Jataka Tales 12: Nigrodhamiga

Nigrodhamiga Jataka The Buddha told this story at Jetavana, about the mother of Prince Kassapa, a monk in the Buddhist Order. There was a time when she was still a young girl and the only daughter of a rich merchant of Rajagaha. She already had deep roots in goodness and had realised within herself that mundane things would not bring permanent happiness. With the light of her virtue and purity glowing within, she was bent on winning Arahatship.

Ready to renounce the world and join the Buddhist nunhood, she asked her parents for their permission. They were unwilling to let her go. They insisted that she should not take the vows of nunhood. Without their permission, she could not leave home. She decided that she would obey them and marry into another family as they wished. After this, she would seek her husband's permission to renounce the world.

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Eventually she was married off into another family. She proved a devoted wife and maintained a life of goodness and virtue in her new home. Then one day, she conceived but was unaware of it.

A festival had been proclaimed in the city, which was gaily decorated. Every one was dressed in their finery but not her. Her husband asked her the reason for this, and she replied: "My husband, this body is made up of 32 parts. It is neither of angelic mould, nor made of precious metals and jewels.

It is neither fragrant, like yellow sandalwood, nor of immortal balsam. It does not take birth in a lotus flower, white, red or blue. It is subject to corruption and born of mortal parents; it is devoted to lusts and its fate is to lie bloated in the cemetery. The qualities that mark it, wear and waste away; they will show the decay and destruction of the impermanent. It is the source of sorrow and lamentation.

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It is the realm of diseases and the workings of kamma. It secretes matter; and it excretes wastes. Its universally known end is death; and then to the charnel grounds, the city of worms.

Would not adorning it be like dressing up a thing that is quite unworthy?"

"My dear wife, if you regard this body as so filled with defilements, why don't you become a nun?"

"If I am accepted, my husband, I will take the vows this very day," she said. There upon her husband said: "Very good, I'll get you admitted to the Order."

With a generous donation of gifts and offerings to the Order, and attended by a large following, he brought her to a nunnery, whose members were followers of Devadatta, where she was accepted for ordination. Great was her joy at the fulfilment of her wish to become a nun.

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It was not too long before, the other nuns noticed that she was about to become a mother. So they asked her: "Sister, what does this mean?" She could not give them a satisfactory answer, except to say that she had always been virtuous.

So they brought her to Devadatta and told him, they were not able to say whether she was already with child when she became a nun or after she was ordained.

Not being an Enlightened One, with unbounded love, compassion, and charity, Devadatta thought thus: "It will give us a bad reputation for a report to spread that one of our nuns is with child. I would not want to be accused of noticing the offence and doing nothing about it. My course is clear. This woman has to be expelled from the Order." Without exploring the matter further, he said to the nuns: "Expel this woman."

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On hearing this answer, they all went back to their nunnery. At the nunnery, she said to the other nuns: "Sisters, the Venerable Devadatta is not the Buddha. My vows were taken not under him but under the Blessed One. Do not rob me of the life which I struggled hard to get. Please take me to Jetavana to see the Enlightened One." They had some compassion and so they set out with her to Jetavana, near Savatthi, about forty-five leagues from Rajagaha. In due course, they arrived there and after paying reverent respect to the Buddha, they placed the matter in His hands.

Thought the Buddha: "The child was conceived before she became a nun. Now this occasion will give the heretics the excuse to say that the ascetic Gotama has accepted a sister who was expelled by Devadatta. Therefore, to cut short all such talk regarding this matter, it must be brought before a king and his court to be settled."

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So the next day, He sent invitations to King Pasenadi of Kosala, senior monks, Anathapidaiika, who donated Jetavana; Visakha, the great lay disciple and supporter; and other eminent lay persons.

When the four classes of disciples were assembled at Jetavana, monks and nuns, male and female lay disciples, the Buddha said to Arhat Upali: "Go and clear up this matter of the young sister, in the presence of the four classes of disciples." "It shall be done, Venerable Sir," said Venerable Upali.

So he went to where they were all assembled and seated himself in his place, as the Buddha's representative. Then, he called up Visakha in the presence of King Pasenadi and placed the conduct of the enquiry in her hands. He said to her: "First, confirm the precise day and month this girl joined the Order, Visakha. Then, compute whether she conceived before or after that date."

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Accordingly, Visakha had a cloth screen put up and she and the nun went behind it. Woman to woman, by careful and delicate questions Visakha found out without a doubt remaining that the conception had taken place before she had become a nun. By consensus, her innocence was established by the four classes of disciples appointed by the Buddha. Together, with the other nuns she returned vindicated to her nunnery.

When the time came, she gave birth to a son, for whom long ago in the time of Buddha Padumuttara, she had wished and prayed. Then one day, King Pasenadi while passing the nunnery heard the infant's cry.

He asked the courtiers who were with him to find out. Finding out the facts, they informed him which young nun had given birth. He remembered the enquiry to establish her innocence, at which he was present.

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So he said: "The care of an infant is an obstacle to nuns in their religious life; let us take charge of him." Arrangements were soon made and the infant was handed over. By the king's order, he was to be brought up by lady members of his family as a prince. At the naming ceremony, he was named Kassapa, but since he was brought up as a prince, he was then called Prince Kassapa.

At the age of seven, he was admitted as a novice, by the the Buddha. When he reached the right age, he was fully ordained. He was a famous expounder of Dhamma Truths. And the Buddha gave him eminence, saying: "Monks, first in eloquence among my disciples is Prince Kassapa." Later, after hearing the Vamma Sutta (Majjhima-Nikaya), he won Arahatship.

And his mother attained clarity of vision to win the Supreme Fruit, too. Thus, Prince Kassapa shone in the Buddha's Faith.

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One day, in the evening, the Sangha assembled in the Hall of Truth. They spoke about the marvellous events that had become their knowledge. They said: "Monks, because Devadatta was not a Buddha, and because he was without unbounded love, compassion, and charity, he was nearly the ruin of brother Prince Kassapa and his venerable mother. But the Enlightened One, perfect in unbounded love and compassion has proved to be their salvation."

As they sat there, the Blessed One also entered the hall and took His seat. Then, He asked the Brethren the subject of their discussion.

They replied that they were speaking about the virtues of the Buddha and recounted to Him the matter they discussed. "This is the not the first time, Monks, that the Tathagata has proved to be their salvation; He was the same to them in the past, too. Then, with the monk eager to know what rebirth has concealed, the Buddha explained it to them.

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Story of the past Once, in ages past, the Bodhisatta was born as a deer in a large forest near Benares. He was beautiful to behold; of golden hue; bright eyes like round jewels; shining horns like silver; a scarlet mouth; four hoofs that shone like they were lacquered; a big bushy tail; and stood as big as a young horse.

He was leader of a very large herd of deer, and known as King Banyan Deer (Nigrodhamiga).

Nearby, as leader of a similar large herd, dwelt another deer known as Branch Deer (Sakha Miga).

Those days, King Brahmadatta of Benares was fond of hunting and always had meat at every meal. Every day, he would order the city folk, to neglect their businesses, to muster near the forest and to help him hunt for deer for his table.

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Then they would drive in the deer and deliver them to the king. With this measure, they would be able to live their lives without disruption. So they grew food and provided pools of water.

Then, by making loud noises with various instruments, they succeeded in driving the herds of King Banyan Deer and Branch Deer into the parks.

After this, they went to inform the king that there was no need for them to interrupt their businesses daily to help the king hunt deer. They had provided food and water for the deer in the parks. There was enough deer for him to take his pleasure from and to feed on them.

On hearing this news, he went to see for himself and saw two golden-hued deer in the herds.

They were King Banyan Deer and Branch Deer.

He ordered that they were not to be hunted. After this, he would sometimes go and shoot a deer and sometimes his cook went in his place. Deer would be wounded by two or three arrows.

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Then, one would become weary and faint and after falling down was taken and killed. After seeing this happen many times, the deer would tremble and run off as soon as they caught sight of a bowman.

The herd of deer consulted the Bodhisatta, their leader, on this matter. King Banyan Deer sent for Branch Deer and said: "Friend, many deer are being killed; and though we cannot escape death, then at least let us not be needlessly wounded. Let the deer on whom the lot falls each day, go to the place of execution.

One deer from each herd will go by turn. In this way, many deer will escape wounding." All the deer agreed. From that day, the deer whose turn came, would go and offer its neck on the execution block. The cook used to go and take away the victim, which waited for him. Then, one day the lot fell on a pregnant doe of the herd of Branch Deer.

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She went to Branch Deer and pleaded for the birth to take place first. Then, she and her young would take their turns. But Branch Deer would not favour the doe, so she went to the Bodhisatta. Upon hearing about it, he went to the block in her place.

When the cook saw this golden-hued deer as one of the two granted immunity by the king, he went to tell the king about this matter. When the king came with his court, he spoke to the golden-hued deer: "Didn't I promise you life?

How come that you are lying here?" Then King Banyan Deer, king of the deer, spoke to the king: "Sire, a doe big with young came to me and asked for her turn to fall on another; I could not pass the doom of one to another, so I took it upon myself. Do not ask if there is more than this, your majesty."

And the king replied: "O golden king of deer, never have I seen, even among men, one with such unbounded love, compassion, and charity.

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Therefore, I am pleased and I spare the lives of you and the doe."

"Two may be spared, O king of men, but what shall happen to the rest?"

The king replied: "I spare their lives, too."

"O King, only the deer in your pleasure park will gain the immunity; what shall the rest do?"

"Their lives, too, I spare, O golden king of deer."

"O King, deer will thus be safe; but what shall the rest of four-footed creatures do?"

"I spare their lives, too."

"O King, four-footed creatures will thus be safe; but what will the flocks of birds do?"

"They, too, shall be spared."

"O King, birds will thus be safe; but what will the fishes who live in water do?"

"Their lives, too, I spare, O golden king of deer."

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And thus, after pleading with the king for the lives of these creatures, the Bodhisatta stood up and established the king in the Five Precepts.

He said: "Walk in right path, great king. Walk in the right path and do justice towards parents, children, city and village folk, so that at the dissolution of the body, you may enter the bliss of heaven."

Thus, with the grace and charm of a Buddha, he taught Truth to the king. He stayed with his herd in the park for a while; then they left together and returned to their forest.

The doe brought forth her young and when she saw the fawn playing among herd members of Branch Deer, she advised it to go to the Bodhisatta's herd. And to encourage it, she said this: "Live with King Banyan Deer. Death with him is better then even the best of life with Branch Deer."

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Thereafter, the deer, enjoying the king's immunity, went about eating and destroying men's crops, men dared not hit them or drive them away. So they brought the matter to the king. Said the king: "When the Banyan Deer herd won my favour, I granted them a boon. I will forego my kingdom rather than my promise.

Therefore, not a man in my kingdom may harm any deer."

When this was brought to the Bodhisatta's knowledge, he called his herd together and said: "Hence forth, you shall not eat the crops of others." Then, he had a message sent to the men to tie leaves to mark their fields. And as far as was known, no deer trespassed into a field so indicated.

Thus, the Bodhisatta counselled his herd, and acted during his long life. Then one day, he passed away. The king, too, kept to the Bodhisatta's teachings, and after a life spent in doing good works passed away.

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End of story of the past After He closed this sermon, the Blessed One repeated that, as now, so in the past also, He had saved the pair, and He discoursed on the Four Truths.

Then, He showed the connection in the two stories and identified the birth. He said: "Devadatta was Branch Deer in those days and his followers, the deer in his herd; the nun was the doe, and Prince Kassapa was the off-spring.

Ananda was the king and I was King Banyan Deer."

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