The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka - Khamkoo

Atha mahAsatto : When the king reached the south gate, they stretched their hands out
and cried, “Victory to the noble Vessantara!” Seeing the Brahmins, the Great Being
directed his elephant to where they were and, seated upon its back, he uttered this first
stanza thus: ParuNuha kaccha nakha lomA panka dandA rAjassirA paggeyha dakkhiBaM
bhAhum tim maM yAcanti brahmaBA pabhinnaM kaGjaraM dantim opaveyha gajuttamanti
: “With hairy armpits, hair grown long, stained teeth, bodies grey with dust, stretched
out hands, O Brahmins, what do you ask of me?”
TaM sutvA : Hearing this, the Brahmins replied thus: RatanaM deva yAcama.
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SivInaM raThavaDDanaM dadA hi pavaraM nAgaM IsA dantaM uruLhavam : “We ask a
precious thing from you who bring prosperity to the kingdom of the Sivi, Give us the
marvelous elephant, the colossal beast with tusks like poles.”
TaM sutvA : Hearing this Great Being thought, “I desire to give anything that is
my own, to give something like my head. What they ask for is external to me. I am
going to fulfill their want.” And from the back of elephant, he replied thus: DadAmi na
vikampAmi yaM maM yAcanti brAhmaBA pabhinnaM kuGjaraM dantim opavayham gajutta
manti : “I do not hesitate; I gave what the Brahmins ask: the tusked riding-beast, best of
elephants, trumpeter in rut.” MahAsatto : The king, the saviour of the kingdom of the
Sivi, who set his heart on charity descended from the back of elephant and gave that
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present to the Brahmins. CatupAdo : The ornaments on the elephant’s four feet were
worth four hundred thousand, those on his two sides were worth two hundred thousand,
the cloth under its belly a hundred thousand; on its back were nets of pearls, of gold and
of jewels, three nets were worth three hundred thousand, the bells on its ears two
hundred thousand; the rug on its back a hundred thousand; its three head-ornaments
three hundred thousand; the ornaments at the roots of its ears two hundred thousand;
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