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

28.03.2016 Views
Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 135 samudravastrāmapi gāmavāpya pāra jigīṣati mahārṇavasya | lokasya kāmairna vitptirasti patadbhirabhobhirivārṇavasya || 11.12 12. ‘When they have obtained all the earth girdled by the sea, kings wish to conquer the other side of the great ocean: mankind are never satiated with pleasures, as the ocean with the waters that fall into it. devena vṣṭe ’pi hiraṇyavarṣe dvīpānsamudrāścaturo ’pi jitvā | śakrasya cārdhāsanamapyavāpya mādhāturāsīdviṣayeṣvatptiḥ || 11.13 13. ‘When it had rained a golden shower from heaven, and when he had conquered the continents and the four oceans, and had even obtained the half of Śakra’s throne, 1 Māndhāt was still unsatisfied with worldly objects. bhuktvāpi rājya divi devatānā śatakratau vtrabhayātpranaṣṭe | darpānmahārṣīnapi vāhayitvā kāmeṣvatpto nahuṣaḥ papāta || 11.14 14. ‘Though he had enjoyed the kingdom of the gods in heaven, when Indra had concealed himself through fear of Vtra, and though in his pride he had made the great śiṣis bear his litter, 2 Nahuṣa fell, unsatisfied with pleasures. aiḍaśca rājā tridiva vigāhya nītvāpi devī vaśamurvaśī tām | lobhādṣibhyaḥ kanaka jihīrṣurjagāma nāśa viṣayeṣvatptaḥ || 11.15 15. ‘King (Purūravas) the son of Iḍā, having penetrated into the furthest heaven, and brought the goddess Urvaśī into his power, — when he wished in his greed to take away gold from the Ṛṣis 3 — being unsatisfied with pleasures, fell into destruction. balermahedra nahuṣa mahedrādidra punarye nahuṣādupeyuḥ | svarge kṣitau vā viṣayeṣu teṣu ko viśvasedbhāgyakulākuleṣu || 11.16 16. ‘Who would put his trust in these worldly objects, whether in heaven or in earth, unsettled as to lot or family, — which passed from Bali to Indra, and from Indra to Nahuṣa, and then again from Nahuṣa back to Indra? cīrābarā mūlaphalābubhakṣā jaṭā vahato ’pi bhujagadīrghāḥ | yairanyakāryā munayo ’pi bhagnāḥ kaḥ kāmasajñān mgayeta śatrūn || 11.17 17. ‘Who would seek these enemies bearing the name of pleasures, by whom even those sages have been overcome, who were devoted to other pursuits, whose only clothes were rags, whose food was roots, fruits, and water, and who wore their twisted locks as long as snakes? 1 Divyāvadāna, pp. 213-224. 2 Mahābh. V, 532. 3 Mahābh. I, 3147.

Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 136 ugrāyudhaścaugradhtāyudho ’pi yeṣā kte mtyumavāpa bhīṣmāt | citāpi teṣāmaśivā vadhāya tadvttinā ki punaravratānām || 11.18 18. ‘Those pleasures for whose sake even Ugrāyudha, 1 armed terribly as he was with his weapon, found death at Bhiṣma’s hands, — is not the mere thought of them unlucky and fatal, — still more the thought of the irreligious whose lives are spent in their service? āsvādamalpa viṣayeṣu matvā sayojanotkarṣamatptimeva | sadbhyaśca garhā niyata ca pāpa kaḥ kāmasajña viṣamāsasāda || 11.19 19. ‘Who that considers the paltry flavour of worldly objects, — the very height of union being only insatiety, — the blame of the virtuous, and the certain sin, — has ever drawn near this poison which is called pleasure? kṣyādibhirdharmabhiranvitānā kāmātmakānā ca niśamya duḥkham | svāsthya ca kāmeṣvakutūhalānā kāmān vihātu kṣamamātmavadbhiḥ || 11.20 20. ‘When they hear of the miseries of those who are intent on pleasure and are devoted to worldly pursuits, 2 such as agriculture and the rest, and the self-content of those who are careless of pleasure, — it well befits the self-controlled to fling it away. 3 jñeyā vipatkāmini kāmasapatsiddheṣu kāmeṣu mada hyupaiti | madādakārya kurute na kārya yena kṣato durgatimabhyupaiti || 11.21 21. ‘Success in pleasure is to be considered a misery in the man of pleasure, for he becomes intoxicated when his desired pleasures are attained; through intoxication he does what should not be done, not what should be done; and being wounded thereby he falls into a miserable end. yatnena labdhāḥ parirakṣitāśca ye vipralabhya pratiyāti bhūyaḥ | teṣvātmavān yācitakopameṣu kāmeṣu vidvāniha ko rameta || 11.22 22. ‘These pleasures which are gained and kept by toil, — which after deceiving leave you and return whence they came, — these pleasures which are but borrowed for a time, 4 what man of self-control, if he is wise, would delight in them? 1 See Harivasa, ch xx. He was armed with a discus. 2 Dharmabhiḥ. (Cf. V, 5, 6). 3 I would read kāmāḥ. 4 For yācitaka cf. Pāṇ. IV, 4, 21.

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

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