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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
Any gift
that proceeds from faith of the heart,
and is bestowed upon a worthy recipient,
produces great results.
There does not exist at all anything like
a trifling gift of that nature.
For this reason, by giving with a faithful heart
to the Congregation of the Holy,
that most excellent ground fit for sowing meritorious action,
one may obtain the utmost gladness,
considering thus: 'such blessings, and even greater than
these,
may ere long occur to me too.'
Any gift that
proceeds from faith of the heart and is bestowed on a worthy recipient
produces a great result; there does not exist at all anything like a
trifling gift of that nature, as will be taught by the following.
In the time when
our Lord was still a Bodhisattva, he was the King of Kosala. Though he
displayed royal virtues such as energy, discretion, majesty, power, and
the rest in an exceedingly high degree, the brilliancy of one
virtue--his great felicity--surpassed all the others. And as all his
virtues were embellished by his felicity, the rest shone all the more
just as moonbeams do when their splendor expands during the autumn
season of the year.
Fortune, who dwelt with him, distributed her wrath and favor to the
other kings in such a manner that she abandoned the king's proud
enemies, and like an amorous woman, Fortune cherished the king's
vassals. The monarch's righteousness, however, prevented his mind from
conceiving ill so he therefore did nothing to oppress his adversaries
in any manner whatsoever. However, the king's dependents displayed
their affection for him in such a degree that Fortune refused to reside
with his foes.
Now one day the
king recollected his last previous existence, in consequence of which
he felt greatly moved and bestowed still greater gifts in charity--the
motive and essential cause of happiness--on both Sramanas and Brahmans,
as well as the wretched and the beggars. He fostered unceasingly his
observance of good conduct (sila); and he kept strictly to the
restrictions on Sabbath days. Moreover, as he was desirous of placing
his people on the road to salvation through the magnifying power of
meritorious actions, her was in the habit of uttering with a believing
heart two stanzas that were full of import:
"Attending on Buddhas by paying them honor, howsoever little, cannot
produce a trifling fruit. This has been taught before only by words,
but now it may be seen. Look at the rich affluence of the fruit,
produced by a small portion of saltless, dry, course, reddish-brown
gruel.
"This mighty army of mine with its beautiful chariots and horses and
its dark-blue masses of fierce elephants; the sovereignty of the whole
earth, great wealth, Fortune's favor, my noble wife, behold the beauty
of this store of fruit, produced by a small portion of course gruel."
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 Neither
the
king's
ministers nor the worthiest among the Brahmans nor the foremost
among the townsmen, though tormented with curiosity, ventured to
question the king as to what he meant by these two stanzas. But when
the king persisted in his incessant repeating of them the queen grew
curious. So one day she put this question to the king in the presence
of a full audience:
"Verily at all times, my lord, you are reciting these stanzas, as if
you were giving vent to a gladness that resides within your heart. But
my heart is ever troubled by curiosity when you speak in this manner.
If I am allowed to hear it, say on, then, just what do you mean by this
utterance? As secrets are nowhere proclaimed in this manner, the import
of these words must be a matter of public knowledge, and therefore I
shall ask you about it."
The king cast a mild look of gladness on his queen and with a
smile-blooming face he spoke the following words:
"When hearing this utterance of mine without perceiving its cause, it
is not only you whom is excited by curiosity, but also the whole of my
officials, my town and my kingdom who are troubled and disturbed by
their desire to know the meaning of it. Listen, then to what I am about
to say.
"Just as one
who awakens from sleep, I remember my former existence when I lived as
a servant in this very town. Although I was keeping good conduct, I
earned a sorry living through the performance of hired labor on behalf
of people who had become elevated simply because of their wealth.
"So one day just as I was about to enter the abode of toil, contempt,
and sorrow, ever
striving to support my family and fearing, lest I
should lack the means of sustenance myself, when I saw four Sramanas
with subdued senses, accompanied as it were by the bliss of monkhood,
going about for alms.
"After bowing to them with a mind softened by faith I reverently
entertained them in my humble home with a small dish of gruel. Out of
that sprout has sprung up this tree of greatness, in which the
glitterings of the
crest-jewels of other kings are now reflected in the
dust on my own feet.
"It is due to this recollection of my former life that I recite these
stanzas, my queen. and it is for the very same reason that I now find
satisfaction in performing meritorious actions and receiving Arhats."
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 Then the queen's
face expanded with gladness and surprise. She raised her eyes
respectfully to the king, saying: "Highly probable, indeed, is it that
such very great prosperity is the fruit produced by meritorious
actions, since you, great king, being yourself a witness of the result
of meritorious actions, are so anxious for gathering merit. For this
very reason you are disinclined to evil actions, disposed to protect
your subjects duly like a father, and intent on earning plenty of merit.
"Shining with illustrious glory enhanced by charity, vanquisher of your
rival kings waiting with bent heads for your orders, may you long rule
the Earth with righteous management right up to its wind-wrinkled
ocean-border!"
The king said: "Why should this not be, my queen? "In fact, I will
endeavor to keep once more the path leading to salvation, of which I
have already noted the lovely marks. Having heard of the fruit of
charity, people shall love giving; how should not I be liberal, having
experienced this truth myself?"
As he tenderly looking at his queen, the king beheld her shining with
an almost divine splendor. Desiring to know the reason for her
bright-shining countenance, he spoke again: "Like the crescent amidst
the stars you shine in the midst of women. Say, what deed have you
done, my dear, to produce such a very sweet result?"
 The queen
replied: "O yes, my lord, I too have some remembrance of my life in a
former birth. Like something experienced in my childhood, I recollect
being a slave. After giving with devotion to a Muni with extinguished
passions the remnants of one dish, I fell asleep there, as it were, and
arose from sleep here. By this wholesome action, my prince, I now
remember, I have obtained you for my lord, sharing you with the Earth.
What you said: 'surely, no benefit given to holy persons who have
extinguished their passions, can be a small one'--these very words were
then spoken by that Muni."
Then the king, perceiving that the assembly was overcome by feelings of
piety and amazement, and that the manifestation of the result of merit
had roused in their minds a high esteem for meritorious actions, he
earnestly presented this message to the audience:
"How is is possible then, that anybody should not devote himself to
performing meritorious actions by practicing charity and good conduct,
after seeing this large and splendid result of a good action however
small? No, that man is not even worth looking at who, ever wrapped in
the darkness of avarice, declines to make himself renowned for his
gifts, though being wealthy enough to do so.
"If by abandoning in the right manner wealth, which of necessity is to
be left behind and so of no use at all, any good quality may be
acquired. Who, then, knowing the charm of virtues, would elect to
follow the path of selfishness? In truth, the virtues of gladness and
the rest, being followed by good renown, are founded on charity.
"Almsgiving is a great treasure, indeed, a treasure which is always
with us and is inaccessible to thieves and the rest. Almsgiving
cleanses the mind from the dirt of the sins of selfishness and
cupidity. It is an easy vehicle by which to relieve the fatigue of the
travel through Samsara. It is our best and constant friend that ever
seeks to procure manifold pleasure and comfort for us.
"All is obtained by almsgiving, whatever may be wished for, whether it
be abundance of riches or brilliant domination or a residence in the
city of the Devas, or beauty of the body. Who, considering this matter
in this manner, should not practice almsgiving?
"Almsgiving, it is said, constitutes the worth of riches; it is also
called the essential cause of domination, the grand performance of
piety. Even rags for dress, given away by the simple-minded, are a
well-bestowed gift."
The audience
respectfully approved this persuasive discourse of the king, and felt
inclined to the exercise of charity and the like.
So any gift that proceeds from faith of the heart, and is bestowed upon
a worthy recipient, produces great results; there does not exist at all
anything like a trifling gift of that nature. For this reason, by
giving with a faithful heart to the Congregation of the Holy--that most
excellent ground fit for sowing meritorious actions--one may obtain the
utmost gladness, considering thus: 'such blessings, and even greater
than these, may ere long occur to me too.'
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