caught early in the morning, he is already putrid," he loosed the bands which tied him. And apprehending nothing, he began to collect leaves and branches, saying to himself, "I will dress him at once, here on the spot, and carry off the flesh."
But the young stag arose, stood on his feet, shook himself, stretched out his neck, and, swiftly as a cloud driven by a mighty wind, returned to his mother!
The Teacher having finished this discourse, in illustration of his words ("Not now only, mendicants, was Rāhula devoted to instruction; formerly also he was so," etc.), made the connexion, and summed up the Jātaka: "At that time the nephew, the young stag, was Rāhula, the mother was Uppala-vaṇṇā, but the uncle was I myself."
END OF THE STORY OF THE CUNNING DEER.[1]
- ↑ The verse is very obscure, and the long commentary does not make it clearer. "To keep in any posture that he likes" is literally "having three postures — master of three postures." "Most swift" is in the original "eight-hoofed." If "eight-hoofed" means "with two hoofs on each foot," as the commentator thinks, where would be the peculiarity so creditable to the obedient learner? The last line in the text is so corrupt that the commentator can only suggest three contradictory and improbable explanations. If one could venture to read chavaŋ kalāhati bhoti, one might render, "My nephew, lady, can counterfeit a corpse." Mr. Trenckner has been good enough to send me the following suggested translation, "The deer, the threefold cunning (?) fertile in expedients, the cloven-footed, who goes to drink at midnight (!?) (don't fear for him), lying on one ear, panting on the ground, ray nephew, by the six tricks he knows will dodge (the hunter)."
