Ja 27 The Story about Habituation
(Abhiṇhajātaka)
In the present a monk and lay disciple are the best of friends, and always associate together. When this is brought to the attention of the Buddha he tells a story of a past life in which a state elephant was best friends with a dog, and when the latter went missing wouldn’t eat, until he was brought back (full story).
1. Nālaṁ kabalaṁ padātave,
Na ca piṇḍaṁ, na kuse, na ghaṁsituṁ,
Maññāmi abhiṇhadassanā,
Nāgo sneham-akāsi kukkure ti.
No morsel is sufficient to receive, no rice, and no grass, and no rubbing down, I think through seeing him regularly, the elephant had affection for the dog.
In this connection, [not] sufficient means not able.
Morsel means at food time, the spicy morsel given first.
To receive, to take is the meaning. Elsewhere the same word, which is an infinitive, means to give.
No rice means though having piled up and given a ball of rice, it is not sufficient to take.
No grass means the grass given in order to chew on is not enough to take.
No rubbing down means bathing and rubbing down the body is not enough.
So since he is not able to make the elephant be satisfied, therefore having announced all this to the king, announcing his own inability, considering the reason, he said: I think and so on.