Academic Sutta Name Notes PSA Plae Vagga Nikaya PTS Keywords
J.284 Siri Jaataka The bodhisatva was once an ascetic and had an elephant trainer as a patron. A stick-gatherer, sleeping at night in the hermitage, heard two roosting cocks abusing each other. In the course of the quarrel, one cock boasted that whoever ate his flesh would be king, his exterior commander in chief or chief queen and his bones, royal treasurer or king’s chaplain. The man killed the cock and his wife cooked it, then taking it with them, they went to the river to bathe. They left the meat and rice on the bank, but as they bathed, the pot holding the food was blown into the river. It floated downstream where it was picked up by the elephant-trainer. The bodhisatva saw everything with his divine-eye and visited the trainer at meal-time. There he was offered the meat and divided it, giving the flesh to the trainer, the exterior to his wife and keeping the bones to himself. Three days later, the city was beseiged by enemies. The king asked the trainer to don royal robes and mount the elephant, while he himself fought in the ranks. There the king was killed by an arrow and the trainer, having won the battle, was made king, his wife being queen and the ascetic his chaplain. The story was told in reference to a brahmin who tried to steal Anathapindika’s good fortune (siri). He perceived that the good fortune was embodied in a white cock for which he begged. Anathapindika gave it to him, but the good fortune left the cock and settled in a jewel. He asked for that also, but the good fortune went into a club. The club was also asked for, and Anathapindika giving it, asked the brahmin to take it and be gone. However, the good fortune now settled on Anathapindika’s wife. The brahmin thereby admitted defeat and confessed his intentions to Anathapindika who told the story to the Buddha. 58/273 Jaataka Khuddhaka J.ii.409ff. good fortune


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Last modified on: Sunday, 2 January 2000.