Ja 231 The Birth Story about the Shoes (2s)

“As when a pair of shoes.” [2.154] This story the Teacher told in the Bamboo Grove, about Devadatta. The monks gathered together in the Dhamma Hall, and began to discuss the matter. “Friend, Devadatta having repudiated his teacher, and become the foe and adversary of the Tathāgata, has come to utter destruction.” The Teacher came in, and asked what they were talking about as they sat there. They told him. The Teacher said: “Monks, this is not the first time that Devadatta has repudiated his teacher, and become my enemy, and come to utter destruction. The same thing happened before.” Then he told them a story.

In the past, while Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as the son of an elephant trainer. When he grew up, he was taught all the art of managing the elephant. And there came a young villager from Kāsi, and was taught of him. Now when the future Buddhas teach any, they do not give a stingy dole of learning; but according to their own knowledge so teach they, keeping nothing back. So this youth learned all the branches of knowledge from the Bodhisatta, without omission; and when he had learned, said he to his master: {2.222} “Teacher, I will go and serve the king.”

“Good, my son,” said he; and he went before the king, and told him how that a pupil of his would serve the king. Said the king, “Good, let him serve me.” “Then do you know what fee to give?” said the Bodhisatta.

“A pupil of yours will not receive so much as you; if you receive a hundred, he shall have fifty; if you receive two, to him shall one be given.” So the Bodhisatta went home, and told all this to his pupil.

“Teacher,” said the youth, “all your knowledge do I know, piece for piece. If I shall have the like payment, I will serve the king; but if not, then I will not serve him.” And this the Bodhisatta told to the king.

Said the king, “If the young man could do even as you – if he is able to show skill for skill with you, he shall receive the like.” And the Bodhisatta told this to the pupil, and the pupil made answer, “Very good, I will.” “Tomorrow,” said the king, “do you make exhibition of your skill.” “Good, I will; let proclamation be made by beat of drum.” And the king caused it to be proclaimed, “Tomorrow the master and the pupil will [2.155] make show together of their skill in managing the elephant. Tomorrow let all that wish to see gather together in the courtyard of the palace, and see it.”

“My pupil,” thought the teacher to himself, “does not know all my resources.” So he chose an elephant, and in one night he taught him to do all things awry. He taught him to back when bidden go forward, and to go forward when told to back; to lie down when bidden to rise, and to rise when bidden to lie down; to drop when told to pick up, and to pick up when told to drop.

Next day mounting his elephant he came to the palace yard. And his pupil also was there, mounted upon a beautiful elephant. There was a great concourse of people. They both showed all their skill. But the Bodhisatta gave his elephant reverse orders; {2.223} “Go on!” said he, and it backed up, “Back up!” and it ran forward, “Stand up!” and it lay down, “Lie down!” and it stood up, “Pick it up!” and the creature dropped it, “Drop it!” and he picked it up. And the crowd cried, “Go to, you rascal! Do not raise your voice against your master! You do not know your own measure, and you think you can match yourself against him!” and they assailed him with clods and staves, so that he gave up the ghost then and there. And the Bodhisatta came down from his elephant, and approaching the king, addressed him thus:

“O mighty king! For their own good men get them taught; but there was one to whom his learning brought misery with it, like an ill-made shoe,” and he uttered these two verses:

In this connection, oppressed by the scorching heat on the feet, oppressed by the scorching heat on the sole of the feet. Same words, but restated more clearly.

Of that, because of having been bought for ease, strapped on the feet they are the wrong shoes for that person.

They chafe means by causing a wound, they chafe the feet.

Of bad family means of bad birth, a son of a bad family.

Ignoble means being devoid of conscience and concern, a bad person.

Stealing this science and learning of yours, here it should be said he bows down to this and that of yours, he practices, employs this and that craft of yours, this is the meaning, this is actually your teacher’s, therefore yours is said, but for the comfortable arrangement of the verse it is said in short form.

Science means whatever is in the eighteen branches of science. This is the four Vedas (g, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva), and their ancillaries: pronunciation (śikṣa), procedures (for the ritual) (kalpa), linguistics (vyākaraṇa), grammar (nirukti), metre (chandas) and astronomy (jyotiṣa). Then enquiry (mīmāṁsā), reasoning (nyāya), traditions (purāṇa), law (dharmaśāstra); and medicine (āyurveda), martial arts (dhanurveda), theatre (gandharvaveda) and governance (arthaśāstra).

Learning means whatever is scriptural study.

Being consumed by his learning right there, his means being himself consumed. There must be doubt about this interpretation, taṁ is not normally possessive.

He means whoever is of bad family, ignoble, having stolen this science and learning from the teacher, he.

Being consumed by his learning right there, he consumes himself by learning in his presence, this is the meaning. But the commentary says: “Being consumed with that learning right there,” this is another reading. Being consumed by his own learning right there, this is the meaning.

The ignoble one is like a bad shoe, thus the ignoble one is like a bad shoe, like a badly made shoe, is said. Since a badly made shoe chafes a person, so when being consumed by learning he chafes himself by himself. The definition is playing on the various meanings of khādati: chew, bite, eat, chafe, devour and consume. Or, pānadu means pained A meaning found in Sanskrit. by the shoe, having a painful shoe, this is known as the feet being hurt This meaning is established in Sanskrit, but rare in Pāḷi. by the sandal. Therefore he who hurts himself by his learning, because of being hurt by that learning, is said to be ignoble like a bad shoe, like the foot that is hurt by a shoe is said, this is the meaning here.