Ja 165 The Story about the Mongoose
(Nakulajātaka)
In the present two persons of high rank are always arguing with each other, and not even the king can prevent them. The Buddha teaches them loving-kindness and they are reconciled. He then tells a story of how he stopped the fighting of a snake and a mongoose in a past life.
1. Sandhiṁ katvā amittena aṇḍajena jalābuja,
Vivariya dāṭhaṁ sesi, kuto te bhayam-āgatan-ti?
Womb-born one, having made peace with your enemy, the egg-born one, you sleep with your teeth uncovered, what is it you have come to fear?
In this connection, having made peace This meaning is clear in the Sanskrit dictionaries, but not recordered in the Pāḷi ones. SED: saṁdhi, saṁ-dhi m. alliance, league, reconciliation, peace between (gen.) or with (instr. with or without saha), making a treaty of peace, negotiating alliances... means having become friendly.
The egg-born one means the snake born in an egg.
Womb-born one, he addresses the mongoose. Because of being born from a womb, womb-born one is said.
2. Saṅketheva amittasmiṁ, mittasmim-pi na vissase,
Abhayā bhayam-uppannaṁ api mūlāni kantatī ti.
Make agreements with enemies, do not have confidence in friends, a fear arising from what is not fearful cuts off all the roots.
In this connection, a fear arising from what is not fearful, what is not fearful is said because your fear does not arise from this.
Why so? He is a friend. Certainly do not have confidence in friends, from that fear arises, it also cuts off the roots, having understood all a friend’s faults, leads to the destruction of the roots, this is the meaning.