Sujāta-Jātaka3

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Source: Adapted from Archaic Translation by H.T. Francis and R.A. Neil
JATAKA No. 352

SUJATA-JATAKA

"Why haste to bring," etc.--This story the Master, while living at Jetavana monastery, told concerning a landowner who had lost his father. On the death of his father, they say, he went about mourning, quite unable to shake off his grief. The Master perceived in the man a capacity to attain to the Fruit of salvation (nirvana), and when he went his rounds in Shravasti city for alms, accompanied by an attendant monk, he came to his house and sitting down on the seat prepared for him he bowed to his host, who was also seated, and said, "Lay disciple, are you grieving?" and on his replying, "Yes, Reverend Sir, I am," he said, "Friend, sages of old listened to the words of Wisdom, and when they lost a father, they did not grieve." And at the request of his host he told a story of the olden time.

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisattva came to life in the house of a landowner. And they called him young Sujata. When he was grown up, his grandfather died. Then his father from the day of the old man's death was filled with sorrow, and taking his bones from the place of cremation he erected an earth-mound in his pleasure-garden, and depositing the remains there, whenever he visited the place, decorated the stupa with flowers and studiously mourned, neither bathing nor anointing himself nor eating. Neither did he attend to his business. The Bodhisattva, on observing this, thought, "My father ever since the death of my grandfather goes about overwhelmed with grief. And no one, I am sure, except myself has power to console him. I will find a way to deliver him from his sorrow."

So seeing a dead ox lying outside the city, he brought grass and water and placing them before it said, "Eat and drink, eat and drink." All that passed by on seeing this said, "Friend Sujata, are you mad? Do you offer grass and water to a dead ox?" But he answered not a word.

So they went to his father and said, "Your son has become mad. He is giving grass and water to a dead ox." On hearing this the landowner ceased to grieve for his father, and began to grieve for his son. And he went in haste and cried, "My dear Sujata, are you not in your sober senses? Why do you offer grass and water to the dead body of an ox?" And on this he spoke two stanzas:-

Why haste to bring your new-mown grass so sweet, And cry to lifeless beast, "Arise and eat"?

No food may raise to life an ox that's dead, your words are idle and of wrongdoing bred.

Then the Bodhisattva uttered two stanzas:-

I think this beast may come to life again, Both head and tail and its four feet remain.

But of my grandfather's head and limbs are gone: No fool weeps over his grave, but you alone.

On hearing this the father of the Bodhisattva thought: "My son is wise. He knows the right thing to be done both for this world and for the next. He did this to console me." And he said, "My dear and wise son Sujata, it is known to me that all existing things are impermanent. From now on I will not grieve. Such a son as this must be every one that would remove a father's grief." And singing the praises of his son he said :-

As ghee (clarified butter)-fed flame that blazes out fast Is quenched with water, so he quenched my pain. With sorrow's shaft my heart was wounded hurt, He healed the wound and did my life restore. The barb extracted, full of peace and joy, I cease to grieve and listen to my boy. Thus kindly souls wean mortals from their grief, As wise Sujata brought his sire relief.

The Master having ended his discourse revealed the Truths and identified the Birth:-At the conclusion of the Truths the landowner attained fruition of the First Path(Trance):-"At that time I myself was Sujata."

Footnotes:

(1)Repeated in no. 332