Dūta-Jātaka

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Source: Adapted from Archaic Translation by W.H.D. Rouse
JATAKA No. 260

DUTA-JATAKA

"O king, the Belly's messenger," etc. This story the Master told while staying at Jetavana monastery, about a Brother(Monk) who was addicted to desire of possession. The circumstances will be given at large under the Kaka Birth, in Book the Ninth. Here again the Master told the Brother, "You were greedy before, Brother, as you are now; and in olden days for your greed you had your head split with a sword." Then he told an old-world story.

Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king over Benares, the Bodhisattva was born as his son. He grew up, and finished his education at Taxila. On his father's death, he inherited the kingdom, and he was very elegant in his eating; accordingly he earned the name of King elegant. There was so much extravagance about his eating, that on one dish he spent an hundred thousand pieces. When he ate, he ate not within doors; but as he wished to confer merit upon many people by showing them the costly order of his meals, he caused a pavilion decorated with jewels to be set up at the door, and at the time of eating, he had this decorated, and there he sat upon a royal dais made all of gold, under a white umbrella with princesses all around him, and ate the food of an hundred delicate flavours from a dish which cost an hundred thousand pieces of money.

Now a certain greedy man saw the king's manner of eating, and desired to have a taste. Unable to master his craving, he belted up his loins tight, and ran up to the king, calling out loudly--"Messenger! messenger! O king"--with his hands held up. (At that time and in that kingdom, if a man called out "Messenger!" no one would stay him; and so it was that the lot divided and gave him way to pass.)

The man ran up swiftly, and catching a piece of rice from the king's dish, he put it in his mouth. The swordsman drew his sword, to split the man's head. But the king stayed him. "Hit not," said he; then to the man, "fear nothing, eat on!" He washed his hands, and sat down.

After the meal, the king caused his own drinking water and betel nut to be given to the man, and then said--

"Now my man, you had news, you said. What are your news?"

"O king, I am a messenger from Lust and the Belly. Says Lust to me, Go! and sent me here as her messenger;" and with these words he spoke the first two stanzas:-

"O king, the Belly's messenger you see: O lord of chariots, do not angry be!  For Belly's sake men very far will go,  Even to ask a favour of a rival.

"O king, the Belly's messenger you see; O lord of chariots, do not angry be!  The Belly holds beneath his powerful sway  All men upon the earth both night and day."

When this the king heard, he said, "That is true; Belly-messengers are these; urged by lust they go to and fro, and lust makes them go. How prettily this man has put it!" he was pleased with him, and uttered the third stanza:-

"Brahmin, a thousand red cows I present To you; to that the bull, for complement.  One messenger may to another give;  For Belly's messengers are all that live."

So said the king; and continued, "I have heard something I never heard before, or thought of, said by this great man." And so pleased was he, that he showered honours upon him.

When the Master had ended this discourse, he explained the truths and identified the Birth:-at the conclusion of the Truths the greedy Brother(Monk) reached the Fruit of the Third Path(Trance), and many others entered the other Paths:-"The greedy man is the same in both stories, and I was King elegant."