Dhaniya the Cattleman
Sutta Nipata I.2 | Dhaniya Sutta
Dhaniya the cattleman:[1]
“The rice is cooked,
my milking done.
I live with my people
along the banks of the Mahi;
my hut is roofed, my fire lit:
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
The Buddha:“Free from anger,
my stubbornness gone,[2]
I live for one night
along the banks of the Mahi;
my hut’s roof is open, my fire out:[3]
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
Dhaniya:
“No mosquitoes or gadflies
are to be found.
The cows range in the marshy meadow
where the grasses flourish.
They could stand the rain if it came:
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
The Buddha:“A raft, well-made,
has been lashed together.[4]
Having crossed over,
gone to the far shore,
I’ve subdued the flood.
No need for a raft
is to be found:[5]
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
Dhaniya:
“My wife is compliant, not careless,
is charming, has lived with me long.
I hear no evil about her at all:
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
The Buddha:“My mind is compliant, released,
has long been nurtured, well tamed.
No evil is to be found in me:
so if you want, rain-god,
go ahead & rain.”
