Apaṇṇakajātaka
This discourse regarding Truth was delivered by the Blessed One, while he was dwelling in the Great Monastery at Jetavana near Savatthi. But who, you ask, was it that led up to this tale?
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral
1.1Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa.Homage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!
2.1PTS 1.104“Apaṇṇakaṁ ṭhānameke,Some stand on a sure bet,12.2Dutiyaṁ āhu takkikā;while sophists speak of a second way.22.3Etadaññāya medhāvī,An intelligent person, knowing this,2.4Taṁ gaṇhe yadapaṇṇakan”ti.would take up the sure bet.3
3.1Apaṇṇakajātakaṁ paṭhamaṁ.
Apaṇṇaka (“sure bet”) is a gambling term, where paṇṇa appears as a form of the number five. While a hand of four dice was “perfect” (kaṭa), the fifth “losing” (kali) die was all-powerful, since just one extra die meant you lose everything (Rig Veda 10.34.2, Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 5.4.4.6). Apaṇṇaka is therefore literally a “set without a fifth” and metaphorically “without fail”, a “sure bet”. See further note on MN 60:12.5.
In the prose story, the “sophists” (takkikā) are compared to a native spirit (yakkha) who tried to persuade a caravan to abandon its water in the desert.
This line draws on the gambling imagery: one would “take up” (gaṇhe) a “sure bet”, namely a “winning hand” (kaṭaggāha). In the ancient Vedic game of chance, a large quantity of vibhītaka (“bedda”) nuts were placed in a hollow, from which players would take a handful. If the number of nuts was divisible by four, it was said to be a “perfect” (kaṭa) “hand” (gāha).
