Takkala Jataka: Wisdom, Compassion, and Respect for Elders

In the Takkala Jataka, the Bodhisatta was born as the son of a village householder. His father, devoted to taking care of his aged father (the Bodhisatta’s grandfather), served him in all ways—from feeding him to cleaning his teeth. However, when the father was advised by his own father to find a wife, the Bodhisatta’s father didn’t want the added responsibility of having a woman in the house, believing that he could manage everything alone. But his father insisted, and soon a wife was chosen for him.

The Wife’s Deceptive Actions

The wife, though initially kind-hearted, began to show a lack of respect for her father-in-law after settling into the home. She started making life difficult for him by:

• Preparing hot and cold baths that were either too extreme,
• Cooking food with too much or too little salt,
• Making rice too hard or too soft, and
• Spitting on the floor and blaming it on the elderly man.

Eventually, the wife became so frustrated with the grandfather’s presence that she decided to remove him from the house. She secretly plotted to have her father-in-law killed, convincing her husband that he should act against his own father.

The Bodhisatta’s Intervention

The Bodhisatta, though only a seven-year-old child, was incredibly intelligent and perceptive. He overheard his mother’s plan and realized that his father was about to commit a grave sin. Wanting to stop this, he decided to intervene.

The next morning, when his father and grandfather were preparing to leave, the Bodhisatta followed them. At the cemetery, where the father intended to kill the grandfather, the Bodhisatta began to ask his father innocent but pointed questions about the situation. He asked why his father was digging in a place without any herbs or roots. The father explained that they needed to bury his father because of his age and illness, and that he had planned to end his suffering by killing him.

At this point, the Bodhisatta took the spade from his father and began to dig a new hole, explaining that in the future, he would dig a hole for his father in the same way, following family tradition. The Bodhisatta then rebuked his father, explaining that killing his father would be a great sin, and that such an act would lead to his rebirth in hell.

The Father’s Realization

Shamed by the Bodhisatta’s words, the father realized the enormity of the mistake he was about to make. He thanked his son for saving him from a great wrong and understood that he must now teach his wife a lesson for her actions.

The Bodhisatta advised his father to expel the wife from their home as a way of correcting her behavior. The father agreed, and once they returned home, he beat his wife and told her never to return.

The Wife’s Redemption

A few days later, the Bodhisatta asked his father to bring one of his nieces to live with them. The news of a new wife quickly spread throughout the village, and when the first wife heard of it, she realized her mistake. She came to the Bodhisatta, fell at his feet, and begged for forgiveness, promising to take care of her father-in-law as she once did, with love and devotion.

Moved by her sincere repentance, the Bodhisatta’s father accepted her back, and the family lived in peace and righteousness from then on.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the Buddha’s time, a similar situation arose where a man was married to a woman who had caused conflict between him and his elderly father. The wife demanded that either the father leave the house or she would. The man, fearing the consequences of dishonoring his father, chose his father, and the wife begged for forgiveness. However, unsure of her sincerity, the man waited a week before returning to the Buddha.

When the man finally returned to the Buddha’s monastery, he asked the Buddha why he had been away for so long. The Buddha explained that, just like in this past life, the man had made the right choice by honoring his father and that the same situation had played out before. The Buddha used this Jataka story to show how the situation had been resolved in the past and how the man’s good choices had led to his spiritual growth.

Moral of the Story:

The Takkala Jataka teaches that wisdom, compassion, and respect for elders are essential values. The Bodhisatta’s actions show how a wise person, even at a young age, can prevent harm and correct wrongdoings in a family. The story also highlights the importance of forgiveness and sincerity in relationships, as seen in the redemption of the wife. When families act with respect and compassion, they can overcome conflict and live harmoniously.

In the Buddha’s teaching, this story emphasizes the value of revering our elders and the wisdom that can come from difficult family situations when resolved with mindfulness and ethical conduct.