Ja 207 The Story about (King) Assaka
(Assakajātaka)
In the present one monk is growing dissatisfied owing to his attachment to his former wife. The Buddha tells a story of how the monk was once a king named Assaka who grieved when his queen passed away. The Bodhisatta cured him of his grief when he showed him she was now reborn as a dung-beetle, and did not care for him any more.
1. Ayam-Assakarājena deso vicarito mayā,
Anukāmaya kāmena, piyena patinā saha.
I wandered around the land together with this king Assaka, reciprocating love with love, having affection for my lord.
2. Navena sukhadukkhena porāṇaṁ apithīyati,
Tasmā Assakaraññā va kīṭo piyataro mamā ti.
Old pleasure and pain are obstructed by the new pleasure and pain, thus now I’ve more affection for a worm than for king Assaka.
In this connection, I wandered around the land together with this king Assaka, formerly I wandered around this delightful parkland together with king Assaka.
Reciprocating love with love, with me who loves him, together with him who loves me, this is the meaning.
Having affection means having affection in that life.
Old pleasure and pain are obstructed by the new pleasure and pain, venerable sir, because of the new happiness the old happiness, and because of the new suffering the old suffering, is obstructed, concealed, this is the nature of the world, this is the explanation.
Thus now I’ve more affection for a worm than for king Assaka, because of the new obstructing the old, so I have more affection for a worm than for king Assaka with his hundred virtues, with his thousand virtues.