Jathaka stories:

Asatha Rupa Jathakaya

Retold by Risitha DEELAKA WICKMAL SUBASINGHE

The Buddha who had eschewed all his vices, was once spending his time in the forest of Kunddadhana in the city of Kodhana. He preached Asatha Rupa Jathaka (bearing bitterness as sweet) for Suppavasa, the daughter of King Koliya.

Suppavasa was carring her child in the womb in her seven years. When she got labour pains, continuously for another seven days she remembered the nobility of Dhamma whereby she cried bore the pains with determination.

She always chanted, even while under great pain, "If the Buddha preached Dhamma to get over the suffering, He, that Great One is a perfect knower of Dhamma. If the monks have entered the order to get over the agony, those monks are real and genuine. If there is any Nirvana, Dhamma which ends all the sufferings, undoubtedly that is the perfect euphoria." Suppavasa beckoned to her husband and said to him, "Please go to the Buddha and tell him that I always chant his Dhamma, the Nirvana and the order of monks. And also explain to him my uncomfortable plight." When her husband conveyed the message to the Buddha, He said, "Let Suppavasa, the daughter of king Kaliya attain comfort, let her have no difficulty to deliver a son". By the time Buddha could conclude His words Suppavasa's discomforts got diminished and a son was born.

Suppavasa's husband totally believed that it was due to the power of the miraculous words of the Buddha, his wife's suffering came to an end. Both Suppavasa and her husband had then decided to offer alms to the Buddha and the entire monk community living with the Buddha in the city of Kodhana, for continuous period of seven days. When Suppavasa's husband invited the Buddha and the rest of the monks, the Buddha blessed him and accepted the invitation. Upon receiving Buddha's sanction to go for the alms-giving at Suppavsa's palace, monk Mugalan (Moggallana) informed the rest of the monks and for seven days Buddha and the monks went to the palace for alms. On the seventh day, Suppavasa made her seven-day-old son worship to the Buddha and the other monks.

When he was brought near Sariyuth (Saripuththa) Thera, the latter inquired of the infant, "Dear Seevali, are you comfortable and happy with your life?" "There was no comfort. I stayed in my mother's womb for seven years. It was as warm as hell," replied the infant. Everyone, especially the mother was astonished by the ability of the seven-day-old.

On seeing the bliss which had appeared on the face of the mother, the Buddha posed a question at her. "Do you like to have more children like this?" "Yes lord, I wish if I could get seven sons of under similar circumstances." The mother answered with delight.

When Seevali was seven, he was ordained in the Buddha Sasana.

Within a short period of time he attained Arhathship and became the head of the monks (Aththadagga).

One day the monks were ready to listen to the sermon from the Buddha. Usually they had a habit of having a discussion prior to Buddha's entry to the vestibule.

"We were discussing how the mother of Seevali thera underwent pangs of pains with the child in her womb for seven years and again after she got labour pains, she had suffered for seven days," replied the monks when the Buddha inquired them of that day's discussion."Monks, everything happens as a result of their previous Khammas," said the Buddha and preached the Asatha Rupa Jathakaya.

The Bodhisatva was born to the chief consort of the king Brahmadaththa when the king was reigning Baranes Nuwara (Veranasi). The king Brahmadaththa sent his son to a great teacher called Disapamok and provided him with necessary education of all required areas in craftsmanship. He succeeded the king Brahmadaththa, after his death.

When the king Kosol assailed Varanasi, king Kosol defeated the king of Varanasi and acquired his kingdom, chief consort and other wives. At the same time when the son of the king of Varanasi came to know that his father was killed in the battle, he clandestinely fled through an underground cannel.

Meanwhile king Kosol was reining the newly acquired kingdom of Varanasi, the son of the deceased king of Veranasi strengthened his military powers and sent an missive to the king Kosol stating that "Return our kingdom or else let's declare war". The king Kosol not wanting to play second fiddle to any one knowing his own military strength replied, "Declare war!".

The chief consort of king Kosol, the mother of the fleeing prince, sent a clandestine proposal to him, stating, "Son, you declare war. I suggest to you a novel strategy! You first enter our kingdom and seal all the entrances of the kingdom so that no one will be able to get out of the kingdom. Due to shortage of goods, people will automatically get weaker and life will be destabilized. So there is no need to declare war then, you can easily seize the kingdom." As per queen's strategy, the prince arrived at the kingdom with his army and locked all gates of the kingdom for seven days. When the shortage of food arose and with hardly any facility at the kingdom, being unable to move out of the kingdom, people enormously suffered and became weakened.

The prince captured the kingdom with no difficulty. He reigned the kingdom until his death.

Because of torturing the people of the kingdom, without letting them out, he had to suffer in the next birth by being in his mother's womb for seven years. Yet, during the time of Vipassi Buddha, he made a wish that he would become the chief of monks and offered alms to a great deal to the Vipassi Buddha. Therefore he had the fortune of becoming the chief of monks.

Suppavasa had to undergo pangs of pain for seven years and seven days, since she egged her son on in torturing the people of the kingdom without letting them go out.

"Monks, both mother and son suffered as a result of their torture of citizens" The Buddha ended the Asatha Rupa Jathaka.

That prince who tortured the citizens of that kingdom was Seevali thera and the prince's mother was Suppavasa and king of Veranasi who was murdered was the Bodhisatva.