Buddhist shelf · Pali Canon · Jātaka 471 · Dvādasakanipāta · Cūḷakuṇālavagga
MeṇḍakapañhajātakaJātaka 471 · Volume 4, translated by W. H. D. Rouse (1901)
Public domain. W. H. D. Rouse’s translation was published in 1901. The Pali is the Mahāsaṅgīti edition published by SuttaCentral under CC0. The canonical Pali Jātaka consists of the verses only (12 verses here); the prose story around them comes from the later commentary, which the English translates in full. So the verses are shown beside the whole English story, not verse by verse.
Pali verses
“Yesaṁ na kadāci bhūtapubbaṁ,
Sakhyaṁ sattapadampimasmi loke;
Jātā amittā duve sahāyā,
Paṭisandhāya caranti kissa hetu”.
“Yadi me ajja pātarāsakāle,
Pañhaṁ na sakkuṇeyyātha vattumetaṁ;
Raṭṭhā pabbājayissāmi vo sabbe,
Na hi mattho duppaññajātikehi”.
“Mahājanasamāgamamhi ghore,
Janakolāhalasaṅgamamhi jāte;
Vikkhittamanā anekacittā,
Pañhaṁ na sakkuṇoma vattumetaṁ.
Ekaggacittāva ekamekā,
Rahasi gatā atthaṁ nicintayitvā;
Paviveke sammasitvāna dhīrā,
Atha vakkhanti janinda etamatthaṁ”.
“Uggaputtarājaputtiyānaṁ,
Urabbhassa maṁsaṁ piyaṁ manāpaṁ;
Na sunakhassa te adenti maṁsaṁ,
Atha meṇḍassa suṇena sakhyamassa”.
“Cammaṁ vihananti eḷakassa,
Assapiṭṭhattharassukhassa hetu;
Na ca te sunakhassa attharanti,
Atha meṇḍassa suṇena sakhyamassa”.
“Āvellitasiṅgiko hi meṇḍo,
Na ca sunakhassa visāṇakāni atthi;
Tiṇabhakkho maṁsabhojano ca,
Atha meṇḍassa suṇena sakhyamassa”.
“Tiṇamāsi palāsamāsi meṇḍo,
Na ca sunakho tiṇamāsi no palāsaṁ;
Gaṇheyya suṇo sasaṁ biḷāraṁ,
Atha meṇḍassa suṇena sakhyamassa”.
“Aṭṭhaḍḍhapado catuppadassa,
Meṇḍo aṭṭhanakho adissamāno;
Chādiyamāharatī ayaṁ imassa,
Maṁsaṁ āharatī ayaṁ amussa.
Pāsādavaragato videhaseṭṭho,
Vitihāraṁ aññamaññabhojanānaṁ;
Addakkhi kira sakkhikaṁ janindo,
Bubhukkassa puṇṇaṁmukhassa cetaṁ”.
“Lābhā vata me anapparūpā,
Yassa medisā paṇḍitā kulamhi;
Pañhassa gambhīragataṁ nipuṇamatthaṁ,
Paṭivijjhanti subhāsitena dhīrā.
Assatarirathañca ekamekaṁ,
Phītaṁ gāmavarañca ekamekaṁ;
Sabbesaṁ vo dammi paṇḍitānaṁ,
Paramappatītamano subhāsitenā”ti.
English Rouse 1901
The Problem of Meṇḍaka will be given under the Ummagga Birth 2.
Translator’s notes (2)
p. 115, n. 1 No. 535, vol. v, p. 382 (Pali).
p. 115, n. 2 No. 546, vol. vi, p. 329 (Pali).