sfidfisanne Msya sa pita bhavet; var. lect. v. syad dsannar^a Hsya s. p.b. Both readings are corrupt; we have to read sadasannax^a. The final e of asanne is likely to be a remnant of the original Magadhi (not Pali) text, the e being the nom. case sing, of masculine words in a.
3 Ma bhavanta enam (var. lect. eva») purusham fiyishur IV.
DISPOSITION.
man in that manner. With these words he sprinkles him with cold water without addressing him any further. For that householder knows the poor man’s humble disposition 1 and his own elevated position; yet he feels that the man is his son.
The householder, Lord, skilfully conceals from every one that it is his son. He calls one of his servants and says to him: Go, sirrah, and tell that poor man: Go, sirrah, whither thou likest; thou art free. The servant obeys, approaches the poor man and tells him: Go, sirrah, whither thou likest; thou art free. The poor man is astonished and amazed at hearing these words; he leaves that spot and wanders to the street of the poor in search of food and clothing. In order to attract him the house¬ holder practises an able device. He employs for it two men ill-favoured and of little splendour 2. Go, says he, go to the man you saw in this place; hire him in your own name for a double daily fee, and order him to do work here in my house. And if he asks: What work shall I have to do? tell him: Help us in clearing the heap of dirt. The two (var. lect. inayeyur) iti. A would-be correction has anayata, at any rate a blunder, because anayantu would be required. The original reading may have been anayishur, in common Sanskrit anaishur. Quite different is the reading, atha khalu sa daridra- purusham inayantv iti tam ena m jitalena, &c., ‘thereupon he (the rich man) ordered the poor man to be brought before him and,’ &c.
1 Here and repeatedly in the sequel the term hinadhimuk- tatfi would much better be rendered by ‘ humble or low position.’
2 Durvar niv alpau^askau. The idiomatic meaning of dur- var«a a. is ‘having a bad complexion or colour (e.g. from ill health) and little vitality or vigour.’ The artificial or so-called etymological meaning may be, ‘ of bad caste and of little splendour or majesty;’ see, however, below at stanza 21.
IV.
fellows go and seek the poor man and engage him for such work as mentioned. Thereupon the two fellows conjointly with the poor man clear the heap of dirt in the house for the daily pay they receive from the rich man, while they take up their abode in a hovel of straw 1 in the neighbourhood of the rich man’s dwelling. And that rich man beholds through a window his own son clearing the heap of dirt, at which sight he is anew struck with wonder and astonishment.
Then the householder descends from his mansion, lays off his wreath and ornaments, parts with his soft, clean, and gorgeous attire, puts on dirty rai¬ ment, takes a basket in his right hand, smears his body with dust, and goes to his son, whom he greets from afar, and thus addresses: Please, take the baskets and without delay remove the dust. By this device he manages to speak to his son, to have a talk with him and say: Do, sirrah, remain here in my service; do not go again to another place; I will give thee extra pay, and whatever thou wantest thou mayst confidently ask me, be it the price of a pot, a smaller pot, a boiler or wood 2, or be it the 1 The MSS. vary considerably, and are moreover inconsistent in their readings of this word. One has grzhaparisare ka/a- pallikuw-fcikaya; another, g. kapa/dliku/ik&yazzz (r. ka/apali 0 or ka/opali °); a third, grz'hapatisakare (mere nonsense for grz'haparisare) ka/apalikuw^ik^ydzzz. Paliku/ikl is evi¬ dently a variation of upariku/i, pali being a Magadhi form for pari, or the Prakrit of prati or pari. The 11 is clearly wrong. Ka/a may mean mat, straw, and boards.
2 The rendering of this passage is doubtful. Bumouf takes the words pot (kuzzzfa), small pot (kuzzrfika), boiler (sthalika), and kSshMa to denote measures. He may be right, though in the absence of sufficient evidence for kash/^a denoting a measure or value, I thought it safer to take the word in the usual sense.
IV.
DISPOSITION.
IV.
DISPOSITION.
price of salt, food, or clothing. I have got an old cloak, man; if thou shouldst want it, ask me for it, I will give it. Any utensil of such sort 1, when thou wantest to have it, I will give thee. Be at ease, fellow; look upon me as if I were thy father, for I am older and thou art younger, and thou hast ren¬ dered me much service by clearing this heap of dirt, and as long as thou hast been in my service thou hast never shown nor art showing wickedness, crookedness, arrogance, or hypocrisy; I have dis¬ covered in thee no vice at all of such as are com¬ monly seen in other man-servants. From hence¬ forward thou art to me like my own son.
From that time, Lord, the householder, addresses the poor man by the name of son, and the latter feels in presence of the householder as a son to his father. In this manner, Lord, the householder affected with longing for his son employs him for the clearing of the heap of dirt during twenty years, at the end of which the poor man feels quite at ease in the mansion to go in and out, though he continues taking his abode in the hovel of straw 2.
After a while, Lord, the householder falls sick, and feels that the time of his death is near at hand. He says to the poor man: Come hither, man, I pos¬ sess abundant bullion, gold, money and corn, treasures and granaries. I am very sick, and wish to have one upon whom to bestow (my wealth); by whom it is to be received, and with whom it is to be deposited 3. Accept it. For in the same manner as I am the 1 It seems to me that this refers to kuwcfa, &c.
8 MSS. y&kkz. nidhltavyam; we have to read yatra n°.
io6 IV.
owner of it, so art thou, but thou shalt not suffer anything of it to be wasted.
And so, Lord, the poor man accepts the abundant bullion, gold, money and corn, treasures and grana¬ ries of the rich man, but for himself he is quite indifferent to it, and requires nothing from it, not even so much as the price of a prastha of flour; he continues living in the same hovel of straw and considers himself as poor as before.