Dhammapada 135
As a cowherd drives cattle to pasture with a rod, so aging and death drive the lives of living…
As a cowherd drives cattle to pasture with a rod, so aging and death drive the lives of living beings onward.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Yathā daṇḍena gopālo,
gāvo pājeti gocaraṁ;
Evaṁ jarā ca maccu ca,
āyuṁ pājenti pāṇinaṁ.
In plain words
Aging and death move living beings onward as a cowherd drives cattle. The image emphasizes that a lifespan keeps moving toward its end.
Key words
- jarā
- aging — Paired with death as forces driving life onward.
The story behind the verse
Visakha and her companions keep Fast-day
In the commentary, Visākhā met women observing the obligations of a religious fast-day at the monastery. She asked the older women what they hoped to gain, and they spoke of a heavenly reward, and Women in middle life hoped for freedom from their husbands’ power. Younger women hoped for children, and unmarried women hoped for husbands, and Visākhā brought their answers to the Buddha. He described birth, aging, illness, and death as driving lives onward, and he taught the image of a cowherd moving cattle with a rod.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What would you like to give time to while time is passing?
Try it today
Give a few undistracted moments to one person or task you value.
Practise it with
Equanimity (upekkhā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.