Dhammapada 11.6.p2

11.6.p2

Sā kira ekadivasaṃ nhānakoṭṭhakaṃ paviṭṭhā mukhaṃ dhovitvā onatasarīrā jaṅghaṃ dhovituṃ ārabhi. Tāya ca saddhiṃyeva paviṭṭho eko vallabhasunakho atthi. So taṃ tathā onataṃ disvā asaddhammasanthavaṃ kātuṃ ārabhi. Sā phassaṃ sādiyantī aṭṭhāsi. Rājāpi uparipāsāde vātapānena olokento taṃ disvā tato āgatakāle ‘‘nassa, vasali, kasmā evarūpamakāsī’’ti āha. Kiṃ mayā kataṃ, devāti. Sunakhena saddhiṃ santhavoti. Natthetaṃ, devāti. Mayā sāmaṃ diṭṭhaṃ, nāhaṃ tava saddahissāmi, nassa, vasalīti. ‘‘Mahārāja, yo koci imaṃ koṭṭhakaṃ paviṭṭho iminā vātapānena olokentassa ekova dvidhā paññāyatī’’ti abhūtaṃ kathesi. Deva, sace me saddahasi, etaṃ koṭṭhakaṃ pavisa, ahaṃ taṃ iminā vātapānena olokessāmīti. Rājā mūḷhadhātuko tassā vacanaṃ saddahitvā koṭṭhakaṃ pāvisi. Sāpi kho devī vātapāne ṭhatvā olokentī ‘‘andhabāla, mahārāja, kiṃ nāmetaṃ, ajikāya saddhiṃ santhavaṃ karosī’’ti āha. ‘‘Nāhaṃ, bhadde, evarūpaṃ karomī’’ti ca vuttepi ‘‘mayā sāmaṃ diṭṭhaṃ, nāhaṃ tava saddahissāmī’’ti āha.

The story goes that one day Queen Mallikā entered the bath-house, and having bathed her face, bent over and began to bathe her leg. Now her pet dog entered the bath-house with her, and when he saw her standing there with body thus bent over, he began to misbehave with her and she let him continue. The king looked out of a window on the upper floor of the palace and saw her. On her return he said to her, “Perish, vile woman; why did you do such a thing as that?” “Why, your majesty, what have I done?” “You have behaved most wrongly with a dog.” “It is not true, your majesty.” “I saw you with my own eyes. I will not believe anything you say. Perish, vile woman.” “Great king, it is a remarkable fact that whoever enters that bath-house appears double to whoever looks out of that window.” “You utter falsehood.” “If you will not believe me, enter the bath-house yourself, and I will look out of that window.”

The king was such a simpleton as to believe what she said, and entered the bath-house. The queen stood at the window and looked out. Suddenly she cried out to him, “You foolish king, what do you mean by misbehaving with a she-goat?” “Dear wife, I am doing no such thing.” The queen replied, “I saw you with my own eyes; I will not believe you.” When the king heard her reply, he said, “It must be true that whoever enters this bath-house appears double.” Therefore he believed the explanation she gave him.