Ja 232 The Birth Story about the (Broken) Lute (2s)

Alternative Title: Vīṇāguṇajātaka (Cst)

In the present a young woman seeing a bull honoured, mistakenly thinks it is because of his hump, and seeks out a hunchbacked man to elope with. The Buddha tells a story of a similar happening in the past, and how she was brought home again.

The Bodhisatta = the wealthy man of Benares (Bārāṇasīseṭṭhi),
the wealthy man’s daughter = the same in the past (seṭṭhidhītā).

Keywords: False analogy, Appearances, Women.

“Your own idea.” [2.156] This story the Teacher told while staying at Jetavana, about a young lady.

She was the only daughter of a rich merchant of Sāvatthi. She noticed that in her father’s house a great fuss was made over a fine bull, and asked her nurse what it meant. “Who is this, nurse, that is honoured so?” The nurse replied that it was a right royal bull.

Another day she was looking from an upper storey down the street, when lo, she spied a hunchback. {2.225} Thought she, “In the cow tribe, the leader has a hump. I suppose it’s the same with men. That must be a right, royal man, and I must go and be his humble follower.” So she sent her maid to say that the merchant’s daughter wished to join herself to him, and he was to wait for her in a certain spot. She collected her treasures together, and disguising herself; left the mansion and went off with the hunchback.

By and by all this became known in the town and among the Saṅgha. In the Dhamma Hall, the monks discussed its bearings, “Friend, there is a merchant’s daughter who has eloped with a hunchback!” The Teacher came in, and asked what they were all talking about together. They told him. He replied, “This is not the first time, monks, that she has fallen in love with a hunchback. She did the same before.” And he told them a story.

In the past, while Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into a rich man’s family in a certain market town. When he came of age, he lived as a householder, and was blessed with sons and daughters, and for his son’s wife he chose the daughter of a rich citizen of Benares, and fixed the day.

Now the girl saw in her home honour and reverence offered to a bull. She asked of her nurse, “What is that?” “A right royal bull,” said she. And afterward the girl saw a hunchback going through the street. “That must be a right royal man!” thought she; and taking with her the best of her belongings in a bundle, she went off with him.

The Bodhisatta also, having a mind to fetch the girl home, set out for Benares with a great company; and he travelled by the same road.

The pair went along the road all night long. All night long the hunch-back was overcome with thirst; and at the sunrise, he was attacked by colic, and great pain came upon him. So he went off the road, dizzy with pain, and fell down, like a broken lute-stick, huddled together; the girl too sat down at his feet. The Bodhisatta observed her sitting at the hunch-back’s feet, and recognised her. Approaching, he talked with her, repeating the first verse: {2.226}

In this connection, having a sole thought of welfare, dear, you, having thought of welfare, fled with this hunchback, this must be the sole thought made by you.

The fool, who is not a guide means the hunchback fool, because of lacking in wisdom, even an old man is also a fool, taking another, while not going, because of being unable to go he is not a guide.

Is surely not worthy to join up, dear lady, with the hunchbacked dwarf, with this hunchback, with this dwarf and his dwarfness, dear lady, you, being born in a great family, being beautiful, lovely to behold, it is not worthy to go to join up together with him.

This is the meaning: sir, having seen a bull, thinking: “The hump on the back of the chief bull, he also has this, so it should be the same with the bull of a man.” So thinking... I desired this hunchback bull of a man. This is a rearrangement of the sentence in more regular prose order.

Just as what is called the fretboard of this lute with its sounding board has a broken string, so this shrunken person lies down.

And when the Bodhisatta perceived that she had only followed him in disguise, he caused her to bathe, and adorned her, and took her into his carriage and went to his home.