Kuddāla-Jātaka

Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Jataka >>Kuddāla-Jātaka

Source: Converted from Archaic translation by Robert Chalmers
JATAKA No. 70

KUDDALA-JATAKA

"The conquest."--This story was told by the Master while at Jetavana monastery, about the Elder Monk named Cittahattha-Sariputra. He is said to have been a youth of a good family in Shravasti city; and one day, on his way home from ploughing, he turned in to the monastery. Here he received from the bowl of a certain Elder Monk some elegant food, rich and sweet, which made him think to himself, "Day and night I am toiling away with my hands at many tasks, yet never do I taste food so sweet. I must turn Brother(Monk) myself!" So he joined the Brotherhood(Monks Order), but after six weeks' zealous application to high thinking, fell under the dominion of Lusts and off he went. His belly again proving too much for him, back he came to join the Brotherhood once more, and studied the Abhidhamma (*1). In this way, six times he left and came back again; but when for the seventh time he became a Brother, he mastered the whole seven books of the Abhidhamma, and by much chanting of the teaching of the Brothers(Monks) won Discernment and attained to Arhatship(Enlightenment equal to Buddha). Now his friends among the Brethren(Monks) scoffed at him, saying--"Can it be, sir, that Lusts have ceased to spring up within your heart?"

"Sirs," was the reply, "I have now got beyond mundane life from now on."

He having thus won Arhatship(Enlightenment equal to Buddha), talk of that arose in the Hall of Truth, as follows:-"Sirs, though all the while he was destined to. all the glories of Arhatship(Enlightenment equal to Buddha), yet six times did Cittahattha-Sariputra renounce the Brotherhood; truly, very wrong is the unconverted state."

Returning to the Hall, the Master asked what they were talking about. Being told, he said, "Brethren, the worldling's heart is light and hard to curb; material things attract and hold it fast; when once it is so held fast, it cannot be released fast. Excellent is the mastery of such a heart; once mastered, it brings joy and happiness:

It is good to tame a stubborn heart and weak, By passion swayed. Once tamed, the heart brings bliss.

It was by reason of this stubborn quality of the heart, however, that, for the sake of a pretty spade which they could not bring themselves to throw away, the wise and good of past days six times reverted to the world out of sheer cupidity; but on the seventh occasion they won Insight and subdued their cupidity." And so saying, he told this story of the past.

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisattva came to life again as a gardener, and grew up. 'Spade Sage' was his name. With his spade he cleared a patch of ground, and grew pot-herbs, pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers, and other vegetables, by the sale of which he made a sorry living. For, except only that one spade, he had nothing in the world! Resolving one day to give up the world for the religious(hermit)life, he hid his spade away, and became a hermit. But thoughts of that spade rose in his heart and the passion of greed overcame him, so that for the sake of his blunt spade he reverted to the world. Again and again this happened; six times did he hide the spade and become a hermit, only to renounce his vows again. But the seventh time he thought how that blunt spade had caused him again and again to backslide; and he made up his mind to throw it into a great river before he became a hermit again. So he carried the spade to the river-side, and, fearing else if he saw where it fell, he should come back and fish it out again, he whirled the spade thrice round his head by the handle and throw it with the strength of an elephant right into mid-stream, shutting his eyes tight as he-did so. Then loud rang his shout of delight, a shout like a lion's roar, "I have conquered! I have conquered!"

Now just at that moment the King of Benares, on his way home from subduing disorder on the border, had been bathing in that very river, and was riding along in all his splendour on the back of his elephant, when he heard the Bodhisattva's shout of triumph. "Here's a man," said the king, "who is proclaiming that he has conquered. I wonder whom he has conquered. Go, bring him before me."

So the Bodhisattva was brought before the king, who said to him, "My good man, I am a conqueror myself; I have just won a battle and am on my way home victorious. Tell me whom you have conquered." "Sire," said the Bodhisattva, "a thousand, yes, a hundred thousand, such victories as yours are vain, if you have not the victory over the Lusts within yourself. It is by conquering greed within myself that I have conquered my Lusts." And as he spoke, he gazed upon the great river, and by duly concentrating all his mind upon the idea of water, won Insight. Then by virtue of his newly-won transcendental powers, he rose in the air, and, seated there, instructed the King in the Truth in this stanza:-

The conquest that by further victories Must be upheld, or own defeat at last, Is vain! True conquest lasts for always!

Even as he listened to the Truth, light shone in on the king's darkness, and the Lusts of his heart were quenched; his heart was bent on renouncing the world; then and there the lust for royal dominion passed away from him. "And where will you go now?" said the king to the Bodhisattva. "To the Himalayas, sire; there to live the hermit's life." "Then I, too, will become an hermit," said the king; and he departed with the Bodhisattva. And with the king there departed also the whole army, all the brahmins and householders and all the common folk, in a word, all the assemblage that was gathered there.

News came to Benares that their king, on hearing the Truth preached by the Spade Sage, was gladly to live the hermit's life and had gone on with all his assemblage. "And what shall we do here?" cried the folk of Benares. And upon that, from out that city which was twelve leagues( x 4.23 km) about, all the inhabitants went on, a path twelve leagues( x 4.23 km) long, with whom the Bodhisattva passed to the Himalayas.

Then the throne of Sakka(Indra), King of Devas(Angels), became hot beneath him (*2). Looking out, he saw that the Spade Sage was engaged upon a Great Renunciation (*3). Noticing the numbers of his following, Indra took thought how to house them all. And he sent for Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas(Angels), and spoke thus:-"The Spade Sage is engaged upon a Great Renunciation, and quarters must be found for him. Go you to the Himalayas, and there on level ground fashion by divine power a hermit's property thirty leagues( x 4.23 km) long and fifteen broad."

"It shall be done, sire," said Vishwakarma. And away he went, and did what he was asked.

(What follows is only a summary; the full details will be given in the Hatthipala-jataka (*4), which forms one narrative with this.) Vishwakarma caused a hermitage to arise in the hermit's property; drove away all the noisy beasts and birds and fairies; and made in each cardinal direction a path just broad enough for one person to pass along it at a time. This done, he took himself to his own dwelling. The Spade Sage with his assemblage of people came to the Himalayas and entered the property which Indra had given and took possession of the house and furniture which Vishwakarma had created for the hermits. First of all, he renounced the world himself, and afterwards made the people renounce it. Then he portioned out the property among them. They abandoned all their power of governing, which rivalled that of Sakka(Indra) himself; and the whole thirty leagues( x 4.23 km) of the property were filled. By due performance of all the other (*5) rites that lead to Insight, the Spade Sage developed perfect good-will within himself, and be taught the people how to meditate. By this they all won the Attainments, and assured their entry thereafter into the Brahma-Realm(of ArchAngels), while all who served to them qualified for entry thereafter into the Realm of Devas(Angels).

"Thus, Brethren(Monks)," said the Master, "the heart, when passion holds it fast, is hard to release. When the attributes of greed spring up within it, they are hard to chase away, and even persons so wise and good as the above are by that rendered witless." His lesson ended, he preached the Truths, at the close of which some won the First, some the Second, and some the Third Path(Trance), while others again attained to Arhatship(Enlightenment equal to Buddha). Further, the Master explained the relation and identified the Birth by saying, "Ananda was the king of those days, the Buddha's followers were the followers, and I myself the Spade Sage."

Footnotes:

(1)The third, and last, of the Pitakas (Buddhist teachings).

(2)Only the merits of a good man struggling with adversity could thus appeal to the mercy-seat of the king of gods (angels).

(3)It is only when a future Buddha renounces the world for the religious(hermit) life, that his 'going on' is termed a Great Renunciation.

(4)No. 509.

(5)As shown above, he had already arrived at Insight through the idea of water.