Bodhisatta & King: A Tale of Love, Respect, and Change

In an earlier life, the Bodhisatta was a wise advisor to a king. The king’s son, who served as the viceroy, became fearful that his son might seize the throne as the king grew old. Driven by paranoia, the king banished his son from the city. The son, along with his main wife, went to a remote borderland, where they lived simply in a leaf hut, surviving on wild roots and forest fruits.

One day, the son read in the stars that his father had died, and thus, he decided to return to the city and take the throne. As they journeyed back, they passed a mountain, and the wife asked her husband, “What if that mountain turned to pure gold? Would you give me some of it?” His answer was harsh: “Not even one iota!” This reply hurt his wife deeply. She had loved him so much that she had not abandoned him when he forced her to live an ascetic life, but now, despite his new position as king, he completely disregarded her. He made her his queen consort but then turned his attention to other women, neglecting her.

The Bodhisatta, seeing the queen’s suffering, decided to take action. He believed that the queen, who had always shown great virtue, deserved respect and fairness from her husband. The Bodhisatta began by asking the queen why she did not give gifts to the men of the royal court. She replied, “What can I give you when my husband gives me nothing? Even when we traveled back here, he said he would not give me any of the gold if that mountain turned to gold.”

The Bodhisatta assured her that he would confront the king about his misbehavior, and that the queen needed to be honest and speak the truth when asked about her situation. Later, the Bodhisatta asked the queen the same question about why she didn’t offer gifts to the royal men, and again she explained how her husband had denied her, even in the hypothetical case of gold. However, she also acknowledged that, despite his faults, the king was a good man.

The Bodhisatta praised the queen’s virtues and approached the king, advising him to honor his wife. The king, realizing his mistake, agreed. From then on, he treated the queen with the respect and care she deserved, giving her everything she was due, and thanking the Bodhisatta for reminding him of her worth.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In this story, the king and queen were earlier lives of a husband and wife. One day, they were traveling from the city to the countryside to collect a debt. As they passed a mountain, the wife asked her husband, “What if that mountain turned to gold? Would you give me some?” The husband replied coldly, “Not even an iota!” This upset the wife deeply.

Later, they stopped at the Buddha’s monastery for some water, and the Buddha, seeing their readiness for spiritual understanding, asked the wife if her husband was kind and loving. She replied, “I love him, but he does not love me. Today, for instance, he said he would not give me any gold if a mountain turned to it.”

The Buddha, upon hearing her words, shared this story with them to show that in their past lives, the same behavior had occurred—where the husband had mistreated his wife in this way, despite her love and kindness. Upon hearing the Buddha’s words, the husband realized his selfishness and decided to change his ways, starting to show the love and care his wife deserved.

Moral: The story emphasizes the importance of mutual respect in relationships. The king’s neglect of the queen and his selfish behavior towards her were corrected through the Bodhisatta’s wisdom and intervention. Similarly, in the lifetime of the Buddha, the husband’s selfishness was transformed through the Buddha’s teaching, illustrating how understanding the impermanence of selfishness and the value of kindness can lead to a deeper connection and transformation in relationships.