Ja 65 The Story about Discontent
(Anabhiratijātaka)
In the present a lay brother is absent from attendance on the Buddha for a while after finding his wife is unfaithful. The Buddha explains that this is the nature of women, and shows how the same thing happened to the pair of them in a past life (full story).
1. Yathā nadī ca panto ca, pānāgāraṁ sabhā papā,
Evaṁ lokitthiyo nāma – nāsaṁ kujjhanti paṇḍitā ti.
Just like rivers and highways, taverns, assembly halls and cisterns, so are women in the world – the wise do not get angry with them.
In this connection, just like rivers, just as having arrived at the banks of rivers to bathe, outcastes and so on, nobles and so on, use it in common, and no one is unable to bathe.
Also highways and so on, just as on the main path all use it in common, and no one is unable to travel.
Also taverns, in liquor houses all use them in common, whoever desires to drink, all of them can enter there.
For the purpose of housing people from here and there assembly halls were made by those desiring merit, they are used in common and no one is found unable to enter.
Having placed water pots along the main path, cisterns are also made to be used in common, no one is unable to drink water from there.
So are women of the world, just so, dear student, in this world women are all used in common, and because of that, in the sense of being used in common, they are like rivers, highways, taverns, assembly halls and cisterns.
Therefore the wise do not get angry with them. About these women, thinking: “These are all used in common, they are inferior, unfit, lacking in virtue,” the really wise, endowed with intelligence, do not get angry.