Ayoghara Jātaka

Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta reigned in Benares, the Queen Consort conceived. And when her full time had come, she gave birth to a son just after the dawn of the day. Now in a former existence, another wife of the same husband had prayed that she might be able to devour the child of this woman. She, it is said, was barren, and being angry with the mother and her son, she uttered a spell. Because of this, she was reborn as a goblin. The other woman became the King’s consort, and she gave birth to this son.

Well, the she-goblin found her chance. And manifesting in a frightening shape, she grabbed the child from under the mother’s eyes and made off. The Queen screamed, “A goblin is carrying off my son!” The goblin chomped and mumbled him like an onion and swallowed him down. Then after various transformations of her limbs, which annoyed and frightened the Queen, she departed. When the King heard about this, he was shocked. What could be done, he thought, against a goblin?

The next time the Queen was expecting a baby, he put a strong guard on her. She bore another son, and once again the goblin came. She devoured him, too, and then she departed.

The third time the Queen was expecting a baby, it was the Great Being conceived in her womb. The King gathered a number of people together and said, “Each son my Queen has brought forth, a she-goblin has come and devoured him. What is to be done?” Then someone said, “Goblins are afraid of palm leaves. You should bind one palm leaf on each of her hands and feet.” Another said, “They fear iron houses. You should build one.” The King agreed. He summoned all the smiths in his realm and had them build an iron house. He set overseers over them. They built the house in a pleasant place right in the town. It had pillars, and all the parts of the house were made of iron. In nine months, it stood finished, a great hall, square and steady. It shone, continually lit with lamps.

When the King knew that the Queen was near her time, he had the iron house prepared and took her into it. She gave birth to a son. He had all the marks of goodness and luck on him. They gave him the name of Ayoghara-Kumāra, the Prince of the Iron House. The King put him in the charge of nurses and placed a great guard around the house. The King and his Queen made a circuit of the whole city rightwise (clockwise) and then went up to his magnificent terrace. Meanwhile, the she-goblin—wanting water to drink—had been destroyed trying to take some of the water of Vessavaṇa. (Vessavana is one of the Four Great heavenly Kings.)

The Great Being grew up in the iron house. Over time, his wisdom grew, and he was also educated in all the sciences.

One day the King asked his courtiers, “How old is my son?” They replied, “He is sixteen years old, my lord, a hero, mighty and strong, fit to master a thousand goblins!” The King decided to place the kingdom in his son’s hands. He had the city decorated and gave an order that the lad should be brought to him out of the iron house. The courtiers obeyed. All Benares—that great city of twelve leagues in extent—was decorated. They decked out the state elephant in magnificent caparison (an ornamental covering spread over the saddle or harness), dressed the boy in his best, and placed him on the elephant’s back. They said, “My lord, make a circuit rightwise around the rejoicing city. This is your inheritance. Salute your father, the King of Kāsi. For on this day you will receive the White Umbrella.” (The white umbrella is the symbol of royal authority.)

The Great Being made his ceremonial circuit rightwise. He saw the beautiful parks, the beautiful colors, lakes, plots of ground, all the beautiful houses and everything. He thought to himself, “All of this time my father has kept me in a prison. He never let me see this city so richly decorated. What fault can there be in me?” He put this question to the courtiers. “My lord,” they said, “there is no fault in you. A she-goblin devoured your two brothers. Therefore, your father had you live in an iron house, and the iron house saved your life.”

These words made him think again. “For ten months I was in my mother’s womb, as if it was the Hell of the Iron Caldron or the Hell of Dung. (These are hell realms). And when I came out of the womb, I lived for sixteen years in this prison with never a chance to look outside. And although I have escaped the hands of the goblin, I am not free from old age nor death. What do I care for royalty? Once established in the royal place, it will be hard to get away. On this very day, I will ask my father’s leave to embrace the holy life, and I will go to the Himalaya and do so.”

Accordingly, after his procession around the city was over, he went to the King’s palace. He saluted the King and stood waiting. The King, seeing his bodily beauty, looked at his courtiers with strong love in his eyes. “What do you wish us to do, sire?” they asked. “Take my son and put him on a pile of jewels. Sprinkle him from the three conchs, lift up the White Umbrella with its festoons of gold.”

But the Great Being saluted his father and said, “Father, I want nothing to do with royalty. I wish to embrace the holy life, and I beg your leave to do so.” “Why would you leave your royalty, my son, and embrace the holy life?” ”My lord, for ten months I was in my mother’s womb as if it were the Hell of Dung. Once I was born, out of the fear of a goblin, I lived in a prison for sixteen years. I never had a chance to even look outside. I felt like I was cast into the Ussada hell. Now I may be safe from the goblin, but I am not safe from old age or death, for no one can conquer death. I am weary of existence. Until disease, old age, and death come upon me, I will follow the holy life, walking in righteousness. There will be no kingdom for me! My lord, grant your permission!” Then he declared the Dharma to his father:

“Life once conceived within the womb, no sooner has begun,

Then on it goes continually, its course is never done.

“No warlike prowess or no mighty strength

Can keep men from old age and death at length,

All being plagued with birth and age I see,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Great kings by force and violence subdue

Hosts of four arms, terrific to the view,

Over death’s host they win no victory,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Though horses, elephants, and cars, and men

Surround them, some have yet got free again,

But from the hands of death no man gets free,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“With horses, elephants, and cars, and men,

Heroes destroy and crush and crush again,

But to crush death no man so strong I see,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Mad elephants in rut with oozing skin

Trample whole towns and slay the men within,

To trample death no one so strong I see,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Archers who most strong-armed and skillful are,

Wound like a flash of lightning from afar,

But to wound death no man so strong I see,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Great lakes, their woods and rocks, to ruin fall,

After a while ruin shall come to all,

In time all brought to nothing they shall be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Like as a tree upon a river brink,

Or as a drunkard sells his coat for drink,

Such is the life of those who mortals be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.”

“The body’s elements dissolve—they fall

Young, old, the middle-aged, men, women—all,

Fall as the fruit falls from a shaken tree,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Man’s prime is all unlike the queen whose reign

Rules o’er the stars, it ne’er will come again.

For worn-out old, what joy or love can be?

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“While ghost and sprite and horrid goblin can

When angry breathe their poison-breath on man,

Gainst death their poison-breath no help can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“While ghost and sprite and horrid goblin can

When angry, be appeased by deed of man,

Work it with death, no softening knows he,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Those who do crime, and wrong, and hurtful things,

When known, are punished by the act of kings,

But against death no punishment can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Those who do crime, and wrong, and hurtful things

Can find a way to stay the hand of kings,

But how to stay death’s hand no way can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Warriors or brahmins, men of high estate,

Men of much wealth, the mighty and the great,

King Death no pity has, no grief has he,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Lions and tigers, panthers, seize their prey,

And all devour it, struggle as it may,

From fear of their devouring death is free,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Upon the stage a juggler with his sleight

Performing can deceive the people’s sight,

To deceive death, no trick so quick can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Serpents enraged will with envenomed bite

Attack at once and kill a man outright,

For death no fear of poison-bite can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Serpents enraged with venomed fangs may bite,

The skillful leach can stay the poison’s might,

To cure death’s bite no man so strong can be,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Physicians’ skill could cure the serpent’s bite,

Now they are dead themselves and out of sight,

Bhoga, Vetaraṇī, Dhammantarī

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

(Bhoga, Vetaraṇī, and Dhammantarī were physicians.)

“Some who in spells and magic lore are wise

Can walk invisible to other eyes,

Yet not so invisible but death can see,

So I’m resolved—a holy life for me.

“Safe is the man who walks in righteousness,

The holy life observed has power to bless,

Happy the righteous man and never he

While he is righteous falls in misery.

“Is it not true, his proper fruit from right or wrong shall spring?

Right leads to heaven, unrighteousness a man to hell must bring.”

When the Great Being had declared the Dharma in twenty-four stanzas, he said, “O great King! Keep your kingdom to yourself. I want none of it. Even as I am talking with you, disease, old age, and death draw nearer to me. Stay where you are.”

Then, as a mad elephant might burst his steel chains, as a young lion might break out of a golden cage, he abandoned his sensual desires. And saluting his parents, he departed. Then his father said, “I do not want the kingdom!” And leaving it, he went with his son. When he had left, the Queen and courtiers, brahmins, householders, and everyone else who lived in the city, left their houses and also went away. There was a great throng. The crowd covered twelve leagues. And with this crowd, the Ayoghara set out for the Himalaya.

When Sakka saw what he had done, he sent Vissakamma (the celestial architect) to build a hermitage twelve leagues long and seven wide, and he told him to put in it all the requisite things for the ascetic life. How the Great Being proceeded to admit these into the Saṇgha, how he admonished them, and how they became destined for Brahma’s world or entered upon the Third Path (non-returner), all must be repeated again as before.