Jataka 258
Mandhāta Jātaka
The Story of King Mandhāta
as told by Eric Van Horn
originally translated by William Henry Denham Rouse, Cambridge University
originally edited by Professor Edward Byles Cowell, Cambridge University
There are some interesting details in this story about the Buddhist cosmology. Note that being Sakkha—the King of the gods—is really a job. Beings are born into it because of their good karma. But just as with all beings, even though Sakkha lives for an immensely long time, eventually that being dies and another one takes his/her place.
The fundamental message of this story is how craving and desire can never be satisfied. There is always more to desire. A better strategy is to give up craving and desire and to live a life of peace and contentment.
Ajahn Brahm tells a story on this topic. It is called “The Wishing Game”:
There were five children who were playing the wishing game. In the wishing game the child who comes up with the best wish wins.
The first child said, “I wish for the latest, greatest computer game.”
The second child said, “I wish for a computer game store. Then I can have any computer game I want.”
The fourth child said, “If I had any computer game I wanted, my parents wouldn’t let me play it. They would just make me do my school work. So I wish for 10 billion dollars. Then I could buy my school. And I could also buy a high school and a university. Then I could get my diplomas and college degrees and I could play any computer game I want.”
The fourth child said, “I wish for three more wishes. Then I could buy a computer game store, get 10 billion dollars and buy my schools, and then wish for three more wishes. Then I would have endless wishes and I could always ask for anything I want.”
The fifth child sat quietly for a few moments. Then she said, “I wish for complete peace, contentment, and happiness. Then I wouldn’t need any wishes.
“Wherever sun and moon.” This story the Master told during a stay at Jetavana, about a backsliding brother.
We are told that this monk, in walking about Sāvatthi for his alms, saw a finely dressed woman and fell in love with her. Then the monk went to the Dharma Hall and informed the Master that he was a backslider.
“Brother,” the Master said, “when will you ever satisfy this lust, even while you are a householder? Such lust is as deep as the ocean. Nothing can satisfy it. In former days there have been supreme monarchs who ruled over the four great continents encircled by 2,000 islands through the power of their armies, ruling even in the heaven of the four great kings, even when they were kings of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, even in the realm of the Thirty-six Sakkas. Even these failed to satisfy their lust, and they died before they could do so. When will you be able to satisfy it?” And then he told them this story from the past.
Long ago in the early ages of the world, there lived a king named Mahāsammata. He had a sun Roja, who had a son Vararoja, who had a son Kalyāṇa, who had a son Varakalyāṇa, and Varakalyāṇa had a son named Uposatha, and Uposatha had a son Mandhātā. Mandhātā was endowed with the Seven Precious Things (gold, silver, pearl, coral, catseye, ruby, and diamond) and the Four Supernatural Powers (making copies of himself, becoming invisible, walking through walls, and walking on water), and he was a great monarch. He was so wondrous that when he clenched his left hand and then touched it with his right, a rain of the seven kinds of jewels fell knee-deep as though a celestial rain cloud had arisen in the sky. He was a prince for 84,000 years, he shared the rule of the kingdom for the same number of years, then he ruled as supreme king for an equal number of years, and his life lasted for countless ages.
One day he could not satisfy his desire so he showed signs of discontent.
“Why are you downcast, my lord?” the courtiers asked him.
“When the power of my merit is considered, what is this kingdom? Where is there a place that is more worthy of desire?”
“Heaven, my lord.”
So he set the Wheel of Empire rolling, and with his retinue he went to the heaven of the four great kings. The four kings, with a large throng of gods, came to meet him with great honor, bearing celestial flowers and perfumes. And having escorted him into their heaven, they gave him rule over it. There he reigned in state, and a long time went by. But not even there could he satisfy his craving, and so he began to look sick with discontent.
“Why, mighty King,” the four monarchs said, “are you not satisfied?” And the King replied, “What place is more lovely than this heaven?”
They answered, “My lord, we are like servants. The Heaven of the Thirty-three is more lovely than this!”
Once again Mandhātā set the Wheel of Empire rolling, and with his court all round him he turned his face to the Heaven of the Thirty-three. And Sakka, King of the Gods, bearing celestial flowers and perfumes, came to meet him with great honor in the midst of a great throng of gods. And taking charge of him they showed him where to go.
When the King was marching amidst the throng of gods, his eldest son took the Wheel of Empire. Meanwhile Sakka led Mandhātā into the Heaven of the Thirty-three and gave him half of his own kingdom. After that the two of them ruled together. Time went on until Sakka had lived for sixty times a hundred thousand years and thirty millions of years. Then he was reborn on earth. Another Sakka grew up, and he too reigned and lived his life and was reborn on earth. In this way 36 Sakkas followed one after another. Still Mandhātā reigned with his crowd of courtiers around him. As time went on, the force of his passion and desire grew stronger and stronger.
“What is half a realm to me?” he said in his heart. “I will kill Sakka and reign alone!” But he could not kill Sakka. This desire and greed of his was the root of his misfortune. (In other words, his ill will caused his downfall.) The power of his life began to wane. Old age seized upon him. But a human body does not disintegrate in heaven. So he fell from heaven and descended into a park. The gardener told the royal family of his arrival. They came and found him in a resting place in the park. There lay the King in fatigue and weariness. The courtiers asked him, “My lord, what news should we spread for you?”
“Take from me,” he said, “this message to the people. Mandhātā, King of kings, having ruled supreme over the four quarters of the globe, with all the 2,000 islands around it, for a long time having reigned over the people of the four great kings, having been King of Heaven during the lives of 36 Sakkas, now lies dead.” With these words he died and was reborn according to his karma.
Figure: Never satisfied
This tale ended, the Master uttered the following stanzas:
“Wherever sun and moon their courses run
All are Mandhātā's servants, every one.
Wherever earth’s quarters see the light of day,
There King Mandhātā holds imperial sway.
“Not though a rain of coins fall from the sky
Could anything be found to satisfy.
Pain is desire, and sorrow is unrest,
He that knows this is wise, and he is blest.
“Where longing is, there pleasure takes him wings,
Even though desire be set on heavenly things.
Disciples of the Very Buddha try
To crush out all desire eternally.”
When the Master finished this discourse, he taught the Four Noble Truths, at the conclusion of which the back-sliding monk and many others attained stream-entry. Then he identified the birth: “At that time, I was the great King Mandhātā.”
(It is quite interesting that it was the Buddha himself who had the unsatisfied desire. This may explain why in his final life the Buddha so firmly and easily rejected sense desire as a path to happiness.)
