Prince Temiya Jataka: The Power of Renunciation and Wisdom

In ancient times, in a kingdom ruled by a just and mighty king, there was a great desire for an heir to the throne. The king, although powerful and revered, had no children, and his heart was heavy with sorrow. His sixteen thousand queens had failed to bear him a son, and despite their prayers to the moon, gods, and deities, their wombs remained barren. The king sought counsel from his spiritual advisors and performed rituals, but nothing seemed to change.

In the kingdom, there was one queen, the chief consort, who had lived a life of extraordinary virtue. Having led a pure and righteous life, she prayed to Indra, the king of the gods, for a son. She invoked the power of truth, declaring, “O Indra, I have lived a life free from harm, a life of kindness and goodness. Grant me a son who will be a beacon of virtue and lead the kingdom with wisdom.”

When her words reached the heavens, Indra’s throne grew warm, and he realized that the time had come for the Bodhisatta (the future Buddha) to take birth on Earth. The Bodhisatta had previously been a king in a past life, and after experiencing the great suffering of hell for eighty thousand years, he had ascended to Indra’s heaven. Recognizing the end of the Bodhisatta’s time in the divine realm, Indra chose to fulfill the queen’s wish.

Thus, the queen became pregnant, and after a time, the Bodhisatta was born to her in a palace. His birth was marked by the appearance of auspicious signs, and his parents rejoiced at his arrival. The king, overwhelmed with happiness, promised the queen that she could have anything she desired, and she silently held onto her request for the future.

As the prince grew, it was clear that he was an extraordinary child. When he was only one month old, he accompanied his father to the royal court. There, the king sentenced four thieves to death in the most cruel and barbaric manner. The young Bodhisatta was deeply disturbed by the sight. He saw the ruthlessness of the world and the inherent suffering that came with ruling. He feared that if he ascended to the throne, he too would be bound by such suffering and cruelty.

The prince, recalling the torment he had endured in hell in his past life, knew that he must avoid the path of kingship. He made a resolute decision: he would not follow in his father’s footsteps. One day, as he sat beneath the royal umbrella, a goddess who had once been his mother in a previous life appeared before him. She whispered to him, “If you wish to avoid the throne and save yourself from the suffering of ruling, you must pretend to be mute, deaf, and mentally incapacitated. Let everyone believe that you are not capable of taking the throne, and they will not crown you.”

Following her advice, the Bodhisatta pretended to be unresponsive to the world. He would no longer speak, cry, or show any signs of intelligence. His silence and apparent disability were so profound that even his parents, who knew he had no physical defects, could not understand what was wrong with him. They were deeply concerned and called for wise doctors and spiritual advisors, but none could diagnose his condition.

In an attempt to “wake” the Bodhisatta from his state, the king and queen subjected him to a series of increasingly cruel and bizarre tests. The royal court tried every possible method to make him react:

• They surrounded him with piles of cakes and sweet treats, hoping to entice him to eat.
• They placed him in a room full of fruits and toys, thinking that the sight of these delights would cause him to smile or play.
• They set a house on fire and placed him inside, hoping that the threat of death would make him respond.
• They trained an elephant to charge at him and lift him up as if to smash him.
• They covered him with biting insects and molasses, hoping the discomfort would make him cry out.
• They even had beautiful women, as enchanting as goddesses, perform for him, offering their charms in an attempt to seduce him.

But the Bodhisatta remained unmoved. He did not cry, he did not flinch, and he never broke from his silent resolve. Each year, they tried different forms of torture and temptation, but he resisted them all. His body remained strong, and his mind remained unshaken. For him, the torment of being crowned king, of ruling with cruelty and violence, was far worse than any physical suffering he could endure.

As he grew older, the Bodhisatta’s refusal to speak or act became a source of great concern to the royal family. The king consulted astrologers and fortune-tellers, who warned that the prince’s life would bring ruin to the kingdom unless he died. At their advice, the king agreed to have his son put to death. The queen, devastated by the news, pleaded with the king to spare their son, and reminded him of the promise he had made when the Bodhisatta was born. The king reluctantly agreed to fulfill the queen’s wish but refused to make his son king. Instead, he decided to give the prince the throne for seven days, hoping that in this time, the Bodhisatta might finally break his silence.

During the week that he held the throne, the Bodhisatta still did not speak or show any interest in the kingdom’s affairs. His parents, in despair, finally accepted that their son would never rule. On the seventh day, the king ordered the execution of his son.

As the Bodhisatta was being driven out of the city, the charioteer who was tasked with carrying out the execution suddenly noticed something remarkable. When the Bodhisatta reached the edge of the kingdom, he stood up and with a strength unlike any mortal, he lifted the chariot as if it were a mere child’s toy. At that moment, the divine realm became aware of what was happening. Indra, the king of the gods, watched in awe and decided to intervene.

Indra sent ten thousand pieces of heavenly cloth to adorn the Bodhisatta, along with fine jewelry and ornaments that shone like the stars. He gifted the prince with the robes and tools needed for an ascetic life. The charioteer, astonished by what he had witnessed, asked the Bodhisatta to explain.

The Bodhisatta revealed that he was not an ordinary prince but had come into the world with the purpose of renouncing the throne. He told the charioteer that he intended to live as an ascetic in the forest and sought liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Moved by the Bodhisatta’s words, the charioteer returned to the palace and told the king and queen what had happened. They were grief-stricken but knew that their son’s renunciation was a sign of something far greater than any kingdom. The king, in awe of his son’s wisdom and resolve, decided to renounce his throne as well. He gave away all his riches and joined the Bodhisatta in the forest, living a life of asceticism. The sixteen thousand queens, too, gave up their royal privileges and followed the Bodhisatta’s path.

Soon, many others from the kingdom followed suit, including the royal court, soldiers, and common folk. A great monastery was built in the forest, where the Bodhisatta taught all who came to him the way of renunciation, wisdom, and peace. Eventually, when they died, they all ascended to heaven, having purified their hearts through the Bodhisatta’s teachings.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the Buddha’s time, some of his disciples praised the greatness of his own renunciation, admiring how he had left the comforts of his royal family and home to become an ascetic. But the Buddha, ever humble, explained that his own renunciation was not as impressive as the renunciation he had made in this previous life, when his wisdom was less mature. He shared the story of Prince Temiya’s renunciation to show how, even in earlier lives, he had perfected the ten perfections (paramis) and had chosen the path of self-realization over worldly power.

The goddess in the umbrella and the charioteer were reborn as Uppalavanna and Sariputta, two of the Buddha’s most trusted disciples. The king and queen were reborn as the Buddha’s father and mother, and the royal court as the Buddha’s followers. Thus, the Bodhisatta’s great renunciation inspired not only his own life but the lives of many others, ultimately leading them all to the path of liberation and enlightenment.

Moral of the Tale:
The story of Prince Temiya is a profound lesson in the power of renunciation, the importance of inner wisdom, and the courage it takes to turn away from worldly attachments in search of spiritual liberation. By resisting the temptations of power, wealth, and pleasure, the Bodhisatta demonstrated that true freedom lies in transcending the desires of the material world. His renunciation inspired not only his own kingdom but also future generations to seek enlightenment and live a life of virtue.