The Jataka of the Lucky Chicken: Fortune and Destiny

In this Jataka, the Bodhisatta is born as an ascetic living in the Himalayas. During his travels, he meets a mahout who becomes impressed with his virtuous demeanor and begins to offer him food and shelter. Meanwhile, a wood gatherer, lost in the forest, spends the night at a temple. There, a bizarre argument breaks out between two chickens in a tree. One chicken, covered in excrement, boasts that anyone who kills and eats him will be rewarded with a thousand coins. The other chicken claims that eating his meat will make someone a king, a commander-in-chief, or a treasurer, depending on which part is consumed.

Intrigued by this strange conversation, the wood gatherer kills the chicken. The next morning, he tells his wife, and they prepare to cook the chicken, intending to bathe in the Ganges first. However, while they are in the river, the wind carries the chicken away. The platter floats downriver and is discovered by the mahout, who is bathing his elephants. The Bodhisatta, having foreseen the events, waits at the mahout’s house.

When the mahout returns, the Bodhisatta serves the meal, giving the best meat to the mahout, the outer meat to his wife, and the inner meat to himself. After eating, the Bodhisatta predicts that in three days, the couple will become king and queen. Three days later, an army from a neighboring kingdom attacks, and the royal family is killed in battle. The mahout, having donned the royal robes, takes charge, leading his troops to defeat the enemy king. The advisors, seeing his bravery, elect him as the new king, and his wife becomes queen. The Bodhisatta is appointed as the chaplain.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the time of the Buddha, the wealthy Anathapindika had fallen into poverty after giving away all his wealth to help the poor. A fairy, guided by Indra, helps him regain his fortune by scaring his debtors and retrieving lost treasure. A wicked priest, hearing of Anathapindika’s renewed prosperity, seeks to steal his luck, believing it lies in a white rooster’s comb. He tricks Anathapindika into giving him various items, but each time the luck moves, it transfers to something else. Finally, the priest realizes that Anathapindika’s luck is not a tangible object and leaves in frustration.

Anathapindika shares this strange experience with the Buddha, who tells him that in past lives, luck could be transferred from one person to another. The Bodhisatta concludes the story, revealing that the mahout who became a king was actually an earlier incarnation of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples.

This Jataka illustrates themes of fortune, the unpredictable nature of luck, and the power of virtuous actions. It also highlights how significant changes can occur in life through unexpected events, with the Bodhisatta’s wisdom playing a central role in guiding others toward a greater destiny.