Baka-Brahma-Jātaka

Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Jataka >>Baka-Brahma-Jātaka

Source: Adapted from Archaic Translation by H.T. Francis and R.A. Neil
JATAKA No. 405

BAKA-BRAHMA-JATAKA

"Seventy and two," etc.--The Master told this tale while living in Jetavana monastery, concerning the brahma(ArchAngel) (*1) Baka. In him a false view arose, namely, "This present existence is perpetual, permanent, eternal, unchanging: apart from it there is no salvation (nirvana) or release at all." In a former birth this brahma had once practiced meditation, so he was born in the Vehapphala heaven. Having spent there an existence of five hundred kalpas(Kalpa= 4320 million. years i.e. one full cycle of expansion/bigbang to contraction/collapse of universe ), he was born in the Subhakinna heaven; after sixty-four kalpas there he passed and was born in the Abhassara heaven, where existence is for eight kalpas. It was there that this false teaching arose in him. He forgot that he had passed from higher Brahmaloka heavens(realm of ArchAngels) and had been born in that heaven, and perceiving neither of these things had taken up the false view. The Lord, understanding his thoughts, as easily as a strong man can extend his bent arm or bend his extended arm, disappearing from Jetavana monastery, appeared in that Brahmaloka(Realm of ArchAngels). The brahma(ArchAngel), seeing the Lord, said, "Come here, my lord; welcome, my lord; it is a long time, my lord, since you have taken this opportunity, even for coming here; this world, my lord, is perpetual, it is permanent, it is eternal, it is absolute, it is unchanging; this world is not born, it decays not, it dies not, it passes not away, it is not born again: apart from this world there is no other salvation beyond." When this was said, the Lord said to Baka the brahma(ArchAngel), "Baka the brahma has come to ignorance, he has come to ignorance, when he will say that a thing which is not permanent is permanent, and so on, and that there is no other salvation apart from this when there is another salvation (nirvana)." Hearing this the brahma(ArchAngel) thought, "This one presses me hard, finding out exactly what I say," and as a timid thief, after receiving a few blows, says, "Am I the only thief? so and so and so and so are thieves too," showing his associates; so he, in fear of the Lord's questioning, showing that others were his associates, spoke the first stanza:-

Seventy and two, O Gautam(Buddha), are we Righteous and great, from birth and age we're free: Our heaven is wisdom's home, there's nothing above: And many others will this view approve.

Hearing his words, the Master spoke the second stanza:-

Short your existence in this world: it is wrong, Baka, to think existence here is long: A hundred thousand aeons past and gone All your existence well to me is known.

Hearing this, Baka spoke the third stanza:-

Of wisdom infinite, O Lord, am I: Birth, age, and sorrow, all beneath me lie: What should I do with good works, long ago? Yet tell me something, Lord, that I should know.

Then the Lord, explaining and showing him things of past time, spoke four stanzas:-

To many a man of old you gave drink For thirst and parching drought ready to sink: That virtuous deed of yours so long ago Remembering, as if waked from sleep, I know.

By Eni's bank you set the people free When chained and held in close captivity: That virtuous deed of yours so long ago Remembering, as if waked from sleep, I know.

By Ganges' stream the man you did set free, Whose boat was seized by naga, cruelly Lusting for flesh, and save him mightily: That virtuous deed of yours, so long ago Remembering, as if waked from sleep, I know.

And I was Kappa,your disciple true, Your wisdom andyour virtues all I knew: And now those deeds of yours so long ago Remembering, as if waked from sleep, I know.

Hearing his own deeds from the Master's discourse, Baka gave thanks and spoke this last stanza:-

You knowest every life that has been mine: Buddha you are, all wisdom sure is yours: And sureyour glorious majesty and state Even this Brahma world illuminate.

So the Master, making known his quality as Buddha and explaining the Law, explained on the Truths. At the end the thoughts of ten thousand brahmas(archangels) were freed from attachments and sins. So the Lord became the refuge of many brahmas(ArchAngels), and going back from Brahmaloka(Realm of ArchAngels) to Jetavana monastery preached the righteous path in the way described and identified the Birth: "At that time Baka the brahma(ArchAngel) was the ascetic Kesava, Kappa the disciple was myself."

Footnotes:

(1)A brahma means an archangel in one of the Brahma-loka heavens.