Ja 5 Taṇḍulanālijātaka
The Story about the Measure of Rice
In the present a foolish monk manages to become steward for the Saṅgha, but doesn’t understand how to properly value the distribution. The Buddha shows how he was also a fool in the past by telling the story of a valuer who was easily bribed into giving wrong prices.
1. Kim-agghati taṇḍulanāḷikāyaṁ?
What value does a measure of rice have?
Assāna’ mūlāya vadehi, rāja?
Do you speak of the price of horses, king?
Bārāṇasiṁ santarabāhiraṁ, The metre is one syllable short in this line.
Benares, on the inside and outside,
Ayam-agghati taṇḍulanāḷikā ti!
He values it at a measure of rice!
[There is no word commentary to this verse, and PTS omits the verse itself.]