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Mātuposakacariya

The Conduct of One Who Provided for His Mother

“Yadā ahosiṁ pavane,
“Once I lived in the forest

kuñjaro mātuposako;
as a elephant who provided for his mother.

Na tadā atthi mahiyā,
At that time no-one on earth

guṇena mama sādiso.
could equal my virtues.

Pavane disvā vanacaro,
Seeing me in the forest, a forester

rañño maṁ paṭivedayi;
informed the king about me.

‘Tavānucchavo mahārāja,
‘Great King, an elephant that befits you

gajo vasati kānane.
is dwelling in the forest grove.

Na tassa parikkhāyattho,
No need to dig a moat around him,

napi āḷakakāsuyā;
nor tether him to a post in a pit.

Saha gahite soṇḍāya,
Taken by the trunk,

sayameva idhehi’ti.
he will come here by himself.’

Tassa taṁ vacanaṁ sutvā,
When he heard these words,

rājāpi tuṭṭhamānaso;
the king, elated,

Pesesi hatthidamakaṁ,
sent an elephant-tamer,

chekācariyaṁ susikkhitaṁ.
a well-trained and expert tutor.

Gantvā so hatthidamako,
When the elephant-tamer reached there,

addasa padumassare;
he saw me in a lotus pond,

Bhisamuḷālaṁ uddharantaṁ,
pulling out lotus roots

yāpanatthāya mātuyā.
to feed my mother.

Viññāya me sīlaguṇaṁ,
Discerning my moral virtue,

lakkhaṇaṁ upadhārayi;
he checked me for marks.

‘Ehi puttā’ti vatvāna,
Saying, ‘Come, child’,

mama soṇḍāya aggahi.
he took me by the trunk.

Yaṁ me tadā pākatikaṁ,
What was at that time

sarīrānugataṁ balaṁ;
the natural strength of my body,

Ajja nāgasahassānaṁ,
would equal a thousand

balena samasādisaṁ.
of the elephants of today.

Yadihaṁ tesaṁ pakuppeyyaṁ,
If I had been upset

upetānaṁ gahaṇāya maṁ;
with those who came to capture me,

Paṭibalo bhave tesaṁ,
I would have had the power

yāva rajjampi mānusaṁ.
to defeat even a kingdom of men.

Api cāhaṁ sīlarakkhāya,
Nevertheless, for the sake of guarding my ethics,

Sīlapāramipūriyā;
and fulfilling my perfection of ethics,

Na karomi citte aññathattaṁ,
I did not let my mind change,

Pakkhipantaṁ mamāḷake.
even as they caged me.

Yadi te maṁ tattha koṭṭeyyuṁ,
And even were they to beat me

pharasūhi tomarehi ca;
with hatchets and lances,

Neva tesaṁ pakuppeyyaṁ,
I would never become upset,

sīlakhaṇḍabhayā mamā”ti.
for fear of violating my ethics.”

Mātuposakacariyaṁ paṭhamaṁ.