Sasa-Jātaka

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Source: Adapted from Archaic Translation by H.T. Francis and R.A. Neil
JATAKA No. 316

SASA-JATAKA

"Seven red fish," etc.--This story was told by the Master while living at Jetavana monastery, about a gift of all the Buddhist necessities. A certain landowner at Shravasti city, they say, provided all the necessities for the Brotherhood(Monks) with Buddha at its head, and setting up a pavilion at his house door, he invited all the company of Elder Monks with their chief Buddha, seated them on elegant seats prepared for them, and offered them a variety of choice and elegant food. And saying, "Come again tomorrow," he entertained them for a whole week, and on the seventh day he presented Buddha and the five hundred Elder Monks under him with all the necessities. At the end of the feast the Master, in returning thanks, said, "Lay disciple, you are right in giving goodwill and satisfaction by this charity. For this is a tradition of wise men of old, who sacrificed their lives for any beggars they met with, and gave them even their own flesh to eat." And at the request of his host he told this old-world legend.

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisattva came to life as a young hare and lived in a wood. On one side of this wood was the foot of a mountain, on another side a river, and on the third side a border-village. The hare had three friends--a monkey, a jackal and an otter. These four wise creatures lived together and each of them got his food on his own hunting-ground, and in the evening they again came together. The hare in his wisdom by way of advice preached the Truth to his three companions, teaching that alms are to be given, the moral law to be observed, and holy days to be kept. They accepted his advice and went each to his own part of the jungle and lived there.

And so in the course of time the Bodhisattva one day observing the sky, and looking at the moon knew that the next day would be a fast-day, and addressing his three companions he said, "Tomorrow is a fast-day. Let all three of you take upon you the moral rules, and observe the holy day. To one that stands fast in moral practice, almsgiving brings a great reward. Therefore feed any beggars that come to you by giving them food from your own table." They readily agreed, and dwelling each in his own place of living.

On the next day quite early in the morning, the otter swiftly moved on to seek his prey and went down to the bank of the Ganges. Now it came to pass that a fisherman had landed seven red fish, and stringing them together on a withe, he had taken and buried them in the sand on the river's bank. And then he dropped down the stream, catching more fish. The otter scenting the buried fish, dug up the sand till he came upon them, and pulling them out cried aloud thrice, "Does any one own these fish?" And not seeing any owner he took hold of the withe with his teeth and laid the fish in the jungle where he lived, intending to eat them at a fitting time. And then he lay down, thinking how virtuous he was! The jackal too swiftly moved on in quest of food and found in the hut of a field-watcher two roasted pieces of meat, a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. And after thrice crying aloud, "To whom do these belong?" and not finding an owner, he put on his neck the rope for lifting the pot, and grasping the roasted pieces of meat and the lizard with his teeth, he brought and laid them in his own lair, thinking, "In due season I will devour them," and so lay down, thinking how virtuous he had been.

The monkey also entered the clump of trees, and gathering a bunch of mangoes laid them up in his part of the jungle, meaning to eat them in due season, and then lay down, thinking how virtuous he was. But the Bodhisattva in due time came out, intending to feed on the kushagrass, and as he lay in the jungle, the thought occurred to him, "It is impossible for me to offer grass to any beggars that may chance to appear, and I have no oil or rice and such like. If any beggar shall appeal to me, I shall have to give him my own flesh to eat." At this splendid display of virtue, Sakka(Indra)'s white marble throne manifested signs of heat. Sakka(Indra) with insight, discovered the cause and resolved to put this royal hare to the test. First of all he went and stood by the otter's living-place, disguised as a brahmin, and being asked why he stood there, he replied, "Wise Sir, if I could get something to eat, after keeping the fast, I would perform all my priestly duties." The otter replied, "Very well, I will give you some food," and as he talked with him he repeated the first stanza:-

Seven red fish I safely brought to land from Ganges flood, O brahmin, eat your fill, I request, and stay within this wood.

The brahmin said, "Let be till tomorrow. I will see to it in due course." Next he went to the jackal, and when asked by him why he stood there, he made the same answer. The jackal, too, readily promised him some food, and in talking with him repeated the second stanza:-

A lizard and a jar of curds, the keeper's evening meal, Two roasted pieces of meat in addition I wrongfully did steal: Such as I have I give to you: O brahmin, eat, I request, If you should oblige within this wood a while with us to stay.

Said the brahmin, "Let be till tomorrow. I will see to it in due course." Then he went to the monkey, and when asked what he meant by standing there, he answered just as before. The monkey readily offered him some food, and in conversing with him gave utterance to the third stanza:-

An icy stream, a mango ripe, and pleasant greenwood shade, It is yours to enjoy, if you can dwell content in forest glade.

Said the brahmin, "Let be till tomorrow. I will see to it in due course." And he went to the wise hare, and on being asked by him why he stood there, he made the same reply. The Bodhisattva on hearing what he wanted was highly delighted, and said, "Brahmin, you have done well in coming to me for food. This day will I grant you a boon that I have never granted before, but you shall not break the moral law by taking animal life. Go, friend, and when you have piled together logs of wood, and kindled a fire, come and let me know, and I will sacrifice myself by falling into the midst of the flames, and when my body is roasted, you shall eat my flesh and fulfil all your priestly duties." And in thus addressing him the hare uttered the fourth stanza:-

Nor sesame, nor beans, nor rice have I as food to give, But roast with fire my flesh I yield, if you with us would live.

Sakka(Indra), on hearing what he said, by his miraculous power caused a heap of burning coals to appear, and came and told the Bodhisattva. Rising from his bed of kushagrass and coming to the place, he thrice shook himself that if there were any insects within his coat, they might escape death. Then offering his whole body as a free gift he sprang up, and like a royal swan, descending on a cluster of lotuses, in an ecstacy (trance) of joy he fell on the heap of live coals. But the flame failed even to heat the pores of the hair on the body of the Bodhisattva, and it was as if he had entered a region of frost. Then he addressed Sakka(Indra) in these words: "Brahmin, the fire you have kindled is icy-cold: it fails to beat even the pores of the hair on my body. What is the meaning of this?" "Wise sir," he replied, "I am no brahmin. I am Sakka(Indra), and I have come to put your virtue to the test." The Bodhisattva said, "If not only you, Sakka(Indra), but all the inhabitants of the world were to try me in this matter of almsgiving, they would not find in me any unwillingness to give," and with this the Bodhisattva uttered a cry of delight like a lion roaring. Then said Sakka(Indra) to the Bodhisattva, "O wise hare, he your virtue known throughout a whole won." And squeezing the mountain, with the essence thus extracted, he painted the sign of a hare on the face of the moon. And after depositing the hare on a bed of young kushagrass, in the same wooded part of the jungle, Sakka(Indra) returned to his own place in heaven. And these four wise creatures lived happily and harmoniously together, fulfilling the moral law and observing holy days, till they departed to fare according to their deeds.

The Master, when he had ended his lesson, revealed the Truths and identified the Birth:-At the conclusion of the Truths the householder, who gave as a free-gift all the Buddhist necessities, attained fruition of the First Path(Trance):-" At that time Ananda was the otter, Moggallyana was the jackal, Sariputra the monkey, and I myself was the wise hare."