Ja 296 Samuddajātaka
The Story about the Sea
In the present one monk is very greedy, and even talks other monks out of their property so he can increase his. The Buddha tells a story of a cormorant who flew over the sea warning everyone not to use it up, until driven away by a Sea Devatā.
1. Ko nāyaṁ loṇatoyasmiṁ samantā paridhāvati,
Who is it that runs about all over this salt water,
Macche makare ca vāreti, ūmīsu ca vihaññatī ti?
Fending off both the fish and sharks, and harassing the waves?
Tattha,
In this connection, who is it means who is it. Again the commentator analyses the word junction to clarify it.
2. Anantapāyī sakuṇo atitto ti, disāsuto,
Being an endless drinker, a dissatisfied bird, famed abroad,
Samuddaṁ pātum-icchāmi, sāgaraṁ saritaṁpatin-ti.
I desire to drink the sea, the ocean and the lord of rivers.
Tassattho:
This is the meaning:
ahaṁ anantasāgaraṁ pātum-icchāmi,
I desire to drink this endless ocean,
tenamhi anantapāyī nāma,
because of that I am known as an endless drinker,
sakuṇo mahatiyā pi apūraṇiyā taṇhāya samannāgatattā,
because of a bird endowed with unfulfilled, great desire,
atitto ti pi ahaṁ disāsu suto vissuto pākaṭo.
though dissatisfied I am famed, renowned, famous abroad.
Svāhaṁ imaṁ sakalasamuddaṁ, sundarānaṁ ratanānaṁ ākarattā,
This whole sea, which is a mine of beautiful treasures,
Sāgarena vā khatattā, sāgaraṁ saritānaṁ patibhāvena, I have not found this word in the dictionaries, but it does occur fairly often in the commentaries, and this seems to be the meaning in Ja 522 Sarabhaṅgajātaka, when discussing Sakka’s names: Sujāya Asurakaññāya patibhāvena Sujampati, because of being master (or husband) of the Asura maiden Sujā (he is called) Sujampati.
or, because it was dug by Sāgara, because the ocean is the master of the rivers,
saritaṁpatiṁ pātum-icchāmī ti.
I desire to drink the lord of rivers.
3. So ayaṁ hāyati ceva pūrate ca mahodadhi,
The great ocean dwindles away and is filled up again, the end
Nāssa nāyati pītanto, apeyyo kira sāgaro ti.
Of its drinking’s not known, the ocean, it seems, is undrinkable.
Tattha, so ayaṁ hāyati cevā ti,
In this connection, dwindles away and,
udakassa osakkanavelāya hāyati,
the dwindling away of the water, at the time of drawing back,
nikkhamanavelāya pūrati.
at the time of withdrawing, it refills.
Nāssa nāyatī ti
(The end) of its (drinking’s) not known,
assa mahāsamuddassa sace pi naṁ sakalaloko piveyya,
even if the whole world would drink of the great sea,
tathāpi: “Ito ettakaṁ nāma udakaṁ pītan”-ti pariyanto na paññāyati.
nevertheless, “Because this much water was drunk,” still the end of it is not known.
Apeyyo kirā ti,
It seems, is undrinkable,
eso kira sāgaro na sakkā kenaci udakaṁ khepetvā pātun-ti.
it seems it was not possible, even after throwing out the water, to drink the (whole) ocean.