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

"To he who excels by means of his extraction,
figure, age, superior power, or the wealth of his estate, attachment to virtues is
the most proper ornament in this world
for his golden garlands are only indicative of his material riches. Blossoms are the proper ornaments of trees,
flashes of lightning adorn the rain-clouds,
and the lotuses and water lilies that attract drunken bees
are responsible for making lakes beautiful.
However, the proper ornaments of living beings
are the virtues that have been brought to perfection."

Nothing is unbearable to those who have wholly imbibed the virtue of forbearance and are great in keeping their tranquillity. This will be taught as follows.

One time the Bodhisattva, it is said, was an ascetic who had forsaken the world. He had become convinced that the life of a householder, since it is beset with bad occupations, leaves but little room for righteousness. For it is visited by many sins and evils and unfit for quiet, inasmuch as it implies the prevalence of material interest (artha) and sensual pleasures (kama).

Exposed to the inroad of the defiling passions of love, hatred, infatuation, jealousy, anger, lasciviousness, pride, selfishness, and the rest, the abode of covetousness and wicked lust involves the loss of the possession of shame and religion. On the other hand, the Bodhisattva understood that the homeless state, since it avoids material property and sensual objects, is an agreeable one being wholly free from those aforementioned evils. Thus knowing, he became an eminent ascetic by means of his conduct, learning, placidity of mind, modesty, and self-restraint.

As he was in the habit of always preaching forbearance and teaching the Law in strict conformity with the vow he had taken to do so, people neglecting his proper name and that of his family, bestowed upon him a name of their own invention, calling him Kshantivadin ("preacher of forbearance").

Now men are most often given new names due to their illustrious domination, knowledge, penance, or extreme passion for arts, as well as due to an anomaly of body, language or behavior. So was the case with the Bodhisattva. Because of his desire to adorn mankind with his knowledge of the power of forbearance, his true name vanished to be replaced by the appellation of the virtue that he constantly used as his topic of discourse.

His renown as a Muni was the result of the great endurance that was integral to his very nature as well as the firmness that he displayed through his unaltered calm whenever injured by others. The High-minded One resided in a lovely place of utter solitude in the forest. Exhibiting all the charms and beauty of a garden, encompassed a pond of pure water embellished by white and blue lotuses and bore flowers and fruits in all seasons.

The sound of the king's royal drums, which were as strong as the rattling of thunder, induced the peacocks to utter their distinctive and peculiar cries and unfurl the wide-spread circles of their tails as if they were actors worshipping the monarch by the virtue of their own art. Then after he had enjoyed to his heart's content the pleasures of walking about in that garden-like wood, he tired of the incessant playing as if his mind had been overcame by strong drink. So the king laid himself down on his very precious royal couch that had been established underneath a beautiful arbor and fell fast asleep.

When the women perceived that they no longer occupied their lord's attention, and as they were not yet satiated with the manifold loveliness of that forest's enchantments, they moved ever further afield. They rambling about in groups formed according to their own liking, mixing the confused sounds of their rattling ornaments with the tinkling noise of their chatter.

Followed by the badges of sovereign power, the royal umbrella, the royal tail-fan, the royal seat and so on, which were decorated with golden ornaments and borne by female slaves, the wandering women continued to indulge in an unrestrained state of wantonness. Disregarding the entreaties of the female servants and prompted by their own petulance, they greedily laid hands upon lovely flowers and those twigs of the trees that laid within their reach. Though they already had plenty of flowers--both as ornaments and arranged as wreaths--they continued to strip all the flowers and waving twigs off all the shrubs and trees along their path out of cupidity.

Now in the course of their rambling through that lovely and enchanting forest, the king's harem approached the hermitage of Kshantivadin. Although those who were in charge of the royal wives knew of the penance-power and high-mindedness of that Muni, they did not venture to prevent the women from entering the hermitage for they feared the arousal of their monarch's resentment on account of the king's attachment to his darlings.

As if they had been attracted by the splendor of that hermitage, the loveliness of which was enhanced by the supernatural power of its occupant, the royal wives passed through the portal. Therein they saw the eminent Muni sitting with crossed legs under a tree, a view that was most auspicious and purifying to behold. His tranquillity gave a soft expression to his countenance and the exceeding profundity of his mind inspired their awe. His face radiated, as it were, from the splendor of his penance. And owing to his diligent exercise of dhyana, he bore the beautiful expression of calm as is proper to undisturbed senses, even though the loftiest subjects of meditation were present to his thoughts. In short, he appeared as if he were the Dharma embodied.

The luster of his penance subdued the minds of those royal wives and the very sight of him was sufficient to make them abandon their dalliance, frivolity, and haughtiness. Accordingly, they went to the Bodhisattva in a humble attitude and sat down respectfully in a circle around him. For his part, the Great-Minded One bestowed the usual salutations, welcoming them to his hermitage and saying unto the women those kind and courteous things which are agreeable to guests. Then availing himself of the opportunity afforded by their questions, he displayed his hospitality by delivering a religious discourse. He preaching in such terms as were easily understood by women and illustrated his exposition of the Law by giving many examples.

Having obtained the blameless human state and having been born in the full possession of sound, vigorous organs and senses that are without any defect, he who neglects to perform good actions every day from a lack of attention-such a one is much deceived. Is he not subject to the necessity of death?

"Although a man be ever so excellent by his birth, figure, age, superior power, or the wealth of his estate, never will he enjoy happiness in the other world unless he has been purified by charity, good conduct (sila), and the rest of the virtues. On the other hand, he who though devoid of a noble birth and the rest, abhors wickedness and resorts to the virtues of charity, good conduct and the rest, such a one is hereafter visited by every kind of bliss, as the sea in the rainy season by the water of the rivers.

"To he who excels by means of his extraction, figure, age, superior power, or the wealth of his estate, attachment to virtues is the most proper ornament in this world for his golden garlands are only indicative of his material riches. Blossoms are the proper ornaments of trees, flashes of lightning adorn the rain-clouds, and lakes are made beautiful by the lotuses and water lilies that attract the visits of drunken bees. However, the proper ornaments of living beings are the virtues that have been brought to perfection.

"The various differences among men with respect to their health, duration of life, beauty of figure, wealth, birth may be classed under the headings of low, middle and high. This triad is not the effect of natural properties nor caused by external influences. No, it is the result of a man’s own actions (karma). Knowing this to be the fixed law of human existence, and keeping in mind the fickleness and frailties of life, a man must avoid wickedness by directing his heart to pious behavior. For this is the way that leads to his good reputation and happiness.

"A defiled mind, however, acts like a fire. It burns away the good of one's self and one's neighbor. Therefore, he who is afraid of wickedness ought to keep off carefully such defilement by cultivating what tends to the contrary. Just as a fire, however fiercely it burns, becomes extinguished when meets a great river full of water, so does the fire which blazes within the mind of a man become extinguished when he relies on forbearance to serve his needs in both this world and the next.

"He who practices the virtue of forbearance avoids wickedness for in that very way he vanquishes its causes. In consequence thereof he will not rouse enmity, owing to his cherishing friendliness. For this reason, he will be beloved and honored and accordingly enjoy a happy life. At the end he comes to Heaven as easily as if he had entered his home, thanks to his attachment to meritorious behavior.

"Moreover, ladies, this virtue of forbearance, I say, is celebrated as the superior degree of a pious nature. As the highest development obtainable by merit and good repute, forbearance is that purification which is attained without touching water as well as the highest wealth afforded by the affluence of virtuous properties. It is praised as the lovely firmness of the virtuous mind that is always indifferent to the injuries done to them by others.

"As the ornament of the powerful, forbearance is the highest pitch of the strength of ascetics. Since it has the effect of a shower of rain on the conflagration of evils, it may be called the extinguisher of misfortune both in this world and after death. To the virtuous forbearance is a coat of mail, blunting the arrows that shoot from the tongues of the wicked, transforming those barbs into flowers of praise that may be inserted into the garlands of their glory.

"Forbearance is stated to be the killer of adversary of the Dharma known as Delusion. It is an easy contrivance by which to reach salvation. Who, then, ought not to do his utmost to obtain forbearance, that virtue which is invariably conducive to happiness?"

In this manner the High-minded One entertained his female guests. Meanwhile the king, having satisfied his want of sleep, awoke from his slumber. Although his lassitude was now gone, his eyes were still heavy with the dimness of an inebriation that had not entirely passed away. Desirous of continuing his amorous sport, he frowningly asked the female servants who guarded his couch, where his wives had gone.

"Your Majesty," they answered, "Their Highnesses are now embellishing other parts of the forest in order to admire its splendor."

As he eagerly desired to witness the continued sport of his royal wives laughing and jesting in a free and unrestrained manner, the king rose up from his couch. Accompanied by female warriors bearing his umbrella, chowrie, upper garment, and sword, and followed by armored eunuchs holding reed-staves in their hands, the monarch marched through the forest in order to seek out the women of his harem.

It was easy to follow the way they had taken for the path was strewn with the multitude of blossoms, flower-clusters, and twigs that the women had tossed about in their wantonness. The trail was also marked by the red sap of the areca-nut and betel that they chewed along the way.

When the king arrived at the Muni's hermitage in due course and spied the excellent rishi Kshantivadin at the center of a circle formed by his royal wives, the monarch's mind was seized by a fit of wrath. Since the king's intellect was still troubled by drunkenness and his mind overcome with jealousy, he was ill-disposed to composing himself. Losing his countenance, disregarding the laws of decency and politeness, and submitting to sinful wrath, he allowed frenzy to overtake.

His color altered and drops of sweat appeared on his face. His limbs trembled, his brows frowned, his red-tinged eyes squinted, rolled, stared and the loveliness, grace, and beauty of his figure waned.

The king pressed his hands together, and rubbing them, squeezing thereby his finger-rings. As he shook his golden armlets, he scolded that excellent rishi through the utterance of the following invectives: "Ha!" he exclaimed. "Who is that knave who injures our majesty, casting his eyes on our wives? Under the disguise of a Muni does this hypocrite acts like a fowler."

Alarmed and disturbed by their sovereign's words, the eunuchs said to the king: "Your Majesty ought not to speak so. This is a Muni who has purified his Self by a long life of vows and restraints and penance. Kshantivadin is his name."

Nevertheless, the perverted state of the king's mind did not enable the monarch take to heart the words of his servants. "Alas!" continued the king. "Ah! So it is then a long time already since this hypocrite, setting himself up as the foremost of holy ascetics, has deceived people by means of his forgery! Well, then, I will lay open the true nature of this hypocrite, though he keeps it veiled behind the dress of an ascetic and well concealed through his practice of the arts of delusion and false godliness."

After thus speaking, the king took his sword from the hand of a female guard and rushed up to the holy rishi for the determined purposed of striking him, as if the Muni were his rival. On seeing their king's fine features transformed by anger, the royal wives became much afflicted. With anxious looks that were expressive of their consternation and troubled minds, they rose from the earth and took their leave of the Muni and approached the king's side. They stood near their husband with folded hands lifted up to their faces. It was if they were an assemblage of lotuses in autumn when the brightness of the flowers begins to peep out of their buds.

Despite their graceful demeanor, modesty and comeliness, their arrival did nothing to appease the fire of wrath that burned in the king's mind. Recovering from their initial terror and perceiving that the king was displaying the fierce and angry manner in which the sword-bearing king was marching in the direction of that holy rishi upon whom the king had set his adverse gaze, the queens placed themselves in harm's way. Surrounding their sovereign, they entreated him: "Your Majesty, pray, do not commit a reckless act. This man is the Reverend Kshantivadin."

Owing to his heart's wickedness, the king became all the more angry, thinking: "Surely, he has already gained their affection."

Reproving the temerity of his harem by means of displaying the clear signs of his discontent, he frowned and cast on them angry looks that were as fierce as the jealousy which had already taken possession of his mind. Then turning to his eunuchs and shaking his head in such a way that his royal diadem and ear-rings trembled, the king said with a glance at his wives: "This man speaks only of forbearance but he does not practice it. For example, he was not impassable to the covetousness of the contact with females.

"His tongue does not at all agree with his actions, still less with his ill-intentioned heart. What has this man with unrestrained senses to do in the penance-forest that he should simulate religious vows and dress and sit down in the hypocritical posture of a saint?"

That wrathful king having thus rebuked his queens and revealed his own hard-heartedness, cause the queens to be affected with sorrow and sadness. For they knew all to well his ferocious nature as well as that state of mind which rendered him inaccessible to persuasion. Likewise alarmed, the anxious eunuchs signed to the harem women that they should withdraw. Lowering their faces with shame and lamenting over that best of Rishis, the queens departed from that woeful scene.

"We are the cause of the king's wrath against a sinless and self-subdued holy ascetic who is wide-famed for his virtues. Who knows what will come at the end of it? In one way or other will the king perform some unbecoming deed, when his wrath falls down on one who is virtuous.

"By harming the body of that Muni as well as the body of his penance, the king will destroy his own royal behavior and glory. Moreover, the act shall grieve our own guiltless minds at the same time!"

After the queens had lamented and sighed on his account--for what could they else do for him--the wrath-filled king came up to the holy Rishi with drawn sword, in order to strike him down. Upon seeing that the Great Being's calmness had remained unchanged despite the king's approach, that monarch became all the more excited, and said to him: "How skilled he is in playing the holy one. Why he looks at me as if he were a Muni and thus persists in his guileful arrogance!"

The Bodhisattva, however, owing to his constant practice of forbearance, was not at all disturbed. Although not without astonishment, he immediately understood from these hostile proceedings that it was the eagerness of wrath which caused the king to act in such an unbecoming way. Knowing that the king had thrown off all restraint of politeness and good manners and had lost the faculty of distinguishing between good and evil, the Great-minded One pitied that monarch and, with the object of appeasing him, said something like this:

"Meeting with disrespect is nothing strange in this world. For this reason, since it may also happen to be the effect of destiny and guilt, I do not mind it. But this grieves me that I cannot perform towards you, not even with my voice, the usual kind reception that is due to those who come before me.

"Moreover hear this, 0 sovereign. You who are bound to put evil-doers on the right path and to act for the interest of the creatures, it does not become you to commit any rash action. Therefore, it would be better for you rather follow the way of the following reflection.

"Something good may be considered evil and inversely something evil may appear in a false light. The truth about anything to be done cannot be discerned at once before one inquires through reasoning into the differences in the several modes of action. But such a king as gets a true insight of his proper line of conduct by reflection and, after that, carries out his design with righteousness by means of his policies, will always effect the thrift of dharma, artha and kama on his people, nor will he be devoid of that three-fold prosperity himself.

"For this reason, you ought to purify your mind of rashness and to be only intent on such actions as tend to good repute. In fact, transgressions of a decent behavior are highly notorious when they are committed by persons of a high rank in whom they were not previously seen.

"In a penance-forest protected by your mighty arm, you would not suffer anybody else, in truth, to do what is blamed by the pious and destructive to good behavior. How is it that you should decide to act in this way yourself, 0 king? If your harem came perchance to my hermitage together with their male attendants, what fault is it of mine that you should allow yourself to be thus transformed by wrath?

"Supposing, however, that I had indeed committed some fault, forbearance would become you even then, my lord. Forbearance, indeed, is the chief ornament of a powerful one for it betrays his cleverness in keeping the treasury of his virtues. Forbearance is that adornment of kings which far excels the dark-blue ear-rings that shine on the cheeks with the reverberation of dancing or even the brilliant jewels of their head-ornaments. Thus considering, pray, do not disregard this virtue.

"Set aside irascibility which is never fit to be relied upon. Rather maintain forbearance as carefully as your dominions. In truth, the lovely behavior of the princes who show their esteem to ascetics is full of bliss."

Notwithstanding this admonition by that excellent Muni, the king--troubled by the crookedness of his mind--persisted in his false suspicions. So he addressed the Muni again: "If you are not a mock-ascetic, but really engaged in keeping your vow of restraint, for what reason then do you, under the pretext of exhorting me to forbearance, beg safety from my side"?"

The Bodhisattva answered: "Know, O great prince, that I spoke so that your good renown might not break down under the blame you would incur because of me if it were to be said that the king had killed a guiltless ascetic, that the monarch had murdered a Brahman."

"Death is an invariable necessity for all creatures. For this reason I am not afraid of it. Nor when I recollect my own behavior have I anything else to fear. No it was for your sake that I praised forbearance to you as the fit instrument for attaining salvation so that you should not suffer by injuring Righteousness, the source of happiness. Since it is a mine of virtues and an armor against vices, I gladly praise Forbearance, for it is that excellent boon I offer you."

But disdained those gentle flowers of speech that the Muni had offered him, the king scornfully said to that foremost of Rishis: "Let us now see your attachment to forbearance!"

And so speaking, he directed his sharp sword at the right hand of the Muni--which had its very fine and long fingers extended upward and was a little extended towards the king as it displayed a prohibitive gesture--and severed it from the Muni's arm as one would sever a lotus from its stalk.

The Bodhisattva, however, did not feel so much pain even after his hand had been cut off from his body. So steadfast was he in keeping his vow of forbearance. His sorrow was solely concerned with the cutter, whose future misfortune he saw. For a terrible and irremediable fate was about to fall upon that person who was hitherto accustomed to only experiencing pleasures.

"Alas! He has transgressed the boundary of his good, he has ceased to be a person worth admonishing," thought the Muni to himself. Thus commiserating the king as he would do for a sick man that had been given up by his doctors, the Great Being kept silent. The king, however, continued to speak threatening words: "And in this manner your body shall be cut to pieces until death. Desist from your hypocritical penance, and leave that villainous forgery."

Having thus learned of the king's obstinacy and understood him to be deaf to admonition, the Bodhisattva made no answer. Then in the same manner, the king successively cut off the High-minded One's other hand, arms, ears, nose and feet.

Yet even as that sharp sword fell down on his body, that foremost of Munis did not feel any sorrow or anger, knowing that the machinery of his body must eventually come to an end. due to his habitual practice of forbearance and in consequence of its habitual friendliness, the mind of that virtuous one remained inaccessible to any sense of sorrow on account of his own being. Even as he saw his limbs being cut off, his forbearance remained unshaken. However, the king's own fall from Righteousness made him sore with grief.

Verily, the compassionate who are great in retaining their own tranquillity throughout are not so much afflicted by their own pain, but they ever grieve on account of the suffering of others.

But after performing that cruel deed, the king was caught by a fire-like fever. And when he went out of the gardens, the earth suddenly opened up and swallowed him whole. Moreover, the earth continued to make a fearful noise, and fiery flames appeared at its opening, which caused great consternation all around and perplexed and alarmed the royal attendants.

The king's ministers--knowing the grandeur of the penance-power of that Muni and imputing to it the catastrophe of the king--were overcome with anxiety, lest that holy rishi should burn down the entire kingdom on account of the king. Thus apprehending, they went up to the holy rishi, and bowing to him entreated him with folded hands to be propitious.

"May that king, who impelled by his infatuated mind has put you into this state by committing an exceedingly rash action, be alone the fuel for the fire of your curse. Pray, do not burn his town, do not destroy innocent people because of his fault--women and children, the old and the sick, the Brahmans and the poor! Rather should you, being a lover of virtues, preserve both the realm of that king as well as your own righteousness."

The Bodhisattva comforted them with this reply: "Sirs, do not fear retribution because of that king who just cut off with his sword my hands and feet, my ears and nose, maiming an innocent ascetic living in the forest. Moreover, how should a person like me aim at his hurt or even conceive such a thought? May that king live long and may no evil befall him!

"A being subject to sorrow, death and sickness, one who is subdued by cupidity and hatred, and consumed by his own evil actions, is a person to be pitied. Who ought to get angry with such a one? And should that line of conduct be ever so preferable, 0 that his sin might ripen its unavoidable result in detriment of no other person but me! For when people who are accustomed to experiencing pleasure meet with suffering, even for a short while, their duress is keen and unbearable.

"But since I am unable to protect that king who annihilated in this manner his own happiness, for what reason should I give up that state of powerlessness to indulge in hating him? Even without a king's intervention, everybody born has to deal with the suffering that arises from death. It is herefore birth alone that one must oppose. For without that state of being, what suffering may there arise and from whence?

"For many eons of time (kalpas) I have lost my worthless body in manifold ways in numerous previous existences. How is it that I should give up forbearance on account of the destruction of this frame now? Would it not be as if I were to give up a jewel for a straw? Dwelling in the forest and bound to the vow of world-renunciation, I am a preacher of forbearance and soon prey to death. Why, therefore, should I entertain the desire for revenge? Therefore, do not fear me any longer. Peace be to you, go!"

After thus instructing and at the same time admitting them as disciples in the lore of the pious, that foremost of Munis, who kept his constancy unshaken owing to his relying on forbearance, left that earthly residence and mounted to Heaven.

To those who have wholly imbibed the virtue of forbearance and are great in keeping their tranquillity there is nothing whatsoever that is unbearable. Thus should be said whenever one discourses on the virtue of forbearance, taking the Muni for example. This story is also to be told whenever one discourses on the vices of rashness and wrath, using the king as an example. In addition, those who expound on the miserable consequences of sensual pleasures or with the object of showing the inconstancy of material prosperity should say: "In this manner, sensual pleasures lead a man to become addicted to wicked behavior, which brings him into ruin."

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