The Kulavaka Jataka: Virtue and Consequences

In a small village, a young brahmin, who was the Bodhisatta in one of his past lives, lived a life of exemplary virtue. He adhered strictly to the five precepts and spent his days engaging in good deeds. His exemplary behavior inspired the other men of the village, who had previously been prone to drunkenness, murder, and other crimes, to abandon their evil ways. Together, they worked on community projects such as maintaining roads and building water tanks.However, their positive transformation did not go unnoticed by the village headman, who had once profited greatly from collecting fines and selling alcohol to the villagers. With his income dwindling, the headman sought revenge by falsely accusing the Bodhisatta and his companions of being thieves. The king, believing the headman’s words without hearing their defense, sentenced them to be trampled to death by an elephant.When the men were brought to the palace courtyard to face their execution, the elephants refused to approach them. The king, suspecting they were using magic, allowed the Bodhisatta to explain their situation. Upon hearing the truth, the king was filled with remorse, gave the men the headman’s wealth, made the headman their slave, and granted them authority over the village.Upon their return, the men continued their charitable lives but initially refused to allow women to join their community. However, when they began building a rest house for travelers at the junction of four highways, one of the Bodhisatta’s wives, Sudhamma, found a way to contribute. She secretly paid the carpenter to build a pinnacle for the roof, which the men eventually accepted after realizing the importance of including her in their merit.Two other wives, Citta and Nanda, also joined the project by planting a garden and digging a lotus pond, respectively. However, the fourth wife, Sujata, did nothing to contribute.After the Bodhisatta’s death, he was reborn as Indra, the king of the gods, and his companions followed him to Indra’s heaven. In this heavenly realm, Indra faced a challenge from demons who sought to take over his domain. Despite initial setbacks, Indra ultimately triumphed by outsmarting the demons and securing his heaven.In the afterlife, Sudhamma, Citta, and Nanda were reborn as Indra’s handmaidens, each rewarded with magnificent gifts reflecting their past merits. Sudhamma received a five-hundred-league-tall palace studded with jewels, Citta was given a beautiful garden, and Nanda a stunning lake. Sujata, however, was reborn as a crane in a forest on earth due to her lack of merit.Indra, determined to guide Sujata towards a noble life, brought her to heaven to show her its pleasures and exhorted her to live virtuously. He later tested her by transforming into a fish and lying on the ground. When Sujata, thinking the fish was dead, picked it up but released it upon seeing it was alive, Indra praised her for adhering to the precepts.Sujata’s subsequent rebirths were marked by her gradual ascent towards a better life. She was reborn as a potter and later as the daughter of a demon king. In each life, Indra guided her, ultimately making her the chief of twenty-five million dancing girls in his heaven.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale was shared by the Buddha to remind his disciples of the gravity of killing and the importance of compassion. Two brothers, who were disciples of the Buddha, had a disagreement during a journey, leading one to refuse to share his water strainer with the other. The Buddha rebuked the disciple who drank unfiltered water, recounting the story of the virtuous brahmin to emphasize the seriousness of causing harm to any living being.

Moral

The Kulavaka Jataka teaches several profound lessons. It highlights the importance of living a virtuous life, the power of good deeds, and the consequences of one’s actions in future lives. The story also underscores the value of compassion and the need to protect all life, as exemplified by Indra’s selfless act to save others. Ultimately, it reminds us that true strength lies not in physical power but in wisdom, kindness, and the adherence to moral principles.