Chapter 264 - The story of a jackal and a crow

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavo rājagṛhīyakairmanuṣyaiḥ rājñā ca kenacitkāraṇena kriyākāraṃ kṛtvā dve śmaśāne vyavasthāpite, ekasmin pradeśe puruṣāśchorayitavyāḥ ekasmin striyaḥ iti; yāvadapareṇa samayena paṇḍakaḥ kālagataḥ; sa na ekasmin śmaśāne avakāśaṃ labhate, na dvitīye; rājagṛhasyānyatamasmin pradeśe udyānaṃ mūlakandapuṣpaphalasalilasaṃpannaṃ nānāvihaganikūjitaṃ; tasmiṃśca khustaśirā ṛṣiḥ prativasati; phalamūlāmbubhakṣaḥ ajinavalkalavāsāḥ; tasmiṃśca pradeśe trikaṇṭakedārairaṇḍavṛkṣāśca santi; tatra sa paṇḍako choritaḥ; kuṇapagandhena sṛgāla āgataḥ; (a 489 ) sa taṃ paṇḍakaṃ bhakṣayitumārabdhaḥ; kākaśca eraṇḍavṛkṣāgratastiṣṭhati; tasya buddhirutpannā: sṛgālasya varṇaṃ bhāṣe; kadācidbhakṣitaśeṣaṃ dadyāditi; sa tasya gāthayā varṇaṃ bhāṣitumārabdhaḥ:
siṃhasya te yathā grīvā ṛṣabhasya yathā kaṭiḥ |
mṛgarāja namastubhyaṃ bhuktaśeṣaṃ labhemahi || iti
sṛgālo vyavalokya pratyabhāṣata
ko'yaṃ drumavarāgre'smin dvijānāṃ pravaraḥ khalu |
avabhāsya diśaḥ sarvāḥ bhrājate ratnapiṇḍavat || iti
kākaḥ kathayati
ahamasmi mahābhāga darśanārthaṃ tvāgataḥ |
mṛharāja namstubhyaṃ bhuktaśeṣaṃ labhemahi || iti
sṛgālaḥ kathayati
mayūrakaṇṭhastvamasi vāyasa priyadarśana |
ākrandacāriṇāṃ śreṣṭha ehi bhuṅkṣva yathāsukham || iti
so'vatīrṇaḥ sṛgālena saha kuṇapaṃ bhakṣayan tena ṛṣiṇā dṛṣṭaḥ; sa gāthāṃ bhāṣate (i 177)
cirasya bata paśyāmi samāgamamalajjinoḥ |
vṛkṣādhamasya cchāyāyāṃ bhuñjate kuṇapaṃ saha || iti
kākena śrutaṃ; sa sāmarṣaṃ gāthāṃ bhāṣate
yadi siṃho myūraśca bhuñjate varajāṅgalam |
kimatra khustaśirasaḥ paradattopajīvinaḥ || iti
ṛṣirapi jātāmarṣo gāthāṃ bhāṣate
pakṣiṇāmadhamaḥ kākaḥ jambukaśca catuṣpadām |
eraṇḍaścāpi vṛkṣāṇāṃ mauṣyānāṃ ca paṇḍakaḥ |
hīnāstrikaṇṭakedārāḥ paśyālajjisamāgamam || iti
tataḥ kāko bhūyasyā mātrayā saṃjātāmarṣo ṛṣeragniśaraṇaṃ praviśya vyavalokayitumārabdho na paśyati kiṃcit; kamaṇḍaluṃ bhaṅktvā niṣpalāyitaḥ; yāvadasau ṛṣiragniśaraṇaṃ praviśya paśyati kamaṇḍaluṃ bhagnaṃ; sa saṃlakṣayati: tasyaitadduṣkākasya karma nānyasya; iti viditvā gāthāṃ bhāṣate
na rocyāstādṛśāḥ kecidalajināḥ krūrāśayāḥ |
dūṣitaṃ cāgniśaraṇaṃ bhagnaścāpi kamaṇḍaluḥ ||
avarṇārho na varṇārhaḥ na vācyaṃ khalu sarvathā |
kiṃcinmatimatā nityaṃ tūṣṇīṃbhāvaḥ sukhāvahaḥ || iti
kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavo yo'sau ṛṣirahameva saḥ tena kālena tena samayena; sṛgālo devadattaḥ tena kālena tena samayena, kākaḥ kokālikaḥ tena kālena tena samayena; tadāpyetāvalajjinau alajjinorvarṇamabhāṣātām; etarhyapyetāvalajjinau alajjinorvarṇaṃ bhāṣete
bhikṣavaḥ saṃśayajātāḥ sarvasaṃśayacchettāraṃ buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ papracchuḥ: kutra bhadanta bhagavato devadattasya ca tatprathamato vairūkṣyamutpannamiti; bhagavānāha