In the present one monk is discontent owing to his love of women. The Buddha tells a story of one princess who successfully managed to elope with her lover, even though the king held her by the hand while she bathed.

1. Pāṇi ce muduko cassa, nāgo cassa sukārito,
Andhakāro ca vasseyya, atha nūna tadā siyā ti.

If his hand is soft, and his elephant well-trained, should it rain in darkness, then surely it will be.

This is the meaning of the verse: if your page’s hand is a soft hand like my hand, if your well-trained elephant is immoveable, if the day is endowed with four factors, It is not clear to me what these four factors are. is exceedingly thick and dark, and the Deva rains down.

Then surely it will be, at such a time if these four reasons come together, then certainly your heart’s desire will come to a conclusion.

2. Analā mudusambhāsā, duppūrā tā nadīsamā,
Sīdanti naṁ viditvāna, ārakā parivajjaye.

Soft talk is not enough, like rivers hard to fill, knowing this they sink, he should avoid from afar.

3. Yaṁ etā upasevanti, chandasā vā dhanena vā,
Jātavedo va saṁ ṭhānaṁ, khippaṁ anudahanti nan-ti.

Those who keep company, through desire or through wealth, like a fire in that place, they quickly burn him up.

In this connection, soft talk is not enough, with soft words they are unable, they are not able to treat kindly with delicate words, this is the meaning. Or, it is never enough for them with men, this is not enough. Soft talk, although they have hard hearts, their talk is soft, this is soft talk.

Like rivers hard to fill, like rivers, from the flow of whatever water arrives, are hard to fill with water, so from not being satisfied with repeated experience of sex and so on, it is hard to fulfill their desires. Therefore this is said: Cf. AN 2.62, there though two, not three, things are listed, so that it seems this commentary records part of a lost discourse, which would have been in AN 3. As it is not now canonical, I leave it in commentarial colours. “There are three things, Cf. AN 2.62, there though two, not three, things are listed, so that it seems this commentary records part of a lost discourse, which would have been in AN 3. As it is not now canonical, I mark it as commentary. monastics, that women who complete their time Lit: make time, i.e. die. are not satisfied with, not satiated with. What three? The performance of sex, giving birth, and ornaments. These three things, monastics, women who complete their time are not satisfied with, not satiated with.”

They sink means they plunge into the eight great hells and the sixteen lesser hells.

Knowing means knowing thus.

He should avoid from afar, knowing: “These women surely with sexual intercourse and so on, not being satisfied, after death, sink into the hells, these women, sinking themselves in this way, what else will they be happy with?” Knowing this the wise man avoids them from afar, this is the explanation.

Through desire or through wealth, through his own desire, liking, loving, or because of wealth received through wages, these women keep company, associate with that person.

Fire means fire. (Repeating the note from Ja 35): This is what SED says: jātavedas, jāta-vedas (-ta-) mfn. (fr. vid cl. 6) “having whatever is born or created as his property”, “all-possessor” (or fr. vid cl.2. “knowing [or known by] all created beings”; cf. Nir. vii, 19 ŚBr. ix, 5, 1, 68 MBh. ii, 1146 &c.; N. of Agni) RV. AV. VS. &c.; m. fire... Even a new born experiences fire, it is understood, it is clearly seen, so Jātaveda is said. This is a folk-etymology, deriving jātaveda from jātamatto va vediyati. As in his place, when there is a cause, an opportunity, it burns, so those women keep company with someone, that person, though endowed with wealth, fame, virtue and wisdom, all of these, from the destruction of wealth and so on, from that abundance, making it not liable to arise again, quickly burn it up, set fire to it.

This is also said: This looks like a quotation from a canonical source, but it is only found here.

“Those who are strong become weak, and those who are firm dwindle away, those with eyes become blind, when under the control of women.

Those with virtue lose their virtue, those with wisdom dwindle away, the heedless lie in bondage, when under the control of women.

Study, asceticism, virtue, truth, sharing, mindfulness, wisdom, they cut these off from the heedless, like treacherous thieves on the road.

Fame, glory, resolution, heroism, much learning, and knowing, they waste away the heedless, like an inferno a bunch of sticks.”

 

last updated: November 2022