Ja 87 The Story about the Omens
(Maṅgalajātaka)
In the present a brahmin is bound by superstition and believes an old gnawed piece of cloth will bring bad luck, so he seeks to have it thrown away. As the cloth is being taken away for disposal, the Buddha intercepts it and takes it for himself, declaring that superstitions are not efficacious. He then tells a similar story about a past life (full story).
1. Yassa maṅgalā samūhatāse,
Uppātā supinā ca lakkhaṇā ca,
So maṅgaladosavītivatto,
Yugayogādhigato, na jātum-etī ti.
The one who uproots the omens, both auguries and dreams and signs, transcending the fault of omens, overcoming the ties and the yokes, he does not come to birth again.
In this connection, the one who uproots the omens, the Arahat, who has destroyed the pollutants – the omens of what is seen, heard or thought – eradicates all of these omens.
Both auguries and dreams and signs means “There will be such a lunar eclipse, there will be such a solar eclipse, there will be such a conjunction of planets, there will be such a meteor shower, there will be such a conflagration,” these five great auguries, and various dreams, fortunate signs, unfortunate signs, signs concerning women, signs concerning men, signs concerning female slaves, signs concerning male slaves, signs concerning snakes, signs concerning elephants, signs concerning horses, signs concerning bulls, signs concerning weapons, signs concerning clothes, so all these signs, these things seen, he uproots these, he does not himself believe in omens or bad omens through auguries and so on.
Transcending the fault of omens, the one who has destroyed the pollutants, overcoming, transcending the faults of all the omens, stands having abandoned them.
Overcoming the ties and the yokes, thinking: “Anger and resentment, smearing and rivalry,” and so on, in this way, two by two together, the defilements that are known as ties. The yoke of sensuality, the yoke of existence, the yoke of wrong views, the yoke of ignorance, in this round of births what are known as the four yokes from their nature of yoking.
These ties and yokes means overcoming, overpowering the ties and yokes, the monastic who has destroyed the pollutants goes past, overcomes, transcends them.
He does not come to birth again means he absolutely does not come to this world again through rebirth-linking.