“You shouldn’t look down on
—for being young—
a noble warrior of consummate birth,
a high-born prince of great status.
A person shouldn’t disparage him.
For it’s possible
that this lord of human beings,
this noble warrior,
will gain the throne
and, angered at that disparagement,
come down harshly
with his royal might.
So, guarding your life,
avoid him.
You shouldn’t look down on
—for being young—
a serpent you meet
in village or wilderness:
A person shouldn’t disparage it.
As that potent snake slithers along
with vibrant colors,
it may someday burn the fool,
whether woman or man.
So, guarding your life,
avoid it.
You shouldn’t look down on
—for being young—
a blaze that feeds on many things,
a flame with its blackened trail:
A person shouldn’t disparage it.
For if it gains sustenance,
becoming a great mass of flame,
it may someday burn the fool,
whether woman or man.
So, guarding your life,
avoid it.
When a fire burns down a forest
—that flame with its blackened trail—
the shoots there
take birth once more
with the passage of days & nights.
But if a monk,
his virtue consummate,
burns you with his potency,1
you won’t acquire sons or cattle
nor will your heirs enjoy wealth.
They become
barren,
heir-less,
like palmyra stumps.
So a person who’s wise,
out of regard for his own good,
should always show due respect
for
a serpent,
a fire,
a noble warrior with high status,
& a monk, his virtue consummate.”
Notes
1. The “potency” of a virtuous monk is his unwillingness to seek redress when he has been treated wrongly. The bad kamma of having mistreated a monk pure in his virtue is what returns to burn the person who did it.
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN3_1.html