X. The Story of the Sacrifice  - SE Quadrant, Upper Register, Reliefs 40 - 43

THE JATAKAMALA
Table of Contents:

The Tigress
The King of the Sibis
Small Portion of Gruel
Head of a Guild
The Invincible One
The Hare
The Sage Agastya
Maitribala
Prince Visvantara
The Sacrifice
Lord of the Devas
The Brahman
Unmadayanti
Suparaga
Lord of Fishes
The Quail's Young
The Story of the Jar
The Childless One
The Lotus Stalks
The Treasurer
Kuddabodhi
The Holy Swan
Mahabodhi
The Great Ape
Sarabha
The Ruru Deer
The Monkey Chief
Kshantivadin
The Brahmaloka Inhabitant
The Elephant
Sutasoma
Ayogriha
The Buffalo
The Woodpecker

Adapted from the 19th century translation by J. S Speyer

"I intend to perform a human sacrifice of a thousand victims," said the king.
"But nobody behaving honestly is fit to be designated for immolation on my part.
With this in mind, I give you this advice:
Whomsoever of you I shall henceforward perceive transgressing the boundaries of moral conduct,
despising my royal will, him will I order to be caught to be a victim at my sacrifice,
thinking such a one a stain of his family and a danger to my realm."

Those whose hearts are pure do not act up to the enticement of the wicked. Knowing this, pure-heartedness is to be striven after. This will be taught as follows.

Long ago the Bodhisattva, it is said, was a king who had obtained his kingdom in the order of hereditary succession. He had reached this state due to the effect of his merit and ruled his realm in peace, undisturbed by any rival and with his sovereign rule universally acknowledged. His country was free from any kind of annoyance, vexation or disaster--both his home relations and those with foreign countries being quiet in every respect--and all his vassals obeyed his commands.

Having subdued the passions, his enemies, the king felt no inclination for such profits as are to be blamed when enjoyed, but was with his whole heart intent on promoting the happiness of his subjects. Holding virtuous practice (dharma) as the only purpose of his actions, he behaved like a Muni, for he knew the nature of mankind, that people set a high value on imitating the behavior of the highest. For this reason--being desirous of bringing about salvation for his subjects--he was particularly attached to the due performance of his religious duties.

He practiced almsgiving, kept strictly the precepts of moral conduct (sila), cultivated forbearance, strove for the benefit of the creatures. His mild countenance being in accordance with thoughts devoted to the happiness of his subjects, he appeared like the embodied Dharma.

It once happened that in consequence of the faulty actions of the kingdom's inhabitants as well as the inadvertence on the part of the angels charged with causing the rains to fall, the realm was afflicted in several districts by drought as well as the troublesome after-effects of such a disaster. Fully convinced that this plague had been brought about by the violation of righteousness, either by himself or his subjects, the king took to heart the distress of his people. since their welfare was the constant object of his thoughts and cares, he took the advice of men of acknowledged competence, who were reputed for their knowledge in matters of religion.

Keeping counsel with the elders among the Brahmans, headed by his family priest (purohita) and his ministers, the king asked them for some means of putting an end to that calamity. Believing a solemn sacrifice as is enjoined by the Veda to be a cause of abundant rain, they explained to him that he must perform sacrifice of a frightful character requiring the massacre of hundreds of living beings.

After being informed of everything concerning such a slaughter as is prescribed for this sacrifice, the king was unable to approve of it due to the innate compassion in his heart. But unwilling to offend his advisors by harsh words of refusal, the king, out of civility, slipped over this point, turning the conversation to other topics. They, on the other hand, once more admonished the king to accomplish the sacrifice for they did not understand his deeply hidden mind.

"You constantly take care not to neglect the proper time of performing your different royal duties, established for the sake of obtaining the possession of land and ruling it. The due order of your actions of yours is in agreement with the precepts of Righteousness (dharma). As you are in all other respects clever in the observance of the triad (of dharma, artha, and karma), bearing your bow to defend the good of your people, why are you so careless and almost sluggish when arriving at that bridge to the world of the Devas that is known as the "sacrifice?"

"Like servants, your vassal kings revere your commands, thinking them to be the surest gauge of success. Now the time has come, 0 destroyer of your foes, to gather by means of sacrifice superior blessings, which shall procure for you a shining glory. Certainly, that holiness which is the requisite for a dikshita is already yours, by reason of your habitual practice of charity and your strictness in observing the restraint of good conduct. (1)

"Nevertheless, it would be fit for you to discharge your debt to the Devas by such sacrifices as are the subject-matter of the Vedas. The deities, being satisfied by duly and faultlessly performed sacrifice, honor the creatures in return by sending rain. Thus considering, take to mind the welfare of your subjects as well as your own and consent to the performance of a sacrifice, which will enhance your glory."

Thereupon the king entertained this thought: "Very badly guarded is my poor person indeed, being given in trust to such leaders. While faithfully believing and loving the Law, I should uproot my virtue of tender-heartedness by reliance upon the words of others. For, truly, those who are reputed among men to be the best refuge are the very persons who intend to do harm, borrowing their arguments from the Law. Alas! Such a man who follows the wrong path as shown by them will soon find himself driven to dire straits for he will be surrounded by evils.

"What connection may there be, forsooth, between righteousness and injuring animals? How may residence in the world of the Devas or propitiation of the deities have anything to do with the murder of victims? The animal slaughtered according to the rites with the prescribed prayer--as if those sacred formulae were so many darts to wound it--goes to heaven, it is said, and with this object in mind it is killed. In this way that action is interpreted to be done according to the Law. Yet it is a lie.

"For how is it possible that in the next world one should reap the fruits of what has been done by others? Though he has not abstained from wicked actions, though he has not devoted himself to good practices, by what reason will the sacrificial animal mount to heaven simply because he has been killed in sacrifice?

"and if the victim killed in sacrifice really does go to heaven, then would we not expect the Brahmans to offer themselves to be immolated in sacrifice? A similar practice, however, is nowhere seen among them. Who, then, may take to heart the advice proffered by these counselors? As to the Celestials, should we believe that they who are wont to enjoy the fair ambrosia of incomparable scent, flavor, magnificence, and effective power, served to them by the beautiful Apsaras, would abandon it to delight in the slaughter of a pitiable victim, that they might feast on those parts of his body as are offered to them in sacrifice? Therefore, it is the proper time to act."

Having thus made up his mind, the king feigned to be eager to undertake the sacrifice; and in approval of their words he spoke to them in this manner:

"Verily, well protected am I, well gratified, having such counselors as Your Lordships are, thus bent on securing my happiness! Therefore I will have a human sacrifice (purushamedha) of a thousand victims performed. Let my officials, each in his sphere of business, be ordered to bring together the requisites necessary for that purpose. Let also an inquiry be made of the most fitting ground whereon to raise the tents and other buildings for this performance. Furthermore, let the proper time for the sacrifice be fixed by the astrologers after examining the auspicious lunar days, karanas, muhurtas, and constellations."

The purohita answered: "In order to succeed in your enterprise, Your Majesty ought to take the final bath (avabhmha) at the end of one sacrifice; after which you may successively undertake the others. For if the thousand human victims were to be seized at once, your subjects, to be sure, would blame you and be stirred up to great agitation on their account."

These words of the purohita having been approved by the other Brahmans, the king replied: "Do not fear the wrath of the people, Reverends. I shall take such measures as to prevent any agitation among my subjects."

After this the king convoked an assembly of the townsmen and the landsmen, and said: "I intend to perform a human sacrifice of a thousand victims. But nobody behaving honestly is fit to be designated for immolation on my part. With this in mind, I give you this advice: Whomsoever of you I shall henceforward perceive transgressing the boundaries of moral conduct, despising my royal will, him will I order to be caught to be a victim at my sacrifice, thinking such a one the stain of his family and a danger to my country. With the object of carrying this resolution into effect, I shall cause you to be observed by faultless and sharp-sighted emissaries, who have shaken off sleepy carelessness and will report to me concerning your conduct."

Then the foremost of the assembly, folding their hands and bringing them to their foreheads, spoke:

"Your Majesty, all your actions tend to the happiness of your subjects, what reason can there be to despise you on that account? Even Brahma cannot but sanction your behavior. Your Majesty, who is the authority of the virtuous, be our highest authority. For this reason anything which pleases Your Majesty must please us, too. Indeed, you are pleased with nothing else but our enjoyment and our good."

After the notables both of the town and the country had accepted his command in this manner, the king's officers traveled about his towns and all over his country, identified as such by their outward appearance to the people. It was their charge to lay hold of evil-doers. And everywhere the king ordered proclamations to be made by beat of drum day after day:

"The king, a granter of security as he is, warrants safety to every one who constantly cultivates honesty and good conduct, in short, to the virtuous. Yet, intending to perform a human sacrifice for the benefit of his subjects, he wants human victims by thousands to be taken out of those who delight in misconduct. Therefore, whosoever henceforward, licentiously indulges in misbehavior, whosoever shall disregard the command of our monarch, which is even observed by his vassal kings, shall be brought to the state of a sacrificial victim by the very force of his own actions. Thereafter the people shall witness his miserable suffering, when he shall pine away with pain when his body is fastened to the sacrificial post."

The inhabitants of the realm heard these most frightful royal proclamations day after day and observed the king's servants everywhere searching for wicked people so that they might seize them. They therefore abandoned their attachment to bad conduct and grew intent on strictly observing the moral precepts and self-control. Avoiding every occasion of hatred and enmity, they settled their quarrels and differences amicably by cherishing mutual love and mutual esteem. Obeying the words of parents and teachers, they embraced a general spirit of liberality and sharing, hospitality, good manners, and modesty, prevailed among them. In short, they lived as it were residing in the Golden Age (Krita Yuga).

Their fear of death had awakened in them thoughts of the next world; the risk of tarnishing the honor of their families had stirred their care of guarding their reputation; and the great purity of their hearts had strengthened their sense of shame. These factors being at work, people were soon distinguished by their spotless behavior. Although everyone became more than ever intent on keeping a righteous conduct, still the king's servants did not diminish their pursuit of evildoers, which prevented people from falling away from the path of righteousness.

Informed of the benevolent state that had descended upon his realm, the king rejoiced and bestowed rich presents on his messengers as a reward for all the good news they brought him. Then he joined his ministers and spoke the following words:

"You know that the protection of my subjects is my highest desire. They have become worthy to be recipients of sacrificial gifts and it is for the purpose of my sacrifice that I have provided this wealth. Well, I intend to accomplish my sacrifice in the manner which I have considered to be the proper one. Let every one who wishes for money, come and accept it from my hand to his heart's content so that it may be fuel for sustaining his happiness. In this way the distress and poverty that is vexing our country may be soon driven out. Indeed, whenever I consider my own strong determination to protect my subjects and the great assistance I derive from you, my excellent companions in that task, it often seems to me as though the sufferings of my people were burning in my mind like a blazing fire."

The ministers accepted the royal command and thereafter went to execute it. They ordered alms-halls to be established in all villages, towns, and markets, likewise at all stations on the roads. This being done, they caused all who begged for the satisfaction of their wants to be provided day after day with the gift of the objects of their desires just as the king had ordered.

So poverty disappeared, and the people, having received their wealth from the king, dressed and adorned themselves with manifold and fine garments and ornaments, and exhibited the splendor of festival days through the purity of their lives and the holiness of their conduct.

Magnified by the eulogies of the rejoiced recipients of his gifts, the glory of the king spread about in all directions, as if it were the flower dust of the lotuses carried forth by the small waves of a lake, which ever extends itself over a larger and larger surface. And after the people, in consequence of the wise measures taken by their ruler, had become intent on virtuous behavior, the plagues and calamities, overpowered by the growth of all such qualities as conduce to prosperity, faded away.

The seasons succeeded each other in due course, rejoicing everyone through their regularity. Like kings newly established, they complied with the lawful order of things. Consequently the Earth produced various kinds of grain in abundance, and all the water basins were full of pure and blue water and lotuses. No epidemics afflicted mankind and the medicinal herbs possessed their efficacious virtues more than ever. The monsoons blew in due time and regularly and the planets moved along auspicious paths.

No danger existed anywhere that was to be feared, either abroad, or within the kingdom, or such as might be caused by the derangement of the elements. Continuing in righteousness and self-control, cultivating good behavior and modesty, the people of the kingdom did indeed enjoy the prerogatives of a Golden Age (Krita Yuga).

By the power, then, of the king performing his sacrifice in this manner in accordance with the precepts of the Law, the sufferings of the indigent were put to an end--together with the plagues and calamity--and the country abounded in the glory of a prosperous and thriving population that presented the pleasing aspects of felicity. Accordingly, the people never wearied of repeatedly bestowing benedictions on their king, which extended his renown in all directions.

"Because they always deal with all kinds of business--the highest, the lowest, and the intermediate--monarchs surpass in their wisdom any wise men by far. For Your Majesty has obtained the happiness of your subjects, both in this world and in the next, as the effect of your sacrifice being performed in righteousness, free from the blamable sin of slaughter. The hard times are all over and the sufferings of poverty have ceased because men have become established in the precepts of good conduct. Why use many words? Your subjects are happy.

"The black antelope's skin which covers your limbs has the resemblance of the spot on the bright moon's surface. The natural loveliness of your demeanor cannot be hindered by the restraint imposed by your being a dikshita. Adorned with such hair-dress as is in compliance with the rites of the diksha, your head possesses no less luster than when it was embellished with the splendor of the royal umbrella. And last not least, by your largesse you have surpassed the renown and abated the pride of the famous performer of a hundred sacrifices.

One said: "As a rule, 0 wise ruler, the sacrifice of those who long for the attainment of some good is a vile act, accompanied as it is by the injury done to living beings. Your sacrifice, however, is a monument to your glory that is in complete accordance with your lovely behavior and your aversion to vices.

Happy are the subjects who have their protector in you! It is certain that no father could be a better guardian to his children."

Another said: "If the wealthy practice charity, they are commonly impelled to do so in the hope that they will put into cultivation that virtue; good conduct also may be fostered by the wish to obtain a high regard among men or the desire of reaching heaven after death. But such a practice of both, as is seen in the skillful way that you have set about securing the benefit of others cannot be found but in those who are accomplished in both learning and in virtuous exertion."

In such a way, then, those whose hearts are pure do not act up to the enticement of the wicked. Knowing this, pure-heartedness is to be striven after. With regards to the spiritual lessons of princes, this is also to be said: "Who to his subjects wishing good, himself exerts, Thus brings about salvation, glory, happiness. No other should be of a king the business."

And it may be added as follows: "The prince who strives after material prosperity, ought to act in accordance with the precepts of religion, thinking that the religious conduct of his subjects is the source of prosperity itself."

Further it is here proclaimed: "Injuring animals never tends to bliss, but charity, self-restraint, continence and the like do indeed have this power. For this reason he who longs for bliss must devote himself to these virtues."

(1) Before undertaking the performance of a great sacrifice, its performer has to be purified by the initiatory ceremony of diksha. From that time till the final bath at the close of the sacrifice he is called a dikshita, and bound to the observance of many detailed prescriptions about his food, dress, residence, and his whole mode of living.

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