The Buddha-Carita or The Life of Buddha by Ven. Aśvaghoṣa

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Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 115 sa bodhisattvaḥ paripūrṇasattvaḥ śrutvā vacastasya purohitasya | dhyātvā muhūrta guṇavadguṇajñaḥ pratyuttara praśritamityuvāca || 9.30 30. The Bodhisattva, — whose perfection was absolute, — having heard the words of the family priest, reflected for a moment, knowing all the virtues of the virtuous, and then thus uttered his gentle reply: avaimi bhāva tanayaprasakta viśeṣato yo mayi bhūmipasya | jānannapi vyādhijarāvipadbhyo bhītastvagatyā svajana tyajāmi || 9.31 31. ‘I well know the paternal tenderness 1 of the king, especially that which he has displayed towards me; yet knowing this as I do, still alarmed at sickness, old age, and death, I am inevitably forced to leave my kindred. draṣṭu priya kaḥ svajana hi necchennāsau yadi syātpriyaviprayogaḥ | yadā tu bhūtvāpi bhavedviyogastato guru snigdhamapi tyajāmi || 9.32 32. ‘Who would not wish to see his dear kindred, if but this separation from beloved ones did not exist? but since even after it has been once, separation will still come again, it is for this that I abandon my father, however loving. maddhetuka yattu narādhipasya śoka bhavānarhati na priya me | yatsvapnabhūteṣu samāgameṣu satapyate bhāvini viprayogaiḥ || 9.33 33. ‘I do not however approve that thou shouldst consider the king’s grief as caused by me, when in the midst of his dream-like unions he is afflicted by thoughts of separations in the future. eva ca te niścayametu buddhirdṣṭvā vicitra vividhapracāram | satāpaheturna suto na badhurajñānanaimittika eṣa tāpaḥ || 9.34 34. ‘Thus let thy thoughts settle into certainty, having seen the multiform in its various developments; neither a son nor kindred is the cause of sorrow, — this sorrow is only caused by ignorance. yadādhvagānāmiva sagatānā kāle viyogo niyataḥ prajānām | prājño janaḥ ko nu bhajeta śoka badhupriyaḥ sannapi badhuhīnaḥ || 9.35 35. ‘Since parting is inevitably fixed in the course of time for all beings, just as for travellers who have joined company on a road, — what wise man would cherish sorrow, when he loses his kindred, even though he loves them? 2 1 Should we read tanayaprasaktam? 2 Some letters have been lost in the original.
Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 116 ihaiti hitvā svajana paratra pralabhya cehāpi punaḥ prayāti | gatvāpi tatrāpyaparatra gacchetyeva jano yogini ko ’nurodhaḥ || 9.36 36. ‘Leaving his kindred in another world, he departs hither; and having stolen away 1 from them here, he goes forth once more; "having gone thither, go thou elsewhere also," — such is the lot of mankind, — what consideration can the yogin have for them? 2 yadā ca garbhātprabhti prajānā vadhāya [.. ..] nubadhāya mtyuḥ 3 | kasmādakāle vanasaśraya me putrapriyastatra bhavān avocat || 9.37 37. ‘Since from the moment of leaving the womb death is a characteristic adjunct, 4 why, in thy affection for thy son, hast thou called my departure to the forest ill-timed? bhavatyakālo viṣayābhipattau kālastathaivābhividhau pradiṣṭaḥ | 9.38 kālo jagatkarṣati sarvakālānarcārhake śreyasi sarvakālaḥ || 38. ‘There may be an "ill time" in one’s attaining a worldly object, — time indeed is described as inseparably connected with all things; 5 time drags the world into all its various times; but all time suits a bliss which is really worthy of praise. 6 rājya mumukṣurmayi yacca rājā tadapyudāra sadśa pituśca | pratigrahītu mama na kṣama tu lobhādapathyānnamivāturasya || 9.39 39. ‘That the king should wish to surrender to me his kingdorn, — this is a noble thought, well worthy of a father; but it would be as improper for me to accept it, as for a sick man through greed to accept unwholesome food. katha nu mohāyatana npatva kṣama prapattu viduṣā nareṇa | sodvegatā yatra madaḥ śramaśca paropacāreṇa ca dharmapīḍā || 9.40 40. ‘How can it be right for the wise man to enter royalty, the home of illusion, where are found anxiety, passion, and weariness, and the violation of all right through another’s service? 1 Pralabhya, cf. Horace, ‘vivens moriensque fefellit’. [The Tibetan has rab·tu bslas·nas, ‘having deceived’. H.W.] 2 The Tibetan has for the fourth line de·ltar (eva) o dor·ldan skye·la rjes·su rten rnam ci, ‘thus what kind of reliance is there on man who is of a leaving disposition?’ Should we read in the orginal ityeva jane tyāgini ko ’nurodhaḥ? 3 Johnson reads: yadā ca garbhāt prabhti pravttaḥ sarvāsv avasthāsu vadhāya mtyuḥ. 4 Can anubadhāya be wrongly used for anubandhāya? 5 Cf. Pāṇ.III, 3, 44. 6 I.e. mukti can never be ill-timed. But this is an obscure śloka (verse).
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The Buddha-Carita or The Life of Buddha by Ven. Aśvaghoṣa

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