Dhanapāla’s Contradictions (vv. 22–24)

How it is, Conqueror, that you make available to living beings in this world
an auspicious happiness which is both wholesome and not,
in which there is both eternal knowledge and no knowledge at all?
    [How is it, Conqueror, that you make available a cure
    to living beings in this world who are sick and depressed:
    a cure consisting in auspicious happiness and eternal knowledge?]
[22]

kaha sāsayaviṇṇāṇaṁ nivviṇṇāṇaṁ bhavammi jīvāṇaṁ
sivasukkhamakallāṇaṁ kallāṇaṁ jiṇa paṇāmēsi [22]

कह सासयविण्णाणं निव्विण्णाणं भवम्मि जीवाणं ।
सिवसुक्खमकल्लाणं कल्लाणं जिण पणामेसि ॥ २२ ॥

Lord, how is it that you make known a dharma
that is sweet because of its ripeness,
despite being the basis for the twenty diseases and poisoned food,
which is accepted by the sages, yet originates from women?
    [Lord, how is it that you make known a dharma
    that is sweet because of its ripeness,
    a place for those who are dejected to take confidence,
    nectar to the ears, and accepted by the sages?]
[23]

nāha pariṇāmamahuraṁ visannavīsāmaṭhāmabhūaṁ pi
kaha pannavēsi kannāmayaṁ pi muṇisaṃmayaṁ dhammaṃ [23]

नाह परिणाममहुरं विसन्नवीसामठामभूअं पि ।
कह पन्नवेसि कन्नामयं पि मणिसंमयं धम्मं ॥ २३ ॥

Take on your independence, seeing everything else to be trivial.
Although you have conquered all of the sense faculties,
your power is still weak, and that does not make sense.
    [With awareness, take on pure compassion as if it were your total supreme self.
    You have conquered all of the sense faculties,
    and you are no longer attached. Is that at all strange?]
[24]

sacchandayaṁ samuvvaha savvaṁ param appayaṁ va picchantō
jaṁ puṇa jiasayalakkhō vi appasattō si tamajuttaṁ [24]

सच्छंदयं समुव्वह सव्वं परमप्पयं व पिच्छंतो ।
जं पुण जिअसयलक्खो वि अप्पसत्तो सि तमजुत्तं ॥ २४ ॥