Ja 48 Vedabbajātaka
The Story about the Vedabba (Brahmin)
In the present the Buddha hears of an undisciplined monk, and tells a story of how in a past life, despite being warned against it, he was a brahmin named Vedabba, and had exercised his powers to gain treasure, which fell from the sky, and how this had led to his own destruction at the hands of the thieves from Cetā, and the destruction of 1,000 more.
1. Anupāyena yo atthaṁ icchati so vihaññati,
He who by the wrong means wishes for benefit suffers hardship,
Cetā haniṁsu Vedabbaṁ, sabbe te byasanam-ajjhagū ti.
The Cetā (thieves) killed Vedabba, and they all came to destruction.
Tattha,
In this connection, he ... suffers hardship,
so anupāyena: “Attano atthaṁ vuḍḍhiṁ sukhaṁ icchāmī” ti,
he who by the wrong means, thinking: “I desire benefit, development, happiness for myself,”
akāle vāyāmaṁ karonto,
at the wrong time making endeavour,
puggalo vihaññati kilamati, mahāvināsaṁ pāpuṇāti.
that person suffers hardship, is wearied, achieves total destruction.
Cetā ti Cetaraṭṭhavāsino corā.
Cetā (thieves) means the thieves residing in the country of Cetā.
Haniṁsu Vedabban-ti,
Killed Vedabba,
Vedabbamantavasena, Vedabbo ti laddhanāmaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ haniṁsu.
because of the Vedabba mantra, they killed the brahmin with the given name Vedabba.
Sabbe te byasanamajjhagū ti,
They all came to destruction,
te pi ca anavasesā aññamaññaṁ ghātayamānā,
killing each other without remainder,
byasanaṁ adhigacchiṁsu paṭilabhiṁsū ti.
they experienced, received, destruction.