Ja 40 The Story about the Embers
(Khadiraṅgārajātaka)
In the present a Devatā works to dissuade her landlord, Anāthapiṇḍika, from his allegiance to the Buddha, and is expelled from her home in his house for the trouble. When the Buddha hears of this he tells a story of how Māra, in a previous life, had tried to dissuade him from giving to a Paccekabuddha by making a fiery abyss appear between them. The Bodhisatta crossed over and made his gift anyway (full story).
1. Kāmaṁ patāmi nirayaṁ uddhampādo avaṁsiro,
Nānariyaṁ karissāmi, handa piṇḍaṁ paṭiggahā ti.
Gladly will I fall headfirst, or fall head over heels into hell, but I will not do anything ignoble, come, accept this rice.
In this connection, this is the substance of it: Venerable, Noble, Independent Buddha, if in giving alms-food to you certainly into this hell, having gone head over heels, I fall, so this non-giving, non-virtue, should not be done by the noble, it is done only by the ignoble, therefore ignoble is said. “I will not do anything ignoble, come, receive in the container this alms that is being given by me.” Here come is a particle with the meaning of relinquishment. I don’t think this is well said. It is really an exhortative, or, in this context, a particle with the meaning of encouragement.