The Dhammapada, the beacon of light

By Premasara Epasinghe

The Dhammapada is a unique religious text which sums up the essence of “Tripitaka” literally ‘Three Baskets'. It is sacred to Buddhists as the Bhagavad Gita, Hindi song of the Lord, forming part of the sixth book of the Hindu epic – the Mahabharata to the Hindus the Holy Bible to Christians and the Quran to Muslims.

In the Bhagavatgita, Lord Krishna, as an incarnation of Vishnu, instructs Prince Arjuna on the importance of absolute devotion (Bhakti) to a personal God as a means of salvation.

According to Muslim belief, the Quran embodies the actual word of God (Allah) as revealed by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.

The 114 “Suras” chapters are the source of Islamic belief and guide to its followers.

The Dhammapada may serve as a constant companion providing inspiration, solace, and edification in times of need. The gems of truth embodied in the Dhammapada, aptly illustrate the moral and philosophical teachings of the Buddha.

The Dhammapada is undoubtedly the most popular, widely acclaimed, Buddhist text throughout the world. It is one of the 15 books of “Kuddaka Nikaya”. It's made up of 423 Pali stanzas, uttered by the Buddha himself on about 300 occasions. They are arranged in 26 vaggas beginning with “Yamaka Vagga” - the twin verses and concludes with “Brahamana Vagga” - the Brahamin.

The Dhammapada was the first Buddhist canonical text to be published in Europe. It was published in 1855 by a Danish Scholar, Victor Fausball. The Dhammapada was translated into Latin in the same year.

In my first article on the Dhammapada, I quoted a stanza from “Bala Vagga” - (Fools) – that “Sansara is long to” ignorant ones.

Digha Jagarota Ratti – Digham Santassa yojanam
Digo Balanam Samsaro – Saddhammam

Avijanatam

Long is the night to the sleepless;
Long is the mile to the tired;
Long is the Sansara to the witless;
Who knows not the sublime teaching.
The Dhammapada Stanza 60 – Bala Vagga (Fools).
The Buddha spoke these words to a young man and king Pasenadi of Kosala.

The powerful king Pasenadi Kosala, seeing a young man's pretty wife, fell in love with her. He was enamoured with her. The king got down her husband to the palace and gave him an assignment to be completed in 12 hours. The ‘Mission Impossible’ was to bring “Kumudu or lotus flowers and some red earth known as ‘Arunavati’ to the palace. If he failed, the punishment would be death.

The poor husband bade farewell to his wife and travelled a distance of about a “Yojana” (12 miles). On his way, he partook the lunch prepared by his wife near a river, threw some rice on to it and prayed for his life. The guardian spirits and Nagas out of compassion to the poor traveller offered him the “Lotus Flowers” and the red soil “Arunavati”. He was so thrilled and happy as to return to the city. The city gates remained closed and he could not enter the palace.

The king Pasenadi did not want to take any chances. He had instructed his security men to close the gates of the inner city by 6 pm, not allowing the man to enter the palace even if he brought the lotus flowers and the red soil. The poor man who had no alternative went to the Jetavana Monastery to spend the night.

King Pasenadi, obsessed with sexual yearning could not sleep as he was thinking over how to get rid of the man. The King heard some awful, eerie sounds, from four people. The king was frightened.

The following morning, on the advice of Queen Mallika, the King met the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery and related his nightmare experiences.

The Buddha said, “Oh king, those four awful, eerie sounds were made by the sons of four rich men who lived immoral lives during the time of Kassapa Buddha. There is dreaded suffering in the hell – Lokumbu Niraya. The king having realised the consequences he would have to undergo, said,

“Venerable Sir, now I know how long are the nights for a sleepless man or woman”.
The young man who brought the lotus flowers and “Arunavati” red soil said;

Venerable Sir, as I have travelled a yojana – (Yoduna) – about 12 miles, as a weary man, I too know how long is a yojana”.