Verses on Dhamma 10.7.p5

10.7.p5

Atīte kira bārāṇasivāsī eko kulaputto sayameva koṭṭanapacanādīni kammāni karonto mātāpitaro paṭijaggi. Athassa mātāpitaro naṃ, ‘‘tāta, tvaṃ ekakova gehe ca araññe ca kammaṃ karonto kilamasi, ekaṃ te kumārikaṃ ānessāmā’’ti vatvā, ‘‘ammatātā, na mayhaṃ evarūpāyattho, ahaṃ yāva tumhe jīvatha, tāva vo sahatthā upaṭṭhahissāmī’’ti tena paṭikkhittā punappunaṃ taṃ yācitvā kumārikaṃ ānayiṃsu. Sā katipāhameva te upaṭṭhahitvā pacchā tesaṃ dassanampi anicchantī ‘‘na sakkā tava mātāpitūhi saddhiṃ ekaṭṭhāne vasitu’’nti ujjhāyitvā tasmiṃ attano kathaṃ aggaṇhante tassa bahigatakāle makacivākakhaṇḍāni ca yāgupheṇañca gahetvā tattha tattha ākiritvā tenāgantvā ‘‘kiṃ ida’’nti puṭṭhā āha – ‘‘imesaṃ andhamahallakānaṃ etaṃ kammaṃ, sabbaṃ gehaṃ kiliṭṭhaṃ karontā vicaranti, na sakkā etehi saddhiṃ ekaṭṭhāne vasitu’’nti. Evaṃ tāya naṃ punappunaṃ kathayamānāya evarūpopi pūritapāramī satto mātāpitūhi saddhiṃ bhijji. So ‘‘hotu, jānissāmi nesaṃ kattabba’’nti te bhojetvā, ‘‘ammatātā, asukaṭṭhāne nāma tumhākaṃ ñātakā āgamanaṃ paccāsīsanti, tattha gamissāmā’’ti te yānakaṃ āropetvā ādāya gacchanto aṭavimajjhaṃ pattakāle, ‘‘tāta, rasmiyo gaṇhātha, gāvo patodasaññāya gamissanti, imasmiṃ ṭhāne corā vasanti, ahaṃ otarāmī’’ti pitu hatthe rasmiyo datvā otaritvā gacchanto saddaṃ parivattetvā corānaṃ uṭṭhitasaddamakāsi. Mātāpitaro saddaṃ sutvā ‘‘corā uṭṭhitā’’ti saññāya, ‘‘tāta, mayaṃ mahallakā, tvaṃ attānameva rakkhāhī’’ti āhaṃsu. So mātāpitaro tathāviravantepi corasaddaṃ karonto koṭṭetvā māretvā aṭaviyaṃ khipitvā paccāgami.

The story goes that once upon a time in the distant past a certain youth of station performed with his own hand all of the household duties, such as pounding rice and cooking, and took care of his mother and father to boot. One day his mother and father said to him, "Son, you are wearing yourself out by performing all of the work both in the house and in the forest. We will fetch you home a certain young woman to be your wife." The son replied, "Dear mother and father, there is no necessity of your doing anything of the sort. So long as you both shall live I will wait upon you with my own hand." In spite of the fact that he refused to listen to their suggestion, they repeated their request time and again, and finally brought him home a young woman to be his wife.

For a few days only she waited upon his mother and father. After those few days had passed, she was unable even to bear the sight of them and said to her husband with a great show of indignation, "It is impossible for me to live any longer in the same house with your mother and father." But he paid no attention to what she said. So one day, when he was out of the house, she took bits of clay and bark and scum of rice-gruel and scattered them here and there about the house. When her husband returned and asked her what it meant, she said, "This is what your blind old parents have done; they go about littering up the entire house; it is impossible for me to live in the same place with them any longer.” Thus did she speak again and again. The result was that finally even a being so distinguished as he, a being who had fulfilled the Perfections, broke with his mother and father.

“Never mind,” said the husband, “I shall find some way of dealing with them properly.” So when he had given them food, he said to them, “Dear mother and father, in such and such a place live kinsfolk of yours who desire you to visit them; let us go thither.” And assisting them to enter a carriage, he set out with them. When he reached the depths of the forest, he said to his father, “Dear father, hold these reins; the oxen know the track so well that they will go without guidance; this is a place where thieves lie in wait for travelers; I am going to descend from the carriage.” And giving the reins into the hands of his father, he descended from the carriage and made his way into the forest.

As he did so, he began to make a noise, increasing the volume of the noise until it sounded as if a band of thieves were about to make an attack. When his mother and father heard the noise, they thought to themselves, “A band of thieves are about to attack us.” Therefore they said to their son, “Son, we are old people; save yourself, and pay no attention to us.” But even as his mother and father cried out thus, the son, yelling the thieves’ yell, beat them and killed them and threw their bodies into the forest. Having so done, he returned home. End of Story of the Past.