Dhammapada 2.3.p2

2.3.p2

Rājagahe kira dhanaseṭṭhikulassa dhītā vayappattakāle mātāpitūhi sattabhūmikassa pāsādassa uparimatale ativiya rakkhiyamānā yobbanamadamattatāya purisalolā hutvā attano dāseneva saddhiṃ santhavaṃ katvā, ‘‘aññepi me idaṃ kammaṃ jāneyyu’’nti bhītā evamāha – ‘‘amhehi imasmiṃ ṭhāne na sakkā vasituṃ. Sace me mātāpitaro imaṃ dosaṃ jānissanti, khaṇḍākhaṇḍikaṃ maṃ karissanti. Videsaṃ gantvā vasissāmā’’ti. Te hatthasāraṃ gahetvā aggadvārena nikkhamitvā, ‘‘yattha vā tattha vā aññehi ajānanaṭṭhānaṃ gantvā vasissāmā’’ti ubhopi agamaṃsu. Tesaṃ ekasmiṃ ṭhāne vasantānaṃ saṃvāsamanvāya tassā kucchismiṃ gabbho patiṭṭhāsi. Sā gabbhaparipākaṃ āgamma tena saddhiṃ mantesi, ‘‘gabbho me paripākaṃ gato, ñātibandhuvirahite ṭhāne gabbhavuṭṭhānaṃ nāma ubhinnampi amhākaṃ dukkhāvahaṃ, kulagehameva gacchāmā’’ti. So ‘‘sacāhaṃ tattha gamissāmi, jīvitaṃ me natthī’’ti bhayena ‘‘ajja gacchāma, sve gacchāmā’’ti divase atikkāmesi. Sā cintesi – ‘‘ayaṃ bālo attano dosamahantatāya gantuṃ na ussahati, mātāpitaro nāma ekantahitāva, ayaṃ gacchatu vā, mā vā, ahaṃ gamissāmī’’ti. Sā tasmiṃ gehā nikkhante gehaparikkhāraṃ paṭisāmetvā attano kulagharaṃ gatabhāvaṃ anantaragehavāsīnaṃ ārocetvā maggaṃ paṭipajji.

We are told that the daughter of a rich merchant of Rājagaha, upon reaching the age of maturity, was provided by her mother and father with quarters on the topmost floor of a seven-storied palace and guarded with excessive care. But in spite of this, maddened with the madness of youth and lusting for a man, she did the deed of kind with her own slave. Frightened to think that others also might find out about her misconduct, she said to him, “It is out of the question for us to live here any longer. If my mother and father discover my misconduct, they will tear me limb from limb. Let us go live elsewhere.”

So taking a few necessary things they could carry in the hand, they left the house by the principal door. “It matters little,” said they, “where we go, so long as we go and live where others will know nothing about us.” So saying, the two set out together. They took up their residence in a certain place and lived together, with the result that the young wife conceived a child in her womb. When her unborn child reached maturity, she took counsel with her husband, saying, “If I give birth to my child in a place far removed from kith and kin, it will bring suffering to both of us. There is but one place for us to go, and that is home to my parents.” But her husband, fearing that, if he himself went there, he would be killed, kept postponing the day of their departure, saying, “We will go to-day; we will go to-morrow.”

The young wife thought to herself, “This simpleton realizes the

enormity of his offense, and therefore dares not go. After all, a mother and a father are one's best friends. Let this fellow go or not; at any rate I intend to go." So while her husband was out of the house, she put the household utensils away, and informing her next-door neighbors that she was going home to her parents, she started out on the road. When her husband returned to the house and failed to see her, he inquired of the neighbors where she had gone. Hearing that she had gone home to her parents, he set out after her as fast as he could and overtook her on the road. And right there she gave birth to her child. "What is it, wife?" asked the husband. "Husband, it is a son." "What shall we do now?" "That for which we intended to go home to my parents has happened by the way. Why, therefore, should we go there? Let us return to our own home."