A Collection of Buddhist Wisdom Verses - Ancient Buddhist Texts

21: Desires
Jā 136 Suvaṇṇahaṁsajātakaṁ
The Result of Greed
A golden goose goes occasionally and gives his
former family one of his golden feathers and they
grow rich. But greed overcomes his former wife
and she plucks him. The feathers though, when
stolen, are gold no more, and they sink back into
poverty.
401. Yaṁ laddhaṁ tena tuṭṭhabbaṁ, atilobho hi pāpako,
Haṁsarājaṁ gahetvāna, suvaṇṇā parihāyatha.
Be content with what is received,
Only the wicked have great greed,
Because of grabbing the Goose-King,
You must loose the golden feathers.
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