Dhammapada verse #60
不眠者夜長，倦者由旬長，不明達正法──愚者輪迴長。
Long is the night for the sleepless,
long is the league for the weary one,
samsara’s way is long for fools
who know not the Dhamma True.
☆☆☆
【第60偈的故事】
波斯匿王有一天在城裡巡視的時候，在路上看見一位年輕美麗的女子佇立在她家門口。剎那間，國王就迷戀上她，而想要佔有她。他探聽到她是位已婚婦人，就派人要她的丈夫到宮中來服務。後來，更派她的丈夫去做一件不可能完成的任務：到地底下去搜集一些蓮花與紅土，而且在當天傍晚以前趕回舍衛城，以供國王沐浴。事實上，國王居心叵測，企圖在她丈夫無法於規定的時間內返回時，予以殺害，然後橫刀奪愛。
這女子的丈夫匆忙之際拿著她準備好的餐盒後就出發了。在路上，他與一位出門在外的旅客共享食物，後來他又向河中灑米，同時大聲說道：「河的守護神靈和天龍們，波斯匿王派我去摘取一些蓮花和紅土。今天，我已經和旅人共享餐點，也餵養了河中的魚，現在我和你們分享我今天所做善業的功德。請送我蓮花和紅土吧！」一位神靈聽見他的話，就示現成一位老人，送他蓮花和紅土。
當天傍晚，國王唯恐他真的準時回來，就叫人提早把城門關了。婦人丈夫回來時發現城門已經上鎖了，就把紅土黏在城門上，花插在紅土上，然後大聲說話：「城內的人，請幫我作證，我今天準時完成任務，國王卻無理的想殺害我！」說完話後，他就前往祇樹給孤獨園尋求佛陀的慰藉與保護。
當天晚上，國王慾火中燒，無法入眠，腦子裡想的儘是明天要如何殺死婦人丈夫而佔有婦人。子夜時分，國王聽見奇怪的聲音，大吃一驚，居然不知該怎麼辦，皇后末利夫人就勸國王去請教佛陀。佛陀於是告訴國王，過去佛時，有四個人因為在世時累積邪淫的惡業，所以現在地獄中受苦，發出這些詭異的聲音。國王聽完之後，明白其中的含意，知道自己的行為邪惡及造作惡業的可怕，他下定決心，不再迷戀他人妻女。
「畢竟是這樣迷戀他人妻女的慾望在折磨我，使我徹夜無法安眠。」他如此自忖著，然後向佛陀表白：「我現在才明白對失眠者而言，夜是多麼的長。」這時候，站在旁邊的婦人丈夫也說：「佛陀！這一整天奔波下來，我也才了解，心有牽掛的人，旅程多麼漫長。」經過這件事後，二人都獲益良多。佛陀因此說：「輪迴對不了解佛法奧妙的癡人而言，真是漫長！」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a certain young man and King Pasēnadi of Kōsala.
One day King Pasēnadi, while going out in the city, happened to see a beautiful young woman standing at the window of her house and he instantly fell in love with her. So the king tried to find ways and means of getting her. Finding that she was a married woman, he sent for her husband and made him serve at the palace. Later, the husband was sent on an impossible errand by the king. The young man was to go to a place, a yōjana (twelve miles) away from Sàvatthi, bring back some Kumudu (lotus) flowers and some red earth called ‘arunavatã’ from the land of the serpents (nàgas) and arrive at Sàvatthi the same evening, in time for the king’s bath. The king’s intention was to kill the husband if he failed to arrive back in time, and to take the wife for himself. Hurriedly taking a food packet from his wife, the young man set out on his errand. On the way, he shared his food with a traveller and he threw some rice into the water and said loudly, “O guardian spirits and nàgas inhabiting this river! King Pasēnadi has commanded me to get some Kumudu flowers and arunavatã (red earth) for him. I have today shared my food with a traveller; I have also fed the fish in the river; I now share with you the benefits of the good deeds I have done today. Please get the Kumudu lotus and arunavatē red earth for me.” The king of the nàgas, upon hearing him, took the appearance of an old man and brought the lotus and the red earth.
On that evening, King Pasēnadi, fearing that the young husband might arrive in time, had the city-gates closed early. the young man, finding the city-gates closed, placed the red earth on the city-wall and stuck the flowers on the earth. Then he declared loudly, “O citizens! I have today accomplished my errand in time as instructed by the king. King Pasēnadi, without any justification, plans to kill me.” After that, the young man left for the Jētavana Monastery to take shelter and find solace in the peaceful atmosphere of the Monastery.
Meanwhile, King Pasēnadi, obsessed with sexual desire, could not sleep, and kept thinking out how he would get rid of the husband in the morning and take his wife. At about midnight, he heard some eerie sounds; actually, these were the mournful voices of four persons suffering in Lōhakumbhi Niraya. Hearing those voices, the king was terrified. Early in the morning, he went to Jētavana Monastery to consult the Buddha, as advised by Queen Mallikà. When the Buddha was told about the four voices the king heard in the night, he explained to the king that those were the voices of four beings, who were the sons of rich men during the time of Kassapa Buddha, and that now they were suffering in Lōhakumbhi Niraya because they had committed sexual misconduct with other peoples’s wives. Then, the king came to realize the wickedness of the deed and the severity of the punishment. So, he decided then and there that he would no longer covet another man’s wife. “After all, it was on account of my intense desire for another man’s wife that I was tormented and could not sleep,” he reflected. Then King Pasēnadi said to the Buddha, “Venerable, now I know how long the night is for one who cannot sleep.” The young man who was close at hand came forward to say, “Venerable, because I had travelled the full distance of a yōjana yesterday, I, too, know how long the journey of a yōjana is to one who is weary.”
這女子的丈夫匆忙之際拿著她準備好的餐盒後就出發了。在路上，他與一位出門在外的旅客共享食物，後來他又向河中灑米，同時大聲說道：「河的守護神靈和天龍們，波斯匿王派我去摘取一些蓮花和紅土。今天，我已經和旅人共享餐點，也餵養了河中的魚，現在我和你們分享我今天所做善業的功德。請送我蓮花和紅土吧！」一位神靈聽見他的話，就示現成一位老人，送他蓮花和紅土。
當天傍晚，國王唯恐他真的準時回來，就叫人提早把城門關了。婦人丈夫回來時發現城門已經上鎖了，就把紅土黏在城門上，花插在紅土上，然後大聲說話：「城內的人，請幫我作證，我今天準時完成任務，國王卻無理的想殺害我！」說完話後，他就前往祇樹給孤獨園尋求佛陀的慰藉與保護。
當天晚上，國王慾火中燒，無法入眠，腦子裡想的儘是明天要如何殺死婦人丈夫而佔有婦人。子夜時分，國王聽見奇怪的聲音，大吃一驚，居然不知該怎麼辦，皇后末利夫人就勸國王去請教佛陀。佛陀於是告訴國王，過去佛時，有四個人因為在世時累積邪淫的惡業，所以現在地獄中受苦，發出這些詭異的聲音。國王聽完之後，明白其中的含意，知道自己的行為邪惡及造作惡業的可怕，他下定決心，不再迷戀他人妻女。
「畢竟是這樣迷戀他人妻女的慾望在折磨我，使我徹夜無法安眠。」他如此自忖著，然後向佛陀表白：「我現在才明白對失眠者而言，夜是多麼的長。」這時候，站在旁邊的婦人丈夫也說：「佛陀！這一整天奔波下來，我也才了解，心有牽掛的人，旅程多麼漫長。」經過這件事後，二人都獲益良多。佛陀因此說：「輪迴對不了解佛法奧妙的癡人而言，真是漫長！」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a certain young man and King Pasēnadi of Kōsala.
One day King Pasēnadi, while going out in the city, happened to see a beautiful young woman standing at the window of her house and he instantly fell in love with her. So the king tried to find ways and means of getting her. Finding that she was a married woman, he sent for her husband and made him serve at the palace. Later, the husband was sent on an impossible errand by the king. The young man was to go to a place, a yōjana (twelve miles) away from Sàvatthi, bring back some Kumudu (lotus) flowers and some red earth called ‘arunavatã’ from the land of the serpents (nàgas) and arrive at Sàvatthi the same evening, in time for the king’s bath. The king’s intention was to kill the husband if he failed to arrive back in time, and to take the wife for himself. Hurriedly taking a food packet from his wife, the young man set out on his errand. On the way, he shared his food with a traveller and he threw some rice into the water and said loudly, “O guardian spirits and nàgas inhabiting this river! King Pasēnadi has commanded me to get some Kumudu flowers and arunavatã (red earth) for him. I have today shared my food with a traveller; I have also fed the fish in the river; I now share with you the benefits of the good deeds I have done today. Please get the Kumudu lotus and arunavatē red earth for me.” The king of the nàgas, upon hearing him, took the appearance of an old man and brought the lotus and the red earth.
On that evening, King Pasēnadi, fearing that the young husband might arrive in time, had the city-gates closed early. the young man, finding the city-gates closed, placed the red earth on the city-wall and stuck the flowers on the earth. Then he declared loudly, “O citizens! I have today accomplished my errand in time as instructed by the king. King Pasēnadi, without any justification, plans to kill me.” After that, the young man left for the Jētavana Monastery to take shelter and find solace in the peaceful atmosphere of the Monastery.
Meanwhile, King Pasēnadi, obsessed with sexual desire, could not sleep, and kept thinking out how he would get rid of the husband in the morning and take his wife. At about midnight, he heard some eerie sounds; actually, these were the mournful voices of four persons suffering in Lōhakumbhi Niraya. Hearing those voices, the king was terrified. Early in the morning, he went to Jētavana Monastery to consult the Buddha, as advised by Queen Mallikà. When the Buddha was told about the four voices the king heard in the night, he explained to the king that those were the voices of four beings, who were the sons of rich men during the time of Kassapa Buddha, and that now they were suffering in Lōhakumbhi Niraya because they had committed sexual misconduct with other peoples’s wives. Then, the king came to realize the wickedness of the deed and the severity of the punishment. So, he decided then and there that he would no longer covet another man’s wife. “After all, it was on account of my intense desire for another man’s wife that I was tormented and could not sleep,” he reflected. Then King Pasēnadi said to the Buddha, “Venerable, now I know how long the night is for one who cannot sleep.” The young man who was close at hand came forward to say, “Venerable, because I had travelled the full distance of a yōjana yesterday, I, too, know how long the journey of a yōjana is to one who is weary.”
☆☆☆
中文法句出處：《南傳法句經》 了參法師譯
中文故事出處：《法句經故事集》 達摩難陀長老著 周金言譯
