Kapirājacariya

“Yadā ahaṁ kapi āsiṁ, nadīkūle darīsaye; Pīḷito susumārena, gamanaṁ na labhāmahaṁ.

“When I was a monkey in a cleft on the riverbank, harassed by a crocodile I could not get across.

Yamhokāse ahaṁ ṭhatvā, orā pāraṁ patāmahaṁ; Tatthacchi sattu vadhako, kumbhīlo luddadassano.

Where I used to land when jumping from the near shore to the far, there crouched my deadly foe, the baleful gharial.

So maṁ asaṁsi ‘ehī’ti, ‘ahampemī’ti taṁ vatiṁ; Tassa matthakamakkamma, parakūle patiṭṭhahiṁ.

Reassuring me, he said ‘Come!’ ‘I am coming,’ I said to him. Stepping on his head I made it to the far bank.

Na tassa alikaṁ bhaṇitaṁ, yathā vācaṁ akāsahaṁ; Saccena me samo natthi, esā me saccapāramī”ti. Kapirājacariyaṁ sattamaṁ.

I spoke no lie to him, but acted according to my word. There is no one to equal my truthfulness: this is my perfection of truth.”