| J.283 |
Va.d.dhakisuukara Jaataka |
Once a carpenter in a village near Benares picked up a young boar from a pit and
took him home and reared him, calling him Va.d.dhakisukara (the carpenter’s boar).
The boar helped him in his work, fetching his tools and so on. When he grew up to
be a big, burly beast, the carpenter let him go in the forest. There he joined a
herd of wild boars which was being harassed by a fierce tiger. Vaddhakisukara made
all the preparations for the counter attack, digging pits and training all members
of the herd in their various duties, and their several positions at the time of the
attack. under his guidance, they succeeded in killing the tiger and greedily devoured
the corpse. Vaddhakisukara was told that there was a sham ascetic who had helped
the tiger to eat the boars. The herd attacked the ascetic, who climbed up a fig tree
-- but they uprooted the tree and devoured him. They consecrated Tacchasukara as
their king, making him sit on a fig-tree, and sprinkling water on him from a conch
shell, with its sprirals turning clockwise -- the one the ascetic had used for drinking.
Hence arose the custom of seating a king on a throne of fig-wood and sprinkling water
from a conch shell at his coronation. The bodhisatva was then a tree-sprite who sang
the boar’s praises. The Jataka was related in connection with the Thera Dhanuggahatissa
who was responsible for Pasenadi’s victory over Ajatasattu. see also Tacchasukara
Jataka (J.492). |
58/261 |
Jaataka |
Khuddhaka |
J.ii.403ff. |
courage |