Ja 36 The Story about the Bird
(Sakuṇajātaka)
In the present a monk is given a subject for meditation and goes to practice with it. Shortly thereafter his hut becomes unliveable, and the villagers do not repair it. At the end of his retreat he meets the Buddha who tells him a story of a warning he once gave when he was king of the birds. Some listened to him, and their lives were saved. Others perished (full story).
1. Yaṁ nissitā jagatiruhaṁ vihaṅgamā,
Svāyaṁ aggiṁ pamuñcati,
Disā bhajatha vakkaṅgā, jātaṁ saraṇato bhayan-ti!
You birds who depend on this tree, beware, the fire has been set free, i.e. it is no longer held back, and is running wild. birds! Resort to the quarters, danger arises from our refuge!
In this connection, tree, jagatī is said to be the earth, i.e. it is a name for the earth, DPD: jagatī; fem, intens; earth; world, lit. always going; root: √gam･1 a (go); base: √gam + gam > jagam (intens); constr: jagam + tī; ph: g > j | mt > t; sk: jagat, √gam cl. 1 (go). as trees are born there jagatiruha tree is said.
Birds, viha is said to be the sky, DPD: viha, masc, in comps, sky, air. as birds fly there vihaṅgama sky-flyer is said.
Resort to the quarters, having left this tree, fleeing from there, they resort to the four quarters.
Birds! is said calling on the birds. i.e. it is a vocative. Sometimes their heads sit crooked on their necks, therefore vakkaṅga crooked limb is said.
Birds are born crooked in both their wings, so vakkaṅga is said.
Danger arises from our refuge, danger is born from our support tree, “Come, let us go elsewhere.”