Dhammapada 2.1.p7

2.1.p7

Athekadivasaṃ tāpaso nakkhattayogaṃ ullokento pūrantappassa nakkhattamilāyanaṃ disvā ‘‘bhadde kosambiyaṃ pūrantapparājā mato’’ti āha. ‘‘Kasmā, ayya, evaṃ vadesi? Kiṃ te tena saddhiṃ āghāto atthī’’ti? ‘‘Natthi, bhadde, nakkhattamilāyanamassa disvā evaṃ vadāmī’’ti, sā parodi. Atha naṃ ‘‘kasmā rodasī’’ti pucchitvā tāya tassa attano sāmikabhāve akkhāte āha – ‘‘mā, bhadde, rodi, jātassa nāma niyato maccū’’ti. ‘‘Jānāmi, ayyā’’ti vutte ‘‘atha kasmā rodasī’’ti? ‘‘Putto me kulasantakassa rajjassa anucchaviko, ‘sace tatra abhavissa, setacchattaṃ ussāpayissa. Idāni mahājāniko vata jāto’ti sokena rodāmi, ayyā’’ti. ‘‘Hotu, bhadde, mā cintayi, sacassa rajjaṃ patthesi, ahamassa rajjalabhanākāraṃ karissāmī’’ti. Athassa hatthikantavīṇañceva hatthikantamante ca adāsi. Tadā anekāni hatthisahassāni āgantvā vaṭarukkhamūle nisīdanti. Atha naṃ āha – ‘‘hatthīsu anāgatesuyeva rukkhaṃ abhiruhitvā tesu āgatesu imaṃ mantaṃ vatvā imaṃ tantiṃ pahara, sabbe nivattitvā oloketumpi asakkontā palāyissanti, atha otaritvā āgaccheyyāsī’’ti. So tathā katvā āgantvā taṃ pavattiṃ ārocesi. Atha naṃ dutiyadivase āha – ‘‘ajja imaṃ mantaṃ vatvā imaṃ tantiṃ pahareyyāsi, sabbe nivattitvā olokentā palāyissantī’’ti. Tadāpi tathā katvā āgantvā ārocesi. Atha naṃ tatiyadivase āha – ‘‘ajja imaṃ mantaṃ vatvā imaṃ tantiṃ pahareyyāsi, yūthapati piṭṭhiṃ upanāmento āgamissatī’’ti. Tadāpi tathā katvā ārocesi.

One day, as the ascetic was observing a conjunction of a constellation with one of the lunar mansions, he saw the occultation of Parantapa’s star. “My lady,” said he, “Parantapa, king of Kosambi, is dead.” “Noble sir, why do you speak thus? Why do you bear ill-will against him?” “I bear him no ill-will, my lady. I say this because I have just seen the occultation of his star.” She burst into tears. “Why do you weep?” he asked. Then she told him that Parantapa was her own husband. The ascetic replied, “Weep not, my lady; whoever is born is certain to die.” “I know that, noble sir.” “Then why do you weep?” “I weep, noble sir, because it pains me to think, ‘To my son belongs the sovereignty by right of succession; had he been there, he would have raised the white parasol; now he has become one of the common herd.’” “Never mind, my lady; be not disturbed. If you desire that he shall receive the sovereignty, I will devise some means by which he shall receive it.” Accordingly the ascetic gave the boy the lute to charm elephants with and likewise taught him the spells for charming elephants.

Now at that time many thousands of elephants came and sat at the foot of the banyan-tree. So the ascetic said to the boy, “Climb the tree before the elephants come, and when they come, utter this spell and strike this string, and they will all turn and run away, without even so much as daring to look at you; then descend and come to me.” The boy did as he was told, and then went and told the ascetic. On the second day the ascetic said to him, “To-day utter this spell and strike this string, if you please, and they will turn and run away, eyeing you at every step.” On that day also the boy did as he was told, and then went and told the ascetic.