11. Bāla
- pdhp174:0.0
Patna Dharmapada
Patna Dhammapada
- pdhp174:0.1
11. Bāla
11. The Chapter about Fools
- pdhp174:1
caranti bālā dummedhā amitteṇa-r-iva āttanā ।
Stupid fools live having themselves as their own foes,
- pdhp174:2
karontā pāpakaṁ kammaṁ yaṁ hoti kaṭukapphalaṁ ।।
committing wicked deeds, which produce bitter fruit.
- pdhp175:1
kathañ ca taṁ kare kaṁmaṁ yaṁ kattā anutappati ।
How could he do that deed, which, having done, one has regret,
- pdhp175:2
yassa aṁśumukho rodaṁ vipākaṁ paṭisevati ।।
for which he has tears on his face, as the result follows him round.
- pdhp176:1
taṁ ca kaṁmaṁ kataṁ sādhu yaṁ kattā nānutappati ।
But that deed is well done, which, having done, one has no regret,
- pdhp176:2
yassa pratīto sumano vipākaṁ paṭisevati ।।
for which he is pleased and happy, as the result follows him round.
- pdhp177:1
yāvad eva anatthāya ñāttaṁ bālassa jāyati ।
As far as learning arises for a fool, it is only to his disadvantage,
- pdhp177:2
hanti bālassa śukrāṅggaṁ (?) muddham assa nipātaye ।।
it destroys the fool’s good quality, and it will destroy his head.
- pdhp178:1
asatāṁ bhāvanam icchanti purekkhārañ ca bhikkhusu ।
He wishes for the respect that is lacking, and status amongst the monastics,
- pdhp178:2
āvāsesu ca essariyaṁ pūjāṁ parakulesu ca ।।
for control in the living quarters, and worship amongst good families:
- pdhp179:1
mameva katamannentu gṛhī pravrajitā ca ye ।
“Householders and renunciants should think this was done by me,
- pdhp179:2
na me pratibalā assa kiccā ’kiccesu kesuci ।।
let none be a match for me, in all to be done and not done”,
- pdhp180:1
iti bālassa saṁkappo icchāmāno ca vaddhati ।
so does the fool think, meanwhile his desires and conceit increase.
- pdhp180:2
aṁñā hi lābhopaniśā aṁñā nibbāṇagāminī ।।
For the means to gains is one thing, the path going to Nibbāna another,
- pdhp181:1
evam etaṁ yathābhūtaṁ paśśaṁ buddhassa sāvako ।
thus seeing this as it really is the disciple of the Buddha
- pdhp181:2
sakkāraṁ nābhinandeyā vivekam anubrūhaye ।।
should not delight in honours, but practise in solitude.
- pdhp182:1
jayaṁ ve manyate bālo vācāya paruṣaṁ bhaṇaṁ ।
The fool thinks there is success, when he speaks words that are rough,
- pdhp182:2
satāṁ hesa jayo hoti yā titikkhā vijānato ।।
but for the one who knows, endurance is the success of the good.
- pdhp183:1
abalaṁ tassa balaṁ hoti yassa bālabalaṁ balaṁ ।
Without power is the power of him whose power is the power of a fool,
- pdhp183:2
balassa dhammaguttassa paṭivattā na vijjati ।।
reproach is not found for the powerful one, protected by Dhamma.
- pdhp184:1
yo bālo bālamānī paṇḍito cāpi tattha so ।
The fool who conceives he is a fool, is at least wise in that matter,
- pdhp184:2
bālo tu paṇḍitamānī sa ve bālo ti vuccati ।।
the fool who is proud of his wisdom, he is said to be a fool indeed.
- pdhp185:1
drīghā assupato rātrī drīghaṁ śāntassa yojanaṁ ।
Long is the night for one who sleeps not, long is a league for one tired,
- pdhp185:2
drīgho bālānā saṁsāro saddhaṁmam avijānatāṁ ।।
long is the round of births and deaths for fools who know not True Dhamma.
- pdhp186:1
pūtimacche kuśāggreṇa yo naro upanahyati ।
That man who wraps up rotting fish with the best fragrant grass,
- pdhp186:2
kuśā pi pūtiṁ vāyanti evaṁ bālopasevanā ।।
makes the fragrant grass smell rotten, and so with those who associate with fools.
- pdhp187:1
tagarañ ca palāśamhi yo naro upanahyati ।
That man who wraps up pinwheel in flame-tree leaves,
- pdhp187:2
pattaṁ pi surabhiṁ vāti evaṁ dhīropasevanā ।।
makes even the leaf fragrant, and so with those who associate with the wise.
- pdhp188:1
akaronto pi ce pāpaṁ karonte upasevati ।
If one who does no wickedness associates with those who do,
- pdhp188:2
śaṅkiyo hoti pāpamhi avaṇṇo cāssa rūhati ।।
he is suspected of wickedness, and his disrepute increases.
- pdhp189:1
sevamāno sevamāne saṁpuṭṭho saṁphusaṁ pare ।
An associate associating with others who are touched by contacts,
- pdhp189:2
śaro litto kalāpe vā alitte upaliṁpati ।
like a smeared arrow in a bunch, smears that which is unsmeared,
- pdhp189:3
upalepabhayā dhīro neva pāpasakhā siyā ।।
fearing being smeared the wise one will not have wicked friends.
- pdhp190:1
tassā phalapuṭasseva ñāyyā saṁpākam āttano ।
Therefore knowing the result for oneself of the fruit container,
- pdhp190:2
asanto nopaseveyā santo seveya paṇḍito ।।
he should not follow the bad one, the wise one should associate with the good one.
- pdhp191:1
yāvaj jīvaṁ pi ce bālo paṇḍite payirupāsati ।
Even if a fool attends on a wise man for his whole life long,
- pdhp191:2
neva dhammaṁ vijānāti dravvī sūparasān iva ।।
he does not learn Dhamma, like the spoon learns not the taste of curry.
- pdhp192:1
muhuttam api ce praṁño paṇḍite payirupāsati ।
If a perceptive man attends on a wise man even for a second,
- pdhp192:2
khipraṁ dhammaṁ vijānāti jivhā sūparasān iva ।।
he quickly learns Dhamma, like the tongue learns the taste of curry.
- pdhp193:1
nāppaṁ pāpassa maṁñeyā na me taṁ āgamiṣyati ।
One should not despise a little wickedness thinking: it will not come to me,
- pdhp193:2
udabindunipātena udakuṁbho pi pūrati ।।
through the falling of water drops the water-pot is quickly filled,
- pdhp193:3
pūrate bālo pāpassa thokathokaṁ pi ācinaṁ ।
the fool, gathering bit by bit, becomes full of wickedness.
- pdhp194:1
nāppaṁ puṁñassa manyeyā na me taṁ āgamiṣyati ।।
One should not despise little merit thinking: it will not come to me,
- pdhp194:2
udabindunipātena udakumbho pi pūrati ।
through the falling of water drops the water-pot is quickly filled,
- pdhp194:3
pūrate praṁño puṁñassa thokathokaṁ pi ācinaṁ ।।
the wise one, gathering bit by bit, becomes full of merit.
- pdhp194:4
Bālavarggaḥ
The Chapter about Fools
SuttaCentral (suttacentral.net), from the bilara-data and sc-data repositories. Licence: CC0 1.0 (root); CC BY-SA 3.0 (translation). Source.