Ja 294 The Story about eating Jambu Plums (3s)

In the present Devadatta goes round praising his disciple and the disciple praises Devadatta in return, all to seek gains from the layfolk. The Buddha tells a story of a jackal who, wanting a fruit, praised a crow, and how they were scared away.

−−−−¦⏑−−−¦¦⏑⏑−−¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
1. Koyaṁ bindussaro vaggu saravantānam-uttamo,
Who is this with a lovely, rich, supremely melodious sound,

−⏑−−¦⏑−−−¦¦−−−−¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
Accuto Jambusākhāya moracchāpo va kūjatī ti?
Who chirps unbroken like a young peacock on the Jambu tree’s branch?

Tattha, {2.439} bindussaro ti,
In this connection, rich (sound),

bindunā avisārena piṇḍitena sarena samannāgato.
endowed with a rich, undiffused, precise sound.

Vaggū ti madhurasaddo.
Lovely means sweet-sounding.

Accuto ti na cuto sannisinno.
Unbroken means not died, settled.

Moracchāpo va kūjatī ti,
Chirps like a young peacock,

taruṇamoro va manāpena saddena:
with a pleasing sound like a young peacock,

“Ko nāmeso kūjatī” ti vadati.
he says: “Who is this that chirps?”

⏑⏑−−¦⏑−−⏑¦¦⏑⏑−−¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
2. Kulaputto va jānāti kulaputtaṁ pasaṁsituṁ,
A son of good family knows how to praise a good family,

−−−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦¦−⏑−⏑¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
Byagghacchāpasarīvaṇṇa, bhuñja samma dadāmi te ti.
My friend, similar to a young tiger, It seems -ī- in sarī is m.c. PED: Sari, according to Payogasiddhi = sarisa (sadisa) cp. sarīvaṇṇa Ja.ii.439 (= samāna-vaṇṇa, C.). I give to you, please eat.

Tattha, byagghacchāpasarīvaṇṇā ti,
In this connection, similar to a young tiger,

tvaṁ amhākaṁ byagghapotakasamānavaṇṇo va khāyasi,
you appear to be similar in form to a young tiger,

tena taṁ vadāmi ambho byagghacchāpasarīvaṇṇa.
by this I say, my dear, who are similar to a young tiger.

Bhuñja, samma, dadāmi te ti,
My friend … I give to you, please eat,

vayassa, yāvad-atthaṁ jambupakkāni khāda ahaṁ te dadāmī ti.
friend, eat as much as you need of this black plum fruit that I give to you.

⏑−−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
3. Cirassaṁ vata passāmi musāvādī samāgate,
I see after a long time those who speak falsely come together,

−−−⏑¦⏑−−⏑¦¦−⏑−−¦⏑−⏑− Siloka pathyā
Vantādaṁ kuṇapādañ-ca, aññamaññaṁ pasaṁsake ti.
Accepting vomit and corpses, and those who praise one another.

Tattha, vantādan-ti paresaṁ vantabhattakhādakaṁ kākaṁ.
In this connection, accepting vomit means a crow eating food vomited by another.

Kuṇapādañ-cā ti kuṇapakhādakaṁ siṅgālañ-ca.
And (accepting) corpses means a jackal who eats corpses.

last updated: November 2022