| J.499 |
Sivi Jaataka | Siiviraaja Jaataka |
The bodhisatva was once born as Sivi, king of Aritthapura, his father bearing the
same name as himself. He ruled justly and daily gave 600,000 worth of alms. One day
the desire came to him to give part of his body to anyone who might ask for it. Sakka
read his thoughts and appearing before his as a blind brahmin, asked for his eyes.
The king agreed to give them, and sent for his surgeon Siivaka. Amid the protests
and lamentations of his family and his subjects, Sivi had his eyes removed and given
to the brahmin. The surgeon did his work in several stages giving Sivi the chance
to withdraw his offer. When the sockets had healed, Sivi wished to become an ascetic,
and went into the park with one attendant. Sakka’s throne grew hot and appearing
before Sivi, he offered him a boon. The king wished to die, but Sakka insisted on
his choosing something else. He then asked that his sight might be restored. Sakka
suggested an Act of Truth as not even Sakka could restore lost sight. The eyes reappeared,
but they were neither natural eyes nor divine eyes -- they were eyes called ‘truth,
absolute and perfect’. Sivi assembled all his subjects and, resting on a throne in
a pavillion, taught them the value of generosity The story was related in reference
to Pasenadi’s Asadisadaana. On the seventh day of the almsgiving, the king gave all
kinds of requisites and asked the Buddha to preach a blessing in sermon, but the
Buddha left without doing so. The next day, on being questioned by the king, he explained
his reasons for this. The king, greatly pleased with the Buddha’s explanation, gave
him an expensive robe. When the monks commented on how tireless the king was of giving,
the Buddha related the Jataka in which Siivaka is identified with Aananda and Anuruddha
with Sakka. Also included at Cyp.i.8. |
61/056 |
Jaataka |
Khuddhaka |
J.iv.401ff. |
generosity, perfection |