Jataka Vol. I: Book I.--Ekanipāta: No. 83. Kālakaṇṇi-Jātaka
No. 83.
KĀLAKAṆṆI-JĀTAKA. [364]
"A friend is he."--This story was told by the Master while at Jetavana, about a
friend of Anātha-piṇḍika's. Tradition says that the two had made mud-pies
together, and had gone to the same school; but, as years went by, the friend,
whose name was 'Curse,' sank into great distress and could not make a living
anyhow. So he came to the rich man, who was kind to him, and paid him to look
after all his property; and the poor friend was employed under Anātha-piṇḍika
and did all his business for him. After he had gone up to the rich man's It was
a common thing to hear in the house--"Stand up, Curse," or "Sit down, Curse," or
"Have your dinner, Curse."
p. 210
One day the Treasurer's friends and acquaintances called on him and said, "Lord
Treasurer, don't let this sort of thing go on in your house. It's enough to
scare an ogre to hear such ill-omened observations as--'Stand up, Curse,' or
'Sit down, Curse,' or 'Have your dinner, Curse.' The man is not your social
equal; he's a miserable wretch, dogged by misfortune. Why have anything to do
with him?" "Not so," replied Anātha-piṇḍika; "a name only serves to denote a
man, and the wise do not measure a man by his name; nor is it proper to wax
superstitious about mere sounds. Never will I throw over, for his mere name's
sake, the friend with whom I made mud-pies as a child." And he rejected their
advice.
One day the great man departed to visit a village of which he was headman,
leaving the other in charge of the house. Hearing of his departure certain
robbers made up their mind to break into the house; and, arming themselves to
the teeth, they surrounded it in the night-time. But 'Curse' had a suspicion
that burglars might be expected, and was sitting up for them. And when he knew
that they had come, he ran about as if to rouse his people, bidding one sound
the conch, another beat the drum, till he had the whole house full of noise, as
though be were rousing a whole army of servants. Said the robbers, "The house is
not so empty as we were told; the master must be at home." Flinging away their
stones, clubs and other weapons, away they bolted for their lives. Next day
great alarm was caused by the sight of all the discarded weapons lying round the
house; and Curse was lauded to the skies by such praises as this:--"If the house
had not been patrolled by one so wise as this man, the robbers would have simply
walked in at their own pleasure and have plundered the house. The Treasurer owes
this stroke of good luck to his staunch friend." And the moment the merchant
came back from his village they hastened to tell him the whole story. "Ah," said
he, "this is the trusty guardian of my house whom you wanted me to get rid of.
If I had taken your advice and got rid of him; I should be a beggar to-day. It's
not the name but the heart within that makes the man." So saying he raised his
wages. And thinking that here was a good story [365] to tell, off he went to the
Master and gave him a complete account of it all, right through. "This is not
the first time, sir," said the Master, "that a friend named Curse has saved his
friend's wealth from robbers; the like happened in bygone days as well." Then,
at Anātha-piṇḍika's request, he told this story of the past.
_____________________________
Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a
Treasurer of great renown; and he had a friend whose name was Curse, and so on
as in the foregoing story. When on his return from his zemindary the Bodhisatta
heard what had happened he said to his friends, "If I had taken your advice and
got rid of my trusty friend, I should have been a beggar to-day." And he
repeated this stanza:--
A friend is he that seven steps will go
To help us 1; twelve attest the comrade true.
A fortnight or a month's tried loyalty
Makes kindred, longer time a second self.
--Then how shall I, who all these years have known
My friend, be wise in driving Curse away?
_____________________________
His lesson ended, the Master identified the Birth by saying, "Ānanda was the
Curse of those days, and I myself the Treasurer of Benares."
Footnotes
210:1 See Griffith's "Old Indian Poetry," p. 27; and Pānini's rule, v. 2. 22.
Next: No. 84. Atthassadvāra-Jātaka
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