Ja 162 The Story about (Good and Bad) Company
(Santhavajātaka)
In the present the heretics practice all sorts of austerities, including worshipping the sacred fire, in hope of sanctity, but the Buddha says it is all to no effect, and tells a story of the past in which an ascetic with much trouble built a hut and worshipped the fire until one day it burnt down his dwelling, at which point he abandoned the practice and went to the Himālayas.
1. Na santhavasmā paramatthi pāpiyo
Yo santhavo kāpurisena hoti.
Santappito sappinā pāyasena
Kicchākataṁ paṇṇakuṭiṁ adayhī ti.
Nothing is worse than the intimacy of one intimate with a bad person. The fire that burned with ghee and with milk-rice burned down my leaf-hut, made with much trouble.
In this connection, nothing is worse than the intimacy, the intimacy of craving, and the intimacy of a friend, there is nothing more bad over and beyond these two ways of being intimate, nothing is called more evil, this is the meaning.
Of one intimate with a bad person, he who is intimate in two ways with a bad person, with someone wicked, than that nothing else is worse.
Why? The fire that burned... burned down, whence it burned with ghee and with milk-rice, my leaf-hut made by me with much trouble you burned down with this fire, this is the meaning.
2. Na santhavasmā paramatthi seyyo
Yo santhavo sappurisena hoti.
Sīhassă vyagghassa ca dīpino ca
Sāmā mukhaṁ lehati santhavenā ti.
Nothing is better than intimacy of one intimate with a good person. The lion’s, tiger’s and leopard’s face the Sambar deer licks intimately.
In this connection, the Sambar deer licks intimately, what is called the Sambar deer, licks the face of these three creatures with intimacy, with affection.