Jataka Vol. I: Book I.--Ekanipāta: No. 70. Kuddāla-Jātaka
No. 70.
KUDDĀLA-JĀTAKA.
"The conquest."--This story was told by the Master while at Jetavana, about the
Elder named Cittahattha-Sāriputta. He is said to have been a youth of a good
family in Sāvatthi; 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 some dainty
fare, rich and sweet, which made him think to himself,--"Day and night I am
toiling away with my hands at divers tasks, yet never do I taste food
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so sweet. I must turn Brother myself!" So he joined the Brotherhood, 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, [312] 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 Doctrine of the Brothers won Discernment and attained to
Arahatship. Now his friends among the Brethren 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 henceforth."
He having thus won Arahatship, talk thereof arose in the Hall of Truth, as
follows:--"Sirs, though all the while he was destined to. all the glories of
Arahatship, yet six times did Cittahattha-Sāriputta 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 in a trice. Excellent is the mastery of such a heart; once
mastered, it brings joy and happiness:
’Tis good to tame a headstrong heart and frail,
By passion swayed. Once tamed, the heart brings bliss.
It was by reason of this headstrong 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 bygone 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.
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Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta 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, save
only that one spade, he had nothing in the world! Resolving one day to forsake
the world for the religious life, he hid his spade away, and became a recluse.
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. [313]
Again and again this happened; six times did he hide the spade and become a
recluse,--only to renounce his vows again. But the seventh time he bethought him
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 recluse again. So he
carried the spade to the river-side, and, fearing lest 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 flung
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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 exultation, 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 quelling
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
Bodhisatta'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 Bodhisatta 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 Bodhisatta, "a
thousand, yea, 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 evermore!
[314] 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 Bodhisatta. "To the Himalayas,
sire; there to live the anchorite's life." "Then I, too, will become an
anchorite," said the king; and he departed with the Bodhisatta. 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 host that was gathered there.
Tidings came to Benares that their king, on hearing the Truth preached by the
Spade Sage, was fain to live the anchorite's life and had gone forth with all
his host. "And what shall we do here?" cried the folk of Benares. And thereupon,
from out that city which was twelve leagues about, all the inhabitants went
forth, a train twelve leagues long, with whom the Bodhisatta passed to the
Himalayas.
Then the throne of Sakka, King of Devas, became hot beneath him 1. Looking out,
he saw that the Spade Sage was engaged upon a Great
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Renunciation 1. Marking the numbers of his following, Indra took thought how to
house them all. And he sent for Vissakamma, the architect of the Devas, and
spoke thus:--"The Spade Sage is engaged upon a Great Renunciation, [315] and
quarters must be found for him. Go you to the Himalayas, and there on level
ground fashion by divine power a hermit's demesne thirty leagues long and
fifteen broad."
"It shall be done, sire," said Vissakamma. And away he went, and did what he was
bidden.
(What follows is only a summary; the full details will be given in the
Hatthipāla-jātaka 2, which forms one narrative with this.) Vissakamma caused a
hermitage to arise in the hermit's demesne; 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 betook himself to his
own abode. The Spade Sage with his host of people came to the Himalayas and
entered the demesne which Indra had given and took possession of the house and
furniture which Vissakamma 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 demesne among them. They abandoned all their sovereignty,
which rivalled that of Sakka himself; and the whole thirty leagues of the
demesne were filled. By due performance of all the other 3 rites that conduce to
Insight, the Spade Sage developed perfect good-will within himself, and be
taught the people how to meditate. Hereby they all won the Attainments, and
assured their entry thereafter into the Brahma-Realm, whilst all who ministered
to them qualified for entry thereafter into the Realm of Devas.
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"Thus, Brethren," 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 thereby
rendered witless." His lesson ended, he preached the Truths, at the close
whereof some won the First, some the Second, and some the Third Path, whilst
others again attained to Arahatship. Further, the Master shewed the connexion
and identified the Birth by saying, "Ānanda was the king of those days, the
Buddha's followers were the followers, and I myself the Spade Sage."
Footnotes
169:1 The third, and latest, of the Piṭakas,--perhaps compiled from the Nikāyas
of the Sutta-piṭaka.
170:1 Only the merits of a good man struggling with adversity could thus appeal
to the mercy-seat of the Archangel.
171:1 It is only when a future Buddha renounces the world for the religious
life, that his 'going forth' is termed a Great Renunciation. Cf. p. 61 of Vol.
I. of Fausböll's text as to Gotama's 'going forth.'
171:2 No. 509,--where, however, no further details are vouchsafed.
171:3 As shewn above, he had already arrived at Insight through the idea of
water.
Next: No. 71. Varaṇa-Jātaka
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