Ja 5 The Story about the Measure of Rice
(Taṇḍulanālijātaka)
In the present a foolish monk manages to become steward for the Saṅgha, but doesn’t understand how to properly value the distribution. The Buddha shows how he was also a fool in the past by telling the story of a valuer who was easily bribed into giving wrong prices (full story).
1. Kim-agghati taṇḍulanāḷikāyaṁ?
Assāna’ mūlāya vadehi, rāja?
Bārāṇasiṁ santarabāhiraṁ,
Ayam-agghati taṇḍulanāḷikā ti!
What value does a measure of rice have? Do you speak of the price of horses, king? Benares, on the inside and outside, he values it at a measure of rice!
[There is no word commentary to this verse, and PTS omits the verse itself.]