Jataka Tales 33: Sammodamana

Sammodamana Jataka While he was dwelling in the Banyan grove monastery near Kapilavatthu the Buddha told this story about a quarrel that happened over a porter's head-pad. However when this story of the past was told the Buddha spoke thus to his royal kinsfolk: "My lords, strife among kinsfolk is unseemly. Even, in bygone times, animals that had defeated their enemies when living in harmony were utterly destroyed when they fell out amongst themselves." At the request of his royal kinsfolk he told them this story of the past.

Story of the past Once in the time when Brahmadatta ruled Benares as king, the Bodhisatta was born as a quail and lived as head of many thousands of quail in a forest. In those days a quail hunter had come to that place and imitating the call of quails had brought them together to a place.

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Here he threw a net and captured them. When his basket was full he went home to sell them for a living.

One day the Bodhisatta said to the quails: "This fowler is bringing disaster to us. I have a means which will prevent him from capturing us. Listen, whenever he threw his net over you then each of you must put his head through a mesh, and then together fly away with the net.

Then at a suitable place put it down so that the net is held by branches of plants. This done each can escape from our several meshes."

They all agreed it was a very good plan to carry out.

On the next day when a net was thrown over some of them they did as the Bodhisatta told them. They lifted the net and flew off together to a thorn bush where they set down and escaped from underneath it. The fowler came to untangle his net, and soon evening came.

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So he went home without capturing a single bird.

Day after day the quails did the same thing and it soon became a regular event for the fowler to go back empty-handed. Eventually his wife lost her temper with him, and said: "Day in day out you return without a single bird. Maybe you are keeping another household elsewhere."

The husband denied that he was unfaithful.

Then he related to her what had happened.

Then he said: "They won't live in harmony always. As soon as they start to bicker among themselves I shall have them all in my hands.

That will soon bring a smile back to your face."

Then he spoke thus:" As long as the birds are united they can carry the net-away. But if they quarrel among themselves that will be their end."

This came true for one day a quail while landing, trod by accident on another's head. "Who stepped on my head," he cried out angrily. "I did brother, but it was an accident. Don't be angry."

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"So you think you alone lifted the net." As this went on the Bodhisatta thought: "There's no safety when quarrels start.

The time has come when they will not lift the net together, and they will come to great destruction.

The fowler will get his chance." And so he left the quarrelsome factions.

A few days later the fowler returned and he resumed his old method of catching them.

Instead of lifting the net together each quail taunted the other to start first.

Time was lost. The net was tightened by the fowler who soon got a good number of captured birds to take home to his wife whose face was now wreathed in smiles.

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End of story of the past "Thus, sire," the Buddha said to the king of Kapilavatthu, his father, "such a thing as a quarrel among kinsfolk is not only unseemly; quarrelling leads to destruction."

The lesson ended he establsihed established the connection and identified the Births: "Devadatta was the foolish quail of those days, and I myself was the wise and good quail."

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