Ja 229 The Birth Story about (the King) Who Fled (2s)

Alternative Title: Palāyitajātaka (Cst)

In the present one ascetic goes about arguing with all he meets, when he comes to Jetavana he is intimidated by the size of the gate, and decides not to enter and argue. The Buddha tells a story of a mighty king who got up a huge army, but when he saw the gate of the city he intended to overthrow he was intimidated and decided to withdraw.

The Bodhisatta = the king of Taxila (Takkasilarājā),
the roaming wanderer = the king of Benares (Bārāṇasirājā).

Past Compare: Ja 229 Palāyi, Ja 230 Dutiyapalāyi.

Keywords: Overestimation, Vanity.

“Lo, my elephants.” This story the Teacher told at Jetavana, about a mendicant, with vagrant tastes.

He traversed the whole of Jambudīpa for the purpose of arguing, and found no one to contradict him. At last he got as far as Sāvatthi, and asked was there any one there who could argue with him. The people said: “There is one who could argue with a thousand such – all-wise, chief of men, the mighty Gotama, lord of the faith, who bears down all opposition, there is no adversary in all Jambudīpa who can dispute with him. As the billows break upon the shore, so all arguments break against his feet, and are dashed to spray.” Thus they described the qualities of the Buddha. [2.152]

“Where is he now?” asked the mendicant. “He is at Jetavana,” they replied. “Now I’ll get up a debate with him!” said the mendicant. So attended by a large crowd he made his way to Jetavana. On seeing the gate towers of Jetavana, The Jetavana monastery is represented on the Bhārhut Stūpa (Cunningham, pl. LVII); for the gandhakuṭī, see pl. xxviii, fig. 3. which prince Jeta had built at a cost of ninety millions of money, he asked whether that was the palace where the ascetic Gotama lived. The gateway of it, they said. “If this be the gateway, what will the dwelling be like!” he cried. “There’s no end to the perfumed chambers!” the people said. “Who could argue with such a monk as this?” he asked; and hurried off at once.

The crowd shouted for joy, and thronged into the park. “What brings you here before your time?” asked the Teacher. They told him what had happened. Said he, “This is not the first time, laymen, that he hurried away at the mere sight of the gateway of my dwelling. He did the same before.” And at their request, he told a story of the past. {2.217}

In the past, it befell that the Bodhisatta reigned as king in Taxila, of the realm of Gandhāra, and Brahmadatta in Benares. Brahmadatta resolved to capture Taxila; wherefore with a great host he set forth, and took up a position not far from the city, and set his army in array, “Here be the elephants, here the horses, the chariots here, and here the footmen: thus do you charge and hurl with your weapons; as the clouds pour forth rain, so pour you forth a rain of arrows!” and he uttered this pair of verses:

In this connection, with clouds of great elephants, with clouds of great elephants, with their trumpets roaring, with the drunken thunder of these noble animals, this is the meaning.

With garlanded great horses, with garlanded great horses, with the noble family of thoroughbred Valāhaka Valāhaka is the name of a type of mythical horse. horses in the cavalry squadron, this is the meaning.

With a wave of chariots, with the impulse of the wave that has arisen, like with the water of the ocean, with a wave of chariots that has arisen, with the chariot squadron, this is the meaning.

With a great rain of arrows, with that squadron of chariots, with the raining down of a great rain of arrows like a thick rain cloud.

With the whirlpool of weapon-handlers giving them strong blows, with the great weapon-handlers, with a whirlpool of strong blows, having returned, having turned back from here and there, with blows that are strong, with swords held high and violent bejewelled weapon-handlers, and with warrior foot soldiers, this is the meaning.

Beseiging the great city of Taxila on all sides, since this Taxila is beseiged, you must act quickly, this is the meaning.

Run up against them, approach them quickly, you must run with impulsiveness and approach them.

With the sounding of various noises, together with the noble elephants let there be various noises, cry out variously, with the sound of thunder and shouting, this is the meaning.

Continue the great sound today, continue today the great big sound like the sound of the thunderbolt.

Just as with lightning flashes, the rain cloud thunders, just as when the rain cloud thunders, the lightning flashes crash at the front, so wandering around, having beseiged the city, take hold of the kingdom, this is what is said.

So cried the king. And he made his army march, and came before the gate of the city; and when he saw the towers on the city gate, he asked whether that was the king’s dwelling. “That,” they said, “is the gate tower.” “If the gate tower be such as this, of what sort will the king’s palace be?” he asked. And they replied, “Like to Vejayanta, the palace of Sakka!” On hearing it, the king said: “With so glorious a king we shall never be able to fight!” And having seen no more than the tower set upon the city gate, he turned and fled away, and came again to Benares.