Khadiraṅgāra — Book of the Ones · Chapter Four (Kulāvakavagga) · Poem 10 of 10 (closing the chapter)
Setting
The edge of what appears to be a vast pit of burning coals
Speaker
The Bodhisatta
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 absolute resolve
Why this text
This poem closes the Kulāvakavagga with one of this collection's clearest declarations of unshaken generosity: the Bodhisatta, confronted with what appears to be certain death by fire, chooses to give rather than retreat, framing the refusal to act nobly as a worse fate than hell itself.
Reading guide
Choosing generosity over self-preservation, even facing hell itself
The verse states its resolve without hesitation: ‘fine, let me fall head over heels into hell, but I shall not do what is ignoble. Please accept my alms offering.’ The logic inverts ordinary self-preservation entirely: falling into hell is treated as an acceptable cost, while failing to act nobly is not.
An illusion created specifically to block generosity
Per Sujato's comment, Māra, in order to prevent the Bodhisatta from giving alms to a Paccekabuddha (a solitary awakened being), creates an illusion of a vast pit burning with coals of acacia wood directly in his path. The obstacle is not incidental danger but a deliberate attempt to intimidate the Bodhisatta out of his own generosity — and, per the comment, ‘the Bodhisatta is not intimidated.’
Closing the Kulāvakavagga
This poem closes the Kulāvakavagga, the fourth of eight chapters this site's selection draws from within the Ekakanipāta. The source text's own untranslated summary verse (uddāna) immediately follows, naming all ten poems of this chapter in sequence — not presented here as quoted text, since it carries no separate translation, but noted for completeness, as at the close of the previous three chapters.
Key terms
kāmaṁ patāmi nirayaṁ — “fine, let me fall into hell” — the Bodhisatta's own opening statement of resolve.
nānariyaṁ karissāmi — “I shall not do what is ignoble” — the verse's central commitment, prioritized above even hell itself.
handa piṇḍaṁ paṭiggaha — “please accept my alms offering” — the Bodhisatta's direct request, addressed to the Paccekabuddha, even as the illusory pit burns before him.
Khadiraṅgārajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘The Pit of Acacia Coals’, closing the Kulāvakavagga.
Paccekabuddha — a solitary awakened being, per Sujato's comment the intended recipient of the Bodhisatta's alms, whose gift Māra attempts to prevent through illusion.
The text
The text in full: a single verse. The chapter's own untranslated closing summary verse (uddāna), which follows immediately in the source text, is not quoted here since it carries no English translation, but its content — the ten poem titles of this chapter in sequence — matches this reading guide's own further reading list below. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1Fine, let me fall head over heels into hell, but I shall not do what is ignoble. Please accept my alms offering.
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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 does the Bodhisatta say he is willing to do rather than act ignobly?
Correct: D. An inversion of ordinary self-preservation, prioritizing noble action above even that extreme cost.
Question 2 of 10
Who created the illusion of the burning pit, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. A deliberate obstacle, not incidental danger.
Question 3 of 10
Who was the Bodhisatta trying to give alms to?
Correct: B. The generosity Māra's illusion was specifically designed to prevent.
Question 4 of 10
How does the Bodhisatta respond to the illusory pit?
Correct: C. Per Sujato's comment, stated directly: 'the Bodhisatta is not intimidated.'
Question 5 of 10
What chapter does this poem close?
Correct: D. The source text's own untranslated summary verse (uddāna) follows immediately after.
Question 6 of 10
Is the chapter's closing summary verse (uddāna) presented as quoted text in this reading guide?
Correct: A. Consistent with the same practice at the close of the previous three chapters.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The fortieth poem overall, and the tenth and final poem of the Kulāvakavagga.
Question 8 of 10
What material was the illusory pit's coals made of?
Correct: C. Giving this poem its traditional title.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: D. Its closing position is directly confirmed by the chapter's own summary verse following immediately after.
Question 10 of 10
How many poems of this site's 82-poem Jātaka selection are complete after this one?
Correct: A. Four of eight Ekakanipāta chapters now complete.
