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[1] Attano kamma kubbnam, as in v. 166. Attends to his own spiritual progress without dictating to others how they should forward their evolution.
[2] "The unborn, uncreate, undeclared" state of Nibbna.
[3] Uddhamsoto. (Skt. Urdhamsrotas) a name for the angmin "non-returner."
221.
Conquer anger, banish pride;
Every fetter cast aside;[1]
Clinging not to Name and Form,[2]
Him who calleth nought his own
Sorrow never shall betide.
222.
He who rising wrath restrains,
As one checks a whirling team,
Him a driver true I deem;
Others only hold the reins.
223.
Wrath with kindliness allay,
To the stingy freely give;
Conquer lying words with truth;
Evil deeds with good repay.
224.
Speak the truth nor vexed be;
Give, however scantily.
Following these maxims three,
Thou the blessed gods shalt see.
225.
Sages harm no living thing;
Self-restraint accomplishing
Such men reach the Deathless Lot,[3]
Where all sorrow is forgot.
226.
Ever watchful, night and day
Learning wisdom never cease;
In the one who strives for Peace[4]
All the cravings die away.[5]
227.
There is a saying, Atula,
Of old, not of to-day:
"They blame the man who silent sits,
Or whose tongue wags alway;
And blame the man who keeps the mean;
None in the world is blameless seen."
228.
There never was, nor will be, sure,
Nor lives now among men,
A being blamed exclusively,
Nor one entirely praised.
229-30.
But one whom men of wisdom praise,
Watching him day by day,
Of faultless life, of holy ways,
Thoughtful and wise, like Jambu gold,[6]
Who to blame such a saint is bold?
Neither the gods, nor e'en Brahm,
From him their praise withhold.
231.
'Gainst angry deeds be on thy guard;
In body be composed;
All bodily misdeeds discard;
With body tread the Way.
232. 'Gainst angry words be on thy guard;
In speech be thou composed;
All wrongful ways of speech discard;
In speech follow the Way.
233. 'Gainst angry thoughts be on thy guard;
In thought be thou composed;
All wrongful ways of thought discard;
In thoughts follow the Way.
234.
In body sages are controlled;
In thoughts as well as speech;
And they are Sages truly called
Who are controlled in each.
[1] The Fetters, saññojanni, are ten. These are cast off at different stages of the Path, until perfection is reached.
[2] Nma-rpa, "abstract and concrete," the five constituents of personality, viz., mind and its factors with the four, body, feeling, perception, and mental functions.
[3] Nibbna, 'the changeless, accuta'.
[4] idem.
[5] idem.
[6] A precious gold from the Jambu river; others say, like rose apple in colour.
235.
Lo! Thou art now a pale and withered leaf;
Death's messengers are close at hand;
Thou in the very gate of Death dost stand,
And yet hast no provision for the way.
236.
Then make thyself an island of defence;
Strive quick; be wise; when all the taints
Of dirt and dust are blown away, the saints
Shall greet thee entering the Happy Land.
237.
Thy life has run its course; thou art come nigh
The King of Death;[1] for thine abode
Thou hast no resting-place upon the road,
And yet hast no provision for the way.
238.
Then make thyself an island of defence;
Strive quick; be wise; blow off the dust
And stains of travel; wipe away the rust;
So shalt thou see no more birth and decay.
239.
The wise and thoughtful man attacks his faults
One after other, momently,
In order due, and rubs them all away,
E'en as a smith blows off the silver's dross,
240.
Just as the iron rust accumulates
Self born; and eats itself away;
So with the man who sinneth; day by day
His own deeds to destruction lead him on,
241.
Texts not repeated oft are soon forgot;
The house neglected soon decays;
Sloth is the bane of beauty; heedless ways
Bring ruin unto him that keepeth watch.
242.
The taint of woman is impurity,
And gifts by stinginess are spoiled,
And mortal man by oft transgression soiled
Finds ruin here, loss in the life to come.
243.
Yet there's a taint far worse than any other.
What is that taint? 'tis ignorance.[2]
Make yourselves free from this, O mendicants!
Wipe off this stain and be ye undefiled.
244.
Life seems an easy thing to him that lives
Wanton and shameless as a crow,
A fault-finder, who through this life doth go
Immodest, insolent, and full of sins.
245.
But life's no easy thing for one restrained
By shame, who seeks to walk aright,
All unattached, withdrawn from vulgar sight;
Who liveth purely and hath eyes to see.
246-7.
He who takes life; whose mouth is full of lies;
Who steals, and fouls another's wife;
A slave to drink, he even in this life
The root of his own fortunes undermines.[3]
248.
O man I know this: "Not easy of control
Are evil ways." Let not thy greed
And wickedness (of misery the seed)
Become thy masters, lest thou suffer long.
249.
According to their trust and faith men give.
Whoso regards with discontent
And jealousy the food for others meant
Cannot get peace of mind by night or day.[4]
250.
But whoso disregards what others get,
Whose heart of jealousy is void,
In whom the root of envy is destroyed,
He gaineth peace of mind by night and day.
251.
There is no fire that burneth like desire;
No beast like hatred can devour;
No snare like folly to entrap hath power;
No river-flood can carry off like greed.
252.
'Tis easy to perceive another's faults;
Hard are one's own faults to descry;
A man will winnow others' faults like chaff;
But as the cheating gambler hides the die,
His own faults he conceals right carefully.
253.
Whoso is watchful for another's faults,
Testy and quick to take offence,
In him his passions will increase, and thence
Further is he from cleansing of his sins.
254.
The sky-path shows no tracks; no outward signs
The treader of the Path betray;[5]
The multitude in outward shows delay;
They who have won the Goal are free from all.[6]
255.
The sky-path shows no tracks; no outward signs
The treader of the Path betray;
Nought lasts; all things embodied pass away;[7]
But nought can shake the All-Awakened Ones.
