The Sigala Jataka: A Jackal’s Lesson on Deception

The Sigala Jataka (Jataka #142) is a fascinating story that highlights themes of deception, foolishness, and the consequences of bad intentions. Like many of the Jatakas, it also serves as an allegory, linking past actions to the present, and offering moral lessons that are as relevant today as they were in ancient times.

The Story:

In this Jataka, the Bodhisatta is born as a jackal, and the story takes place during a festival in a nearby city. As midnight approaches, some men at the festival find themselves running out of meat, although they still have plenty of alcohol. One of them, eager to provide a feast for his companions, suggests capturing a jackal for food.

This man sneaks out of the city through the sewer system and heads to a charnel ground (a place where bodies were discarded) where he lies down, pretending to be dead in the hope that a jackal might come by and be caught. Little does he know that he has chosen a spot where a pack of jackals, led by the Bodhisatta, often come to scavenge.

As the pack of jackals arrives, the Bodhisatta notices the man immediately. Using his keen senses, he can tell that the man is still alive and has been lying in wait to capture a jackal. The Bodhisatta, seeing an opportunity to teach the man a lesson, decides to make a fool of him.

The Bodhisatta approaches the man and, with a swift motion, pulls at the man’s club with his teeth. The man, not recognizing the Bodhisatta’s intention, tightens his grip on the club, thinking it is merely an animal pulling at it. The Bodhisatta steps back and says, “You have betrayed yourself by holding onto the club.”

The man, realizing that he has been caught, jumps up in anger and throws his club at the Bodhisatta. However, his aim is poor, and he misses the jackal. The Bodhisatta, undeterred, remarks, “You have missed me with your club, but you will not miss the torments of hell.”

With this final rebuke, the man returns to the city empty-handed, his foolish plan thwarted. The jackals, on the other hand, continue their business of scavenging without further disturbance.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the Buddha’s time, the foolish man in the Sigala Jataka is recognized as an earlier birth of Devadatta, one of the Buddha’s most famous disciples who later became his adversary. Devadatta is known for his attempts to harm the Buddha, and his desire to kill the Buddha is a central part of his later story.

When the Buddha heard that Devadatta had been plotting to kill him, he told this story to his disciples, reminding them that Devadatta had tried to harm him in the past as well, and each time, he had failed and made himself look foolish in the process. The Buddha used this story to highlight that those who engage in harmful actions against wise and virtuous beings will ultimately suffer the consequences, just as the foolish man in the past had failed in his attempt to capture the jackals.

Moral Lessons:

1. The Consequences of Foolishness and Deception: The main moral of the Sigala Jataka is that deceitful plans and malicious intentions often lead to failure and humiliation. The foolish man, intent on capturing a jackal for food, not only failed in his mission but was also made to look foolish by the Bodhisatta. Similarly, in life, those who engage in deception or harmful acts against others often bring upon themselves shame and failure.
2. The Wisdom of the Bodhisatta: The Bodhisatta, even in his animal form, exhibits wisdom, wit, and compassion. He does not react with anger or violence, but instead uses his intelligence to expose the man’s folly and teach him a lesson. This reflects the Buddha’s own approach to wisdom: using understanding and compassion to guide others, even in difficult or adversarial situations.
3. The Consequences of Malice and Violence: The Buddha’s remark, “You will not miss the torments of hell,” is a clear indication that those who seek to harm others will ultimately face the repercussions of their actions. In the case of the foolish man, his violent intentions were not only unsuccessful but were also followed by his own humiliation. In the Buddha’s teachings, the concept of karma highlights that actions driven by malice or greed often lead to suffering in the long run.
4. Devadatta’s Past Failures: The story connects the foolish man in the past with Devadatta, showing that even in previous lives, Devadatta’s attempts to harm wise and virtuous beings always ended in failure. This serves as a reminder that those who act out of jealousy, hatred, or a desire for power will not succeed in the long run, as true wisdom and virtue cannot be defeated by malice.

Conclusion:

The Sigala Jataka is a story about the consequences of malice, foolishness, and deception. It illustrates that those who act out of selfishness or harmful intentions will ultimately fail and bring suffering upon themselves. The wisdom of the Bodhisatta, even as a jackal, serves as a model of how to respond to malice with intelligence, compassion, and clarity.

For the Buddha’s disciples, this story was an important reminder that Devadatta’s failure to harm the Buddha in past lives was no different from his ongoing failures in the present. The Buddha used the story to teach his followers that good intentions, wisdom, and compassion will always prevail over ill-willed actions, and that true success lies in cultivating virtue, not in plotting harm against others.