Jataka 487
Uddālaka Jātaka
The Golden Shower Tree
as told by Eric Van Horn
originally translated by Robert Chalmers, B.A., of Oriel College, Oxford University
originally edited by Professor Edward Byles Cowell, Cambridge University
This is a curious tale. In it the Bodhisatta has an affair with a slave girl. She gives birth to a son, but before he is even born the Bodhisatta abandons her. Later the son comes back into his life as a self-seeking holy man, someone who tries to impress the King to get him to support him and his followers. The Bodhisatta exposes him as a fraud and condemns his – what turn out to be feigned – ascetic practices.
Also note the confusing dialog between Uddālaka and the Bodhisatta in their little verse combat. The Bodhisatta seems to be defending the Vedas, which are from the Brahmin religion.
This is another of those misogynistic stories that more likely reflects Indian social norms than a teaching of the Buddha.
“With unclean teeth.” The Master told this story while he was staying in Jetavana. It is about a dishonest man.
This man, even though he had ordained in the path that leads to liberation, to acquire life’s necessities fulfilled the threefold practice of misbehavior (acts of body, speech, and mind).
The monks brought to light all his evil actions as they met together in the Dharma Hall. “Such a one, monks, dedicated himself to the great path of the Buddha which leads to liberation, yet he lives in deceit!” The Master came in and wanted to know what they were discussing. They told him. He said, “This is not the first time this has happened. He was deceitful before.” And so saying he told a story of the past.
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was the King in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a chaplain. He was a wise and learned man. One day, he went into his park to enjoy the day. He saw a beautiful slave girl and fell in love with her. After a while they began to live together. She became pregnant, and when she realized it she said to him, “Sir, I am with child. When he is born, I will give him his grandfather’s name.”
But he thought, “It can never be that the name of a noble family should be given to a slave girl’s bastard.” Then he said to her, “My dear, this tree here is called Uddāla (This is the ‘golden shower tree,’ Cassia Fistula), and you may name the child Uddālaka because he was conceived here.” Then he gave her a seal-ring (a symbol of his nobility), and said, “If the baby is a girl use this to pay for her up-bringing. But if it is a boy, bring him to me when he grows up.”
In due time she gave birth to a son, and she named him Uddālaka. When he grew up, he asked his mother, “Mother, who is my father?”
“The chaplain, my boy.”
“If that is so, I will learn the holy scriptures.”
So receiving the ring and a teacher’s fee from his mother, he went to Takkasilā University where he learned of a world-renowned teacher. In the course of his studies he saw a company of recluses. “These must surely have the perfect knowledge,” he thought. “I will learn from them.”
He was so eager for knowledge, that he renounced the world and became their servant. In return he begged them to teach him their own doctrine. So they taught him all they knew. But among the whole 500 of them not one of them outdid him in knowledge. He was the wisest of them all.
Then they gathered together and appointed him to be their teacher. He said to them, “Venerable sirs, you always live in the woodland eating fruits and roots. Why don’t you live among other people?”
“Sir,” they said, “men are willing to give us gifts, but they make us show gratitude by declaring and defending our doctrine. They ask us questions. For fear of this we go not ever among them.” (Apparently they were rather insecure about their knowledge!)
He answered, “Sirs, if you let me, let a powerful monarch ask questions. Let me satisfy them and fear nothing.”
So he went on a pilgrimage with them. Along the way they sought alms. At last they came to Benares where they stayed in the King’s park.
On the next day with all of his recluses, he sought alms in a village before the city gate. The people gave them abundant alms. On the next day the recluses entered the city. Once again the people gave them abundant alms. The recluse Uddālaka gave thanks. He blessed them and answered questions. The people were instructed and encouraged in moral, intellectual, and spiritual improvement, and they gave alms in great abundance.
The whole city buzzed with the news, “A wise teacher has come, a holy man.” The King hard about this. “Where do these recluses live?” the King asked. They told him. “In the park.”
“Good,” he said. “Today I will go and see them.”
A man went and told this to Uddālaka, saying, “The King is coming to see you today.” He called his recluses together and said, “Sirs, the King is coming. If we win favor in the eyes of the King for one day, he will support us for a lifetime.”
“What must we do, teacher?” they asked.
Then he said, "Some of you must be at the swinging penance (an ascetic practice), some squat on the ground (another ascetic practice. According to the PTS footnote, they were supposed to pretend that they had been squatting for years), some lie upon beds of spikes, some practice the penance of the five fires (light one fire in each of the four directions and stand in the middle of the four fires on one leg. The sun is the fifth fire, and scorches them from above), others go down into the water, others again recite holy verses in this place or that.”
(Uddālaka was telling them to fake stern asceticism.)
They did as he said. He sat on a prepared seat with ten wise men. Many others sat beside him on a beautiful stand, and listeners were all around.
At that moment the King, his chaplain, and a great company came into the park. When the King saw them all practicing in their fake austerities, he was pleased and thought, “They are free from all fear of evil states hereafter.” Approaching Uddālaka, he greeted him graciously and sat down on one side. Then with delight in his heart he began speaking to the chaplain and recited the first stanza:
“With unclean teeth, and goatskin garb and hair
All matted, muttering holy words in peace,
Surely no human means the good they spare,
Surely they know the Truth, have won Release.”
Hearing this, the chaplain replied, “The King is pleased where he should not be pleased, and I must not be silent.” Then he repeated the second stanza:
“A learned sage may do ill deeds, Oh King:
A learned sage may fail to follow right.
A thousand Vedas will not safety bring,
Failing good works, or save from evil plight.”
(The Vedas are the holy scriptures of the Brahmin religion.)
Uddālaka, when he heard these words thought to himself, “The King was pleased with the ascetics. But this man tries to undermine our deceit. I must talk to him.” So he addressed to him the third stanza:
“A thousand Vedas will not safety bring
Failing good works, or save from evil plight.
The Vedas then, must be a useless thing.
True doctrine is - restrain yourself, do right.”
At this the chaplain recited the fourth stanza:
“Not so. The Vedas are no useless thing.
Though works with self-control, true doctrine is.
To study well the Vedas fame will bring,
But by right conduct we attain to bliss.”
Now thought Uddālaka, “It will never do to be on bad terms with this man. If I tell him I am his son, he must love me. I will tell him I am his son.” Then he recited the fifth stanza:
“Parents and kinsmen claim one’s care.
A second self our parents are.
I’m Uddālaka, a shoot,
Noble brahmin, from thy root.”
“Are you indeed Uddālaka?” he asked.
“Yes,” he said.
Then the chaplain said, “I gave your mother a token, where is it?”
He said, “Here it is, brahmin,” and handed him the ring.
The brahmin recognized the ring and said, “Without doubt you are a brahmin. But do you know the duties of a brahmin?” He asked about these duties in the words of the sixth stanza:
“What makes the brahmin? How can he be perfect? Tell me this.
What is a righteous man, and how does he win Nirvana’s bliss?”
Uddālaka explained it in the seventh stanza:
“The world renounced, with fire, he worship pays,
Pours water, lifts the sacrificial pole.
As one who does his duty men him praise,
And such a brahmin wins him peace of soul.”
The chaplain listened to his account of the brahmin’s duties, but found fault with it, reciting the eighth stanza as follows:
“Not sprinkling makes the brahmin pure, perfection is not this,
Nor peace nor kindness thus he wins nor yet Nirvana’s bliss.”
Hereupon Uddālaka asked, “If this does not make the brahmin, then what does?” reciting the ninth stanza:
“What makes the brahmin? How can he be perfect? Tell me this.
What is a righteous man? and how wins he Nirvana’s bliss?”
The chaplain answered by reciting another stanza:
"He has no field, no goods, no wish, no kin,
Careless of life, no lusts, no evil ways.
Even such a brahmin peace of soul shall win,
So as one true to duty men him praise."
After this Uddālaka recited a stanza:
“Khattiya, Brahmin, Vessa, Sudda, and Caṇḍāla, Pukkusa,
All these can be compassionate, can win Nirvana’s bliss.
Who among all arahants is there who worse or better is?”
(Khattiya, Brahmin, Vessa, and Sudda are social classes. Caṇḍāla, and Pukkusa refer to dialects and probably refer to the people who speak them.)
Then the brahmin recited a stanza, to show that there is no higher or lower from the moment arahantship is won:
“Khattiya, Brahmin, Vessa, Sudda, and Caṇḍāla, Pukkusa,
All these can be compassionate, can win Nirvana’s bliss.
None among all arahants is found who worse or better is.”
But Uddālaka found fault with this, reciting a couple of stanzas:
“Khattiya, Brahmin, Vessa, Sudda, and Caṇḍāla, Pukkusa,
All these can virtuous be, and all attain Nirvana’s bliss.
None among all arahants is found who worse or better is.
You are a brahmin, then, for nought. Vain is your rank, I wis.”
(“’Wis’ is an archaic word meaning “know.”)
Figure: Uddālaka Gets a Lesson
Here the chaplain recited two stanzas more, with a similitude:
“With canvas dyed in many a tint, pavilions may be made.
The roof, a many-colored dome - one color is the shade.
“Even so, when men are purified, so is it here on earth.
The good perceive that they’re arahants, and never ask their birth."
Now Uddālaka could not say anything to this, and so he sat silent. Then the brahmin said to the King, “All these are scoundrels, Oh King, all India will come to ruin through such villainy. Persuade Uddālaka to renounce his asceticism and to be a chaplain under me. Let the rest abandon their asceticism, give them protection and take them into your service.” The King consented and did so, and they all entered the service of the King.
When the Master had ended this discourse, he said, “This is not the first time, monks, that the man was a scoundrel.” Then he identified the birth: “At that time the dishonest monk was Uddālaka. Ānanda was the King, and I was the chaplain.”
