Ja 200 Sādhusīlajātaka
The Birth Story about Good Precepts (2s)
In the present one brahmin cannot decide between suitors for his four daughters and asks the Buddha’s advice. The Buddha tells of a similar occurrence in the past, and how, as Bodhisatta, he advised choosing the virtuous suitor as being the most suitable.
The Bodhisatta = the world-famous teacher (disāpāmokkho ācariyo),
the brahmin = the same in the past (brāhmaṇa).
Keywords: Virtue, Suitability.
“One is good.”
This man, we are told, had four daughters. Four suitors wooed them; one was fine and handsome, one was old and well advanced in years, the third a man of family, and the fourth was good. He thought to himself, “When a man is settling his daughters and disposing of them, whom should he give them to? The handsome man or the oldish man, or one of the other two, the highly born or the very virtuous man?” Ponder as he would, he could not decide. So he thought he would tell the matter to the Supreme Buddha, who would be sure to know; and then he would give the girls to the most suitable wooer. So he had a quantity of perfumes and garlands prepared, and visited the monastery. Saluting the Teacher, he sat on one side, and told him everything from beginning to end; then he asked, “To which of these four should I give my daughters?” To this the Teacher replied, “In olden days, as now, wise men asked this question; but now that rebirth has confused your memory, you cannot remember the case.” And then at his request the Teacher told a story of the past.
In the past, when Brahmadatta ruled in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as a brahmin’s son. He came of age, and received his education at Taxila; then on returning he became a famous teacher.
Now there was a brahmin who had four daughters. These four were wooed by four persons as told above. The brahmin could not decide to whom to give them. “I will enquire of the teacher,” he thought, “and then he shall have them to whom they should be given.” So he came into the teacher’s presence, and repeated the first couplet:
1. Sarīradabyaṁ vuḍḍhabyaṁ, sojaccaṁ sādhusīliyaṁ,
Brāhmaṇaṁ teva pucchāma: kannu tesaṁ vanimhase ti?
One is handsome, one is elder, one of good birth, one virtuous, we ask the brahmin about this: which one of these suitors is good?
In this connection, one is handsome and so on, he explains the virtue existing in these four. This is the intention in this place: my four daughters wish for men, of these one is handsome, one is found endowed with a truly handsome body, one of them is elder, elderly, aged, one of them is of good birth, well born, endowed with a good birth. One of them is virtuous, having beautiful virtue, being endowed with virtue.
We ask the brahmin about this, not knowing which amongst those named should be given, we ask the venerable brahmin.
Which one of these suitors is good? Of these four people which is good, which should we desire, he asks to which of these should we give the woman?
Hearing this, the teacher replied, “Even though there be beauty and the like qualities, a man is to be despised if he fail in virtue. Therefore the former is not the measure of a man; those that I like are the virtuous.” And in explanation of this matter, he repeated the second couplet:
2. Attho atthi sarīrasmiṁ, vuḍḍhabyassa namo kare,
Attho atthi sujātasmiṁ, sīlaṁ asmāka’ ruccatī ti.
There is good in the body, we must pay respects to an elder, there is good in being well born, but in virtue is our delight.
In this connection, there is good in the body, a body endowed with beauty is also good, this is especially prosperous, I do not say it isn’t.
We must pay respect to an elder, I pay my respects to one who is an elder. The one who is elder receives reverence.
There is good in being well born, there is prosperity in the well born person, the one endowed with good birth is also desireable.
In virtue is our delight, but our delight is in virtue. The virtuous one, endowed with good manners, though devoid of beauty, is still commendable, praiseworthy.
When the brahmin heard this, he gave all his daughters to the virtuous wooer.
The Teacher, when this discourse was ended, declared the Truths and identified the Jātaka, at the conclusion of the Truths the brahmin attained the Fruit of the First Path, “This brahmin was the brahmin then, and the famous teacher was I myself.”