Vessantara-Jataka in Pali and English - MyWebSpace

Translation 546 Vessantara-Jåtaka
[Fausbøll, Jåtaka, vol. VI, p. 546]
he followed their footprints to the lakeside, and then seeing a footprint where they went
down into the water, he perceived that they must have gone into the water: so he called,
"Jāli, my boy!" reciting these two stanzas:
"Come hither, my beloved son, my perfect state fulfil;
Come now and consecrate my heart, and follow out my will.
Be thou my ship to ferry me safe o’er existence’ sea,
Beyond the worlds of birth and gods I'll cross and I'll be free."
"Come, Jāli, my boy!" cried he; and the lad hearing his voice thought thus:—"Let the
brahmin do with me what he will, I, will not quarrel with my father!" He raised his head,
parted the lily-leaves, and came out of the water, throwing himself upon the Great
Being's right foot; embracing the ankle he wept. Then the Great Being said: "My boy,
where is your sister?" He answered, "Father, all creatures take care of themselves in time
of danger." The Great Being recognized that the children must have made a bargain
together, and he cried out, "Here, Kaṇhā!" reciting two stanzas:
"Come hither, my beloved girl, my perfect state fulfil,
Come now and consecrate my heart, and follow out my will.
Be thou my ship to ferry me safe o’er existence’ sea,
Beyond the worlds of men and gods I'll cross and lift 1 me free!"
She also thought, "I will not quarrel with my father "; and in a moment out she came, and
falling on her father's left foot clasped his ankle and wept. Their tears fell upon the Great
Being's feet, coloured like a lily-leaf; and his tears fell on their backs, which had the
colour of golden slabs. Then the Great Being raised up his children and comforted them,
saying, "My son Jāli, don't you know that I have gladly given you away? So do that my
desire may attain fulfilment." And then and there he put a price on the children, as one
puts a price on cattle. To his son he said: "Son Jāli, if you wish to become free, you must
pay the brahmin
1
uddharissam: of coming out of the river on the other side. So in the Kacchapa-Jåtaka of
the Mahavastu (Émile Senart, Mahāvastu, vol. II (1890), p. 244, lines 8-9): nadīto
kacchapo uddharitvā. [J. J. Jones, The Mahāvastu, vol. II (1952), p. 231, has: "It
plunged into the river and came up again to the bank not far away". -- jrb]