Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(245):Godatta
Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids.
Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'.
Chapter XIV.
Fourteen Verses[]
245. Godatta[]
Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī, in a family of caravan-leaders, he was named Godatta. After his father's death he arranged his estate, and taking 500 carts full of wares travelled about, maintaining himself by trading. One day an ox fell on the road while drawing its cart, and his men could not raise it, so he himself went and beat [282] it severely. Then the ox, incensed at his ruthlessness, assumed a human voice and said: 'Godatta, this long time have I unreservedly given my strength to draw your burdens, but to-day when I was unable and fell, you hurt me badly. Well then! Wherever from now on you are reborn, may I be there as your enemy able to hurt you!' Godatta was thrilled at hearing this, and thought: 'What do I in this way of life who have thus hurt living things?' And he divested himself of all his property, and took orders under a certain great Thera, in due course attaining arahantship(enlightenment).
Now one day as he was in the bliss of fruition, he discoursed to Ariyan groups, both lay and religious, on worldly wisdom:[1]
[659] Yathā'pi bhaddo ājañño dhure yutto dhurāsaho,||
Mathito atibhārena saɱyugaɱ nātivattati.|| ||
[660] Evaɱ paññāya ye tittā samuddo vārinā yathā,||
Na pare atimaññanti ariyadhammo'va pāṇinaɱ.|| ||
[661] Kāle [68] kālavasaɱ pattā bhavābhavavasaɱ gatā,||
Narā dukkhaɱ nigacchanti tedha socanti mānavā.|| ||
[662] Unnatā sukhadhammena dukkhadhammena conatā,||
Dvayena bālāhaññanti yathābhūtaɱ adassino.|| ||
[663] Ye ca dukkhe sukhasmiɱ ca majjhasibbanimaccagū||
Ṭhitā te indakhīlo'va na te unnataonatā.|| ||
[664] Naheva lābhe nālābhe ayase na ca kittiyā,||
Na nindāyaɱ pasaɱsāya na te dukkhe sukhamhi ca.|| ||
[665] Sabbattha te na lippanti udabindūva pokkhare,||
Sabbattha sukhitā dhīrā sabbattha aparājitā.|| ||
[666] Dhammena ca alābho yo yo ca lābho adhammiko,||
Alābho dhammiko seyye yaɱ ve lābho adhammiko.|| ||
[667] Yaso ca appabuddhīnaɱ viññūnaɱ ayaso ca yo,||
Ayaso'va seyyo viññūnaɱ na yaso appabuddhinaɱ.|| ||
[668] Dummedhehi pasaɱsā ca miññūhi garahā ca yā,||
Garahā'va seyyo viññūhi yaɱ ce bālapasaɱsanā.|| ||
[669] Sukhaɱ ca kāmamayikaɱ dukkhaɱ ca pavivekiyaɱ,||
Paviveka1 dukkhaɱ seyyo yaɱ ce kāmamayaɱ sukhaɱ.|| ||
[670] Jīvitaɱ ca adhammena dhammena maraṇaɱ ca yaɱ,||
Maraṇaɱ dhammikaɱ seyyo yaɱ ce jīve adhammikaɱ.|| ||
[671] Kāmakopappahīnā ye santacittā bhavābhave,||
Caranti loke asitā natthi tesaɱ piyāppiyaɱ.|| ||
[672] Bhāvayitvāna bojjhaŋge indriyāni balāni ca,||
Pappuyya paramaɱ santiɱ parinibbantyanāsavā'ti. || ||
[659] Even as the mettled brute of noble breed,
Yoked to his load, drawing his load along,
Though worn by burden past his powers, [unfair],
Breaks not away, revolting from his bonds,
[660] So they in whom, as water in the sea,
Wisdom abounds, despise not other men;
This among creatures is the Ariyan(righteous) rule.[2]
[661] Living in time, come beneath the power of time;
Subject to dread concerning future life,[3]
Men go their ways to pain and misery,
Yes, here below the sons of men do mourn.
[662] Elated by some pleasant happening,and by sorrow
Depressed, the fools are overcome to and fro,[4]
Who nothing as it really is can see.
[663] But they who can escape the weaver of nets, fell[5]
between pain and pleasure holding Middle Way,
[283] They stand as any pillar at the gate.
Neither elated they, nor yet depressed.
[664] For not to gain or loss, to honour, fame,
To praise or blame, to pleasure or to pain -
[665] Wherever it be - do they take hold and cling,
No more than drop of dew to lotus-leaf.
Hale and serene are winners everywhere,
And everywhere unconquered [bound to win].[6]
[666] Of him who rightly seeks and nothing did gain,
And him who gains but seeks wrongfully,
Better is he who rightly sought and lost
Than he who gained by methods that were wrong.
[667] Of them who have repute, but scanty dower
Of wit, and them who know, but lack repute,
Better the wrise men who do lack repute
Than great repute and men of little wit.
[668] Of praises by the unintelligent,
And blame and criticism by the wise,
Better the criticism of the intelligent
Than are the commendations of a fool.
[669] The pleasure born of sensuous desire,
The pain that comes from life detached, austere,
Better the pain that comes from life austere
Than pleasure born of sensuous desire.
[670] To live by wrong; for doing right to die,
Better it was thus to die than so to live.
[671] They who have put off sense-desire and wrath,
Peace in their heart regarding life to come,[7]
They walk the world from lust and craving free;
Likes and dislikes are not for such as these.
[672] The factors of enlightenment, the powers,
These have they studied and the forces too.
So winning perfect peace, as fires extinguished(Nirvana),
They wholly pass away, sane and immune.
[1] Lokadhammā.
[2] It is interesting to contrast the protest of the Indian ox with that of the Hebrew ass of Balak. According to the Commentary, the gist of the 'Ariyan rule' is the sporting maxim that, whether we do or do not congratulate ourselves on our successes, we are not to belittle (avambhanaŋ) others when we fail. In this, in either case, rich wisdom makes a man happy.
[3] More literally, subject to becoming and not becoming.
[4] Cf. CII.
[5] I.e., craving (taṇhā), who sews life on to life (Bud. Psy., p. 278).
[6] This last (metri causá) from the Commentary: anabhibhavaniyato.
[7] See ver. 661, n. 8.