Saṁkhadhamana-Jātaka

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Source: Converted from Archaic translation by Robert Chalmers
JATAKA No. 60

SAMKHADHAMANA-JATAKA

"Go not too far."--This story was told by the Master while at Jetavana monastery, about another self-willed person.

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisattva came to life as a conch-blower, and went up to Benares with his father to a public festival. There he earned a great deal of money by his conch-blowing, and started for home again. On his way through a forest which was infested by robbers, he warned his father not to keep on blowing his conch; but the old man thought he knew better how to keep the robbers off, and blew away hard without a moment's pause. Accordingly, just as in the preceding story, the robbers returned and plundered the pair. And, as above, the Bodhisattva repeated this stanza:

Go not too far, but learn excess to shun; For over-blowing lost what blowing won.

His lesson ended, the Master explained the relation and identified the Birth by saying, "This self-willed Brother(Monk) was the father of those days, and I myself his son."