Kulāvaka — Book of the Ones · Chapter Four (Kulāvakavagga) · Poem 1 of 10
Setting
A battlefield or its approach, addressed to a charioteer
Speaker
Sakka, ruler of the gods, addressing his charioteer Mātali
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 verse of striking ethical priority
Why this text
This verse's central claim — that Sakka, ruler of the gods, would rather lose a war to the titans than let his own chariot destroy a stand of bird nests — is nearly identical to a verse already complete on this site at SN 11.6, Bird Nests, and directly names the ecological cost of warfare as unacceptable, even to a divine king.
Reading guide
A war-god's priority, stated plainly
The verse is spoken by Sakka to his own charioteer: ‘Mātali, don't ram the bird nests in the red silk-cotton woods with your draft-pole. I'd rather give up our lives to the titans than deprive these birds of their nests.’ Per Sujato's comment, this verse is nearly identical to one already complete on this site's own SN 11.6, only a couple of variant readings apart.
An early, explicit acknowledgment of war's ecological cost
Sujato's comment observes that Sakka is directly ‘acknowledging the unacceptable ecological damage of warfare’ — identifying Mātali as the traditional charioteer of Indra/Sakka in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature. The verse's priority is strikingly absolute: not merely regret at collateral harm, but a willingness to lose the entire battle rather than cause it.
Key terms
kulāvakā — “nests” — the bird nests Sakka refuses to let his charioteer destroy, giving this poem its traditional title.
mātali — the traditional charioteer of Indra/Sakka in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, addressed directly in this verse.
asuresu pāṇaṁ cajāma — “I'd rather give up our lives to the titans” — Sakka's own absolute statement of priority.
Kulāvakajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, opening the Kulāvakavagga.
SN 11.6 — “Bird Nests” — the already-completed page on this site with a verse Sujato's own comment identifies as nearly identical to this one.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, nearly identical to a verse already complete on this site's own SN 11.6. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Mātali, don’t ram the bird nests in the red silk-cotton woods with your draft-pole. I’d rather give up our lives to the titans than deprive these birds of their nests.
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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 already-completed page on this site does Sujato's comment identify as nearly identical to this verse?
Correct: C. Only a couple of variant readings apart, per the comment.
Question 2 of 10
Who speaks this verse, and to whom?
Correct: D. Mātali is the traditional charioteer of Indra/Sakka in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature.
Question 3 of 10
What does Sakka say he would rather do than have his chariot destroy the bird nests?
Correct: A. An absolute statement of priority, not merely regret at collateral harm.
Question 4 of 10
What does Sujato's comment say this verse acknowledges directly?
Correct: B. A striking, explicit priority from a war-god himself.
Question 5 of 10
Where were the nests located, per the verse?
Correct: C. The specific setting Sakka warns his charioteer to avoid.
Question 6 of 10
What chapter does this poem open?
Correct: D. This collection's fourth ten-poem chapter.
Question 7 of 10
Who are the 'titans' (asuras) mentioned in the verse?
Correct: A. The very battle Sakka is willing to lose rather than harm the nests.
Question 8 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The thirty-first poem overall, and the first of the Kulāvakavagga.
Question 9 of 10
What instrument does Sakka warn his charioteer not to use against the nests?
Correct: C. The literal mechanism by which the nests would be destroyed in passing.
Question 10 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: D. Opening this collection's fourth ten-poem chapter.
