Toh 325The Verses of Nāga King Drum

Summary

The Verses of Nāga King Drum contains the Buddha’s narration of a tale
from one of his past lives as the nāga king Drum. While traveling with his younger brother Tambour,
they come under verbal attack by another nāga named Drumbeat. Tambour’s anger at their mistreatment
and desire for retaliation prompts Drum to counsel Tambour on the virtues of patience and
nonviolence in the face of aggression and abusiveness. Through a series of didactic aphorisms, he
advises his brother to meet disrespect and persecution with serenity, patience, compassion, and
insight, in order to accomplish what is best for oneself and others. The Buddha now recounts King Drum’s wise counsel as a helpful instruction for his own followers.

Acknowledgements

Translated by Sonam Tsering Ngulphu and Norzin Dolma.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of
the Buddha.

Introduction

The Verses of Nāga King Drum
is a short sūtra composed
entirely in verse, in which the Buddha recounts an episode from one of his former lives as a
nāga king to illustrate and explain the importance of practicing patience and nonviolence in
order to maintain harmony within the monastic community. The sūtra refers to a time when discord
had broken out among the monastic saṅgha. This prompts the Buddha to outline the types of
behavior that are worthy of someone who has adopted the religious life. His lesson takes the
form of a parable from one of his previous lives as a righteous nāga king named Drum. The story
recounts how King Drum, accompanied by his brother Tambour, set out in search of the Dharma,
only to encounter the belligerent nāga Drumbeat, who proceeds to harass and verbally abuse the
two brothers. Tambour is unable to withstand such ill treatment from someone he considers
inferior and, in a burst of anger, makes plans to lay waste to Drumbeat’s city. However, King
Drum intervenes with wise counsel as to why one should eschew violence at all costs and face
belligerence with patience and wisdom. Tambour takes this message to heart, and his need for
retaliation is assuaged. The Buddha concludes the sūtra by disclosing that in their past lives,
he was King Drum, Ānanda was Tambour, and Devadatta was Drumbeat.

There are no known Sanskrit manuscripts or Chinese translations of this sūtra. As for the Tibetan
translation, the text is found in Kangyur collections of different periods and is also recorded
in the Denkarma and Phangthangma
catalogs of Tibetan imperial translations. Thus, it appears that it was first translated from
Sanskrit into Tibetan no later than the early ninth century, as the Denkarma is dated to 812 ce. This provides us with the only information to date the Tibetan
translation, as the text does not include a translators’ colophon. Hence, we do not know the
names of the Tibetan translators and editors involved in the translation. This English
translation was prepared based on the Degé Kangyur in
consultation with the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur
ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.

The Translation

##
The Verses of Nāga King Drum

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

The Thus-Gone One has spoken

Of his past lives as a bodhisattva.

As these stories have been carefully collected,

Listen now with a faithful mind.

Once, when the perfect Buddha, the god of gods,

The Thus-Gone One, was still alive,

Some monks sought to get the better of each other,

Through rhetoric and other means.

The Great Sage overheard

The negative words uttered by the monks.

So the Sage summoned the saṅgha

And told everyone,

“You inflict harm on one another

By rhetoric and other means.

Such actions are not suitable

For those who have gone forth from home to homelessness.

“Engage in six practices

That are sure to always bring joy.

These are suitable

For those who have gone forth from home to homelessness.

“Monks, hear from me

How I cultivated nonviolence

And strove for awakening,

Out of compassion for all beings.

“Wise persons who have heard this

Will avoid negative actions,

And for the sake of success and happiness,

Will engage in virtuous deeds.

“Once, there were two nāga kings

Who were brothers.

The first was called Drum,

And the second, Tambour.

“They both abstained from killing, upheld morality,

And were known to possess great powers.

Displeased with their birth as nāgas,

They yearned for a human existence.

“Whenever they came across ascetics and priests

Who were disciplined and learned,

They transformed themselves into humans,

To offer their service and respect.

“Twice a month, whether on the eighth, fourteenth,

Or fifteenth day,

They practiced the rite of restoring vows

Involving the eight precepts.

“The two left their former home

And journeyed to a new land,

Where there lived, not far away,

A nāga named Drumbeat.

“Sensing the arrival

Of the two fine nāga brothers,

His mind was filled with arrogance and anger,

And he belched out a cloud of smoke.

“ ‘You two are not engaged in Dharma,

But are deceitful, undisciplined hypocrites,’ he said.

Drumbeat harassed them repeatedly

With hurtful words such as these.

“Hearing abuse from someone as lowly as he,

Tambour grew enraged.

To his elder brother Drum,

He explained the things he had heard.

“ ‘O Drum, in this world of humans,

Hurtful words that cause much harm are spoken.

This toad-eater, born on the bank of a stream,

Is driving us away with venomous fangs.

“ ‘He harms both the animals who live in water

And the humans who live on land.

O Lord, though I may possess patience,

My mind cannot tolerate such abusive words.

“ ‘Let us now lay waste to his city,

His palace, and his relatives and attendants.

Having overthrown Drumbeat,

Let us then take leave of this place.’

“Hearing the words of his younger brother,

The mighty nāga king

Instructed him

By uttering these pleasing verses:

“ ‘Do not foster malice toward one

In whose home you have stayed for few days,

Or from whom you have received food and drink—

The virtue of gratitude is extolled by sublime beings.

“ ‘You would not cut off the leaves

Of a tree that has provided you shade,

No matter how briefly;

Need we say anything of its trunk or branches?

“ ‘Trees of the forest, whether felled or burned,

Will grow again—of this there is no doubt.

But just as hands, when chopped off, do not grow back,

One who is hostile to his friends will find no lasting happiness.

“ ‘A bad person will abandon his friends,

No matter how long he is shown respect,

Or served delicious food and drink—

He is like an elephant in a grass hut.

“ ‘Just as the trees on riverbanks will fall,

Persons who are deceptive and unreliable

Do not enjoy lasting friendship—

They are like white cloth simmered in plant dye.

“ ‘Should the wise desire

To cause displeasure to their enemies,

They must free their minds from negativities,

For this hurts them just as much.

“ ‘The oceans, mountains, and lands

Do not weigh us down.

But not repaying kindness

Does, in fact, weigh us down.

“ ‘People who are calm

Will repay kindness, acknowledge it,

And not squander it;

They are thus commended by the wise.

“ ‘The Dharma is joyful, and love is joyful,

Like a river with pleasant banks.

Similarly, those who rid themselves of pride and arrogance

And do not begrudge friends are indeed joyful.

“ ‘Conceit, deception, and arrogance;

Reliance on immoral friends; and

Conflict with the powerful—

These will ruin your reputation.

“ ‘Therefore, do not be conceited,

And completely relinquish anger.

When conceit and anger arise,

They completely ruin your reputation.

“ ‘Whoever lacks compassion for elders, infants, and the sick;

For the weak, helpless, and lowly; and

For those who are banished and helpless—

Such a person shall not be deemed human.

“ ‘If you leave your country and home,

And travel to a foreign land,

You must cultivate strong patience

To counter all harsh words.

“ ‘If suffering abuse in your own land,

It is better to live in the lands of others;

Because wherever you are not abused

Is your land, and they are your people.

“ ‘Excellent beings, when subjected to abuse,

Give up beautiful wives and vast wealth.

Immoral ones, however, are entangled in these,

And end up drenched with abuse.

“ ‘Because prosperity is rare

While poverty is abundant,

When people face ruin,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When left with no wealth and few options,

When your kin are weak,

Or when your rivals are strong,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people indulge in immoral deeds,

Strongly crave sense pleasures,

And have little faith and no sense of shame,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people show anger and

A profusion of malice,

And are spiteful toward others,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people lack faith,

Prattle on like crows,

And resort to guile and deception,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people are morally debased,

Act fiercely and callously,

And lack righteousness,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people are ill-natured,

Overcome by false views,

And fierce and hateful,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people are shameless and tell lies,

Or resort to pointless, divisive, hurtful,

Gossipy, or divisive speech,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When people are bereft of noble ways,

Extremely arrogant, and inflated with pride,

And are jealous, greedy, and lacking in manners,

Just keep quiet and you will find joy.

“ ‘When living amidst people

Whose caste and paternal lineage

Are unknown,

It is not right to be prideful.

“ ‘When dwelling in a foreign land,

Sustained by others’ provisions,

For the sake of the land and peoples’ well-being,

Have patience when scorned by others.

“ ‘When living in a foreign land,

Sustained by others’ provisions,

If caught in a spiteful conflict,

Have patience when scorned by others.

“ ‘When dwelling in a foreign land,

Sustained by others’ provisions,

Even if a lowly person tries to drive you away,

The wise should show patience.

“ ‘Alas! If I’m living in a backward land,

Where I meet vile companions,

Wicked people who fraternize with childish fools

Offer no reliable support.

“ ‘The wise, having considered this,

May befriend ignorant people;

Yet, they will refrain from resenting their hypocritical

Concern with wealth and amenities.

“ ‘Embers covered by ashes

Can burst back into flames,

When fueled with straw and twigs

And fanned by the wind.

“ ‘Burning through the straw and twigs,

Fire spreads and blazes,

Burning ever more straw and twigs

And full-grown trees as well.

“ ‘Likewise, anger is like a wildfire,

Blazing from the fuelwood of thinking, and

Wreaking massive devastation

Upon oneself and others.

“ ‘Therefore, whenever anger arises,

The learned, in order to counter this,

Cultivate the attitude of love,

Which is the antidote to aggression.

“ ‘To be friendly when praised,

And unfriendly when not,

Should be immediately discarded,

For these are traits of childish fools.

“ ‘If these childish fools,

Who are like birds with their feathers plucked,

Were not so bereft of intelligence and in need of insight,

Then how would the learned eke out a living?

“ ‘But most childish people

Are bereft of intelligence and in need of insight;

Therefore, it is quite easy

For the learned and insightful to eke out a livelihood.

“ ‘The learned do not take joy in amassing wealth,

Nor they are bewildered or disturbed by poverty.

Since they preach what is beneficial to adopt,

Why do others not recognize it as wise counsel?

“ ‘The learned are without impetuosity—

They pay heed to what they have examined,

And having contemplated such subjects well,

They implement whatever is good for themselves and others.

“ ‘The learned do not indulge in negative deeds

For the sake of survival.

Whether in pleasure or in pain,

They never forsake their virtuous goals.

“ ‘The learned are not deceitful,

Being neither deluded, nor scornful, nor angry.

Misfortune does not cause them suffering—

So how could they be affected when others harm them?

“ ‘They are not the type of inferior person

Who is overly impetuous or diffident.

Keeping an even keel

Is a characteristic of such learned ones.

“ ‘Excessive impetuosity leads to perpetual resentment,

While excessive diffidence leads to perpetual loathing.

Therefore, by avoiding these two,

One should maintain a balanced position.

“ ‘Act deaf and mute at times,

But command like a ruler when the time is right.

Remain cool like a snow mountain at times,

But burn like fire when the time is right.

“ ‘Be humble like the grass at times,

But stand firm like a mountain when the time is right.

Act like a king at times,

But leave for the forest like a sage when the time is right.

“ ‘Accept hunger and thirst at times,

And embrace pain and pleasure at other times.

Avoid being exploited like a servant for the sake of wealth,

And do not let yourself be controlled by anger.

“ ‘Take pleasure in song and music at times;

And relish meat and alcohol.

Move cautiously like a deer at times,

Yet display the prowess of a predator when the time is right.

“ ‘Initially, assess whether or not the time is right,

Whether or not you have the necessary strength,

And whether there will be success or failure—

Only then should you act upon the matter.

“ ‘Be patient with those who are impatient,

And also with those who are patient.

Be patient with those who are weak,

And always with those who are strong.

“ ‘Since hostility never pacifies hostility,

It is better to be patient with those who lack patience themselves.

Always be tranquil with those who are irritable,

And always ignore others’ faults.

“ ‘Words of superiors are meant to intimidate, and

Words of rivals are meant to provoke a fight, so have patience.

The noble ones have declared that showing patience for the words of one’s inferiors

Is known as the supreme patience.

“ ‘Small-minded people who are impatient

With those who curse, speak rashly,

And use harsh words

Are like hail falling on a lotus flower.

“ ‘Those learned ones who demonstrate great patience

To those who curse, speak rashly,

And use harsh words

Are like a rain of flowers falling on an elephant.

“ ‘The learned, possessing wisdom,

Have patience for all those

Who are angry and deceitful,

And who use harsh words.

“ ‘A rock does not melt when burned,

Nor does it dissolve in the rain;

Likewise, the learned never succumb

To either happiness or pain.

“ ‘When justly scolded,

The learned remain patient;

But they also remain patient when unjustly accused.

No one demonstrates this apart from them.

“ ‘In this way, the learned may strive to endure

Tolerable suffering for the sake of wealth;

But if they can abandon intolerable miseries

And go elsewhere, it is like gaining a thousandfold.

“ ‘Don’t try to reach and grasp for branches.

Instead, be free from desire, and don’t let your mind become attached.

Since the Earth is filled with good and pleasant things,

Surely you can go elsewhere in this wide world?

“ ‘Wherever you are scorned, disrespected,

Ridiculed, or defamed,

It is better to leave quietly like a solitary buddha.

There is no good reason for the learned to keep company with fools.

“ ‘Wherever people take delight in conflict,

Entertain deceitful thoughts, are persistently malicious,

And indulge in gossipy, divisive, deceitful, or abusive speech,

The learned will swiftly leave for other places.

“ ‘Wherever people indulge in violence

To make their living,

And are frivolous in thought, word, and deed,

The learned will swiftly leave for other places.

“ ‘Wherever people are overcome by jealousy,

And can never accept the success of others,

Or maliciously resort to treachery and duplicity,

Those who care for their own good must leave for other places.

“ ‘Wherever people are bent on committing evil,

Seek veneration while resorting to treachery and duplicity,

Or are impure both within and without,

Those who care for their own good must leave for other places.

“ ‘Wherever people lack respect, and

Are lacking good manners, proud, and arrogant, and

Wherever the childish constantly belittle the learned,

Those who care for their own good must leave for other places.

“ ‘Wherever you can find food and drink,

Clothing and sustenance,

Go there—

Dwell not in havens that breed desire.

“ ‘Abandon craving, which occasionally even causes fights,

Abandon arrogance, which is always inflated and vain,

Abandon anger, which bears only harmful consequences,

And abandon friends, who do not visit when you are in need.

“ ‘Abandon ignorance, which is like a fiery path;

Abandon desire, which is like an ungrateful friend;

Abandon attachment, which is like a nāga with terrifying fangs; and

Abandon suffering, which is like well-armed enemy.

“ ‘Abandon your wife, that horrific nāginī;

Give up your children, who are like fire burning on your head;

Give up your household, which is like a contagious disease; and

Give up desire, which is like a poisonous drink.

“ ‘For the sake of the family, one must give up a member;

For the sake of the town, one must give up a family;

For the sake of the country, one must give up a town; and

For one’s own sake, one must give up the world.

“ ‘For the sake of their limbs, people will give up money;

And for the sake of their lives, they will give up their limbs.

Yet, to practice the Dharma, one must give away everything—

Wealth, limbs, and even one’s life.

“ ‘Those practicing the Dharma will have no fear.

Those practicing the Dharma will not go to the lower realms.

Those practicing the Dharma will go wherever they wish.

Those not practicing the Dharma will die and suffer.

“ ‘The learned take no joy in gaining wealth,

Nor do they lose their minds when it runs out.

The ability to move easily wherever one wants in the world

Is what makes humans so special among all its beings.

“ ‘Those who happily give to others,

Abandon arrogance and harm, remain truthful,

And possess oceanic minds

Are indeed courageous, valorous, courteous, and skillful.

“ ‘Whoever trains in all these things

Will become learned in all subjects.

Such gentle and amiable people

Will be praised by sublime beings.’

“Tambour then replied,

‘O Drum, as time has passed,

My faith in you has greatly increased.

Whether my body becomes emaciated,

“ ‘Or I lose my senses, I care not!

Even if I fall into unbearable suffering,

I shall not commit negativities in the future.

Rather than living with impaired discipline,

“ ‘It is better to die with my discipline intact.

Therefore, within a single lifetime,

I will train correctly and untiringly.’ ”

The Blessed One continued,

“In the past, wherever I dwelled,

And wherever I was born,

I wound up committing negative deeds

Due to keeping all sorts of negative company.

“Once I met a spiritual friend,

I abandoned negative deeds

And so I eradicated negative karma.”

The Blessed Thus-Gone One

Knows the realities of all former lives.

Therefore, the Sage now turned to the monks

And spoke these words:

“In the past, I was Drum,

Ānanda was Tambour, and

Devadatta was Drumbeat.

Remember our past lives in this fashion.”

Having heard this meaningful discourse

That condenses the entire Dharma,

All the monks respectfully engaged

In the practice of the Dharma.

This completes The Verses of Nāga King Drum.

Notes

Bibliography

A nāga king; one of Buddha Śākyamuni’s past lives.

A nāga king; one of Ānanda’s past lives.

A belligerent nāga; one of Devadatta’s past lives.