The Rohanta-Miga Jataka: The Golden Deer and the Power of Compassion

In this Jataka tale, the Bodhisatta is born as a golden deer, the majestic leader of a herd of eighty thousand deer living in the Himalayas. The Bodhisatta, along with his brother and sister, faithfully cares for their blind and elderly parents. One day, a hunter sees the Bodhisatta and, on his deathbed, tells his son about the rare and magnificent golden deer.

The Queen’s Wish and the King’s Search:

The story takes a turn when the chief queen of the kingdom has a dream of a golden deer preaching from a golden seat. Obsessed with the vision, the queen demands that the king procure this golden deer for her. Feigning illness and claiming she would die if her wish was not fulfilled, the queen persuades the king to fulfill her desire.

The king consults his courtiers and brahmins, who assure him that such a creature exists. The king then sends his hunters to find the golden deer, promising a great reward to whoever succeeds in capturing it. One of the hunters, who had learned about the golden deer from his father before his death, ventures into the Himalayas and discovers the Bodhisatta’s herd.

The Bodhisatta’s Capture:

The hunter sets a snare at a river ford, where the deer often drink. When the Bodhisatta walks into the trap, he remains calm, allowing the rest of the herd to finish drinking. After some time, he attempts to escape, but the noose cuts into his leg, causing deep wounds. Realizing the danger, he calls out, causing the herd to flee in panic.

The Bodhisatta’s brother and sister, realizing he is missing, return to the river to find him. Despite the risk to their own lives, they refuse to leave him, vowing to protect him. When the hunter arrives with his spear, ready to kill the Bodhisatta, he is moved by the sight of the three deer standing together. The Bodhisatta’s brother explains that killing the king of the deer would lead to five deaths: the Bodhisatta, his siblings, and their helpless parents. This compassionate plea causes the hunter to hesitate.

The Hunter’s Transformation:

The hunter, realizing the gravity of the situation and the kindness of the deer, decides not to kill them. His fear of causing immense harm, including the possibility of being struck by lightning or swallowed into hell, overpowers his desire for the king’s reward. He gently removes the snare, cleans the Bodhisatta’s wound, and, through the Bodhisatta’s virtue and the hunter’s compassion, the wound miraculously heals as though it had never been there.

The Bodhisatta, recognizing the hunter’s sincere heart, offers to go to the palace to preach to the queen. However, the hunter, understanding the dangers of angering a king, persuades the Bodhisatta to stay away. Instead, the Bodhisatta teaches the hunter about the holy life and the five precepts, urging him to give a sermon on his behalf. The Bodhisatta even gives the hunter some of his golden fur as proof of the message’s authenticity.

The Hunter’s Sermon:

When the hunter arrives at the palace, he presents the golden hairs to the king and tells the story of the golden deer. The hunter gives a sermon, urging the king to be righteous in all his deeds, so that he might be reborn in heaven. The queen, having her wish fulfilled, is delighted, and the king, impressed by the sermon, offers the hunter great riches: gold, jewelry, cows, and two wives of equal rank. However, the hunter, in a selfless act, gives all his rewards to his wife and chooses to retreat to the Himalayas to live as an ascetic, renouncing wealth for spiritual fulfillment.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

The story takes on deeper significance when viewed in the context of the Buddha’s teachings. The Bodhisatta’s brother, who risked his life to save him, is identified as an earlier birth of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s foremost disciples. Ananda was known for his deep affection for the Buddha, and this story mirrors his readiness to sacrifice his life for the Buddha during a later incident.

When Devadatta, a jealous disciple of the Buddha, plotted to kill the Buddha by releasing a wild, drunk elephant into the street while the Buddha was out on his alms round, Ananda attempted to shield the Buddha from harm, despite the Buddha’s orders to stay back. His deep attachment and willingness to protect the Buddha reflect the same self-sacrifice he showed in the Jataka tale, where he would risk everything for those he loved.

The king, queen, and Bodhisatta’s sister in the Jataka represent earlier births of Sariputta, Khema, and Uppalavanna, all great disciples of the Buddha. The hunter, on the other hand, was an earlier incarnation of Channa, the Buddha’s charioteer, who later became one of the Buddha’s disciples.

The story of the golden deer is not only a tale of compassion and self-sacrifice but also serves to highlight the profound spiritual journey that continues across lifetimes, as individuals evolve from selfish desires to selfless acts of kindness, and from ignorance to enlightenment.

Moral of the Tale:

The Rohanta-Miga Jataka emphasizes compassion, selflessness, and the transformative power of virtue. The Bodhisatta’s actions teach that true greatness lies in giving without expecting anything in return, and that wisdom, kindness, and love have the power to heal wounds and change hearts. This story also highlights the importance of spiritual teachings, as the Bodhisatta’s sermon to the hunter leads to a change in the hunter’s life, demonstrating the power of compassion in leading others toward righteousness.