The Sukara Jataka: Lessons in Pride, Humility, and Wisdom

The Sukara Jataka is another tale from the Bodhisatta’s past lives that conveys moral lessons about pride, humility, and the consequences of foolish decisions. In this Jataka, the Bodhisatta is reborn as a lion, and the story centers around a boar who is too proud and overly confident for his own good.

The Story:

In this Jataka, the Bodhisatta, in the form of a lion, is drinking from a lake after having just finished a large meal. While at the lake, he spots a boar, and though the lion does not feel hungry at the moment, he thinks the boar could make a good meal at some point in the future. The lion, not wanting to frighten the boar and ruin his opportunity to hunt later, tries to sneak away quietly. However, the boar notices the lion’s presence and mistakenly assumes that the lion is afraid of him. The boar, in his pride and foolishness, challenges the lion to a fight.

The lion responds calmly, saying that he will return in a week to fight the boar. The boar, excited by the challenge and eager to prove his superiority, spreads word of the impending battle to his relatives and friends. However, the boar’s companions, seeing the danger and knowing how strong the lion is, try to convince the boar that he is foolish to engage in such a fight and will likely die. Instead of backing down, the boar’s friends suggest a plan: he should roll around in the feces of the wilderness ascetics living near the lake and then, on the day of the battle, stand downwind of the lion after soaking himself in morning dew.

The boar follows the plan, and when the lion returns to the lake after a week, he sees the boar covered in filth. The lion is repulsed and, recognizing the boar’s trick, compliments him for his cleverness. The lion declares that he will not touch such filth and spares the boar’s life. The boar, proud of his “victory,” boasts to his herd, but the rest of the boar’s group, fearing the lion’s power, decides to move away to a different place to avoid further confrontation.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the time of the Buddha, the story parallels an incident involving Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s most respected disciples, and an elderly disciple who was becoming senile. One evening, Moggallana (another top disciple) and Sariputta were answering questions about the dharma when an elderly disciple, eager to show off and stump Sariputta, posed a nonsensical question: “Give me a decision in discrimination or in undiscrimination, in refutation or in acceptation, in distinction or in counter-distinction.” This absurd question made no sense, and the rest of the assembly, both monks and laypeople, became embarrassed for the elderly man.

Rather than addressing the foolish question, Sariputta, feeling it was the right time to end the assembly, quietly got up and went to his room. Moggallana followed him, and the rest of the attendees, frustrated by the interruption, began to approach the elderly disciple with anger. To escape their anger, the disciple fled and accidentally fell into a cesspool, getting covered in feces. When the people saw this, their anger turned to pity, and some of them went to tell the Buddha what had happened.

The elderly disciple who had posed the nonsensical question was a previous incarnation of the boar from the Jataka. The Buddha told this story to show that this was not the first time the elderly disciple had challenged a superior, only to end up humiliated and covered in filth.

Moral Lessons:

1. The Dangers of Pride and Foolishness: The boar’s pride led him to challenge a far superior opponent in the lion, while his foolishness led him to follow a risky and absurd plan that ultimately spared his life only because the lion refused to touch filth. Similarly, the elderly disciple in the Buddha’s time foolishly challenged Sariputta, only to end up in disgrace. The story illustrates that pride and foolishness can lead to humiliation and suffering.
2. Humility Over Pride: While the lion could have easily defeated the boar, he instead chose to spare him, demonstrating the virtue of restraint and humility. The lion’s wise and composed response contrasts with the boar’s prideful and impulsive behavior. In the same way, the Buddha’s disciples, especially Sariputta, show humility by not engaging with the foolish questions posed by the elderly disciple, instead choosing silence and composure.
3. The Consequences of Foolish Behavior: Both the boar and the elderly disciple suffer the consequences of their foolishness—the boar is spared, but he loses his pride, while the elderly disciple falls into the cesspool and faces the mockery of others. The Jataka teaches that foolish actions often lead to disgrace and humiliation, and one should act with wisdom and care in all situations.
4. Cleverness vs. Wisdom: The boar’s clever trick of rolling in feces to avoid the lion’s attack represents cunning and trickery, but the lion’s refusal to engage with filth shows that true wisdom is not about tricks but about knowing when to act and when to refrain. Similarly, Sariputta’s choice to leave the absurd question unanswered, rather than being dragged into an argument, shows that true wisdom often lies in knowing when to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
5. The Power of Restraint: The lion could have easily killed the boar but chose not to, showing that restraint and self-control are powerful virtues. The story contrasts the lion’s restraint with the boar’s reckless pride, emphasizing that sometimes the most powerful action is to do nothing.

Conclusion:

The Sukara Jataka serves as a valuable lesson about pride, humility, and the consequences of foolishness. The story of the lion and the boar demonstrates how reckless pride can lead to self-destruction, while wisdom and restraint lead to a more noble path. The connection to the Buddha’s time, where the elderly disciple’s prideful behavior led to his downfall, reinforces the idea that foolishness and arrogance often result in humiliation, while wisdom and humility bring true peace and understanding.