Udanavarga 1.91-93

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法句譬喻經言語品第八

Udānavarga: Chapter 8 on Speech

In former days, when Fo-kia-sha (Vaksha?) rāja was entering the city of Rājagriha to beg his food from door to door, in the city gate there was a cow, just delivered of its calf, which had turned round and gored its master to death. The cow having been sold to a passer-by, he put a rope round its horns, and desired to lead it onwards; but the cow, making an attack in the rear, killed this man also; then the son, in a rage, killed the animal, and cutting it up, exposed it for sale in the market-place. Now a certain person passing by, bought the head of the creature, and carrying it away with him, as he sat down to rest, fastened it on the bough of the tree 'neath which he reposed; all at once, the rope giving way, the head fell down, and the horn, piercing the skull of the man underneath, killed him also. Bimbisāra Rāja, hearing of this strange occurrence, how that a cow killed three men in one day, came to Buddha to inquire of him the antecedent causes of this event, on which Buddha related the following history :—"In former days there were three merchants who, coming to a certain city to transact business, took up their abode in the house of a friendless old woman, and there lodged. Being dissatisfied with their quarters, the three men left the house without payment, and on the old woman searching for them and finding them, they abused her roundly, on which she uttered this vow: 'May I be born in after years in such a condition as to kill you all three.' “Now,” Buddha added, “these three men killed by the cow were these three merchants, and the cow itself was the old woman,” and then he uttered these verses:

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昔弗加沙王入羅閱祇城分衛，於城門中為新產牸牛所觝殺。牛主怖懅，賣牛轉與他人。其人牽牛欲飲之，牛從後復觝殺其主。其主有子，瞋恚取牛殺之，於市賣肉。有田舍人買取牛頭，貫擔持歸去舍里餘，坐樹下息，以牛頭掛樹枝上，須臾繩斷牛頭來下正墮人上，牛角刺人即時命終。一日之中凡殺三人。瓶沙王聞之，怪其如此，即與群臣行詣佛所，到作禮畢却坐王位，叉手白佛言：「大可怪！世尊！一頭牸牛而殺三人，將有變故？願聞其意。」佛告瓶沙王：「罪對有原，非適今也。」王曰：「願聞其由。」佛言：「往昔有賈客三人，到他國治生，寄住孤獨老母舍，應雇舍直，見老母孤獨，欺不欲與，伺老母不在，默聲捨去竟不與直。老母來歸不見賈客，即問比居，云皆已去。老母瞋恚，尋後追逐疲頓乃及，責索舍直。三賈客逆罵詈言：『我前已相與，云何復索？』同聲共觝不肯與直。老母單弱不能奈何，懊惱呪誓語三賈客：『我今窮厄，何忍欺觝於我？願我後世所生之處，若當相值要當殺汝，正使得道終不相置也，殺汝乃休，不爾不止。』」佛語瓶沙王：「爾時老母者，今此牸牛是也；三賈客者，弗迦沙等三人為牛所觝殺者是也。」

Formerly, King Pukkusāti entered the city of Rājagṛha for alms, and within the city gate was gored to death by a cow that had newly given birth. The cow's owner was terrified and sold the cow to someone else. That man led the cow intending to give it water, but the cow again gored its master to death from behind. That master had a son, who in fury took the cow and killed it, selling the meat in the marketplace. A peasant bought the cow's head, hung it on a carrying pole, and carried it home. When more than a li away from his house, he sat beneath a tree to rest and hung the cow's head on a tree branch. After a short while, the rope snapped; the cow's head fell straight down onto the man, and the cow's horn stabbed him, killing him instantly. Within a single day, it had killed three people in all. King Bimbisāra heard of this and wondered at it. He immediately went with his ministers to the Buddha's place. After arriving and paying homage, he stepped back, sat in his royal seat, and with palms joined said to the Buddha: "Most wondrous, Bhagavat! A single cow has killed three people. Is there some portent behind this? We wish to hear its meaning." The Buddha told King Bimbisāra: "The retribution of sins has its origin; it is not just from today." The king said: "I wish to hear its cause." The Buddha said: "In the past, there were three merchants who went to another country to do business. They lodged at the house of a lonely old mother and were supposed to pay the lodging fee. Seeing that the old mother was lonely and solitary, they cheated her and did not want to pay. Waiting until the old mother was away, they quietly left without paying the fee after all. The old mother returned and did not see the merchants. She immediately asked the neighbors, who said they had all left. The old mother became enraged, pursued them, and only caught up with them when exhausted, demanding the lodging fee. The three merchants reviled and cursed her, saying: 'We already paid you before; why do you demand it again?' Speaking with one voice, they denied it and refused to pay the fee. The old mother, alone and weak, could do nothing. Tormented and cursing with an oath, she said to the three merchants: 'I am now in dire poverty; how can you bear to cheat and deny me? May it be that in the future, wherever I am born, if I encounter you, I will surely kill you! Even if you attain the Way, I will never let you go; only after killing you will I rest, and not otherwise!'" The Buddha said to King Bimbisāra: "The old mother of that time is now this cow; the three merchants are the three men, including Pukkusāti, who were gored to death by the cow."

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於是世尊即說偈言：

Thereupon the Bhagavat spoke these verses: