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Jātaka Stories of Past Lives 8
Ekakanipāta The Book of the Ones
Apaṇṇakavagga Sure Bet
8. Gāmaṇijātaka The Chief: a past life story
“Api ataramānānaṁ, Even though they do not hurry, The story tells how the youngest prince won the kingdom through gradual acts of humble service.
phalāsāva samijjhati; one who hopes for the fruit succeeds.
Vipakkabrahmacariyosmi, I am one whose spiritual life has ripened: In the story, the prince’s success is due to worldly virtue, so the commentary explains brahmacariya here as meaning “best conduct”, leading which results in the highest station. This is unlikely, since it invariably refers to a dedicated “spiritual practice”.
evaṁ jānāhi gāmaṇī”ti. know this, chief. In the story, gāmaṇi is the name of the prince, but the verse gives no sign that it has anything other then its usual sense of “chief, village head”. Moreover, here the speaker is addressing the chief, which according to the commentary means he is addressing himself. I think the verse has been ill-fitted to a story of similar moral.
Gāmaṇijātakaṁ aṭṭhamaṁ.