འཕགས་པ་བད་སའ་རྒྱལ་པ་འཆར་བྱད་ཀྱས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་ལའ 13

13

as they adopt the way of life that leads to the lower realms. Great King, indulging in objects of one’s desire and falling under the sway of women, such men neglect their parents and proceed to the lower realms. This is the second fault of men.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will always be happy and content.
They will be among the class of gods,
The likes of Indra and Brahmā themselves.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will successfully return triumphant and safe
Whenever they depart for and return from the great seas.
Those who do so will find supreme treasures.

“Those merchants who take care of their elderly parents
Will reach the pinnacle of success;
Like a bountiful harvest reaped from the fields
The merit gained is simply impossible to measure.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not be reborn as pack animals,
Such as camels, oxen, donkeys, and the like,
Nor will men cut them with sharp blades.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not have to cross the Blazing River Hell,
The Hell of Burning Coals, or the Hell of Razor Blades,
Nor will they find themselves drinking molten copper.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not lack in wealth or grain.
They will acquire wives and sons and daughters,
As well as precious beryl and fine gold.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will behold the palace of the Nirmāṇarata heaven,
As well as the Pāruṣika and Miśrakā groves;
There will always be scores of gods gathered before them.

“The Great Sage, foremost among men and god of gods,
Has taught it to be so; having heard this, who would not
Take care of the sublime objects of veneration,

as they adopt the way of life that leads to the lower realms. Great King, indulging in objects of one’s desire and falling under the sway of women, such men neglect their parents and proceed to the lower realms. This is the second fault of men.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will always be happy and content.
They will be among the class of gods,
The likes of Indra and Brahmā themselves.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will successfully return triumphant and safe
Whenever they depart for and return from the great seas.
Those who do so will find supreme treasures.

“Those merchants who take care of their elderly parents
Will reach the pinnacle of success;
Like a bountiful harvest reaped from the fields
The merit gained is simply impossible to measure.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not be reborn as pack animals,
Such as camels, oxen, donkeys, and the like,
Nor will men cut them with sharp blades.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not have to cross the Blazing River Hell,
The Hell of Burning Coals, or the Hell of Razor Blades,
Nor will they find themselves drinking molten copper.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will not lack in wealth or grain.
They will acquire wives and sons and daughters,
As well as precious beryl and fine gold.

“Those who take care of their elderly parents
Will behold the palace of the Nirmāṇarata heaven,
As well as the Pāruṣika and Miśrakā groves;
There will always be scores of gods gathered before them.

“The Great Sage, foremost among men and god of gods,
Has taught it to be so; having heard this, who would not
Take care of the sublime objects of veneration,