Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Religion
Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Jataka stories, English
The Sākyas are proud by nature, and stubborn in their pride. Thinking,
“Siddhattha is younger than we are, standing to us in the relation
of younger brother, or nephew, or son, or grandson,” they said to
the little children and the young people, “Do you bow down before
him, we will seat ourselves behind you.” The Blessed One, when they
had thus taken their seats, perceived what they meant; and thinking,
“My relations pay me no reverence; come now, I must force them to
do so,” he fell into the ecstasy depending on wisdom, and rising
into the air as if shaking off the dust of his feet upon them, he
performed a miracle like unto that double miracle at the foot of the
Gaṇḍamba-tree.[230]
The king, seeing that miracle, said, “O Blessed One! When you were
presented to Kāḷa Devala to do obeisance to him on the day on which you
were born, and I saw your feet turn round and place themselves on the
Brāhman’s head, I did obeisance to you. That was my first obeisance.
When you were seated on your couch in the shade of the Jambu-tree on
the day of the ploughing festival, I saw how the shadow over you did
not turn, and I bowed down at your feet. That was my second obeisance.
Now, seeing this unprecedented miracle, I bow down at your feet. This
is my third obeisance.”
Then, when the king did obeisance to him, there was not a single Sākya
who was able to refrain from bowing down before the Blessed One; and
all of them did obeisance.
So the Blessed One, having compelled his relatives to bow down before
him, descended from the sky, and sat down on the seat prepared for him.
And when the Blessed One was seated, the assembly of his relatives
yielded him pre-eminence; and all sat there at peace in their hearts.
Then a thunder-cloud poured forth a shower of rain, and the
copper-coloured water went away rumbling beneath the earth. He who
wished to get wet, did get wet; but not even a drop fell on the body
of him who did not wish to get wet. And all seeing it became filled
with astonishment, and said one to another, “Lo! what miracle! Lo! what
wonder!”
But the Teacher said, “Not now only did a shower of rain fall upon me
in the assembly of my relations, formerly also this happened.” And in
this connexion he pronounced the story of his Birth as Wessantara.
When they had heard his discourse they rose up, and paid reverence to
him, and went away. Not one of them, either the king or any of his
ministers, asked him on leaving, “To-morrow accept your meal of us.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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