The Jataka of the Clever Wild Boar: Wisdom in Leadership

In this Jataka, the Bodhisatta is born as a tree fairy who observes a tale involving a carpenter and a clever wild boar. The carpenter rescues a young wild boar from a pit in the forest, takes it home, and cares for it as a pet. The boar proves to be highly intelligent and helpful, assisting the carpenter with his work by fetching tools, holding measuring lines, and turning over logs. Fearing for the boar’s safety, the carpenter releases him back into the wild, hoping he will find a place where he can live safely.

The boar eventually finds a cave inhabited by a group of boars, but they live in constant fear of a tiger that prowls the area, taking one boar each morning. When the carpenter’s boar hears of this, he confidently promises to rid the boars of the tiger. The group agrees to follow his leadership, and he teaches them the art of war, planning a strategy to confront the tiger.

That night, the boars line up in a formation, with the strongest protecting the weaker members. When the tiger arrives, instead of fleeing as they normally would, the boars mimic the tiger’s actions. When the tiger glares, they glare back. When it yawns, they yawn. When it relieves itself, they do the same. This confuses the tiger, who is not used to such behavior from its prey. Uncertain and intimidated, the tiger retreats.

The tiger, however, is friends with a false ascetic who always receives a portion of the tiger’s prey. The ascetic hears of the boars’ behavior and tells the tiger not to fear them, claiming that a single roar and leap will be enough to scatter them. The tiger, emboldened by the ascetic’s advice, returns to the boars’ lair.

This time, the boars are ready. When the tiger leaps at the carpenter’s boar, he dives into one of two pits he had dug earlier. The tiger falls into the second pit, where the carpenter’s boar immediately jumps on him, goring him to death with his tusks. The other boars come forward to feast on the tiger’s flesh, but those who do not get any sniff the others’ mouths, eager to learn what tiger meat tastes like.

The carpenter’s boar, proud of his victory, notices that the other boars are still uneasy. They explain their concern about the false ascetic, fearing he might recruit more tigers. The carpenter’s boar reassures them, saying that killing a human would be much easier than killing a tiger. So, he leads the boars to find the ascetic.

When the false ascetic sees the boars approaching, he climbs a giant fig tree to escape. The carpenter’s boar orders the boars to bring water to the tree’s base, dig away the mud, and cut at the roots. The tree eventually topples, and the false ascetic falls to the ground, where the boars devour him, leaving behind only bones.

The boars, grateful to the carpenter’s boar for his leadership, hoist him up and crown him as their king, using water poured from the false ascetic’s skull. The Bodhisatta, who had been watching all along, materializes and praises the boars for their unity and teamwork in achieving their victory.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

The story takes a turn when the Bodhisatta reveals the identities of those involved in this past life. The carpenter’s boar, who led the boars with such wisdom and strategy, is identified as Dhanuggaha Tissa, one of the Buddha’s elder disciples. In a later life, Dhanuggaha Tissa would help King Pasenadi of Kosala by offering sound military advice during a critical war.

King Pasenadi, who had lost all battles in a war against King Ajatasattu, is desperate for help. His advisors suggest consulting the Buddha’s wise disciples. They overhear a conversation between Dhanuggaha Tissa and another disciple, where Dhanuggaha Tissa criticizes King Pasenadi’s poor war strategies. He gives the king a simple but effective plan for battle: place two garrisons on two hills, feign weakness, and then attack from both front and rear when the enemy is caught between the hills.

Pasenadi follows this advice, and he wins the war. Later, the Buddha reveals this story to his disciples to show that Dhanuggaha Tissa had also used his military wisdom to bring victory in a past life, just as he helped King Pasenadi in the present.

This Jataka highlights the importance of wisdom, leadership, and unity, as well as the power of clever strategy in overcoming challenges, both in battle and in life. It also illustrates how a seemingly small action, like a carpenter’s decision to release a boar, can lead to great events that shape the future.