The Setaketu Jataka: Lessons on Humility and Wisdom

In the Setaketu Jataka, the Bodhisatta is depicted as a wise teacher who had a top student, Setaketu, from a brahmin family. Setaketu was very proud of his caste, believing himself to be superior to others. One day, as he walked along, he came across an untouchable (a person from a lower caste), and due to his pride, Setaketu did not want to be touched by any wind that had passed over the untouchable’s body. He ordered the untouchable to pass on the downwind side, but the untouchable refused, challenging Setaketu with a question. The challenge was: if Setaketu could answer the question correctly, the untouchable would step aside, but if he answered incorrectly, Setaketu would have to crawl between the untouchable’s legs.

Setaketu, full of confidence in his own knowledge, answered the question—“What are the quarters?”—by saying, “North, south, east, and west.” However, these were not the quarters the untouchable had in mind. The untouchable, showing great wisdom, grabbed Setaketu by the shoulders, pushed him down, and made him crawl through his legs, humiliating him in front of others.

The Bodhisatta later spoke with Setaketu, telling him to overcome his anger and to recognize that the true “quarters” were not geographical directions but something much deeper:

1. Parents – who provide life and nurturing.
2. Teachers – who impart wisdom and guidance.
3. Heads of households – who provide food, drink, and clothing.
4. A place where misery becomes bliss – a reference to spiritual transformation, where suffering is transcended and peace is attained.

Despite this teaching, Setaketu could not overcome the shame of the incident, and he left the Bodhisatta’s tutelage to study elsewhere. Eventually, Setaketu joined a group of ascetics and traveled with them, hoping to achieve spiritual greatness.

While they were temporarily residing in a royal park, the king announced that he would visit the ascetics. Setaketu, wanting to impress the king, instructed the other ascetics to engage in extreme austerities, such as lying on a bed of spikes and worshipping fire. When the king arrived and saw the ascetics’ rigorous activities, he was impressed by what seemed to be their advanced spirituality. However, the king’s chaplain saw through the façade and exposed the ascetics’ practices as mere tricks. The chaplain explained the true path of virtue and spirituality, leading the ascetics to renounce their pretensions and take up humble work as servants for the king.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the Buddha’s time, Setaketu was an earlier birth of one of the Buddha’s disciples, who was known for his dishonesty and pretense of seeking spiritual salvation. Despite his outward display of piety, other disciples knew him to be lacking in true virtue. When the Buddha heard some of his disciples discussing the dishonesty of this individual, he shared the story of Setaketu to show them that this disciple had a history of dishonesty, just as he had been in his past lives.

The untouchable, who had outwitted Setaketu, was an earlier birth of Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples and renowned for his deep wisdom and humility.

Moral of the Story

The Setaketu Jataka teaches several valuable lessons:

1. Pride and Arrogance: Setaketu’s pride in his caste blinded him to the wisdom of others, especially someone from a much lower social status. His arrogance led him to treat others with disdain, and his pride was ultimately humbled when he was forced to crawl through the legs of the untouchable. This episode illustrates how pride can lead to humiliation, and that true greatness is not found in social status but in humility and wisdom.
2. The Dangers of False Appearances: Setaketu’s later attempt to impress the king through extreme austerities demonstrates how people can use superficial practices to appear virtuous without true spiritual depth. It is a reminder that authentic spiritual practice is not about external displays but about inner transformation.
3. Humility and True Wisdom: The untouchable in this story is a figure of wisdom. He did not engage in prideful displays of power, but instead used his intelligence to humble Setaketu and teach him a deeper lesson. This reflects the Buddhist value of wisdom and humility, where the true worth of a person is measured by their character and understanding, not their external labels or social position.
4. The Importance of True Teaching: The Buddha’s teachings emphasize that true wisdom is found in the heart, not in external rituals or displays of austerity. The story of Setaketu and the ascetics reminds us that genuine spirituality is about inner transformation and not about putting on a facade for others.

Lessons for Buddhist Practice

• Overcoming Pride: The story encourages us to look beyond pride and ego, especially when it comes to societal labels like caste, wealth, or status. The untouchable, who was seemingly of a lower social class, taught Setaketu a profound lesson in wisdom, showing that true greatness lies in humility.
• Avoiding Pretension: The ascetics’ attempt to impress the king through false austerities serves as a warning against pretending to be spiritually advanced. In Buddhism, true renunciation comes from internal transformation, not from external displays of piety.
• Understanding True Wisdom: The four “quarters” taught by the Bodhisatta serve as a reminder that wisdom comes from recognizing the importance of family, teachers, provision, and spiritual growth. This reflects the Buddhist teaching of respecting and learning from all sources of wisdom, regardless of their form.

By embracing humility, honesty, and a deep commitment to true spiritual practice, we can avoid the mistakes of Setaketu and walk a path of wisdom and inner transformation.