Chapter 279 - The story of Āgneya, the cat

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavaḥ anyatamasmin pradeśe mūṣikāṇāṃ yūthapatiḥ paṃcaśataparivāro'vatiṣṭhate; āgneyo nāma biḍālaḥ; tena taruṇāvasthāyāṃ yasmin pradeśe prativasati; tatsāmantakena sarve mūṣikāḥ praghātitāḥ; so'pareṇa samayena jīrṇaḥ saṃvṛttaḥ; parākrameṇa na śaknoti mūṣikān grahītuṃ; sa saṃlakṣayati: pūrvamahaṃ taruṇāvasthāyāṃ śaktaḥ parākrameṇa mūṣikān grahītum; idānīmaśaktaḥ; kiṃ tu upāyasaṃvidhānena bhakṣayāmi iti; sa śanair(i 200) mandaṃ mandaṃ mūṣikān paryeṣitumārabdhaḥ; tena paryeṣamāṇena paṃcaśatiko mūṣikayūthaḥ parijñātaḥ; sa muṣikavivarasya nātidūre kṛtakena tapastapyati; sa mūṣikairbhramadbhirdṛṣṭaḥ śānteneryāpathena avasthitaḥ; te dūrataḥ sthitvā kathayanti: mātula kiṃ karoṣi iti; sa kathayati:mayā taruṇāvasthāyāṃ prabhūtamapuṇyaṃ kṛtaṃ; tasya kṣapaṇāya tapaścarāmi iti; teṣāṃ tasyāntike dharmānvayaprasādaḥ upapannaḥ; virato'yaṃ tasmātpāpakādasaddharmāditi; te taṃ pratidinaṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya vivaraṃ praviśanti; sa teṣāṃ paścimaṃ gṛhītvā bhakṣayati; yāvadasau yūthaḥ parihīyate; yūthapatiḥ saṃlakṣayati: mama mūṣikāḥ parihīyante; ayaṃ ca biḍālo balavān jātaḥ; kāraṇenātra bhavitavyamiti; sa biḍālasya viṣṭhāṃ nirīkṣitumārabdhaḥ; yāvatpaśyati sarvalomikāṃ viṣṭhāṃ; sa saṃlakṣayati: niyatamanena mūṣikāḥ praghātyante; yannvahamenaṃ gṛhṇīyāmiti; (a 497 ) sa tasyādarśanapathe nirīkṣamāṇaḥ tatparo vyavasthitaḥ; yāvattenāsau dṛṣṭaḥ paścimaṃ mūṣikaṃ bhakṣayan; sa tamupasaṃkramya dūreṇa gatvā gāthayā pratyabhāṣata
vardhate mātulasyāṅgaṃ ganaśca parihīyate |
na mūlaphalabhakṣasya viṣṭhā bhavati romaśā ||
nāyaṃ śikhī dharmaśikhī arthahetorayaṃ śikhī |
svasti te'gneya bhavatu parihīyanti mūṣakāḥ || iti
kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavo yo'sau tena kālena tena samayena āgneyo biḍālaḥ devadattaḥ saḥ; tadāpyanena dharmamukhikayā mūṣikā bhakṣitāḥ; etarhyapyanena dharmamukhikayā loko vyaṃsitaḥ
bhikṣavaḥ saṃśayajātāḥ sarvasaṃśayacchettāraṃ buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ papracchuḥ: paśya bhadanta ye bhagavato dṛṣṭyanumatamāpannāḥ te svastikṣemābhyāṃ saṃsārakāntārāduttīrṇāḥ; ye devadattaḥ dṛṣṭyanumatamāpannāḥ te anayena vyasanamāpannāḥ iti; bhagavānāha: na bhikṣava etarhi; yathā atīte'pyadhvanyye mama dṛṣṭyanumatamāpannāḥ te svastikṣemābhyāṃ saṃsārakāntārāduttīrṇāḥ; ye dṛṣṭyanumatamāpannāḥ te anayena vyasanamāpannāḥ; tacchrūyatām (i 201)