Dhammapada 8.1.p2

8.1.p2

Ekūnapañcasatā kira corā gāmaghātakādīni karontā jīvikaṃ kappesuṃ. Atheko puriso nibbiddhapiṅgalo tambadāṭhiko tesaṃ santikaṃ gantvā ‘‘ahampi tumhehi saddhiṃ jīvissāmī’’ti āha. Atha naṃ corajeṭṭhakassa dassetvā ‘‘ayampi amhākaṃ santike vasituṃ icchatī’’ti āhaṃsu. Atha naṃ corajeṭṭhako oloketvā ‘‘ayaṃ mātu thanaṃ chinditvā pitu vā galalohitaṃ nīharitvā khādanasamattho atikakkhaḷo’’ti cintetvā ‘‘natthetassa amhākaṃ santike vasanakicca’’nti paṭikkhipi. So evaṃ paṭikkhittopi āgantvā ekaṃ tasseva antevāsikaṃ upaṭṭhahanto ārādhesi. So taṃ ādāya corajeṭṭhakaṃ upasaṅkamitvā, ‘‘sāmi, bhaddako esa, amhākaṃ upakārako, saṅgaṇhatha na’’nti yācitvā corajeṭṭhakaṃ paṭicchāpesi. Athekadivasaṃ nāgarā rājapurisehi saddhiṃ ekato hutvā te core gahetvā vinicchayamahāmaccānaṃ santikaṃ nayiṃsu. Amaccā tesaṃ pharasunā sīsacchedaṃ āṇāpesuṃ. Tato ‘‘ko nu kho ime māressatī’’ti pariyesantā te māretuṃ icchantaṃ kañci adisvā corajeṭṭhakaṃ āhaṃsu – ‘‘tvaṃ ime māretvā jīvitañceva labhissasi sammānañca, mārehi ne’’ti. Sopi attānaṃ nissāya vasitattā te māretuṃ na icchi. Etenūpāyena ekūnapañcasate pucchiṃsu, sabbepi na icchiṃsu. Sabbapacchā taṃ nibbiddhapiṅgalaṃ tambadāṭhikaṃ pucchiṃsu. So ‘‘sādhū’’ti sampaṭicchitvā te sabbepi māretvā jīvitañceva sammānañca labhi. Etenūpāyena nagarassa dakkhiṇatopi pañca corasatāni ānetvā amaccānaṃ dassetvā tehi tesampi sīsacchede āṇatte corajeṭṭhakaṃ ādiṃ katvā pucchantā kañci māretuṃ icchantaṃ adisvā ‘‘purimadivase eko puriso pañcasate core māresi, kahaṃ nu kho so’’ti. ‘‘Asukaṭṭhāne amheti diṭṭho’’ti vutte taṃ pakkosāpetvā ‘‘ime mārehi, sammānaṃ lacchasī’’ti āṇāpesuṃ. So ‘‘sādhū’’ti sampaṭicchitvā te sabbepi māretvā sammānaṃ labhi. Atha naṃ ‘‘bhaddako ayaṃ puriso, nibaddhaṃ coraghātakameva etaṃ karissāmā’’ti mantetvā tassa taṃ ṭhānantaraṃ datvāva sammānaṃ kariṃsu. So pacchimadisatopi uttaradisatopi ānīte pañcasate pañcasate core ghātesiyeva. Evaṃ catūhi disāhi ānītāni dve sahassāni māretvā tato paṭṭhāya devasikaṃ ekaṃ dveti ānīte te manusse māretvā pañcapaṇṇāsa saṃvaccharāni coraghātakakammaṃ akāsi.

We are told that five hundred thieves less one made a living by plundering villages and other acts of violence. Now a certain man with copper-colored teeth and tawny skin, his body covered with scars, came to them and said, "Let me also live with you." They took him to the ringleader of the thieves, saying, "This man also wishes to live with us." The ringleader of the thieves looked at the man and thought to himself, "This man's nature is inordinately cruel. He is capable of cutting out the breast of his mother and eating it, or of drawing the blood from the throat of his father and drinking it." Therefore he refused his request, saying, "It will not do for this man to live with us."

Although he had thus been refused admission to the band of thieves, he went and won the favor of a certain pupil of the ringleader by his courteous attentions to him. This pupil took the man with him, approached the ringleader of the thieves, and said to him, "Master, this man is a dutiful servant of ours; bestow your favor on him." Having made this request, he turned the man over to the ringleader of the thieves.

One day the citizens joined forces with the king's men, captured those thieves, took them to court, and arraigned them before the lords of justice. The justices ordered their heads to be chopped off with an axe. "Who will put these men to death?" said the citizens. After a thorough search they were unable to find a single man who was willing to put them to death. Finally they said to the ringleader of the thieves, "You put these men to death, and we will spare your life and give you a rich reward besides. You kill them." But because

they had lived with him, he also was unwilling to put them to death. In like manner also all of the five hundred less one refused when asked. Last of all they asked that scarred, tawny, copper-tooth. "Yes, indeed," said he, consenting. So he put to death all the thieves, and in return received his life and rich gifts besides.

In like manner also they brought in five hundred thieves from the country to the south of the city and arraigned them before the justices. When the justices ordered their heads to be chopped off, they asked each thief, beginning with the ringleader, to put his companions to death, but found not a single one willing to act as executioner. Then they said, "The other day a certain man put five hundred thieves to death. Where is he?" "We saw him in such and such a place," was the reply. So they summoned him and said to him, "Put these men to death, and you will receive a rich reward." "Yes, indeed," said he, consenting. So he put them all to death and received his reward.

The citizens consulted together and said, "This is a most excellent man. We will make him permanent executioner of thieves." So saying, they gave him the post. Later on, they brought in five hundred thieves also from the west and still later five hundred also from the north, and he put them all to death. Thus he put to death two thousand thieves brought in from each of the four cardinal points. As time went on, and one or two men were brought in each day, he put them all to death. For a period of fifty-five years he acted as public executioner.