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Theragāthā 4.11 Verses of the Senior Monks 4.11
Catukkanipāta The Book of the Fours
Paṭhamavagga Chapter One
Sappakattheragāthā Sappaka
“Yadā balākā sucipaṇḍaracchadā, When the crane with its beautiful white wings,
Kāḷassa meghassa bhayena tajjitā; startled by fear of the dark cloud,
Palehiti ālayamālayesinī, flees, seeking shelter—
Tadā nadī ajakaraṇī rameti maṁ. then the River Ajakaraṇī delights me.
Yadā balākā suvisuddhapaṇḍarā, When the crane, so very pure and white,
Kāḷassa meghassa bhayena tajjitā; startled by fear of the dark rcloud,
Pariyesati leṇamaleṇadassinī, seeks a cave to shelter in, but can’t see one—
Tadā nadī ajakaraṇī rameti maṁ. then the River Ajakaraṇī delights me.
Kaṁ nu tattha na ramenti, Who wouldn’t be delighted
jambuyo ubhato tahiṁ; by the black plum trees
Sobhenti āpagākūlaṁ, that grace both banks of the river,
mama leṇassa pacchato. there, behind my cave?
Tāmatamadasaṅghasuppahīnā, Well rid of the pack of jackals, mad for the dead, This is a difficult line. My reading depends on the speculative emending of the opening tā to nominative plural, te’matamada-, agreeing with bhekā in the next line. Then matamada is “mad for the dead”, corresponding to the Sanskrit mṛtamatta, “jackal”. The commentary reads amatamada, “intoxicated by the deathless”, i.e. a snake, further explaining amata here as agada, “antidote”. None of this strikes me as very likely. See Norman’s note 310 in Elders Verses II for further discussion. Perhaps the lines allude to the practice of the Saṅgha to recite chants dispelling snakes and other annoying creatures (AN 4.67), suggesting that the frogs, too, benefit from this.
Bhekā mandavatī panādayanti; the lazy frogs croak:
‘Nājja girinadīhi vippavāsasamayo, “Today is no time to stray from mountain streams;
Khemā ajakaraṇī sivā surammā’”ti. Ajakaraṇī is safe, pleasant, and delightful.”
… Sappako thero ….