“Then again when I was Campeyyaka, a dragon of great psychic power, I was just, furnished with precepts and vows.
Then the snake-charmer who caught me lived righteously, observing the Sabbath, and he made me perform at the royal gate.
Whatever color he thought of—blue, yellow, or red—I conformed to his wish, taking the appearance of his thought.
I could turn dry land to water, and water to dry land. If I were upset with him I could reduce him to ash in an instant.
If I was under the sway of my thoughts, I would have fallen from my ethics. But one who has fallen from their ethics does not succeed at the highest goal.
Gladly, let this body be broken! Let it be scattered in this very place! Not even for that would I break my ethics, if it were being scattered like hay.”
The Dragon Campeyyaka’s Conduct
Cp 13 · Campeyyanāgacariya
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Collection & context
- CariyāpiṭakaThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
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