Ja 123 Naṅgalīsajātaka
The Story about the Plough-Shaft
In the present one monk is always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The Buddha tells a story of how the same monk had indeed been faithful, but truly inept in his thinking in a past life.
1. Asabbatthagāmiṁ vācaṁ bālo sabbattha bhāsati,
The fool in all cases speaks a word that is not applicable in all cases,
Nāyaṁ dadhiṁ vedi, na naṅgalīsaṁ,
He doesn’t know curd, doesn’t know a ploughshaft,
Dadhippayaṁ maññati naṅgalīsan-ti.
He thinks that buttermilk is a ploughshaft.
Tatrāyaṁ
In this connection, this is a summary of the meaning:
yā vācā opammavasena sabbattha na gacchati,
those words do not go in all cases because of a simile,
taṁ asabbatthagāmiṁ vācaṁ bālo dandhapuggalo sabbattha bhāsati.
that which the fool, the stupid person, in all cases speaks a word that is not applicable in all cases.
“Dadhi nāma kīdisan?”-ti puṭṭho pi:
When asked: “What is curds like?”
“Seyyathā pi, naṅgalīsā” ti, vadateva,
he says: “Like a ploughshaft,”
evaṁ vadanto nāyaṁ dadhiṁ vedi, na naṅgalīsaṁ.
speaking thus he doesn’t know curd, doesn’t know a ploughshaft.
Kiṁkāraṇā?
What is the reason?
Dadhippayaṁ maññati naṅgalīsaṁ,
He thinks that buttermilk is a ploughshaft,
yasmā ayaṁ dadhim-pi naṅgalīsam-eva maññati.
since he thinks this curd is a ploughshaft.
Atha vā dadhī ti dadhim-eva, payan-ti khīraṁ,
Or, curd is curds, butter is milk,
dadhi ca payañ-ca dadhippayaṁ.
curds and milk is buttermilk.
Yasmā dadhikhīrāni pi ayaṁ naṅgalīsam-eva maññati,
Since he thinks buttermilk (is like) a ploughshaft,
ediso cāyaṁ bālo,
he has the qualities of a fool,
kiṁ iminā ti antevāsikānaṁ Dhammakathaṁ kathetvā,
this is why, having spoken a Dhamma talk to his pupils,
paribbayaṁ datvā, taṁ uyyojesi.
after giving him his wages, he sent him away.