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
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Adapted from the 19th
century translation by J. S Speyer
"He who
after promising to give,
makes up his mind to withhold his gift,
such a one puts on again the bond of cupidity,
which he had cast off before.
He who after promising to give, does not keep his promise,
being driven from his resolution by avarice,
should he not be held for the worst of men?
He who, having strengthened the hope of the mendicants
by engaging himself to give,
pays them with the harsh disappointment of a refusal,
for him there is no expiation."
During the time
when our Lord was still a Bodhisattva, he was formerly a king of the
Sibis in consequence of his possessing a store of meritorious actions
collected by practices from time immemorial. He gained the affection of
his subjects through his attachment to modest behavior as well as the
deference that he had shown, and the honor that he had bestowed upon,
the Sibi elders since childhood. Owing to the natural quickness of his
intellect, the Bodhisattva enlarged his mind by learning many sciences.
Distinguished by energy, discretion, majesty and power, and favored by
fortune, the king ruled his subjects as if they were his own children.
It seemed as if
the different sets of virtues that accompany each member of the triad
(dharma, artha and karma) gladly took their residence with him; in
spite of the disturbance which might otherwise occur from their
contrasts, they did not lose any of their splendor. Felicity, which is
like a mockery to those who have attained high rank by wrongful means,
which is like a grievous calamity to the fool and like an intoxicating
liquor to the feeble-minded--to the king it was real happiness.
Noble-hearted, full of compassion, and wealthy, this best of kings
rejoiced with satisfaction and joy at the attainment of all wished-for
objects. In accordance with his propensity for charity, the king caused
alms-halls to be constructed in all parts of the town in which every
kind of utensil, good, and grain was provided. Through these halls he
poured out the rain of his gifts, not unlike the golden cloud of the
Krita Yuga. As well became the loftiness of his mind, he supplying the
wants of each according to his desire. And through lovely deference and
kind speed he enhanced the benefit of his gifts he bestowed food and
drink upon those who were in need of sustenance. Likewise he dispensed
couches, seats, dwellings, meals, perfumes, wreaths, silver, gold and
the rest upon all those who wanted them. The fame of the king's sublime
munificence spread quickly abroad. And so people who lived in different
parts of the world went to that country, with their very hearts full of
surprise and joy.
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Letting the whole world of men pass before their
mind's eye, the mendicants did not find in others an opportunity of
putting forth their requests. The crowds full of glad faces were like a
herd of wild elephants that approach a great lake in order to drink of
it.
Although the outward appearance of that mendicant people in traveling
dress was anything but handsome, the king received them as if they were
friends returning from abroad. With his eyes wide-open with joy he
listened to their requests as if good news were being reported to him.
and after giving, his contentment surpassed even that of the recipients
who had flocked together from all directions.
The voices of beggars soon spread the fame of the king's munificence.
As if it were a perfume, it acted to abate the pride of the other
kings, just as the scent of the elephant in rut, being scattered by the
wind, causes the bees to neglect the like fluid of the other elephants.
One day while the king toured his many alms-halls, he noticed the
dwindling number of supplicants staying there due to his having already
fulfilled the wants of the mendicant people. Because his habit of
giving alms could not well proceed, the king grew uneasy. The indigent
may have quenched their thirst for desired boons, but the king not his
thirst for giving. His passion for charity was so great, that no
request could outdo his determination to give.
Then this thought arose within him: "Oh, very blessed are those most
excellent among the pious, to whom the mendicants utter their desires
with confidence, and without restraint, so as to ask for even their
limbs! But to me, as if they were terrified by harsh words of refusal,
they show only boldness in requesting a share of my wealth."
When the Earth become aware of the king's exceedingly lofty thought of
relinquished all attachments to his own flesh, it trembled as if it
were a wife in the arms of her loving husband. The surface of the Earth
being shaken, Sumeru, the Lord of Mountains, also began to quiver.
Inquiring into its cause, Sakra, the Lord of the Devas (Devendra),
understood that it was due to the sublime thought of the king of the
Sibis. Taken up with amazement, Sakra entered into this reflection:
"How is this? Does this king bear his mind so high and feel so great a
rejoicing at bestowing charity as to conceive the thought of parting
with his very own limbs? Well I shall put him to the test."
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In the kingdom of
the Sibis, the usual summons by proclamation had been given, inviting
anyone who was in need of anything to come forth. Surrounded by his
officials, the king sat on his throne in the midst of the assembly
surrounded by stores of wealth, silver, gold, and jewels; boxes filled
to the top with various kinds of clothes were uncovered and various
excellent carriages and well-trained beasts of draught, were made to
advance as the mendicants began crowding into the great hall.
 Having
assumed
the
shape
of
an
old
and blind Brahman, Sakra drew the attention of the
king, whose firm, placid, and mild looks of compassion and friendliness
approached and embraced him. When the royal attendants requested the
Brahman to make his request, Sakra drew near to the king, and addressed
him with these were following words:
"A blind old man have I come hither from afar to beg for thy eye, O
highest of kings. For the purpose of ruling the world's regular course
one eye may be sufficient, O lotus-eyed monarch."
Though the Bodhisattva experienced extreme delight at the realization
of his heart's desire, a doubt arose within him as to whether the
Brahman had actually spoken the words that his won heart had yearned to
hear for so long. He therefore addressed the Brahmin with the following
words:
"Who has instructed thee, illustrious Brahman, to come here and to ask
for my own eye? No one, it is said, will easily part with his eye. Who
is he that thinks the contrary of me?"
Sakra, the Lord of the Devas, knowing the intention of the king,
answered:
"It is Sakra. His statue, instructing me to ask thee for thy eye, has
caused me to come here. Now make real his opinion and my hope by giving
me thy eye."
Hearing the name of Sakra, the king thought: "Surely, through divine
power this Brahman shall be able to regain his eyesight in this way."
And so he spoke in a voice, the clear sound of which manifested his
great joy: "Brahman, I will fulfill this wish. You desire merely one
eye from me, but I shall give you both. And after I have adorned your
face with a pair of bright lotus-like eyes go which ever way you wish
and put the bystanders first into doubt's swing as and then amaze them
by the certainty of the transformation."
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The king's
councilors, understanding that the monarch had decided to part with his
own eyes, were perplexed and agitated and sadness afflicted their
minds. They said to the king:
"Majesty, your great fondness for charity has made you overlook the
fact that this is a mismanagement leading to evil. Be propitious, then,
desist from your purpose; do not give up your eyesight! For the sake of
one twice-born man (a Brahman) you must not disregard all of us. Do not
burn your own subjects with the fire of sorrow, to whom you have
hitherto ensured all comfort and prosperity.
"Money--the source of opulence--brilliant gems, milch cows, carriages
and trained beasts of draught, vigorous elephants of graceful beauty,
dwellings fit for all seasons and resounding with the noise of the
anklets (of female attendants), and by their brightness surpassing the
autumn-clouds: such are the boons that are fit to be bestowed. Give
those, and not your eyesight, O you who are the only Eye of the World.
"Moreover, great king, you must but consider this: How can the eye of
one person be put in the face of another? If, however, divine power may
effect this, why should your own eye be needed to accomplish the task?
Further, your Majesty, of what use is eyesight to a poor man? That he
might witness the abundance of others? Well then give him money: pray
do not commit such an act of rashness!"
Then the king addressed his ministers in soft and conciliating terms:
"He who after promising to give, makes up his mind to withhold his
gift, such a one puts on again the bond of cupidity, which he had cast
off before. He who after promising to give, does not keep his promise,
being driven from his resolution by avarice, should he not be held for
the worst of men? He who, having strengthened the hope of the
mendicants by engaging himself to give, pays them with the harsh
disappointment of a refusal, for him there is no expiation. And with
respect to your asserting, 'is divine power itself not sufficient to
restore eyesight to that man?' you should be taught this:
"That different means are wanted to carry out purposes is well known
indeed. For this reason even Destiny (Vidhi), though a deity, needs
some means or other. Therefore, you must not exert yourselves to
obstruct my determination to accomplish an extraordinary deed of
charity."
The ministers answered: "We have only ventured to observe to Your
Majesty that you ought to give away goods and grains and jewels, not
your own eyes. When saying this, we do not entice Your Majesty to
wickedness."
"The very thing asked for must be given," said the king. "A gift not
wished for does not afford pleasure. Of what use is water to one
carried off by the stream? For this reason, I shall grant this man's
request."
"Pray, do it not," responded the first minister, who more than the
others had got into the intimate confidence of the king. "You are
holding an empire, which is vying with the riches of Sakra, to the
attainment of which no one can aspire without a large amount of penance
and meditation, and the possession of which may pave with numerous
sacrifices the way to glory and Heaven. And yet you care not for it and
are willing to give away both your eyes! What aim do you wish for?
Where on earth has there ever been seen such a way of proceeding?
"By your sacrifices you have gained a place among the celestial gods,
your fame is shining far and wide, your feet reflect the splendor of
the head-ornaments of the kings (your vassals)--what then is it that
you long for to give up your eyesight?"
"It is not the realm of the whole earth for which I am striving in this
manner, nor is it Heaven, nor final extinction, nor glory, but with the
intention of becoming a Savior of the World I now provide that this
man's labor of asking be not fruitless," answered the king in a gentle
tone.
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 Then the king
ordered one eye of his--the lovely
brightness of which appeared like a petal of a blue lotus--to be
extracted gradually and intact according to the precepts of the
physicians. And with the greatest gladness he had it handed over to the
beggar who had asked for it.
Now by the power of magic, Sakra, the Lord of the Devas, produced an
illusion of such a kind that the king and his bystanders saw that eye
filling up the eye-hole of the old Brahman. When the king beheld the
eye-asker in the possession of an unclosed eye, his heart expanded with
the utmost delight, and so he presented the Brahman with the other eye
too.
Now that the king's eyes had been given away, his visage looked as if
it were a lotus-pond without lotuses. And yet it bore an expression of
satisfaction that was not shared by the king's subjects. In the inner
apartments of the palace as well as in the surrounding town, everywhere
tears of sorrow moistened the ground. But Sakra, full of admiration and
satisfaction and seeing the king's unshaken intention of attaining
Supreme Wisdom (Sambodhi), entertained the following reflection:
"What a constancy! What a goodness and a longing for the good of the
creatures! Though I witnessed the fact, I can scarcely believe it! It
is not right, then, that this person of marvelous goodness should
endure such a great hardship for a long time. I will endeavor to return
his eyesight by showing him the way of it."
After time had healed the wounds caused by the operation and lessened
and almost lulled the great sorrow of the inhabitants of the palace,
the town and the country, it happened one day that the king, desirous
of solitary retirement, was sitting with crossed legs in his garden on
the border of a lotus pond. That spot was blessed by fair and fine
trees that were bent down by the weight of their flowers. Swarms of
bees were humming all around them, and a gentle, fresh and fragrant
wind was blowing agreeably. Suddenly Sakra, the Lord of the Devas,
presented himself before the king. When the monarch asked who he was,
he answered:
"I am Sakra, the Lord of the Devas, I have come to you."
Thereupon the king welcomed Sakra and said that he awaited his orders.
"Choose some boon, holy prince," spoke Sakra, "Tell me what it is that
you desire."
Now the king being ever wont to give, and having never trodden the way
of miserable begging, said the following: "Great is my wealth. Sakra,
and my army is large and strong. But my blindness makes death welcome
to me. It is impossible for me, after supplying the wants of the
mendicants, to see their faces brightened by gladness and joy. For this
reason, O Indra, I love death now."
"No more of that resolution!" exclaimed Sakra. "Only virtuous persons
come into such as state as thine. But this you must tell me: It is the
mendicants who have caused you to come into such a state? How is it
that your mind is occupied with thoughts of others even now? Say on!
Speak the truth to me and you may yet find the way to an immediate
cure."
"I have no wish to make a boast out of my deeds of charity," answered
the king. "However, as surely as the supplicatory language of begging
people both now and before is as pleasing to my ears and the sound of
benedictions, so surely may one eye appear to me now!"
No sooner had the king pronounced these words than by the power of his
firm veracity and his excellent storehouse of meritorious actions one
eye appeared before him. Resembling a piece of a lotus-petal, it
encompassed a pupil that shone like sapphire. Rejoicing at this
miraculous appearance, the king spoke to Sakra a second time: "And as
surely as, after giving away both eyes to him who but asked for one, my
mind knew no other feeling but the utmost delight, so surely may I
obtain also the other eye!"
Thereupon a second eye appeared, the rival, as it were, of the first
one. The Earth with its many mountains began to shake, the ocean flowed
over its borders, the drums of the celestials spontaneously burst into
deep-toned, pleasing sounds, the sky in all directions became placid
and lovely, the sun shone with pure brightness like an autumn
afternoon, and a great number of flowers tinged with the sandal powder
fell down from heaven. All the celestials, including the Apsaras and
Ganas, came to this very spot, with their eyes wide-open in amazement.
And an agreeable wind of extreme loveliness began to blow as gladness
expanded to fill the minds of all creatures.
From every direction were heard voices of praise, uttered by crowds of
beings endowed with great magic power. Filled with joy and admiration
they glorified the great exploit of the king by exclaiming the
following:
"Oh, what loftiness! What compassion! See the purity of his heart, how
great it is! Oh, how little he cares for his own pleasures. Hail to
thee, renowned one, for thy constancy and valor! the world of creatures
has recovered their protector in thee, of a truth, as the luster of thy
eye-lotuses has again expanded! After a long time Righteousness has,
indeed, obtained an immense victory!"
Then Sakra applauded him: "Very well, very well!" and spoke again: "Thy
true feeling was not hidden from me, pure-hearted king. So I have but
returned to you these eyes of thine. And by means of them thou will
henceforth have the unencumbered power of seeing in all directions over
one hundred yojanas, even beyond mountains." Having said these words,
Sakra disappeared on the spot.
The king's officials, whose wide-opened and scarcely winking eyes
indicated the astonishment that filled their minds, followed the
Bodhisattva in a processional march towards the capital. TAs they
passed through the town adorned with hoisted flags and multifold
banners, the on-looking citizens and the Brahmans praised the monarch
with hails and benedictions. The Bodhisattva eventually seated himself
in his audience-hall surrounded by a great crowd made up of the
ministers in the first place, of Brahmans and elders, townsmen and
countrymen who had all come to express their respectful
congratulations. Thereafter the Bodhisattva preached the Law to them,
taking for his text the account of his own experience.
"Who in the world, then, should be slow in satisfying the wants of the
mendicants with his own wealth, who can see how I have obtained back
these eyes of mine, now endowed with divine power, in consequence of
charity-gathered merit? Within the circumference of one hundred yojanas
I can now see everything. though hidden by many mountains, I see
everything distinctly as if it were near. What means of attaining bliss
is superior to charity, which is distinguished by modesty and one's
commiseration with others? Know that I, by giving away my own eyesight,
have received in this world a superhuman and divine vision.
"Understanding this, O Sibis, make your riches fruitful through
alms-giving and by spending. This is the very path that leads to glory
and future happiness, both in this world as well as in the next. For
wealth, though a contemptible thing, has a singular virtue: it can be
given away by him who aims at the welfare of all creatures. And when
given away, it becomes a treasure; otherwise its ultimate object is
only death."
Having obtained this excellent Law for our sake, the Lord's preaching
is to be told on account of the Tathagata's high-mindedness, just as
the foregoing story of the tigress:
"In this manner the merit, gathered by good actions, shows already here
in this world something like the blossom of its power, the charming
flowers of increasing glory."
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