The Jatakas
Page 25
Then they thought, ‘Five-year-olds are frightened of fire; let’s test him with that.’ They had a big house made with lots of doors and covered it with palm leaves, sat him down in the middle of his entourage of children and started a fire. The other children fled shrieking. The Great Being thought, ‘This is better than cooking in the Niraya hell.’ And he was as motionless as if he had attained cessation 24 so they took him from the encroaching fire and led him off. And then they thought, ‘Six-year-olds are frightened of mad elephants.’ So they had trained a well-instructed elephant in rut and, sitting the Great Being down in the royal courtyard surrounded by the other children, they set it free. The elephant roared a trumpeting roar and beat the ground with his trunk, spreading alarm as he approached. The other children, terrified with the fear of death, fled in all directions but the Great Being, afraid of the Niraya hell, sat right where he was. The well-trained elephant picked him up and dandled him to and fro without harming him and then left.
When he was seven years old, at one time he was sitting with the other children around him. They released some snakes which had had their teeth pulled and mouths bound. The other children ran away shrieking but the Great Being reflected upon the fear of hell and thought, ‘Destruction from the mouth of a fierce snake is better.’ And he was motionless and the snakes twisted around his entire body and remained spreading their hoods over his head, but even then he did not move. In this way they tested him from time to time but saw no chink. [7] Then they thought, ‘Children love shows.’ So they sat him in the royal courtyard and organized a dancing show. The other children saw the show and said it was wonderful, chuckling with laughter, but the Great Being thought, ‘There is not a moment for laughter or happiness in a rebirth in hell.’ Reflecting upon the fear of hell he stayed motionless and did not look. In this way they tested him from time to time but did not find a chink. And then they thought, ‘Let’s test him with a sword’. And they set him down in the royal courtyard with the children. While the children were playing, a man jumped up brandishing a sword the colour of crystal shouting, ‘They say that the king of Kasi has a son that is ill-starred. Where is he? I’ll chop off his head!’ He rushed at them and when the others saw him they ran off screaming, but the Bodhisatta considered the terror of hell and sat as if uncomprehending. The man then touched him on the head with the sword, threatening to cut it off, but although he was indeed terrifying he could not terrify him and just went off. In this way from time to time they tested him, but could not find a chink.
When he was ten years old they tested his hearing and draped his bed with a curtain of hemp, making holes on the four sides. Without him seeing, they sat conch blowers under the bed. They got them to sound the conches all at one go and there was a single blast of sound. Ministers stood at the four sides and looked at the Great Being through the holes in the hemp and for the whole day they did not see any forgetfulness, or movement of the hands and feet, or the flicker of a tremble. After a year had passed they tried him again with the sound of a drum but still found no chink. Then they thought, ‘Let’s test him with a lamp.’ That very night they decided to see whether he moved a hand or a foot in the dark. They lit some lamps in jars, put out the other lamps for a bit and sat him down. All at once they lifted the lamps from the jars, made it light and watched his posture. They tested him in this way for a year but could not find the slightest trembling.
Then they thought [8] they would smear his entire body with molasses and laid him down in a place where there were a lot of flies and roused the flies. These surrounded his entire body and bit him as if piercing with needles but he still remained motionless as if in the attainment of cessation: in this way they tested him for a year but could not find a chink. Then when he was fourteen they said, ‘This boy loves cleanliness and hates lack of cleanliness. Let’s test him with what is unclean.’ From that time they did not wash him or rinse his mouth and when he passed urine and faeces he just lay there sunk in it. In this foul smell from his intestines it was as if he had had a ruptured hernia. 25 Flies bit him and surrounded him and people reviled him saying, ‘Temiya, now you are a young man, who is going to care for you all the time? Why are you not ashamed, why do you lie down? Get up and look after your body!’ but he, although sunk in unpleasant faeces, reflected upon the foul smell of the Mire hell, 26 which stretched for a hundred leagues in its foulness, and which could split the heart of those stuck there; and he was equanimous. And in this way they tested him for a year but could not find a chink.
Then they put fire pans under his bed thinking, ‘Surely when he is oppressed by the heat he will be unable to bear the pain and betray some flinching.’ It was as if blisters erupted on his body, but the Great Being thought, ‘In the Avici hell the fire spreads for a hundred leagues and there the pain is a hundred times, no, a thousand times worse.’ And he endured it and did not move. And his mother and father, with their hearts breaking, called the men back and got them to take him from the heat of the fire and beseeched him, ‘Dear Temiya, our son, we know that you are not a cripple by birth, because they do not have the feet and mouth and ears that you do. We got you as our child after praying for you; do not destroy us but release us from the reproach of kings throughout Jambudipa.’ Although begged in this way, it was as if he did not hear and he lay motionless. Then his mother and father left weeping, [9] and sometimes his father came alone to implore him and sometimes his mother. In this way for a year from time to time they tested him, but could not find a chink.
Then when he was sixteen they thought, ‘Let him be a cripple and let him be deaf and dumb: is it not the case that those reaching this age like things which arouse lust, and do not like things which arouse aversion? These things are natural for this time, like the opening of a flower. We’ll test him by bringing in some dancers.’ So they summoned some women, endowed with charm, who had the most beautiful bodies, like heavenly maidens. ‘Whoever can make the prince laugh or become entangled in desire 27 will be his chief queen.’ Saying this, they bathed the prince in perfumed water, and arrayed him as if he were a shining god and placed him on a royal bed, set up in a regal private chamber, like that in a palace of the gods. They made the inner room one mingled perfume of wreaths of perfumed plants and flowers, incense, scents, intoxicating drinks and spirits and suchlike and left. And then the women surrounded him and made an effort to seduce him with song and dance and all kinds of mellifluous words, but in his great wisdom he just looked at them. ‘May these women not find any contact with my body.’ And he stopped the inbreath and the outbreath and his body was stiff and they did not have any contact with his body. They informed his mother and father: ‘His body is stiff. He is not human but must be a yakkha.’ So from time to time his mother and father tested him but could not find a chink. In this way for sixteen years they tested him with sixteen various great tests and many lesser tests and could not catch him out.
Now the king was extremely sorrowful and summoned the experts in the marks. ‘At the time of the birth you told me that this was the mark of wealth and auspiciousness and that there was no obstacle. But he is a deaf and dumb cripple; what you said does not agree with this.’ ‘Great king, it was not undetected by the teachers. It is just that it would have been painful for you if we had said that the child, obtained after prayers by the royal family, was [10] accursed and so we did not say it.’ ‘What should we do?’ ‘Great king, if the prince lives in this house three dangers will be seen: to your life, your regal parasol and your queen. Yoke an unlucky carriage to an unlucky horse and lie him down in it. 28 Send it out by the western gate: you should bury him in a charnel ground.’ The king, terrified at hearing of the danger, agreed. Queen Canda heard what had happened and went up to the king. ‘Sire, I was granted a wish by you. I accepted it and kept it. Give it to me now.’ ‘Take it, my lady.’ ‘Give the kingdom to my son.’ ‘It is not possible my lady; your son is accursed.’ ‘If you cannot give it for life, then grant it for seven years.’ ‘It is not possi
ble, my lady.’ ‘Then give it for six, for five, for four, for three, for two, for one year. For seven months, for six, for five, for four, for three, for two, for one month or half a month.’ ‘It is not possible, my lady.’ ‘Then give it to him for seven days.’ ‘Very well; take it,’ he said.
She had her son arrayed, had the city decorated and a drum beaten announcing that the kingdom belonged to Prince Temiya. She seated him on the shoulders of an elephant and raised the white parasol over his head and had him make a circumambulation of the city. When he returned she had him laid on the royal bed and implored him all night. ‘Dear Prince Temiya, because of you I have not slept for sixteen years. My eyes have dried up through crying and my heart is as if broken by grief. I know that you were not born a cripple: do not make me without a protector.’ On the following day and the day after that she implored him in this way, for five days. On the sixth day the king summoned the charioteer, called Sunanda, and said ‘My man, early tomorrow lie the prince down in an unlucky chariot to which you have yoked an unlucky horse. Take him out by the western gate and dig a hole with four walls in the charnel ground. Throw him in it, hit him on the head with the back of the spade and kill him. Shovel dirt over it, [11] make a heap of earth and then wash and come here.’ On the sixth night the queen beseeched her son and said, ‘Dear one, King Kasi has given the order to bury you in a charnel ground. My son, tomorrow you are going to die.’ When he heard this the Great Being thought to himself, ‘Temiya, you have made an effort for sixteen years and now it has reached a head’. Joy arose within him though his mother’s heart was near to breaking. But even though this was the case he did not speak to her, thinking that if he did he would not attain the head, his desired object.
Then, when night had passed and it was dawn, Sunanda, the charioteer, yoked the carriage, set it at the gate and entered the royal chamber. ‘My lady, do not be angry with me, it is the order of the king.’ Saying this, with the heel of his palm 29 he removed the queen, who was lying in an embrace with her son, lifted the boy like a bunch of flowers and left the palace. Queen Canda beat her breast and with a great wail cried out and fell down upon the ground. And the Great Being looked at her and thought that if he did not talk she would die of a broken heart: and he wanted to speak out. But he was patient, reflecting, ‘If I speak, the effort made for sixteen years would be in vain. But if I do not speak I will be a support for myself and my parents.’ 30And then the charioteer placed him on the chariot thinking that he would drive it in the direction of the western gate and drove it instead in the direction of the eastern gate, hitting the chariot wheel on the threshold. The Great Being heard the noise and thought, ‘My heart’s desire has come to pass!’ His happy mind was still more delighted. By the power of the gods the carriage left the city and went a distance of three yojanas, and a woodland thicket appeared to the charioteer as if it were a charnel ground. 31‘This is a lovely spot,’ he thought and, pulling his chariot off the road, he got down and took off the Great Being’s possessions, made them into a bundle and set them aside. Then, taking his spade he started to dig a hole nearby.
Then the Bodhisatta thought, ‘It is the time for me to apply effort. I have not moved my hands or feet for sixteen years. 32 I wonder if they are under my control or not?’ Standing up he rubbed his left hand with his right hand [12] and his feet with both hands and brought into being the thought to leave the chariot. As his feet touched the ground the great earth rose and met the end of the chariot and stayed there like a leather bag filled with air. He got down and walked several times backwards and forwards and saw that he had the strength to go a hundred yojanas in one day in this way. Then he thought, ‘If the charioteer were to engage me in a fight would I have the strength to oppose him?’ He took hold of the end of the carriage and lifted it up as if it were a toy for children and realized he did have the strength to oppose. After deliberation he conceived a desire for suitable clothing. At that moment Sakka’s dwelling became hot. Sakka recognized the cause and said, ‘Prince Temiya’s heart’s desire has been realized. The wish has arisen for suitable clothing. What is human dress to him?’ And he gave orders to Vissakamma to have heavenly dress taken to him: ‘Go, and deck the King of Kasi’s son’. He agreed and with ten thousand pieces of cloth made a garment and dressed him up like Sakka, with divine and human clothing. Then, with the grace of the king of the shining gods, the Great Being went up to the charioteer as he was digging the pit. Standing at the edge of the hole he said the third verse:
3. ‘Why are you in such a hurry to dig a pit, charioteer?
Answer my question, sir, what will you do with the pit?’
When he heard this, the charioteer, digging the pit, looked up and spoke the fourth verse: 4. ‘The king’s son was born dumb, a cripple, without intelligence.
I have been instructed by the king to bury his son in the wood.’
And then the Great Being said to him:
5.‘I am neither deaf, dumb, nor a cripple, nor even lame.
It would be a wrongful act, charioteer, to bury me in the forest.
6. [13] Look at my thighs and arms and listen to what I say.
It would be a wrongful act, charioteer, to bury me in the forest.’
Then the charioteer thought, ‘Who is this? Has he been speaking for himself since he came?’ He gave up digging the hole and looked up and saw the magnificence of the Great Being’s appearance. Unsure whether he was a man or a god he spoke this verse:
7.‘Are you a god or a heavenly minstrel, or indeed Sakka, once a great giver of gifts? 33
Who are you and whose son are you?
How may we know you?’
And then the Great Being revealed himself and taught the dhamma:
8.‘I am neither god nor heavenly minstrel, nor even Sakka, once a great giver of gifts.
I am the son of the king of Kasi—
the one that you are going to bury 34 in a pit.
9. I am the son of that king under whose sway you gain your livelihood.
It would be a wrongful act, charioteer, to bury me in the forest.
10. If I were to sit or lie in the shadow of a tree,
I should not break its branch, and be an evil one, one who harms a friend.
11. Just like the tree, so is the king. Just like the branch, so am I. And just like the man who comes into the shade, so are you, charioteer.
It would be an wrongful act, charioteer, to bury me in the forest.’
[14] Even when the Bodhisatta had said this, the charioteer still had no faith in him. And the Great Being thought, ‘I will gain his confidence.’ And making the forest ring with the approval of the gods and the sound of his own voice he recited ten verses:
In honour of friends
12. Food is plentiful for him when he is away from home:
he lives in abundance,
Who is loyal to his friends.
13. Whatever country he visits, in city or town,
he is an honoured guest everywhere,
Who is loyal to his friends.
14. Thieves do not harm him, nor warrior despise him:
he goes past all his enemies
Who is loyal to his friends.
15. He returns to his home without anger and is welcomed in council;
foremost amongst his relatives is one
Who is loyal to his friends.
16. Respectful to others, he is respected, valuing others, he is valued.
He is spoken well of,
Who is loyal to his friends.
17. Honouring others, he is honoured; paying respect, he is respected.
He obtains fame and good repute,
Who is loyal to his friends.
18. He shines like the fire and is radiant like a deity:
he does not lose his lustre,
Who is loyal to his friends.
19. Cattle are born to him and the seed sown in his fields flourishes:
he enjoys the fruit of seeds sown,
Who is loyal
to his friends.
20. Torn 35 from a mountain or a tree, a man finds a safe spot,
Who is loyal to his friends.
21. Just as the wind does not harm a banyan, grown with spreading roots,
so enemies do not harm him,
Who is loyal to his friends.
[15] Even though he gave the dhamma in so many verses Sunanda did not recognize him, asking who he was and going back to the chariot. When he could not see the chariot and the bundle, though, he returned, looked again and, recognizing him, fell at his feet, making an anjali and imploring him with this verse:
22.‘Go, I will lead you back to your home, O prince.
Rule the kingdom, dear sir, for what will you do in the forest?’