法苑珠林 45.10

45.10

爾時嚴熾王在坐對面聞尼乾子毀訾自身。心生不忍瞋心不喜。心生毒害即作是言。薩遮尼乾子。汝云何於大眾中說我過患。我從昔來無人敢正看我。汝今毀我罪應合死。作是語已告諸臣言。汝當捉此斷其命根。尼乾驚怖語言。大王。汝今莫卒作如是惡。我有善言。願王暫時施我無畏聽我所說。王言。汝何所說當速說。尼乾答言。大王當知。我亦有罪由太實語不虛語稱事語以我如是。大惡人前。急性人前。無慈悲人前。卒作事人前。如是行人前說如是實語。大王當知。黠慧之人不應一切時一切處常說實語。應當善觀可與語人不可與語人可語時不可語時。當知實語世人不愛不善讚歎。而說偈言。

At that time King Caṇḍapradyota, sitting face to face with him, heard the Nirgrantha revile himself; an unbearable feeling arose in his heart, his angry mind became displeased, and thoughts of harm arose. He immediately said, "Satyaka Nirgrantha, how can you speak of my faults and failings amidst the great assembly? From past times until now, no one has dared to look directly at me. Now you defame me; your crime deserves death!" Having spoken these words, he commanded the ministers, saying, "You must seize him and cut off his life-faculty!" The Nirgrantha was terrified and said, "Great King, do not act with such sudden malice now! I have good words. May the King grant me fearlessness for a brief moment and hear what I have to say." The king said, "What do you have to say? Speak quickly!" The Nirgrantha replied, "The Great King should know that I too have a fault: it comes from speaking too truthfully, not speaking falsely, and speaking according to fact. Because I am thus, before a greatly wicked person, before an impatient person, before a person devoid of compassion, before a person who acts impulsively—before such a person—I spoke such true words. The Great King should know that a sagacious person ought not to constantly speak true words at all times and in all places. One should carefully discern who can be spoken to and who cannot be spoken to, when it is the time to speak and when it is not the time to speak. You should know that true words are not loved by worldly people and are not praised as good." And he spoke a gāthā: