Ja 224 The Story about the Crocodile
(Kumbhilajātaka)
In the present Devadatta sets out to kill the Buddha, who replies that he did this in the past also, and tells a story of how, when he was a monkey, he outwitted a crocodile and escaped being eaten.
1. Yassete caturo dhammā, vānarinda, yathā tava:
Saccaṁ dhammo dhiti cāgo, diṭṭhaṁ so ativattati.
He who, monkey-king, like you, has these four things: Truth, wisdom, courage, charity, will overcome his foe.
2. Yassa cete na vijjanti guṇā paramabhaddakā,
Saccaṁ dhammo dhiti cāgo, diṭṭhaṁ so nātivattatī ti.
For whoever these supremely auspicious virtues are not found, truth, wisdom, courage, charity, will not overcome his foe.
In this connection, This first section of the commentary comes from Ja 57 Vānarindajātaka, where the verse appears verbatim. he who means whatever person.
These, indicates what will be said now is from personal experience.
Four things means four virtues.
Truth means truthful speech, saying: “I will come near,” not making false speech, and then surely coming, this is your truthful speech.
Wisdom means investigative wisdom: “It will surely be so because of having done this,” this is your investigative wisdom.
Courage, this is said to be your uninterrupted effort, this is yours.
Charity means self-sacrifice, having forsaken yourself, come into my presence. But that I was unable to capture him is my fault.
Foe means adversary.
Will overcome for that person like you, having these four things, just as today you overcame me, so will he overthrow, conquer his enemy.
In this connection, supremely auspicious virtues, for whoever has these four supremely auspicious – in the sense of a heap, in the sense of a quantity – virtues is not found, he will not be able to overthrow his enemy. All the rest is the same as above Lit: below, but it always seems to be used in these contexts to mean what has gone before, where in English we say above; with below being used to indicate what is yet to come. in the Kumbhilajātaka Cst indicates that we are being referred to Ja 208 Suṁsumārajataka, but it seems this is wrong, and Ja 57 Vānarindajātaka, where the first verse occurs, should be indicated. by fitting it in with the exact explanation described there.