Ja 291 The Birth Story about the Lucky Cup (3s)

Alternative Title: Surāghaṭajātaka (Cst)

In the present a nephew of Anāthapiṇḍika’s loses all the money ever given to him, and dies in a sorry state. The Buddha tells a story of a past life in which the same person had been given a lucky cup by Sakka, but had been careless and broken it, and died in poverty.

The Bodhisatta = (the King of the Devas) Sakka,
(Anāthapiṇḍika’s) nephew = the scoundrel who broke the liquor cup (surāghaṭabhedako dhutto).

Keywords: Never-do-well, Fortune.

“A ne’er-do-well did once.” {2.431} This story the Teacher told at Jetavana, about a nephew of Anāthapiṇḍika. This person had squandered an inheritance of forty crores of gold. Then he visited his uncle, who gave him a thousand, and bade him trade with it. The man squandered this, and then came again; and [2.294] once more he was given five hundred. Having squandered this like the rest, next time his uncle gave him two coarse garments; and when he had worn these out, and once more applied, his uncle had him taken by the neck and turned out of doors. The fellow was helpless, and fell down by a side-wall and died. They dragged him outside and threw him down there. Anāthapiṇḍika went and told the Tathāgata what had happened to his nephew. Said the Teacher, “How could you expect to satisfy the man whom I long ago failed to satisfy, even when I gave him the Wishing Cup?” At his request, he proceeded to tell him a story of the past.

In the past, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as a rich merchant’s son; and after his father’s death, took his place. In his house was buried a treasure of four hundred million. He had an only son. The Bodhisatta gave alms and did good until he died, and then he came to life again as Sakka, King of the Devas. His son proceeded to make a pavilion across the road, and sat down with many friends round him, to drink. He paid a thousand pieces to runners and tumblers, singers and dancers, and passed his time in drinking, gluttony, and debauchery; he wandered about, asking only for song, music, and dancing, devoted to his boon-companions, sunk in sloth. So in a short time he squandered all his treasure of four hundred millions, {2.432} all his property, goods, and furniture, and got so poor and miserable that he had to go about clad in rags.

Sakka, as he meditated, became aware how poor he was. Overcome with love for his son, he gave him a Wishing Cup, with these words, “Son, take care not to break this cup. So long as you keep it, your wealth will never come to an end. So take good care of it!” and then he returned to heaven.

After that the man did nothing but drink out of it. One day, he was drunk, and threw the cup into the air, catching it as it fell. But once he missed it. Down it fell upon the earth, and smashed! Then he got poor again, and went about in rags, begging, bowl in hand, till at last he lay down by a wall, and died.

In this connection, gave all that was desired, the jar was able to give all objects of sensuality.

Water jar, this is a synonym for a water jar. Both khumbaṁ and kuṭaṁ are used in the line, but they have equivalent meanings so only need to be translated once.

As long as means for as much time as.

He protected means whoever, having received such an item, as far as he protected it, that far his happiness flourished, this is the meaning.

Intoxicated and wanton means intoxicated with liquor and wanton with arrogance.

He broke the pot from heedlessness means he broke the jar through heedlessness.

Being naked and poor means sometimes he was naked, sometimes he was poor being dressed in old clothes and fibre.

Being heedless means with heedlessness.

Suffers means grieves.