Vessantara-Jataka in Pali and English - MyWebSpace
Vessantara-Jataka in Pali and English - MyWebSpace
Vessantara-Jataka in Pali and English - MyWebSpace
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Translation 572 <strong>Vessantara</strong>-Jåtaka<br />
[Fausbøll, Jåtaka, vol. VI, p. 572]<br />
"Sir, now I give you Maddī back, your fair <strong>and</strong> lovely wife,<br />
A pair well-matched, <strong>and</strong> fitted for a most harmonious life.<br />
Like the <strong>in</strong>evitable bond ’twixt water <strong>and</strong> a shell,<br />
So you with Maddī; m<strong>in</strong>d <strong>and</strong> heart are both accord<strong>in</strong>g well.<br />
Of equal birth <strong>and</strong> family on either parents' side<br />
Here <strong>in</strong> a forest hermitage together you abide,<br />
That ye may go on do<strong>in</strong>g good where <strong>in</strong> the woods you dwell."<br />
This said, he went on, offer<strong>in</strong>g a boon:<br />
"Sakka the K<strong>in</strong>g of Gods am I, here come thy place to see:<br />
Choose thou a boon, O royal sage, eight boons I give to thee."<br />
As he spoke, he rose <strong>in</strong>to the air ablaze like the morn<strong>in</strong>g sun. Then the Bodhisatta said,<br />
choos<strong>in</strong>g his boons:<br />
"Sakka, the lord of all the earth, has given me a boon.<br />
Prithee my father reconcile, let him recall me soon<br />
And set me <strong>in</strong> my royal seat: this the first boon I crave.<br />
May I condemn no man to death, not though he guilty be:<br />
Condemned, may I release from death: this second boon I crave.<br />
May all the people for their help look only unto me,<br />
The young, the old, the middle-aged: this the third boon I crave.<br />
May I not seek my neighbour's wife, contented with my own,<br />
Nor subject to a woman's will: this the fourth boon I crave.<br />
I prithee, Sakka, grant long life to my beloved son,<br />
Conquer<strong>in</strong>g the world <strong>in</strong> righteousness: this the fifth boon I crave.<br />
Then at the end of every night, at dawn<strong>in</strong>g of the day,<br />
May food celestial be revealed: this the sixth boon I crave.<br />
May means of giv<strong>in</strong>g never fail, <strong>and</strong> may I give alway<br />
With hearty gladness <strong>and</strong> content: this the seventh boon I crave.