The Suttavaddhananîti.
143
upon a time by commingling with useless plants;[1] why not living beings?[2]
- ↑ Nimba and paggavalli, the useless plants which destroyed the mango-trees. The story is as follows:— "One day while casting nets and creels in the river for sport, a celestial amba (mango) fruit coming from the Kaṇṇamuṇḍa lake, stuck in the net. Those who cast the net, when they saw it, gave it to the king. It was a large golden ball of the size of a bowl. The king asked the foresters, 'of what tree in this the fruit?' Having learned that it was an amba fruit, he enjoyed it, planted its stone in his garden, and caused it to be watered with milk-water. The tree having sprung up, bore fruit in the third year. Great honour was paid to the amba-tree. They sprinkle it with milk-water, they give it five fingers full of perfume, they surround it with garlands, they light a lamp with perfumed oil. Its covering, furthermore, was of silk and coarse cloth. Its fruits were sweet and golden. King Dadhivâhana, sending the fruit to other kings, from fear that a tree might grow up from the stone, sent them after having first pierced with a manḍu thorn the place where the sprout should spring forth. When, after eating the amba, they planted the stone, it would not thrive. They asking, 'What is the reason of it?' learned the cause. Then one of the kings called his gardener and asked him, 'Wilt thou be able to destroy the sweetness of King Dadhivâhana's amba fruits and make them bitter?' and when he answered, 'Yes, sir!' he sent him away, after giving him a thousand pieces of silver, saying, 'Go, then!' He went to Bârâṇasî and caused it to be reported to the king, 'A gardener has come;' and being summoned by him, and having entered and saluted the king, he was asked, 'Art thou a gardener?' and having said, 'Yes, sire!' he enlarged upon his ability. The king said, 'Go and stay with our gardener.' These two persons henceforth tend the garden. The newly arrived gardener, causing flowers to bloom and fruits to be gathered out of season, made the garden charming. The king being pleased with him, having discharged the old gardener, gave him the charge of the garden. He finding the garden in his hands, sowed himbas and paggavallis round the amba-tree. Gradually the nimbas grew up. Their roots and branches were united and variously connected together. By this union with what was disagreeable and sour, the sweet-fruited amba at last became bitter, with a taste like that of the nimba leaf. Having discovered that the amba fruits had become bitter, the gardener ran away. Dadhivâhana, having gone into the garden, on eating an amba fruit, but not being able to get down the juice of the amba, which had entered his mouth, because it was like that of the disfusting nimba, hawked and spat. At that time Bodhisatta was his admonitor. The king having invited Bodhisatta, on asking him, 'O learned man! of the usual care bestowed upon this tree nothing has been omitted, still its fruit has become bitter; what is the cause of this?' he recited the first stanza—
- 'This amba-tree was formerly endowed with colour, smell, and flavour;
- Obtaining such a culture, Why has this amba bitter fruit?'
Then telling him the cause of it, Bodhisatta recited the second stanza—
- 'Thy amba, O Dadhivâhaba, is surrounded by nimbas;
- The root of one is united with the root of the other,
- The branches of one embrace the branches of the other;
- ↑ "Evil communications corrupt good manners." —I Corinthians XV. 33. A passage in the Mahâbhârata says that a person acquires the character of him with whom he associates, just as a cloth becomes tinged with the dye that its brought into contact with it.
