Babbu Jataka: Lessons on Greed and Gratitude

The Babbu Jataka is a story that focuses on the destructive effects of greed, the importance of consideration for others, and the eventual consequences of thoughtless actions. The Bodhisatta in this Jataka is reborn as a stone cutter, and the story also explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and clever solutions to problems.

The Story:

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was a stone cutter living in a village that was once bustling and prosperous because of a wealthy merchant. However, after the merchant and his family passed away, the village became destitute. The merchant’s wife, who had been extremely fond of money, was reborn as a mouse and lived amid the merchant’s abandoned treasure.

The mouse, although surrounded by wealth, could do nothing with it in her new form. She began to form a friendship with the Bodhisatta, who worked at a quarry near the village. Each day, she brought him coins in her mouth so that he could buy food for himself and meat for her. This arrangement continued daily, and the mouse found it to be a satisfactory way to fulfill her desires for meat, despite her inability to use the treasure she had accumulated.

One day, a cat caught the mouse and was about to eat her. The mouse, hoping to save her life, struck a deal with the cat: instead of eating her, the cat could keep her alive and share in the meat that the mouse was receiving daily. The cat agreed to the arrangement, and thus the mouse began to divide her daily meat into two portions.

However, as time went on, more and more cats appeared, each one demanding a share of the mouse’s meat. The mouse, desperate to survive, made the same deal with each cat. Soon, she was dividing her meat into five portions, leaving herself only a small fraction to eat. Eventually, she became weak and emaciated from the constant deprivation.

The Bodhisatta noticed her poor condition and asked what the problem was. The mouse explained her plight, telling him how she had been forced to share her food with the ever-growing number of cats. The Bodhisatta, moved by her story, decided to help her.

He hollowed out a block of pure, clear crystal and instructed the mouse to sit inside it when a cat came by. He told her to insult the cat and threaten it. The next time a cat appeared, the mouse followed the Bodhisatta’s advice. She called the cat vile and told it to go home and eat its kittens. The enraged cat lunged at the mouse but instead struck the crystal, breaking its chest and popping out its eyes, resulting in the cat’s immediate death.

This happened again with the other cats, one after another. Each cat who tried to attack the mouse met the same fate. After all the cats were dead, the mouse, incredibly grateful for the Bodhisatta’s help, began bringing him two or three coins a day, eventually giving him the entire treasure.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the Buddha’s time, there was a woman who left her village to visit her mother, a respected lay follower of the Buddha. During her stay, her husband sent a message urging her to return. The mother, insisting that it would be impolite to send her daughter back without a gift, baked a cake to send with her daughter.

A disciple on an alms round passed by and was given the cake. He mentioned it to a companion, and soon, the cake was shared with four disciples. Each of them returned to the house for another cake, and as the days passed, the daughter found herself unable to leave because the disciples kept coming for more.

Eventually, the husband sent a stern message demanding that his wife return immediately. But the four disciples came again for cakes, and once again, she couldn’t leave. On the third day, the husband sent a final message saying that he had already taken another wife, which deeply saddened the daughter.

The mouse and the cats in the story were earlier incarnations of the mother and the four disciples. The Buddha, hearing the disciples discuss the situation of the woman, used this story to show that these same disciples had once caused misery for the mother in a previous life by thoughtlessly taking her food.

The story teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of being considerate in one’s actions, especially towards those who provide for us. The disciples’ thoughtlessness in repeatedly taking cakes from the mother without any regard for her situation mirrors the greedy and inconsiderate behavior of the cats in the past life. In both instances, the lack of consideration led to sorrow and suffering.

Moral Lessons:

1. Greed and Thoughtlessness: Just as the cats greedily took the mouse’s food, the disciples in the Buddha’s time caused unnecessary distress to the mother by taking more than they needed without any thought for her circumstances. The story highlights how greed and thoughtlessness can lead to unnecessary suffering for others.
2. The Importance of Moderation and Consideration: The mouse’s daily act of sharing her food with the cats without complaint shows how giving and sharing can lead to gratitude, but also how extreme and thoughtless behavior (such as that of the cats and the disciples) can result in exploitation and harm.
3. Clever Solutions to Problems: The Bodhisatta’s creative solution—hollowing out a crystal to protect the mouse from the cats—demonstrates the power of wisdom and ingenuity in overcoming difficult challenges. The story encourages problem-solving that is both wise and compassionate.
4. Karma and Rebirth: The story emphasizes the concept of karma and how actions in one life can carry over into future lives. The thoughtless behavior of the disciples in the past was repaid in their current lives, showing that our actions, whether good or bad, have lasting consequences.
5. Gratitude and Loyalty: The mouse’s eventual return of the treasure to the Bodhisatta in gratitude illustrates the power of loyalty and thankfulness. Her ability to repay kindness, even after facing hardship, shows the transformative power of sincere generosity and gratitude.

Conclusion:

The Babbu Jataka is a story that teaches valuable lessons about greed, thoughtlessness, and the consequences of inconsiderate actions. Through the clever intervention of the Bodhisatta and the eventual gratitude of the mouse, the story emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in our interactions with others. It also illustrates the Buddha’s teachings on the cycle of karma, the need for moderation in desires, and the value of compassionate problem-solving. The story serves as a reminder that actions, especially thoughtless ones, can have far-reaching consequences, and that wisdom, kindness, and consideration for others lead to lasting happiness and harmony.