JatakaTalesoftheBuddha:PartII

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Ken&VisakaKawasaki

BuddhistPublicationSocietyKandy•SriLanka

BodhiLeavesNo:138Copyright (c) Kandy; Buddhist Publication Society,(1996)

BPSOnlineEdition(c)(2006)

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IllisaJataka

TheMiserlyTreasurer(Jat78)

hisstorywastoldbytheBuddhawhileatJetavanaMonastery,aboutatremendouslyrich royal treasurer, who lived in a towncalled Sakkara near the city of Rajagaha.

He had been so tightfisted that he never gave awayeven the tiniestdropofoilyoucouldpickupwithabladeofgrass.Worsethanthat,hewouldn'tevenusethat minuscule amount for his own satisfaction. Hisvast wealth was actually of no use to him, to hisfamily,ortothedeservingpeopleoftheland.

Moggallana,however,ledthismiserandhiswifetoJetavana,where they served a greatmeal of cakes totheBuddhaandfivehundredbhikkhus.AfterhearingwordsofthanksfromtheBuddha,theroyaltreasurerandhiswifeattainedstream-entry.

ThateveningthebhikkhusgatheredtogetherintheHall of Truth. "How great is the power of theVenerable Moggallana!" they said. "In a moment he

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converted the miser to charity, brought him toJetavana, and made possible his attainment. Howremarkableistheelder!"Whiletheyweretalking,theBuddha entered and asked the subject of theirdiscussion.

When they told him, the Buddha replied, "This isnot the first time, bhikkhus, that Moggallana hasconvertedthismiserlytreasurer.Inpreviousdaystoothe elder taughthimhowdeeds and their effects arelinked together." Then the Buddha told this story ofthepast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi, therewasatreasurernamedIllisawhowasworth eighty crores of wealth. This man had all thedefects possible in a person. He was lame andhunchbacked, and he had a squint. He was aconfirmedmiser,nevergivingawayanyofhisfortunetoothers,yetneverenjoyingithimself.

Interestingly enough, however, for sevengenerations back his ancestors had been bountiful,giving freely of their best. When this treasurerinheritedthefamilyriches,hebrokethattraditionandbeganhoardinghiswealth.

Oneday,ashewasreturningfromanaudiencewiththe king, he saw aweary peasant sitting on a benchanddrinkingamugofcheapliquorwithgreatgusto.

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The sight made the treasurer thirsty for a drink ofliquorhimself,buthe thought, "If Idrink,otherswillwant to drinkwithme. Thatwouldmean a ruinousexpense!"Themorehetriedtosuppresshisthirst,thestrongerthecravinggrew.

The effort to overcome his thirst made him asyellowasold cotton.Hebecame thinner and thinneruntiltheveinsstoodoutonhisemaciatedframe.Aftera fewdays, stillunable to forgetabout the liquor,hewent into his room and lay down, hugging his bed.His wife came in, rubbed his back, and asked,"Husband,whatiswrong?"

"Nothing,"hesaid.

"Perhapsthekigisangrywithyou,"shesuggested.

"No,heisnot."

"Have your children or servants done anything toannoyyou?"shequeried.

"Notatall."

"Well,then,doyouhaveacravingforsomething?"

Becauseofhispreposterousfearthathemightwastehisfortune,hestillwouldnotsayaword.

"Speak, husband," she pleaded. "Tellmewhat youhaveacravingfor."

"Well,"hesaidslowly,"Idohaveacravingforone

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thing."

"Whatisthat,myhusband?"

"Iwantadrinkofliquor,"hewhispered.

"Whydidn'tyousaysobefore?"sheexclaimedwithrelief. "I'll brew enough liquor to serve the wholetown."

"No!"hecried."Don'tbotheraboutotherpeople.Letthemearntheirowndrink!"

"Wellthen,I'llmakejustenoughforourstreet."

"Howrichyouare!"

"Then,justforourhousehold."

"Howextravagant!"

"Allright,onlyusandourchildren."

"Whyfussaboutthem?"

"Verywell,letitbejustenoughforthetwoofus.

"Doyouneedany?"

"Ofcoursenot.I'llbrewalittleliquoronlyforyou."

"Wait! If you brew any liquor in the house,manypeoplewillseeyou.Infact, it'soutofthequestiontodrinkanyhereatall."Producingonesinglepenny,hesentaslavetobuyajarofliquorfromthetavern.

Whentheslavereturned,Illisaorderedhimtocarry

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the liquor out of town to a remote thicket near theriver."Nowleavemealone!"Illisacommanded.Afterthe slave had walked some distance away, thetreasurer crawled into the thicket, filledhis cup, andbegandrinking.

At that moment, the treasurer's own father, whohad been reborn as Sakka, king of the devas,happened to be wondering whether the tradition ofgenerositywasstillkeptup inhishouseandbecameaware of his son's outrageous behavior. He realizedthathis sonhadnotonlybrokenwith the customarymagnanimity of his family, but that he had alsoburneddownthealmshousesandbeatenthepoortodrive them away from his gate. Sakka saw that hisson, unwilling to share even a drop of cheap liquorwithanyoneelse,wassitting ina thicketdrinkingbyhimself.

When he saw this, Sakka cried, "I must make myson see thatdeeds alwayshave their consequences. Iwillmakehimcharitableandworthyofrebirthintherealmofthedevas."

Instantly, Sakka disguised himself as his son,complete with his limp, hunchback, and squint, andentered the city of Baranasi.Hewent directly to thepalacegateandaskedtobeannouncedtotheking.

"Lethimapproach,"saidtheking.

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Sakka entered the king's chamber and paid hisrespects.

"Whatbringsyouhereatthisunusualhour,mylordhightreasurer?"askedtheking.

"Ihavecome,sire,because Iwould like toaddmyeightycroresofwealthtoyourroyaltreasury."

"No,mylordhightreasurer,"answeredtheking."Ihaveampletreasure.Ihavenoneedofyours."

"Sire,ifyouwillnottakeit,Iwillgiveitallawaytoothers."

"Byallmeans,treasurer,doasyouwish."

"So be it, sire," Sakka said. Then, bowing again totheking,hewenttothetreasurer'shouse.Noneoftheservants could tell that hewas not their realmaster.He sent for the porter and ordered, "If anybodyresemblingmeshouldappearandclaimtobemasterof this house, that person should be severely beatenandthrownout."Thenhewentupstairs,satdownonabrocadedcouch,andsentforIllisa'swife.Whenshearrived, he smiled and said, "My dear, let us bebountiful."

When his wife, his children, and all the servantsheard this, they thought, "We have never seen thetreasurerinthisframeofmind!Hemusthavedrunkalottohavebecomesogood-naturedandgenerous."

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Hiswifeanswered,"Beascharitableasyouplease,myhusband."

"Send for the town crier," Sakka ordered. "I wanthim to announce to all the citizens of the city thatanybodywhowantsgold,silver,diamonds,pearls,orother gems should come to the house of Illisa thetreasurer."

Hiswifeobeyedhim, anda large crowdofpeoplecarrying baskets and sacks soon gathered. Sakkainstructed theservants toopen thedoors to thestorerooms and announced to the people, "These are mygiftstoyou!Takewhatyoulike!Goodlucktoyou!"

Townspeople filled theirbagsandcarriedawayallthe treasure they could manage. One farmer yokedtwo of Illisa's oxen to a beautiful cart, filled it withvaluablethings,anddroveoutofthecity.Asherodealong, humming a tune inpraise of the treasurer, hehappened to pass near the thicket where Illisa washiding."Mayyoulivetobeahundred,mygoodlordIllisa!" sang the farmer. "Whatyouhavedone formethis day will enable me to live without ever toilingagain.Whoownedtheseoxen?Youdid!Whogavemethis cart? You did! Who gave me the wealth in thecart? Again it was you! Neither my father nor mymother gaveme anyof this.No, it came solely fromyou,mylord."

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Thesewordschilledthetreasurertothebone."Whyis this fellowmentioningmyname?"hewonderedtohimself."Hasthekingbeengivingawaymywealth?"He peeped out of the thicket and immediatelyrecognizedhisowncartandoxen.

Scramblingoutofthebushesasfastashecould,hegrabbedtheoxenbytheirnoseringsandcried,"Stop!Theseoxenbelongtome!"

Thefarmerleapedfromthecartandbeganbeatingtheintruder."Yourascal!"heshouted."Thisisnoneofyourbusiness.Illisathetreasurerisgivinghiswealthawaytoallthecity."Heknockedthetreasurerdown,climbedbackonthecart,andstartedtodriveaway.

Shaking with anger, Illisa picked himself up,hurried after the cart, and seized hold of the oxenagain.Oncemore the farmer jumpeddown, grabbedIllisaby thehair,andbeathimseverely.Thenhegotbackonthecartandrumbledoff.

Thoroughly sobered up by this rough handling,Illisa hurried home. When he arrived, he saw thepeople carrying away his treasure. "What are youdoing?heshouted."Howdareyoudothis?"Heseizedfirstonemanthenanother,buteverymanhegrabbedknockedhimdown.

Bruised and bleeding, he tried to go into his ownhouse, claiming that he was Illisa, but the porters

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stoppedhim."Youvillain!"theycried."Wheredoyouthinkyouaregoing?"Followingorders,theybeathimwithbamboostaves,tookhimbytheneck,andthrewhimdownthesteps.

"Only the king can help me now," groaned Illisa,andhedraggedhimselftothepalace.

"Sire!"hecried."Why,ohwhy,haveyouplunderedmelikethis?"

"I haven't plundered you,my lord high treasurer,"said the king. "You yourself first offered me yourwealth. Then you yourself offered your property tothecitizensofthetown."

"Sire,Ineverdidsuchathing!Yourmajestyknowshow careful I am about money. You know I wouldnever give away so much as the tiniest drop of oil.Mayitpleaseyourmajestytosendforthepersonwhohas squandered my riches. Please interrogate himaboutthismatter."

ThekingorderedhisguardstobringIllisa,andtheyreturned with Sakka. The two treasurers were soexactly alike thatneither thekingnor anyone else inthe court could tell which was the real treasurer."Sire!" pleaded Illisa. "I am the treasurer! This is animposter!"

"My dear sir," replied the king. "I really can't say

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whichof you is the real Illisa. Is there anybodywhocandistinguishforcertainbetweenthetwoofyou?"

"Yes,sire,"answeredIllisa,"mywifecan."

Theking sent for Illisa'swifeandaskedherwhichofthetwowasherhusband.ShesmiledatSakkaandwent to standbesidehim.When Illisa's children andservantswere brought and asked the same question,theyallansweredthatSakkawastherealtreasurer.

Suddenly, Illisarememberedthathehadawartonthetopofhishead,hiddenunderhishair,knownonlytohisbarber.Asalastresort,heaskedthathisbarberbecalled.ThebarbercameandwasaskedifhecoulddistinguishtherealIllisafromthefalse.

"Ofcourse,Icantell,sire,"hesaid,"ifImayexaminetheirheads."

"Byallmeans,lookatboththeirheads,"orderedtheking.

The barber examined Illisa's head and found thewart.AshestartedtoexamineSakka'shead,thekingof the devas quickly caused awart to appear on hisown head, so that the barber exclaimed, "YourMajesty, both squint, both limp, and both arehunchbacks,too!Bothhavewartsinexactlythesameplace on their heads! Even I cannot tellwhich is therealIllisa!"

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WhenIllisaheardthis,herealizedthathislasthopewas gone, and he began to quake at the loss of hisbeloved riches. Overpowered by his emotions, hecollapsed senseless on the floor. At this, Sakkaresumedhisdivineformandroseintotheair."Oking,IamnotIllisa,"heannounced."IamSakka!"

The king's courtiers quickly splashed water onIllisa'sfacetorevivehim.Assoonashehadrecoveredhiswits,thetreasurerstaggeredtohisfeetandbowedbeforeSakka.

"Illisa!"Sakkashouted. "Thatwealthwasmine,notyours. I was your father. In my lifetime I wasbountiful towards the poor and rejoiced in doinggood.Becauseofmycharity,Iwasreborninthisgreatgrandeur.Butyou,foolishman,arenotwalkinginmyfootsteps.Youhavebecomea terriblemiser. Inordertohoardmyriches,youburnedmyalmshousestothegroundanddroveawaythepoor.Youaregettingnoenjoyment fromyourwealth; nor is it benefiting anyother human being. Your treasury is like a poolhaunted by demons, fromwhich no onemay satisfyhisthirst.

"Ifyourebuildmyalmshouses,however,andshowcharitytothepoor,youwillgaingreatmerit.Ifyoudonot, Iwill takeawayeverythingyouhave,andIwillsplityourheadwithmythunderbolt."

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WhenIllisaheardthisthreat,heshookwithfearandcriedout,"FromnowonIwillbebountiful!Iswearit!"

Acceptingthispromise,Sakkaestablishedhissoninthe precepts, preached the Dhamma to him, andreturnedtotherealmofthedevas.

True to his word, Illisa became diligent in charityand performedmany goodworks. He even attainedrebirthinheaven.

"You see, bhikkhus," the Buddha said, "this is notthe first time that Moggallana has converted thismiserlytreasurer.Atthattime,thetreasurerwasIllisa;Moggallana was Sakka, king of the devas; Anandawastheking;andImyselfwasthebarber."

KalakanniJataka

What'sinaName?

Jat83

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The Buddha told this story while at Jetavana, aboutoneofAnathapindika'sfriends,amannamed"Curse."Thetwohadplayedtogetheraschildrenandhadgonetothesameschool.Astheyearspassed,however,thefriend became extremelypoor and couldnotmake aliving for himself no matter what he did. Indesperation, he approached Anathapindika, whowelcomedhimkindlyandemployedhimtolookafterhispropertyandtomanageallofhisbusinessforhim.From that time on, it was a common thing to hearsomeoneshouting,"Curse!"eachtimeamemberofthehouseholdspoketohim.

One day some of Anathapindika's friends andacquaintancescameandsaid,"Treasurer,don'tletthissortofthinggooninyourhouse!It'senoughtoscarean ogre to hear such inauspicious speech as 'Comehere,Curse,' 'Sitdown,Curse,'or 'Haveyourdinner,Curse.' The man is a miserable wretch, dogged bymisfortune. He's not your social equal.Why do youhaveanythingtodowithhim?"

"Nonsense,"repliedAnathapindika,firmlyrejectingtheir advice. "A name only denotes aman. Thewisedonotmeasureamanbyhisname.Itisuselesstobesuperstitiousaboutmeresounds.Iwillneverabandonthe friend with whom I made mud-pies as a child,simplybecauseofhisname."

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Notlongafterthat,Anathapindikawentwithmanyof his servants to visit a village of which he washeadman.Helefthisoldfriendincharge.Hearingofhisdeparture,abandofrobbersdecidedtobreakintothe house. That night, they armed themselves to theteethandsurroundedit.

Curse had suspected that burglars might trysomething so he stayed awake. As soon as he knewthattherobberswereoutside,heranaboutnoisilyasthough he were rousing the entire household. Heshouted for one person to sound the conch and foranother to beat the drum. Soon it seemed that thehousecontainedawholearmyofservants.

When the robbers heard the din, they said to oneanother, "Thehouse isnotasemptyaswe thought itwouldbe.Themastermuststillbeathomeafterall."Theythrewdowntheirclubsandotherweaponsandfled.

Inthemorning,thediscardedweaponswerefoundlying scattered outside the house. When thetownspeople realized what had happened, theylaudedCursetotheskies."Ifsuchawisemanhadn'tbeen guarding the house," they said, "those robberswouldhavewalkedinandplunderedastheypleased.Anathapindika owes this good luck to his staunchfriend, Curse." As soon as Anathapindika returned

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fromhistrip,theytoldhimthewholestory.

"My friends,"Anathapindika answered, "this is thetrustyguardianIwasurgedtogetridof.IfIhadtakenyouradviceandsenthimaway, Iwouldbeapoorermantoday.It'snotthenamebuttheheartwithinthatmakes the man!" In appreciation of his friend'sservices,heevenraisedhiswages.Thinking that thiswas a good story to tell the Buddha, AnathapindikawenttotheMasterandgavehimacompleteaccount.

"Thisisnotthefirsttime,sir,"theBuddhasaid,"thatamannamedCursehassavedhisfriend'swealthfromrobbers.Thesamethinghappenedinbygonedaysaswell." Then, at Anathapindika's request, the Buddhatoldthisstoryofthepast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi, the Bodhisatta was the treasurer. He wasvery famous and had a friend namedCurse.At thattime everything was the same as in the story ofAnathapindika.Whenthetreasurerreturnedfromthevillageandheardthenews,hesaidtohisfriends,"IfIhadtakenyouradviceandhadgottenridofmytrustyfriend,Iwouldhavebeenabeggartoday.Afriendisonewhogoessevenstepstohelp.Hewhogoestwelvecanbe called a comrade. Loyalty for a fortnight or amonth makes one a relative; long and steadydependability,asecondself.HowcouldIforsakemy

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friendCursewhohasalwaysbeensotrue?"

Hislessonended,theBuddhaidentifiedtheBirthbysaying,"AtthattimeAnandawasCurse,andImyselfwasthetreasurerofBaranasi."

MahasaraJataka

TheQueen'sNecklace

Jat92

The Buddha told this story at Jetavana MonasteryabouttheVenerableAnanda.

One day the wives of the King of Kosala weretalking together, saying, "It isveryrare foraBuddhatoappearintheworld,"theysaid."Itisalsoraretobeborn a human being. We have been born humansduringaBuddha'slifetime,butwearenotfreetogoto

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the monastery to pay our respects, to hear histeaching, and tomakeofferings tohim.Wemight aswellbelivinginacageasinthispalace.Let'sasktheking to allow someone to come here to teach us theDhamma.Weshouldlearnwhatwecan,becharitable,anddogoodworks.Inthatwaywewilltrulybenefitfromlivingatthishappytime!"Theywenttothekingandmadetheirrequest.Thekinglistenedandgavehisconsent.

That same morning, the king decided to enjoyhimselfintheroyalgardens,sohegaveordersthatthegrounds should be prepared. As the gardener wasfinishing, he saw the Buddha seated at the foot of atree. He immediatelywent to the king and reportedthat everythingwas ready, but that the Buddhawastheresittingunderatree.

"Verygood,"saidtheking,"wewillgoandheartheMaster."Thenhewenttothegardenbyroyalchariot.

When he got there, he found a lay disciple,Chattapani,sittingattheBuddha'sfeet,listeningtohiswords. When the king saw this lay disciple, hehesitated. Realizing, however, that this must be avirtuous man, or he would not be sitting by theBuddha for instruction, thekingapproached,bowed,andseatedhimselfononeside.

Out of his profound respect for the Buddha,

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Chattapanineitherrosetohonorthekingnorsalutedhim.Thismadethekingveryangry.

Awareoftheking'sdispleasure,theBuddhapraisedthemeritsofthelayman,whohad,infact,enteredthepathofnonreturning."Sire,"theBuddhasaid,"thislaydiscipleknowsbyheartthescripturesthathavebeenhanded down, and he has set himself free from thebondageofpassion."

"Surely,"thekingthought,"thiscanbenoordinarypersonwho is being so praised by the Buddha." Heturned to Chattapani and said, "Letme know if youareinneedofanything."

"Thankyou,"Chattapanireplied.

Theking listenedto theMaster's teaching.When itwastime,heroseandleftceremoniously.

Afewdays later, thekingmetChattapaniagainashe was on his way to Jetavana and had himsummoned. "I hear, sir, that you are aman of greatlearning.Mywivesareeagertohearthetruth.Iwouldbeverygladtohaveyouteachthem."

"It would not be proper, sire, for a layman toexpound the truth in the king's harem. That is theprerogativeofthebhikkhus."

Thekingimmediatelyrealizedthatthiswascorrect,sohecalledhiswivestogetherandannouncedthathe

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wouldasktheBuddhatoappointoneoftheelderstobecome their instructor in the Doctrine. He askedthemwhich of the eighty chief disciples theywouldprefer. The women unanimously chose Ananda, theTreasureroftheDoctrine.

The king went to the Buddha, greeted himcourteously,satdown,andstatedhiswives'wishthatAnandamightbetheirteacher.TheBuddhaassented,and theVenerableAnandabegan teaching theking'swivesregularly.

One day, when Ananda arrived at the palace asusual, he found that the women, who had alwaysbefore been so attentive, were all troubled andagitated. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Why do youseemanxioustoday?"

"Oh,venerablesir,"theyreplied,"thejewelfromtheking's turban is missing. He has called hisministersandordered themtoapprehend the thiefand to findthe jewel without fail. They are interrogating andsearchingeverybody,evenallofuswomen.Theentirecourtisinanuproar,andwehavenoideawhatmighthappen next to any of us. That is why we are sounhappy."

"Don'tworry," saidAnanda cheerfully, as hewenttofindtheking.

Taking the seat which the king prepared for him,

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Anandaasked if itwas true thathismajestyhad losthisjewel.

"Quitetrue,venerablesir,"saidtheking."Ihavehadeveryoneinthepalacesearchedandquestioned,butIcanfindnotraceofthegem."

"There is a way to find it, sire," Ananda said,"withoutupsettingpeopleunnecessarily."

"Whatwayisthat,venerablesir?"

"Bywisp-giving,sire."

"Wisp-giving?" asked the king. "What do youmean?"

"Call everyone you suspect," Ananda instructed,"andgivehimorher awispof straw.Say to eachofthem, 'Take this and put it in a certain place beforedaybreak tomorrow.' The personwho took the jewelwillbeafraidofgettingcaughtandwillgivethegembackwith the straw. If it is not returned on the firstday,thesamethingmustbedoneforoneortwomoredays. You will undoubtedly get your jewel back."Withthesewords,theelderdeparted.

Following Ananda's advice, the king distributedstraw and designated the place where it was to bereturned.Even thoughhedid this for threedays, thejewelwas not recovered. On the third day the eldercame again and asked whether the jewel had been

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returned.

"No,venerablesir,"repliedtheking,"ithasnot."

"In that case, sire," Ananda said, "have a largewaterpot filledwith water and placed in a secludedcornerofyourcourtyard.Putascreenaroundit,andgiveordersthatallwhofrequentthepalace,bothmenandwomen,aretotakeoff theiroutergarmentsand,onebyone, tostepbehindthescreenandwashtheirhands." Again the king did exactly as Ananda hadsuggested.

"Anandahas seriously takenchargeof thematter,"thought the thief. "He is not going to stop until thejewel is found.The timehas come to give it up."Heconcealed the jewel inhisunderclothes,wentbehindthe screen, and dropped it in the water. Aftereveryonehad finished, thepotwasemptied, and thejewelwasfound.

"Becauseof theElderAnanda," exclaimed thekingjoyfully,"Ihavegottenmyjewelback!"

"Because of the Elder Ananda," exclaimed all theresidentsofthepalace,"wehavebeensavedfromalotoftrouble!"

Thestoryofhowhiswisdomhadreturnedthejewelspread throughout the city and reached JetavanaMonastery.

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A fewdays later,while the bhikkhuswere talkingtogether in theHall ofTruth, oneof them said, "Thegreatwisdomof the ElderAnanda led to recoveringthelostjewelandrestoringcalmtothepalace."Whileall of themwere singing the praises of Ananda, theBuddha entered and asked the subject of theirconversation.

"Monks,"hesaidaftertheyhadtoldhim,"thisisnotthefirsttimethatstolengemshavebeenfound,norisAnanda the only onewho has brought about such adiscovery. In bygone days, too, the wise and gooddiscoveredstolenvaluablesandsavedalotofpeoplefromtrouble."Thenheproceeded to tell this storyofthepast.

Long,longago,whenBrahmadattawasreigninginBaranasi, theBodhisattacompletedhiseducationandbecameoneof theking'sministers.Onedaythekingwentwithalargeretinuetohispleasuregarden.Afterwalking about thewoods for awhile, he decided toenjoyhimselfinthewaterandsentforhisharem.Thewomenremovedtheirjewelsandoutergarments,laidthem in boxes for their attendants to look after, andjoinedthekingintheroyaltank.

As the queen was taking off her jewels andornaments, a female monkey that was hiding in thebranches of a nearby tree watched her intently. The

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monkeyconceivedalongingtowearthequeen'spearlnecklaceandwaitedforachancetosnatchit.Atfirstthequeen'sattendantstayedalert, lookingallaroundto protect the jewels, but after a while she began tonod. As soon as the monkey saw this, she jumpeddown as swift as the wind. Then just as swiftly sheleaped up into the tree with the pearls around herneck. Fearing that other monkeys would see hertreasure, she hid the string of pearls in a hole in thetree and sat demurely keeping guard as thoughnothinghadhappened.

By and by the girl awoke and saw that the jewelswere gone. Terrified at her own negligence, sheshouted, "A man has run off with the queen's pearlnecklace!"

Sentriesranupfromeverysideandquestionedher.The king ordered his guards to catch the thief, andthey rushed around the pleasure garden, searchinghighandlow.Apoortimidpeasantwhohappenedtobe nearby became frightened when he heard theuproarandstartedtorunaway.

"Therehegoes!" cried theguards.They chased thepoorman,caughthim,beganbeatinghim,andaskedwhyhestolesuchpreciousjewels.

The peasant thought, "If I deny the charge, thesebrutes will beat me to death. I'd better say I took

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them."Heimmediatelyconfessedtothetheftandwashauledoffinchainstotheking.

"Did you take those precious jewels?" asked theking.

"Yes,yourmajesty."

"Wherearetheynow?"

"Yourmajesty, I'mapoorman,"heexplained."I'veneverownedanythingofanyvalue,notevenabedora chair, much less a jewel. It was the treasurer whomademe take that expensive necklace. I took it andgaveittohim.Heknowsallaboutit."

Thekingsent for the treasurer,andaskedwhetherthepeasanthadpassedthenecklaceontohim.

Also afraid to deny the charge, the treasureranswered,"Yes,sire."

"Whereisitthen?"

"Igaveittoyourmajesty'shighpriest."

Thehighpriestwassentfor,andinterrogatedinthesame way. He said he had given it to the chiefmusician, who in his turn said he had given it as apresent to a courtesan. The courtesan, however,utterlydeniedhavingreceiveditandthequestioningcontinueduntilsunset.

"It's toolatenow,"saidtheking,"wewill lookinto

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this tomorrow." He handed the suspects over to hisofficersandwentbackintothecity.

TheBodhisattabegan thinking, "These jewelswerelost inside thegrounds, but thepeasantwasoutside.Therewas a strong guard at the gate. Itwouldhavebeen impossible for anyone inside to have gottenaway with the necklace. I don't see how a person,insideorout,couldhavestolenit.Idon'tbelievethatany of these five had anything to do with it, but Iunderstandwhytheyfalselyconfessedandimplicatedthe others. As for the necklace, these grounds areswarmingwithmonkeys.Itmusthavebeenoneofthefemalemonkeysthattookit."

Havingarrivedatthisconclusion,theministerwenttothekingandrequestedthatthesuspectsbehandedover to him so that he could look into the matterpersonally.

"By allmeans,mywise friend," said the king, "goahead."

Theministerorderedhisservants totakechargeofthe five prisoners. "Keep strictwatch over them," hesaid."Iwantyoutolistentoeverythingtheysayandreportitalltome."

As the prisoners sat together, the treasurer said tothe peasant, "Tell me, you wretch, where you and Ihave ever met before today. How could you have

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givenmethatnecklace?"

"Honorable sir," said the peasant, "I have neverownedanythingvaluable.EventhestoolandthecotIhave are rickety. I saidwhat Ididbecause I thoughtthat with your help I would get out of this trouble.Pleasedon'tbeangrywithme,sir."

"Well then," the high priest indignantly asked thetreasurer,"howdidyoupassontomewhatthisfellownevergavetoyou?"

"I said that," explained the treasurer, "because Ithought that you and I, both being high rankingofficials,wouldbeabletogetoutoftroubletogether."

"Brahman,"thechiefmusicianaskedthehighpriest,"whendoyouthinkyougavethejeweltome?"

"IonlysaidIdid,"answeredthechaplain,"becauseIthought youwould help tomake the time in prisonpassmoreagreeably."

Finallythecourtesancomplained,"Youwretchofamusician,youhavenevervisitedme,andIhavenevervisited you. When could you have given me thenecklace?"

"Don'tbeangry,mydear."saidthemusician."Ijustwantedyoutobeheretokeepuscompany.Cheerup!Let'sallbelightheartedtogetherforawhile."

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As soon as his servants had reported thisconversation to the Bodhisatta, he saw that all hissuspicions were correct. He was convinced that afemalemonkeyhadtakenthenecklace.

"Now Imust find a way tomake her drop it," hesaidtohimself.Heorderedhisservantstocatchsomemonkeys,todeckthemoutwithstringsofbeads,andthentoreleasethemagaininthepleasuregarden.Themen were to carefully watch every monkey in thegrounds.Assoonastheysawonewearingthemissingpearlnecklace,theyweretofrightenherintodroppingit.

Themonkeysstruttedaboutwiththeirbeadsstrungaroundtheirnecks,theirwrists,andtheirankles.Theyflauntedtheirsplendorinfrontoftheguiltymonkey,whosatquietlyguardinghertreasure.Atlast,jealousyovercame her prudence. "Those are only beads!" shescreeched, and foolishly put on her own necklace ofreal pearls. As soon as the servants saw this, theybeganmakingloudnoisesandthrowingthingsather.Themonkey became so frightened that she droppedthenecklaceandscamperedaway.Thementookittotheirmaster.

Theministerimmediatelytookittotheking."Here,sire," he said, "is the queen's necklace. The fiveprisonersareinnocent.Itwasafemalemonkeyinthe

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pleasuregardenthattookit."

"Wonderful!"exclaimedtheking."But,tellme,howdid you find that out?And howdid youmanage togetitback?"

When he had heard the whole story, the kingpraisedhisminister. "Youcertainlyaretherightmanintherightplace!"heproclaimed.Inappreciation,theking showered the minister with immeasurabletreasure.

ThekingcontinuedtofollowtheBodhisatta'sadviceand counsel. After a long life of generosity andmeritoriousacts,hepassedawaytofareaccordingtohisdeserts.

His lesson ended, the Buddha again praisedVenerable Ananda's merits, and identified the birth."Anandawas thekingof thosedays,"he said, "and Iwashiswisecounselor."

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TableofContents

Titlepage 2IllisaJataka 4KalakanniJataka 15MahasaraJataka 19

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