[2152]
For whomever a man consorts with, O king — whether a good man or a bad,
whether virtuous or devoid of virtue — under that very one's sway he comes.
Whatever kind of friend he makes, whatever kind of man he cultivates,
just such a one does he himself become; living together, too, is such.
The one who consorts defiles the one he consorts with; the one who is touched, touching another, defiles him in turn —
just as a poisoned arrow defiles the unsmeared quiver.
For fear of defilement, the wise man should never have the wicked for companions.
When a man wraps up rotten fish in a blade of kusa grass,
even the kusa blades give off a putrid smell: such is association with fools.
When a man wraps up tagara incense in a leaf,
even the leaves give off a fragrant smell: such is association with the wise.
Therefore, knowing that his own ripening is like that of the wrapper of leaves,
the wise man should not cultivate the bad; he should cultivate the good.
The bad lead one to hell (niraya); the good bring one to a happy destination (sugati).
The Sattigumba Jātaka, the seventh.
8. The Bhallātiya Jātaka
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.