Ja 219 Garahitajātaka
The Birth Story about Blaming (2s)
In the present one monk can make no progress owing to discontent. The Buddha tells a story about a monkey who lived with a king and understood mankind’s wrongdoing, before being set free and reporting it to his fellows. They blocked their ears rather than listen.
The Bodhisatta = the lord of the monkeys (vānarinda),
the Buddha’s disciples = the group of monkeys (vānaragaṇa).
Keywords: Censure, Tale telling, Animals.
“The gold is mine.” This story the Teacher told at Jetavana, about a monk who was downcast and discontent.
This man could not concentrate his mind on any single object, but his life was all full of discontent; and this was told to the Teacher. When asked by the Teacher if he really were discontented, he said yes; asked why, he replied that it was through his passions. “O monk!” said the Teacher, “this passion has been despised even by the lower animals; and can you, a monk in such a dispensation, yield to discontent arising from the passion that even brutes despise?” Then he told him a story of the past.
In the past, when Brahmadatta reigned over Benares, the Bodhisatta came into the world as a monkey, in the region of the Himālayas. A forester caught him, brought him home and gave him to the king. For a long time he dwelt with the king, serving him faithfully, and he learned a great deal about the manners of the world of men. The king was
All the monkey tribe gathered together upon the face of a huge rock, to see the Bodhisatta now that he had come back to them; and they spoke pleasantly to him.
“Sir, where have you been living this long time?” “In the king’s palace at Benares.” “Then how did you get free?” “The king made me his pet monkey, and being pleased with my tricks, he let me go.”
The monkeys went on, “You must know the manner of living in the world of men:
“Don’t ask me the manner of men’s living,” said the Bodhisatta. “Do tell – we want to hear!” they said again.
“Mankind,” said he, “both princes and brahmins, cry out – ‘Mine! Mine!’ They know not of the impermanence, by which the things that be are not. Hear now the way of these blind fools,” and he spoke these verses:
1. Hiraññaṁ me suvaṇṇaṁ me, esā rattiṁ divā kathā,
Dummedhānaṁ manussānaṁ Ariyadhammaṁ apassataṁ.
Unwrought gold is mine, wrought gold is mine, this they say by night and day, unintelligent men do not consider the noble Dhamma.
2. Dve dve gahapatayo gehe, eko tattha amassuko,
Lambatthano veṇikato, atho aṅkitakaṇṇako,
Kīto dhanena bahunā, so taṁ vitudate janan-ti.
There are two householders in the house, one has no beard in that place, pendulant breasts, plaited hair, and perforated ears, being bought with lots of wealth, she attacks the people.
In this connection, unwrought gold is mine, wrought gold is mine, this is merely an abbreviated teaching, with this pair of lines all ten kinds of treasures, The Vinaya, PTS 4.163, defines these: ratanaṁ nāma muttā maṇi veḷuriyo saṅkho silā pavālaṁ rajataṁ jātarūpaṁ lohitaṅko masāragallaṁ; what is called a treasure is pearl, gem, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl, quartz, coral, silver, gold, ruby and emerald. primary and secondary crops, Defined as staple grains and vegetables. fields and lands, two footed servants and four footed animals, all of these are shown: “This is mine, this is mine,” he says.
This they say by day and night, this is the talk of these people by night and by day, all the time. But others say: “The five constintuents are impermanent,” or, “Having become, they are not,” not knowing this, they go around lamenting in this way.
Unintelligent means having little wisdom.
Do not consider the noble Dhamma, the noble Dhamma of the noble Buddhas and so on, or, the faultless ninefold supermundane Dhamma, this is the talk of those who do not consider. But another way: “Impermanence or suffering,” this is not normally what they say.
Householders means the persons in charge in the house.
One has no beard in that place means amongst those two masters of the house, one refers to a woman, it is said.
In this connection, plaited hair means having braided hair, having her hair set in various weaves, this is the meaning.
And perforated ears, and only a pierced ear, an ear with a hole, this is said concerning a pendulant ear.
Being bought with lots of wealth, but this one who has no beard, pendulant breasts, plaited hair, and perforated ears, having given a lot of wealth to her mother and father, she is bought, adorned, decorated, and having mounted the vehicle, surrounded by a great retinue, she enters the house.
She attacks the people, the householder from when she first came in that house, the people, divided into the servants and workers and so on, she attacks them with the spear in her mouth, saying: “Begone servantmen and servantwomen, don’t do that!” like one who having become the master, manages the people. Thus to this extent, saying: “In the human world this is totally unsuitable,” she blames the world of humans.
On hearing this, all the monkeys cried out, “Stop, stop! We have heard what it is not meet to hear!” and with both hands they stopped their ears tight. And they liked not the place, because they said: “In this place we heard a thing not seemly,” so they went elsewhere. And this rock went by the name of Garahitapiṭṭhi Rock, or the Rock of Blaming.
When the Teacher had ended this discourse, he declared the Truths and identified the Jātaka, at the conclusion of the Truths this monk reached the Fruit of the First Path. “The Buddha’s present followers were that troop of monkeys, and their chief was I myself.”