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Buddhism

Thag 3:8 · Yasoja

Thai temple painting: Prince Vessantara gives away the white elephant
Vessantara Jātaka, Chapter 2 (Himavanta Forest) · Thai, Rattanakosin, c. 1850–1870 · Walters Art Museum

His limbs knotted

like a kālā plant,

his body lean

& lined with veins,

knowing moderation

in food & drink:

the man of undaunted heart.

Touched by gnats

& horseflies

in the wilds,

the great wood,

like an elephant

at the head of a battle:

He, mindful,

should stay there,

endure.

One alone is like Brahmā,

two, like devas,

three, like a village,

more than that:

a hullabaloo.

See also: Ud 3:3; Sn 4:16


Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).

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