Māluta — Book of the Ones · Chapter Two (Sīlavagga) · Poem 7 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
The Bodhisatta, per the commentarial story, settling a dispute between two friends
Form
One four-line stanza
Length
Under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — one short, gently humorous verse
Why this text
Unlike this chapter's more dramatic tales of sacrifice and betrayal, this poem resolves a small, almost comic dispute — and Sujato's own comment draws out a gentle, self-aware moral: that even close friends can end up arguing over trivial things.
Reading guide
A dispute resolved by finding both sides right
The verse settles a disagreement directly: ‘whether the moon is waning or waxing, it is cool when the gale blows. Since the wind brings the cool, both are undefeated in this instance.’ Per Sujato's comment, two friends had been arguing about whether the cold came in the dark or bright phase of the moon, and the Bodhisatta's answer dissolves the argument rather than declaring a winner: neither is wrong, since the wind brings coolness at any time.
A gentle moral about friends arguing over trivial things
Sujato's own comment draws out the poem's underlying point with a touch of humor: ‘the moral of the story would seem to be that even close friends can end up arguing over stupid things.’ Compared to this chapter's other poems — involving self-sacrifice, betrayal, and unteachable pupils — this one settles for a lighter, more good-humored kind of wisdom.
Key terms
kāḷe vā yadi vā juṇhe — “whether the moon is waning or waxing” — the two positions the friends had been arguing over.
vātajāni sītāni — “the wind brings the cool” — the verse's actual explanation, bypassing the dispute entirely.
ubhotthamaparājitā — “both are undefeated” — the verse's resolution, finding both friends correct rather than declaring a winner.
Mālutajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘Gales’.
Bodhisatta — the Buddha-to-be in this and other Jātaka tales; here, the one who settles the friends' dispute.
The text
The text in full: a single verse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Whether the moon is waning or waxing, it is cool when the gale blows. Since the wind brings the cool, both are undefeated in this instance.
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What were the two friends arguing about, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. A small, almost comic dispute the verse then resolves.
Question 2 of 10
How does the verse resolve the dispute?
Correct: B. Dissolving the argument rather than declaring a winner.
Question 3 of 10
What gentle moral does Sujato's own comment draw from this story?
Correct: C. A touch of self-aware humor distinct from this chapter's more dramatic poems.
Question 4 of 10
Who resolves the dispute, per the commentarial story?
Correct: D. Settling the argument with an answer that satisfies both sides.
Question 5 of 10
How does this poem's tone compare to this chapter's other tales, such as Ja 12 or Ja 13?
Correct: A. A contrast noted directly in this reading guide.
Question 6 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The seventeenth poem overall, and the seventh of the Sīlavagga.
Question 7 of 10
What single natural force does the verse credit for bringing the cold, regardless of the moon's phase?
Correct: C. 'Since the wind brings the cool, both are undefeated in this instance.'
Question 8 of 10
Does the verse declare either friend to be wrong?
Correct: D. A diplomatic resolution rather than a declared winner.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: A. Part of the same ten-poem Sīlavagga.
Question 10 of 10
What role does 'Bodhisatta' refer to in this and other Jātaka tales?
Correct: B. Here, the figure who settles the friends' small dispute.
