XII. The Story of the Brâhman.
What forbids the virtuous to transgress the boundary of good behaviour is the very shame of the Self within their hearts. This will be taught by the following.
Once the Bodhisattva, it is told, came to life in an illustrious family of Brâhmans, well-reputed both on account of their ancestry and their conduct. They were highly esteemed and renowned, observing their traditional customs and setting a high value on good education and good manners. Having received in due order the different sacraments: garbhâdhâna, pumsavana, sîmantonnayana, gâtakarma, and the rest, he dwelt at his teacher's, who was a Brâhman distinguished by the superiority of his learning, by his birth, and by his practice of the customary conduct, with the object of studying the Veda.
1. His quickness in mastering and retaining the texts he was taught, his devoted obedience for which his family had always been reputed—a virtue his correctness of conduct embellished by tranquillity, a rare ornament in a youth, made him obtain the love and affection of his teacher.
2. For virtues practised without interruption are magic charms to win the affection even of such as are burnt by the fire of hatred, how much more of the sound-hearted.
Now his teacher, in the intervals of rest from sacred study, with the object of trying the morals of all his disciples, was used to tell them frequently of his own sufferings, the effect of his poverty.
No joy is his, not e'en on holidays,
And wretched alms-requesting makes him sick.
the Lord (see Fausböll, Gâtaka I, p. 31; IV, p. 54, and the other passages quoted there):
Dhammo have rakkhati dhammakârim
Dhammo sukinno sukham âvahâti
Esânisamso dhamme sukinne
Na duggatim gakkhati dhammakâri.
