The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka - Khamkoo

and give us them to eat. We do not eat during the day, but in the evening we sit together
and eat all whatever she brings when she returns carrying wild roots and fruit. She
arranges her hair into the ascetic’s matted plait and with her armpits stained with sweat,
wearing the clothes made of animal skin, she sleeps on the ground and reverences the
sacred fire.”
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EvaM JAlI kummAro Aha : Having described his mother’s pitiful state, he
reproached his grandfather with this verse: PuttA piyA manussAnaM lokasmin udapajjisu
na hi nUnamhAkaM eyyassa putte sanehA ajAyathati : “Children are dear to their parents
in this world but for his children, our grandfather has no affection.” Tato : Then, the
king acknowledged his mistake and spoke: DukkaTaGca hi no putta bhUna haccaM kataM
mayA yohaM sivInaM vacanA pabbAjesi madUsakaM : “I committed an evil thing, my
boy, like killing an innocent one, when I banished an innocent man at the voice of the
Sivis. YaM me kiGci idha atthi : Whatever the possessions I have here, money or grain,
let Vessantara return and reign as king in the kingdom of the Sivis.”
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Then the boy spoke: Na deva meyhaM vacamA ehiti Sivisuttamo sayameva devo
gantvA siGca bhogehi atrajaM : “The king of the Sivis, the best of the Sivis, will not
return just by my word.” The boy insisted that his father would say: “if you, grandfather
do not go to the forest yourselves with ministers and all kinds of people, instead of
coming back, my father will make me an ascetic again. So, grandfather, I request you to
go to the forest yourself and bring back your son to the city to rule the kingdom.”
Then King SaGjaya instructed his General for preparations: “Prepare the army of
infantry, chariots, horses and elephants and ask the citizens, Brahmins, royal chaplains
to come with me” Tato saThisahassAni : Then let sixty thousand fine looking fighting
men quickly assemble, fully equipped and decked out in various colours, some putting
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