| J.419 |
Sulasaa Jaataka |
Once in Benares there lived a courtesan Sulasaa whose price was 1,000 per night.
In Benares there also lived a robber called Sattaka. One day he was caught by the
kingís men, and, as he was being taken for execution, Sulasaa saw him and fell in
love with him. She bribed the chief guard to free him and lived with him. After a
few months, Sattaka tired of her and wished to kill her. He took her to a mountaintop
and saying that he had made a vow to the deity dwelling there. When Sulasaa discovered
his real motive, she begged to be allowed to pay obeisance to him before her death
and as she circumambulated him, she pushed him over the precipice where he was crushed
to death. The Jataka was related in reference to Pu~n~nalakkha.naa, a slave girl
of Anathapindikaís wife. The girl borrowed a costly jewel belonging to her mistress
and went to the pleasure garden. There a thief became friendly with her and planned
to kill her. However, she read his thoughts and asked him to draw water from a nearby
well. As he did so, she pushed him into the well and threw a stone on his head. The
characters of the two stories were identical. |
59/485 |
Jaataka |
Khuddhaka |
J.iii.435ff. |
ingratitude, resourceful women |