Gratitude and Justice: The Saccamkira Jataka Tale

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was once an ascetic living a simple and virtuous life. During this time, a crown prince, known for his wicked and violent nature, was hated and feared by all. One day, while the prince was bathing in the river, a storm arose, and his servants, taking advantage of the situation, threw him into the water to drown.The prince managed to climb to safety atop a floating tree trunk and, as he rode it downstream, a snake, a rat, and a parrot also took refuge on the same log. At midnight, the Bodhisatta heard the prince’s cries for help and jumped into the river to pull the tree to the shore. He took the prince and the animals to his home, provided them with fruit, and set a fire to warm them, prioritizing the animals as they were the weakest.However, the prince, resentful of the Bodhisatta’s lack of respect for his royal birth, harbored a deep hatred for him. After recovering from their ordeal, all four rescuees set off for home, each promising to repay the Bodhisatta’s kindness if he ever came asking. The snake and rat offered to take him to spots where they had buried gold in past lives, and the parrot promised that his kinsfolk would gather wagonloads of rice. The prince, despite his black heart, vowed to kill the Bodhisatta if he ever saw him again but concealed his intent by offering to provide the four requisites (clothing, food, lodging, and medicine).Sometime later, the Bodhisatta tested the sincerity of these offers. When he visited the animals, all three tried to fulfill their promises, though the Bodhisatta did not accept their gifts. However, when he went to the city where the prince was now the king, the king ordered his soldiers to seize the Bodhisatta, parade him around town while beating him at every street corner, and then take him out of town to behead him and impale his body on a stake.During the beating, the Bodhisatta did not cry out in agony but repeated the proverb, “A log pays better reward than some men.” Some wise bystanders asked what he meant by this, and the Bodhisatta told them how he had rescued their king. This revelation filled the people with such rage that they rushed the king and killed him on the spot, flinging his body into a ditch. The people then chose the Bodhisatta as their new king, and he ruled righteously, giving charity and doing good deeds. He also brought the snake, rat, and parrot to live in luxury at the palace.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. The wicked prince in the story was an earlier birth of Devadatta, a disciple of the Buddha who became his nemesis. When the Buddha was advised that Devadatta had made plans to kill him, he told his disciples this story to illustrate that Devadatta had also tried to kill him in the past.The snake, rat, and parrot were earlier births of Sariputta, Moggallana, and Ananda, three of the Buddha’s top disciples. By sharing this story, the Buddha highlighted the recurring pattern of Devadatta’s malicious intentions and the loyalty and virtue of his other disciples.

Moral

The Saccamkira Jataka teaches us about the importance of gratitude, loyalty, and the consequences of wicked actions. The story emphasizes that true friends and allies will always stand by one another, while those with malicious intentions will ultimately face justice. The Bodhisatta’s selfless acts and the people’s reaction to the truth serve as a model for how to handle injustice and reward virtue. This tale underscores the Buddhist principle of karma, where good deeds lead to positive outcomes and bad deeds lead to negative consequences.