0.1Theragāthā 4.11Verses of the Senior Monks 4.11
0.2CatukkanipātaThe Book of the Fours
0.3PaṭhamavaggaChapter One

0.4SappakattheragāthāSappaka

1.1“Yadā balākā sucipaṇḍaracchadā,When the crane with its beautiful white wings,1.2Kāḷassa meghassa bhayena tajjitā;startled by fear of the dark cloud,1.3Palehiti ālayamālayesinī,flees, seeking shelter—1.4Tadā nadī ajakaraṇī rameti maṁ.then the River Ajakaraṇī delights me.
2.1Yadā balākā suvisuddhapaṇḍarā,When the crane, so very pure and white,2.2Kāḷassa meghassa bhayena tajjitā;startled by fear of the dark rcloud,2.3Pariyesati leṇamaleṇadassinī,seeks a cave to shelter in, but can’t see one—2.4Tadā nadī ajakaraṇī rameti maṁ.then the River Ajakaraṇī delights me.
3.1Kaṁ nu tattha na ramenti,Who wouldn’t be delighted3.2jambuyo ubhato tahiṁ;by the black plum trees3.3Sobhenti āpagākūlaṁ,that grace both banks of the river,3.4mama leṇassa pacchato.there, behind my cave?
4.1Tāmatamadasaṅghasuppahīnā,Well rid of the pack of jackals, <j>mad for the dead,¹4.2Bhekā mandavatī panādayanti;the lazy frogs croak:4.3‘Nājja girinadīhi vippavāsasamayo,“Today is no time to stray from mountain streams;4.4Khemā ajakaraṇī sivā surammā’”ti.Ajakaraṇī is safe, pleasant, and delightful.”

4.5… Sappako thero ….

Translator’s notes

This is a difficult line. My reading depends on the speculative emending of the opening tā to nominative plural, te’matamada-, agreeing with bhekā in the next line. Then matamada is “mad for the dead”, corresponding to the Sanskrit mṛtamatta, “jackal”. The commentary reads amatamada, “intoxicated by the deathless”, i.e. a snake, further explaining amata here as agada, “antidote”. None of this strikes me as very likely. See Norman’s note 310 in Elders Verses II for further discussion. Perhaps the lines allude to the practice of the Saṅgha to recite chants dispelling snakes and other annoying creatures (AN 4.67), suggesting that the frogs, too, benefit from this.

↩ thag4.11:4.1