|
1. I have boiled (my) rice, I have milked (my cows),'--so said the
herdsman Dhaniya,--'I am living together with my fellows near the banks
of the Mahî (river), (my) house is covered, the fire is kindled:
therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
2. 'I am free from anger, free from stubbornness,'--so said
Bhagavat,--'I am abiding for one night near the banks of the Mahî
(river), my house
is uncovered, the fire (of passions) is extinguished: therefore, if thou
like, rain, O sky!'
3. 'Gad-flies are not to be found (with me),'--so said the herdsman
Dhaniya,--'in meadows abounding with grass the cows are roaming, and
they can endure rain when it comes: therefore, if thou like, rain, O
sky!'
4. '(By me) is made a well-constructed raft,'--so said Bhagavat,--'I
have passed over (to Nibbâna), I have reached the further bank, having
overcome the torrent (of passions); there is no (further) use for a
raft: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
5. 'My wife is obedient, not wanton,'--so said the herdsman
Dhaniya,--'for a long time she has been living together (with me), she
is winning, and I hear nothing wicked of her: therefore, if thou like,
rain, O sky!'
6. 'My mind is obedient, delivered (from all worldliness),'--so said
Bhagavat,--'it has for a long time been highly cultivated and
well-subdued, there is no longer anything wicked in me: therefore, if
thou like, rain, O sky!'
7. 'I support myself by my own earnings,'--so said the herdsman
Dhaniya,--'and my children are (all) about me, healthy; I hear nothing
wicked of them: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
8. 'I am no one's servant,'--so said Bhagavat,--'with what I have
gained I wander about in all the world, there is no need (for me) to
serve: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
Continued...
|
9. 'I have cows, I have calves,'-- so said the herdsman Dhaniya;--'I
have cows in calf and heifers, and I have also a bull as lord over the
cows: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
10. 'I have no cows, I have no calves,'--so said Bhagavat,--'I have
no cows in calf and no heifers, and I have no bull as a lord over the
cows: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!
11. 'The stakes are driven in, and cannot be shaken,'--so said the
herdsman Dhaniya,--'the ropes are made of mu/ñg/a grass, new and
well-made, the cows will not be able to break them: therefore, if thou
like, rain, O sky!'
12. 'Having, like a bull, rent the bonds; having, like an elephant,
broken through the galu/kkh/i creeper, I shall not again enter into a
womb: therefore, if thou like, rain, O sky!'
Then at once a shower poured down, filling both sea and land. Hearing
the sky raining, Dhaniya spoke thus:
13. 'No small gain indeed (has accrued) to us since we have seen
Bhagavat; we take refuge in thee, O (thou who art) endowed with the eye
(of wisdom); be thou our master, O great Muni!'
14. 'Both my wife and myself are obedient; (if) we lead a holy life
before Sugata, we shall conquer birth and death, and put an end to
pain.'
15. 'He who has sons has delight in sons,'--so said the wicked
Mâra,--'he who has cows has delight likewise in cows; for upadhi
(substance) is the delight of man, but he who has no upadhi has no
delight.'
16. 'He who has sons has care with (his) sons,'--so said
Bhagavat,--'he who has cows has likewise care with (his) cows; for
upadhi (is the cause of) people's cares, but he who has no upadhi has no
care.'
Back to Top
|