Macchajātaka
“’Tis not the cold.”—This story was told by the Master while at Jetavana, about being seduced by the wife of one’s mundane life before joining the Brotherhood. Said the Master on this occasion, “Is it true, as I hear, Brother, that you are passion-tost?”
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral
1.1PTS 1.211“Na maṁ sītaṁ na maṁ uṇhaṁ,It’s not the cold or heat for me,11.2na maṁ jālasmi bādhanaṁ;nor the being caught in the net;1.3Yañca maṁ maññate macchī,it’s that my lady, the fish, thinks of me,1.4aññaṁ so ratiyā gato”ti.“He went for joy to another.”
2.1Macchajātakaṁ catutthaṁ.
When a fish is caught in the net while his wife escapes, he worries more about what she thinks of him than of his imminent fate.
