The Jatakas
Page 35
44. ‘I am the king of the Kasis, known as Piliyakkha. Through desire I have left my kingdom and wander in search of deer.
45. I am skilled in archery, strong in the bow and famous. No elephant would escape me if he came in my arrow’s range!’ The wise man made a friendly welcome and said,
46. ‘Welcome to you, great king, and a very great welcome! You are a great lord to have come here.
47. The tinduk tree, the piyal tree, the honey tree and the kasmari: 29 Their fruits are few and small; but eat the best that there is.
48. This cool water has been brought from a mountain cave; drink from this, great king, if it is your wish.’
[86] After such a welcome the king thought that it would not be right to say, in the first instance, that he had killed his son. He decided to speak as if he did not know and then tell him. He said,
49. ‘Blind, you cannot see in the woods, so who brought your fruit? Such a complete range of food must have come from someone with good sight.’ When he heard this the wise man explained to the king that they had not fetched the various fruits but their son had done it for them. He spoke two verses:
50. ‘Our young son, Sama, is not very tall but is very beautiful to look at. His long black hair curls like the tail of a dog.
51. He brings fruit and goes down to the river with a ewer to bring back water. I don’t think he’s far away.’ Then the king spoke.
52. ‘I have killed your Sama, who was a helper for you, the boy that you have described, Sama, beautiful to look at.
53. His long black hair that then curled like the tail of a dog:
he lies now with this smeared in blood: Sama has been killed by me.’
Not far from the wise man was Parika’s leaf hut. She was sitting there listening to the king’s words. Wanting to know what had happened [87] she left it, feeling her way with a rope, went near to Dukulaka and said,
54. ‘Tell me, Dukulaka, who is this saying that Sama has been killed? When I heard the words, “Sama has been killed it pierced my heart.
55. Just a tender shoot from a bodhi tree, a young branch fanned by the breeze: When I heard the words, “Sama has been killed it pierced my heart.’ Then the wise man admonished her,
56. ‘This is the king of Kasi, Parika. He shot an arrow in anger at Sama, in the Migasammata Mountains. Do not wish evil to him.’ Parika said,
57. ‘With difficulty! A dear son is taken, who looked after the blind in the forest. How can my heart not be angry towards the murderer of an only son?’
Dukulaka spoke:
58. ‘With difficulty! A dear son is taken, who looked after the blind in the forest. But wise men teach lack of anger, even towards the murderer of an only son.’
Saying this both beat their breasts with their hands and praised the virtues of the Great Being, grieving with great passion. Then the king comforted them.
59. ‘Do not grieve excessively with the words, “Sama is killed! I will be your servant and look after you in the wild wood.
60. I am skilled in archery, strong in the bow and famous. I will be your servant and look after you in the wild wood.
61. Searching for the leavings of deer and roots and fruits from the woodland, I will be your servant and look after you in the wild wood.’
[88] Conversing with him they said,
62.‘But it is not right, great king, it is not suitable for you. You are our king; we pay homage at your feet.’
When he heard this the king was greatly relieved. ‘This is wonderful: there is not the slightest harsh speech towards me, the one who has done the harm. They give me welcome.’ Thinking this, he spoke this verse,
63.‘You have spoken the dhamma, hunter, and have given great honour.
You are my father; and you, Parika are my mother.’
They offered an anjali and made a request to the king. ‘Great king, there is nothing that needs doing for us, but please take a staff and, guiding us, show us Sama.’ And they spoke two verses:
64. ‘Homage to you, king of Kasi, homage to the luck of the Kasis. We offer you an anjali in the hope that you will lead us to Sama.
65. Falling at the feet of the one whose face is beautiful to look at, Beating our breasts, we will go to our death.’
[89] As they were talking the sun went down. Then the king considered, ‘If I take them there now and they see him, it will break their hearts; then it will be the death of three people and I will go to the lowest hell. So I won’t show them.’ He spoke four verses:
66–9. ‘He’s to be seen at the end of the sky: a wild region, filled with beasts of prey: That is where Sama lies, killed, as if the moon had fallen to the ground. That is where Sama lies, killed, as if the sun had fallen to the ground. That is where Sama lies, killed, covered with blood. He’s to be seen at the end of the sky: a wild region, filled with beasts of prey: That is where Sama lies, killed; stay in your hermitage.’ 30
They then spoke a verse, to show that they had had no terror of wild beasts and suchlike.
70.‘Even if a hundred, thousand or a myriad of wild beasts were there, what could cause us harm in the forest?’
The king, unable to dissuade them, took their hands and led them there. In explanation the Teacher said,
71.‘Then the king of Kasi took the hands of the blind ones in the wild wood and went to the place where Sama had been killed.’
[90] Leading them near him he stopped and said, ‘This is your son’. His father took the head, his mother the feet and they sat down and wept.
In explanation the Teacher said,
72–5. ‘Perceiving their son Sama, fallen, covered with blood, Abandoned in the wild forest, as if the moon had fallen to the ground.Abandoned in the wild forest, as if the sun had fallen to the ground. Perceiving him abandoned in the wild forest, they grieve d with great passion. Perceiving their son Sama, fallen, covered with blood, They stretched out their arms and cried, “Sir, it is not right!
76–81. “Sama, the beautiful one, are you asleep? You who went to your death in this way, have you nothing to say? Sama, the beautiful one, are you deeply intoxicated? Sama, the beautiful one, are you deeply indifferent? Sama, the beautiful one, are you deeply angry? Sama, the beautiful one, are you deeply arrogant? Sama, the beautiful one, are you deeply distracted? You who went to your death in this way, have you nothing to say?
82–5. Now, who will arrange our matted hair? Sama, the one who helps the blind, is dead. Who will sweep the hermitage with a broom? Sama, the one who helps the blind, is dead. Who now will wash us with both cool and heated water? Sama, the one who helps the blind, is dead. Who will feed us with different roots and fruit? Sama, the one who helps the blind, is dead!’
[91] When his mother had wept copiously, she hit her breast with her hand and reflected on her torment. ‘This is just grief for my son. Through the power of the poison he might have entered into an unconscious state. I’ll make a declaration of truth.’
In explanation the Teacher said,
86–93. ‘Seeing her son Sama lying covered with blood, the grieving mother, in pain, spoke the truth.
Parika’s declaration of truth
“Sama lived rightly in the past:
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Sama lived as a Brahma in the past:
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Sama spoke the truth in the past:
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Sama looked after his parents in the past;
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Sama respected the elders in his family:
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Sama was dearer to me than life:
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed !
Whatever good thing I or his father have ever done:
By all this good may the poison in Sama be destroyed.’
[92] And when his mother had delivered
her seven verses in this way, her statement of truth, Sama turned around and lay on the other side. His father said, ‘My son lives. I will make a declaration of truth’. And he also made one.
In explanation the Teacher said,
94–101. ‘Perceiving his son, Sama, lying covered with blood, the grieving father, in pain, spoke the truth.
Dukulaka’s declaration of truth
“Sama lived rightly in the past [as above]
Whatever good thing I or his mother have ever done;
By all this good may the poison in Sama be destroyed.’
And when he had done this Sama turned around again and lay on the other side. And then the goddess made her declaration. In explanation the Teacher said,
102–5. ‘The goddess, unseen in the Gandahmadana Mountains, Out of compassion for Sama, spoke this truth:
The goddess’s declaration of truth
“I have lived in the Gandhamadana Mountains for a
long time.
There exists no one else dearer to me than Sama;
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed.
All the trees in the Gandhamadana Mountains have a
perfume;
By this truth may the poison in him be destroyed.
And while they wept with great feeling,
Quickly Sama rose up, young and handsome.’
The Great Being’s recovery, the restoration of his mother’s and his father’s sight and the first break of day: by the power of the goddess all of these four things were revealed in the hermitage in a single moment.
[93] The parents were still more delighted and exclaimed, ‘We have found our vision and Sama is cured.’ And then wise Sama delivered these verses:
106. ‘I am Sama, your dear one, and I have arisen safely. Do not grieve greatly, but speak sweetly to me.
107. Welcome to you, great king, and a very great welcome! You are a great lord to have come here.
108. The tinduk tree, the piyal tree, the honey tree and the kasmari: Their fruits are few and small; but eat the best that there is.
109. This cool water has been brought from a mountain cave; drink from this, great king, if it is your wish.’ 31 The king saw this wonderful thing and said,
110. ‘I am dazed and amazed. All directions bemuse me. I saw you, Sama, a ghost, who is now, Sama, alive.’ Sama said, ‘This king called me dead. I will show to him the nature of non-dying.’
111. ‘Great king, even a living man, who has a strong pain: they think him dead while living, when mental activity has stopped. 32
112. Great king, even someone living, who has a strong pain: they think him dead while living, when he has gone to cessation.’ 33 He pointed out that the world considered him dead, even though he was alive. Wanting to teach the matter properly to the king, he spoke two more verses:
113. [94] ‘The man who looks after his parents according to what is right: even the gods cure the one who supports his parents.
114. The man who looks after his parents according to what is right: in this world they praise him and, later, he delights in the heavens.’
When he heard this the king thought, ‘This is a marvel. Even the gods cure the disease that arises in the one who looks after his parents. Sama is greatly radiant. ‘Offering an anjali, he said:
115.‘I am still more amazed. All directions bemuse me. I go for refuge in you, Sama, You are my refuge.’
And then the Great Being said, ‘If, great king, you want to go to a heavenly realm and wish to enjoy divine happiness, observe these ten just practices.’ And he delivered ten verses on living well.
Ten ways of living well
116–25. ‘Do what is right, great warrior king, for your parents.
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for your children.
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for your friends and ministers.
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for your strong pulling animals.
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for the villages and towns,
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for the rural people in the kingdom,
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for ascetics and brahmins,
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king, for animals and birds,
Doing this, you will go to heaven, O king.
Do what is right, great warrior king and, acting i n justice, bring happiness.
Do what is right, great king, and with the shining gods and Brahmas,
You will find heaven, through acting well.
Do not, O king, neglect your duty!’
[95] When he had spoken in this way he taught the ten duties of a king, advised him further and gave him the five precepts. The king accepted the admonishment by prostrating with his head, went to Varanasi and did things to bring good fortune, such as being generous and the like, and he was one that was bound for a heaven world. The Bodhisatta attained to the higher knowledges and the meditative attainments while with his parents, and was reborn in a Brahma realm.
The Teacher delivered this dhamma talk: ‘Bhikkhus, looking after parents, this is the family tradition of the wise.’ As he said this he explained the four noble truths and, at the completion of his talk, one monk attained to stream-entry. ‘At that time, Ananda was the king, Uppalava nna was the goddess, Anuruddha was king Sakka, Kassapa was the father and Bhaddakapilani was the mother. I was Golden Sama.’ 34
Notes
1 See, for instance, S. Leksukhum, Temples of Gold, pp. 139–42. Caroline Rhys Davids has translated an abbreviated version of this story in C. Rhys Davids, The Stories of the Buddha, being Selections from the Jataka (London: Chapman and Hall, 1929), pp. 206–19. As Winternitz points out, there is a comparable story in Ramayana, II, 63, 25ff (see History of Indian Literature, pp. 142–4).
2 See S.I. Pollock, R.P. Goldman ed., The Ramayana of Valmiki; An Epic of Ancient India (Princeton, New York: Princeton University Press, 1986), Vol. II, 57–8, pp. 207–11. The story has interesting variations from the Jataka. The man is shot inadvertently, in the dark; he does not recover and both the victim and the parents reproach Dasaratha bitterly for what he has done.
3 In one famous story in the Mahabharata Damayanti recognizes her husband Nala from among gods who look like him, partly because he sweats (Mahabharata, III 53 1).
4 For the dangers of hatred, the ‘far enemy’ of loving kindness, see Path of Purification, pp. 321–33 (Vism IX 1–50). Also, see p. 344 (Vism IX 93): ‘It (metta) succeeds when it makes ill will subside, and it fails when it produces (selfish) affection.’
5 The fourth jhana and the higher meditations are characterized by the absence of in and out breath. See Path of Purification, p. 305 (Vism VIII 209). Samkappa, the word used for the second factor of the eightfold path, is in abhidhammic thought associated with initial thought, which is dropped in all meditations after the first jhana.
6 The preliminaries and practice of the first four jhanas are described in Path of Purification, pp. 122–75 (Vism XII).
7 His use of the word nirodha, usually associated with nibbana, is odd, as he is not yet enlightened. He is perhaps making a more general comment, not applicable to himself, or means, more generally, an advanced stage of meditation.
8 In Candakinnara Jataka (485), Rahulamata in an earlier birth revives the Bodhisatta through the intervention of Sakka and her declarations of love. These withdraw the effect of the poison but, like here, it does not seem to be the case that he is dead, just dying (J IV 282–8).
9 Lobha, v. 4 and v. 15. This is desire or greed, the ‘near enemy’ of loving kindness (Path of Purif
ication, p. 345, Vism IX 98).
10 See Leksukhum, ibid.
11 See Winternitz, History of Indian Literature, II, p.144, n. 1.
12 Vipassanam: insight meditation.
13 Upanissayam: literally, ‘strong supporting condition’. This is the ninth condition in the twenty-four paccayas, or causal relationships. It denotes the condition whereby someone is ready to experience a change of state or insight, but needs the right circumstances, such as contact with a person, food or climactic conditions, for this to occur.
14 See S I 181. In this short sutta a lay brahmin approaches the Buddha and asks if he is acting correctly by begging for food for his parents; the Buddha says that he is.
15 Used for collecting alms. The ticket entitled him to the ticket food and gruel.
16 This (bhikkhuparajikam) refers to the grave offences performed by monks that warrant immediate exclusion from the order. This means here the offence of taking what is not given: he feels that having achieved so little in twelve years he had not deserved the alms food he had received.
17 PED 384: Dukula, fine woven cloth or silk.
18 Vissakamma is the builder and designer for the gods (see DPPN II 906–7).
19 Literally, ‘even the animals received the consciousness associated with loving kindness’ (mettacittam eva patilabhimsu). The idea is that loving kindness is contagious.
20 I have made Dukulaka the subject of this and the next sentence as the scribe seems to have got in a muddle here by referring to the Great Being, who has not yet appeared in the story at all. Dukulaka is not the Bodhisatta; his son-to-be is.
21 A kinnara is a mythical creature, half-bird and half-human. Their officiation reinforces the sense of the unworldly about the birth.
22 The Burmese manuscript (Bd) says te kira pubbe vajjakule ahesum: ‘it is said that formerly they were in a doctor’s family’, which I have taken to mean that he was a doctor and she was his wife.