The Chaddanta Jataka: The Sacrifice of the White Elephant

The Chaddanta Jataka (Jataka #514) tells the story of the Bodhisatta in a previous life as a magnificent white elephant, showcasing themes of sacrifice, selflessness, and the consequences of hatred. It also illustrates the importance of karma and the inevitable suffering that results from negative actions. This tale is rich in symbolism and moral lessons, emphasizing the importance of virtuous actions and the transformative power of selfless deeds.

The Plot

The Bodhisatta as a Noble Elephant

In this life, the Bodhisatta is born as a white elephant, a majestic creature with a grand presence. He stands forty meters tall and possesses tusks that are seven meters long, emitting rays of six different colors. The Bodhisatta rules over a herd of eight thousand elephants and resides by a beautiful, bountiful lake deep in the Himalayas.

Despite his noble nature, the Bodhisatta has two queens, and one of them becomes jealous when she perceives that her rival receives more favor. Her jealousy grows after the Bodhisatta strikes a flowering sal tree, causing flowers to fall on his favorite queen while dry twigs and ants fall on her. Later, during a bath in the lake, he gives a large lotus flower to his favorite queen, further aggravating the other queen. This fuels her hatred.

The Queen’s Vengeful Scheme

In her anger and desire for revenge, the jealous queen prays to be reborn as a human queen so that she can send someone to kill the Bodhisatta. She starves herself to death, and as a result, she is reborn as a beautiful princess. She grows up, marries a king, and becomes the chief queen, ruling over sixteen thousand wives.

Despite her newfound position, the queen cannot forget her hatred for the Bodhisatta. When the time is right, she feigns illness and demands that the king summon all the hunters of the kingdom. She tells them of a dream in which she saw an elephant with light-emitting tusks and demands that the hunter bring them to her. She promises a reward of five profitable villages to the one who succeeds in killing the elephant.

The Hunter’s Long Journey

The king announces a royal proclamation, and sixty thousand hunters assemble, but none of them know of the elephant described by the queen. Eventually, the queen chooses a disfigured, scarred man who is described as being strong enough to take on five elephants. This man is initially terrified by the task but is emboldened when the queen assures him that she has made offerings and prayers to private Buddhas, guaranteeing his success.

Equipped with an axe, drill, iron pegs, and other tools, the hunter sets out on a dangerous journey. He travels for seven years, seven months, and seven days, crossing thorny fields, dense forests, swamps, and soaring mountains. Eventually, he reaches the Bodhisatta’s lake.

The Bodhisatta’s Sacrifice

The hunter prepares a pit where the Bodhisatta is known to bathe. As the elephant approaches, the hunter shoots him with a poison arrow. The herd panics and flees, but the Bodhisatta remains calm despite the intense pain. He asks the hunter why he has been shot, and the hunter reveals that it was at the request of the queen, who had a dream of the Bodhisatta’s tusks.

The Bodhisatta, understanding that this is the work of his former queen, does not respond with anger. Instead, he offers the hunter his tusks to take to the queen. Knowing the hunter will suffer karmic consequences for his actions, the Bodhisatta asks him to take the tusks as a merit-making offering toward the hunter’s eventual enlightenment.

In great pain, the hunter attempts to remove the tusks, but the Bodhisatta is so large that the task proves impossible. With immense strength and resolve, the Bodhisatta uses his trunk to saw off his tusks himself. He dies soon after, and his good queen takes leadership of the herd.

The Hunter’s Return and the Queen’s Regret

The hunter, aided by the magical power of the tusks, makes the return journey in just seven days. He brings the tusks to the queen and rebukes her for her hatred and cruelty toward the Bodhisatta. Upon realizing that she has caused the death of the noble elephant, the queen is filled with sorrow and regret. Her remorse is so overwhelming that she dies on the same day.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

The story continues in the time of the Buddha, when a young female disciple recalls a previous life in which she was the wicked queen from the Chaddanta Jataka. While listening to the Buddha preach, she wonders if she was once one of his wives in a past life. When the recollection of her past life surfaces, she laughs with joy at the thought, but quickly bursts into tears as she realizes the harm she caused to the Bodhisatta. The twofold reaction—first joy, then sorrow—captures the disciple’s emotional turmoil.

The Buddha smiles upon hearing this and explains to his other disciples that the young woman had remembered a sin she once committed against him. He then tells them the Chaddanta Jataka to illustrate the consequences of hatred and the transformative power of remorse.

The hunter who killed the Bodhisatta was an earlier incarnation of Devadatta, the Buddha’s cousin and a disciple who later became his nemesis, attempting to kill the Buddha on three occasions. This connection highlights the cyclical nature of karma and the deep moral lessons that emerge from each life.

Key Themes and Moral Lessons

1. The Consequences of Hatred and Revenge: The queen’s jealousy and hatred lead her to commit a terrible sin, resulting in the death of the Bodhisatta. This story emphasizes the destructive power of anger and the karmic consequences of seeking revenge. Even when the queen gains power and wealth, her deep-seated hatred leads to her own undoing.
2. Selflessness and Sacrifice: The Bodhisatta’s willingness to sacrifice his tusks, and ultimately his life, for the benefit of others shows the highest form of selflessness. His act of cutting off his own tusks, even in excruciating pain, represents the Bodhisatta’s unwavering commitment to helping others and making merit. This is a key virtue on the path to enlightenment.
3. Karma and Rebirth: The story underscores the importance of actions and their consequences across lifetimes. The queen’s actions in the past life lead to her suffering and regret in the present, while the hunter’s actions, despite being influenced by the queen’s vengeance, also carry karmic consequences. The story teaches that one’s actions, whether good or bad, shape future lives and experiences.
4. The Transformative Power of Remorse: The queen’s remorse after the Bodhisatta’s death leads to her death as well, but it also brings her closer to understanding the gravity of her actions. This highlights the Buddhist teaching that genuine remorse and the willingness to learn from past mistakes can be a powerful force for transformation.
5. The Cycle of Life and Death: Through the characters of the queen and the hunter, the story demonstrates how negative actions create suffering in the cycle of samsara. The ultimate lesson is that both wisdom and compassion can break this cycle, as exemplified by the Bodhisatta’s selfless actions and the queen’s eventual sorrow and repentance.

Conclusion

The Chaddanta Jataka is a profound story about the consequences of negative emotions like hatred and jealousy, as well as the importance of selflessness, sacrifice, and karma in the Buddhist path. The Bodhisatta’s actions serve as a model of virtue, showing that even in the face of betrayal and cruelty, one can act with compassion and wisdom. The tale also teaches the transformative power of remorse, demonstrating that while actions in past lives can shape one’s fate, there is always the potential for redemption through understanding and change.