Ja 8 The Story about Prince Gāmani
(Gāmanijātaka)
In the present a monk goes to the forest and strives, but fails to attain. When brought to the Buddha he is reproved and told about a previous life where, though the youngest of a hundred sons of king Gāmaṇi of Benares, won the affection of all and attained precedence through his efforts (full story).
1. Api ataramānānaṁ phalāsā va samijjhati,
Vipakkabrahmacariyosmi, evaṁ jānāhi Gāmaṇī ti.
By proceeding steadily the one who desires the fruit succeeds, I have the fruit of the spiritual life, know this, Gāmaṇi.
Proceeding steadily, being established in the good advice of the wise ones, proceeding steadily, without hurry, doing their deeds with skill.
The one who desires the fruit succeeds means he desires a fruit such as he wishes for, and through gaining that fruit he succeeds.
Or, desires the fruit means that in desiring the fruit, such a fruit as he wishes for, he is successful, this is the meaning.
I have the fruit of the spiritual life, here the four bases of kindness, being the highest life, it is known as the spiritual life, and being rooted in that, through the attainment of fame, they are called mature. The one whose fame is accomplished, he who is in the highest position is called living the spiritual life. Therefore I have the fruit of the spiritual life is said.
Know this, Gāmaṇi, wherever there is a village person, a village elder he is called Gāmaṇī. But here what is said concerns the one who is elder of all the people. My good Gāmaṇi, know thus that because of my dependence on the teacher, having overcome the one hundred brothers, I have attained the great kingship here, and uttered this exalted utterance.