An Elementary Pali Course - Selections for Translation

Passage 2: Paaniiyadinnassa Vatthu (Story of the Giver of Water)

Source: Rasavaahinii, Nandiyaraaja Vagga

Jambudiipe a~n~natarasmi.m janapade kir'eko manusso ra.t.thato ra.t.tha.m janapadato janapada.m vicaranto anukkamena candabhaagaanadiitiira.m patvaa naava.m abhiruhitvaa paratiira.m gacchati.
in ancient India / in a certain / in country / it is said-one / man / from place / [to] place / from country / [to] country / wandering / in due course / river bank of Candabhaagaa / having reached / ship / having boarded / [to] the other shore / goes
It is said: In a certain country in ancient India, one man, who is wandering from place to place, from country to country, reaches the river bank of Candabhaaga in due course, boards (a) ship and sails to the opposite shore.

Athaaparaa gabbhinitthii taaya eva'naavaaya gacchati,
now-another / pregnant woman / by that / just-by ship / goes
Now, another pregnant woman travels in just that ship.

atha naavaa ga`ngaamajjhappattakaale tassaa kammajavaataa cali.msu.
and then / ship / at the time reaching middle of the river / her / pains of childbirth / began to stir
And then, at the time the ship reaches the middle of the river, her pains of childbirth began to stir.

Tato saa vijaayitumasakkontii kilantaa paaniiya.m me detha, pipaasitaamhiti manusse yaaci.
afterwards / she / to give birth-unable / tired / water / to me / give / thirsty-I am / people / begged
After a while, unable to give birth and tired, she begged the people, "Give water to me. I am thirsty."

Te tassaa vacana.m asu.nantaa viya paaniiya.m naada.msu,
they / her / word / not hearing / like / water / did not give
They, as though not hearing her plea, did not give (her) water.

atha so jaanapadiko tassaa karu.naayanto toya.m gahetvaa mukhe aasi~nci,
now / that / rural person / of her / pitying / water / having taken / in mouth / sprinkled
Now, that peasant man, pitying her, took water and sprinkled in (her) mouth.

tasmi.m kha.ne saa laddhassaasaa sukhena daaraka.m vijaayi,
at that / at moment / she / having obtained-comfort / happily / [to] boy / gave birth
At that moment, having obtained comfort, she gave birth happily to (a) boy.

atha te tiira.m patvaa katipayadivasena attano attano .thaana.m paapu.ni.msu.
now / they / bank / having reached / few-(in) day / own / own / place / arrived at
Then, they reached the (river) bank and arrived at their own place in a few days' time.

Athaaparabhaage so jaanapadiko a~n~natarakicca.m pa.ticca tassaa itthiyaa vasananagara.m patvaa tattha tattha aahi.n.danto nivaasana.t.thaana.m alabhitvaa nagaradvaare saala.m gantvaa tattha nipajji.
now-at a future date / that / rural person / certain-service / on account of / that / woman's / dwelling-city / having reached / here and there / wandering / of abode-place / having not obtained / of city-at gates / to hall / having gone / there / lay down
Later on, on the account of the help, that peasant man, reaching that woman's dwelling-city and wandering about, did not acquire a resting place, went to the hall at the gates of the city, and lay down there.

Tasmi.myeva divase coraa nagara.m pavisitvaa raajagehe sandhi.m chinditvaa dhanasaara.m gahetvaa gacchantaa raajapurisehi anubaddhaa gantvaa taayeva saalaaya cha.d.detvaa palaayi.msu.
on that-just / on day / thieves / city / having entered / in king's house / break / having cut / best treasures / having seized / going / by royal guards / followed / having gone / from that-just / from hall / having abandoned / ran away
On just that day, burglars entering the city, breaking into the royal residence, stealing the best treasures, escaping, and were followed by the royal guards; went and abandoned just that hall and ran away.

Atha raajapurisaa aagantvaa core apassantaa ta.m jaanapadika.m disvaa aya.m coroti gahetvaa pacchaabaaha.m gaa.lha.m bandhitvaa puna divase ra~n~no dassesu.m.
now / royal guards / having come / thieves / not seeing / that / rural person / having seen / this / thief / having seized / hands on the back / tightly / having bound / again / in day / to king / showed
Now, the royal guards, coming and not seeing the burglars but saw that peasant man, (thought) "This (is) the thief.", captured and tied (him) tightly with hands on the back, and showed to the king [again] in the day.

Ra~n~naa kasmaa bha.ne corakamma makaasiiti pucchito,
from king / why / I say / thief-work / do not do / asked
Asked the king, "Why? I say, do not steal!"

naaha.m deva coro, aagantukomhiiti vutte raajaa core pariyesitvaa alabhanto ayameva coro, ima.m maarethaati aa.naapesi.
not-I / king / thief / visitor-I am / on being said / king / on thief / having searched / not obtaining / this-so / thief / him / execute / ordered
On "Your majesty, I am not a thief, I am a visitor." being said, the king, searching the thief and not recovering (the treasures), ordered, "This (is) the thief so. Execute him."

Raajapurisehi ta.m gaa.lha.m bandhitvaa aaghaatana.m nette* saa itthii ta.m tathaa niiyamaana.m disvaa sa~njaanitvaa kampamaanahadayaa muhuttena ra~n~no santika.m gantvaa vanditvaa deva eso na coro aagantuko mu~ncatheta.m devaati aaha.
by royal guards / him / tightly / having bound / [to] place of execution / led / that / woman / him / there / being led / having seen / having recognised / trembling-from heart / in a moment / of king / in the presence of / having gone / having saluted / king / this / not / thief / foreigner / let...release-him / king / said
As (he) was bound tightly by the royal guards and led to the place of execution, that woman saw him being led there, recognised him; trembling from the heart, (she) went before the king immediately, saluted (him) and said, "Your majesty, this (is) not the thief, (he is) a foreigner. May the king release him."

Raajaa tassaa katha.m asaddahanto yajjeta.m** mocetumicchasi, tassagghanaka.m dhana.m datvaa mu~ncaapehiiti.
king / her / talk / not believing / if-him / to release-wish / of him-having the value of / treasures / having given / let...cause to be free
The king, not believing her words (said), "If (you) wish to release him, may (you) give treasures having the value of him, and cause (him) to be free."

Saa saami mama gehe dhana.m natthi.
she / my lord / my / in house / treasure / there is no
She, "My lord, there is no treasure in my house.

Apica mama sattaputtehi saddhi.m ma.m daasi.m karohi,
further / my / sons / with / me / maid servant / let...make
But, make me a servant, with my sons.

eta.m mu~nca devaati aaha.
him / let...release / king / said
May your majesty release him." said.

* Active: neti, to lead, guide. Passive: niiyati. Past participle: netta. Locative absolute: nette. See Exercise 14A-2/12 and 14B-10 for more examples.

** yajjeta.m = yadi eta.m.