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JÄtaka Stories of Past Lives 15
EkakanipÄta The Book of the Ones
SÄ«lavagga Ethics
5. KharÄdiyajÄtaka Accept the Ass: a past life story
āAį¹į¹hakkhuraį¹ kharÄdiye, āPlease accept the eight-hooved ass, The story tells how the Bodhisatta declared the deer unteachable after he failed to show up for lessons on the ruses of deer seven times. The verses and stories form a pair with the next JÄtaka. Though the verses are in different metres, the prevalence of shared terms, ideas, and poetic play shows they must have been composed together. | The commentary takes kharÄdiye as the vocative of kharÄdiyÄ, the name of the Bodhisattaās sister. However, I take khara as āass, muleā and Ädiye as second optative, āyou should acceptā. Asses have solid hooves, as opposed to the cloven-footed deer.
migaį¹ vaį¹
kÄtivaį¹
kinaį¹; the deer more wily than the wily.ā The commentary says his antlers were ācrooked root to tipā. But it probably refers to the ruses of animals (MN 51:4.14, AN 8.13:1.11), in which case it may well have been meant as praise.
Sattahi kÄlÄtikkantaį¹, āHe has skipped the appointment seven timesā
na naį¹ ovaditussaheāti. Iāll make no attempt to instruct him.ā
KharÄdiyajÄtakaį¹ paƱcamaį¹.