Chapter 2 - Kuśa-jātaka

[Source: Kah-gyur, vol. ii. pp. 188-192. See “An Eastern Love Story. Kusa Jātakaya, a Buddhistic legend; rendered into English verse from the Singhalese poem of Alagiyavanna Mohoṭṭāla, by Thomas Steele.” London, 1871. See also critical remarks on the work in the Göttinger Gelehrten Anzeigen, 1872, stuck 31, pp. 1205-1225, by Dr. Reinhold Köhler, who has called attention to the previously overlooked redaction in chap. xiii. of the Dsan-glun (p. 91 of the translation). In the Tibetan original, the king’s name, Mahāśakuni, has been corrupted into Mahāscakuli. The name of his son, Woodblock, may be explained by the fact that kuśa, in the Chinese transcription kiu-che (or keou-che?) is a word of ambiguous meaning. In the Böhtlingk-Roth Sanskrit Dictionary, kuśa occurs in the sense of “wood.”—S.]

In olden times there was a mighty king named Śakuni, who was a beloved associate of the king of the gods, Indra. In spite of this he became absorbed in meditation, leaning his head upon his hand, reflecting that, inasmuch as he had neither a son nor a daughter, he would have to die, in spite of his riches and his power, without leaving behind him a son or a daughter, and that his family would become extinct. As he sat meditating in this wise, the king of the gods, Indra, saw him and said, “O friend, wherefore do you lean your head upon your hand, and wherefore do you sit there meditating in that manner?”

He replied, “O Kauśika, if I die without leaving a son or daughter, my family will become extinct, in spite of my possessing such wealth and power.”

Indra said, “O friend, I will send you a medicine. Let your wives drink of it, and thereby you will obtain sons and daughters.”

The king of the gods, Indra, betook himself to Mount Gandhamādana, brought away the medicine with him, and

sent it to the king. The king sent it to his wives, with directions for them to drink it. The king’s chief wife had just gone to sleep, but the other wives drank the medicine without waking her, and all of them became pregnant. When the queen awoke and perceived that they were pregnant, she said, “What have ye done to become pregnant?”

They replied, “The king gave us a medicine to drink.”

“Why did you drink it without waking me? As this is so, tell me in what medicine-holder it was brought.”

“It was contained in a kuśa box.”

“Where is that?”

“Here it is.”

The queen washed the kuśa box and drank the water, whereupon she also became pregnant.

After eight or nine months had passed by, all the wives gave birth to sons. The son to whom the chief wife gave birth possessed the eighteen signs of uncomeliness, a face like that of a lion, and an extremely strong body. His birth-feast was celebrated in great style, and the name of Kuśa was conferred upon him. When the king looked upon his other sons he rejoiced, but Kuśa’s ugliness excited his wrath.

It came to pass that the subordinate kings said, “Honoured sirs, as King Mahāśakuni oppresses us all so greatly, let us go up and deprive him of his power.”

So they came with a fourfold host and laid siege to his capital. As King Mahāśakuni could not venture to fight with them, he ordered all the gates to be closed and the walls to be occupied. Kuśa went to his mother and said, “Mother, why are all the gates shut?”

“As your father cannot venture to fight with the subordinate kings, he has shut the gates and remains within.”

“Mother, as I wish to fight with them, let the king give me a chariot.”

“My son, as you displease him and excite his wrath, how can he be expected to give you a chariot?”

“Do go to him, mother, and having gone, tell him that the youth Kuśa will fight with the enemy if a chariot is given him.”

The king gave him a chariot, and Kuśa took two quivers, mounted the chariot, and prepared to start. The king of gods, Indra, said to himself, “As these subordinate kings are strong, this Bodisat of the Bhadrakalpa, the youth Kuśa, may fall into trouble, so I will lend him aid.” And he gave Kuśa a shell, a disk, and a mace, and then said, “Bodisat, these things will save you.”

Kuśa opened one of the gates and drove out. As soon as he sounded the shell, the hostile host was terrified at its sound; some were deafened by its clang, others fled away with shattered ears. Whenever he flung the disk or the mace, the enemy fell to the ground. He pressed into the midst of the host, and when he sounded the shell every ear cracked, and the enemy fled saying, “This man is a Rākṣasa.”

When the youth had overthrown the whole of them, he went to his father, and told him that he had conquered all the kings, and the land was at peace. On hearing this, King Mahāśakuni rejoiced, and said to himself, “The youth Kuśa is strong and remarkably brave. Why should I dislike him?” And he began to take delight in him.

After arranging marriages for all his other sons, the king set to work to find a wife for the youth Kuśa as well. But all men said, “We are ready to give our daughters, only not to Kuśa.” Now a certain king desired to obtain another king’s daughter in marriage, but did not succeed; and on her, by means of a trick, pretending it was for another of his sons, King Mahāśakuni laid his hands. And he gave her to Kuśa, and celebrated his marriage with her in consonance with the constellation, the epoch, and the moment.

Now the king had said, “Honoured sirs, let no one show the youth Kuśa a mirror. Moreover, he must not bathe in places where a man, in order to take a bath, must step into water. And he must never be allowed to approach his wife by daylight.” But Kuśa’s wife saw him playing with his brothers one day, and she said, “Who is that Piśāca [or demon] who is playing with the youths?”

“That is your husband.”

“What! is my husband like that?”

When she had seen him another day sporting with the test of the youths in the water, and had asked if her husband was really like that, she determined to clear the matter up. So she lighted a lamp and covered it over with a bowk When Kuśa had approached his wife [by night], and she [had uncovered the lamp and] perceived that he had the eighteen marks of unsightliness and a face like a lion’s jowl, she exclaimed, “Piśāca! Piśāca!” and fled away.

Now it came to pass that certain mountaineers rebelled against King Mahāśakuni. The king ordered the youth Kuśa to subdue those mountaineers, and sent him forth. When Kuśa had gone, his wife sent to say to her father and mother, “Is there no man left in the world, that ye have given me to a Piśāca? If I am to die, well and good. But if I am not to die, then will I take to flight.” Thereupon her parents fetched her away. When the youth Kuśa returned home, after subduing the mountaineers, he asked his mother what had become of his wife.

“Her parents have taken her away,” she replied

“For what reason?”

“Because she took you for a Piśāca.”

“Mother, I will go and bring her back.”

“Do so.”

He took the shell, the disk, and the mace, and set out on his way. It happened that at a certain hill-town a great number of men sat looking on one side, having closed their gates from fear of a lion. The youth Kuśa said, “What makes you sit there like that?”

“We do so from fear of a lion.”

“Why do not you kill it?”

“We cannot.”

“What will you give me if I kill it?”

“Half of our fourfold host.”

The youth Kuśa drew near to the lion and sounded the shell. The lion’s ears burst and it died. Kuśa took it and went to the hill-town and said, “O sirs, here is the lion.”

“Then take the half of our fourfold host.”

“I will leave it in your hands. Give it to me when I come back again,” he said.

He betook himself to the hill-town where his wife was, and went to the house of a chaplet-maker, who said to him, “What are you?”

“I am the son of a chaplet-maker,” he replied.

“What is your name?”

“Vṛji.”

As Bodisats are expert in all arts and accomplishments, he twined a splendid wreath, which the chaplet-maker gave to the king’s daughter. The princess said, “How comes it that you have never before made me such a wreath as this?”

“It was my apprentice who made it.”

“I should like to see your apprentice.”

When the chaplet-maker brought him to her and she looked at the youth, she wondered where this demon could have sprung from, and she exclaimed, “Piśāca Piśāca!” Whereupon he fled. Afterwards he betook himself to the house of a cook, who said, “Who are you?”

“I am the son of a cook.”

“What is your name?”

“Sugandhabhājana.”

As he roasted and boiled excellently, the cook served up to the king’s daughter the boiled and roasted meats which he had cooked. She said, “O friend, who prepared this food so excellently roasted and boiled?”

“My apprentice prepared it.”

“I should like to see your apprentice.”

This time also she cried out as before.

He next went to a doctor, who said, “Who are you?”

“A doctor’s son.”

“What is your name?”

“Ātreya.”

The king’s daughter fell ill with a disease of the brain, and the doctor could of himself do nothing to cure it. As he sat one day absorbed in thought on that account, Kuśa said to him, “Master, why are you so pensive?”

“The king’s daughter is attacked by a disease of the brain, and I can do nothing to cure it.”

“I will go and cure her.”

So Kuśa went to visit her. When she saw him she thought, “Where can this demon have come from?” But she reflected that if she said that aloud he would not cure her, so she determined not to do so till he had cured her. When she became well she cried out, “Piśāca! Piśāca!” Whereupon he fled.

He betook himself to the ministers, who said, “Who are you?”

“I am Sahasrabala (Thousand-strength).”

They took him into their service.

Now it came to pass that the son of the before-mentioned king heard that the princess, whom Kuśa had formerly obtained, had been given up by him, and had returned home. So he sent to say that if the king would give him his daughter, all would be well; but if the king would not give her, he would despoil him of his sovereign power. The king replied, “I have given my daughter to the son of King Mahāśakuni. I cannot give her to another.” So the prince came with a fourfold army and besieged the king’s capital. The king could not venture to fight with him, so he ordered the gates to be closed and remained inside.

The youth Kuśa said to the ministers, “Sirs, wherefore are the gates closed?” They explained the whole matter to him. The youth Kuśa said to the ministers, “If the king’s daughter is given to me, I will undertake to fight the enemy.” The ministers laid the case before the king, who said, “I have given my daughter to the son of King Mahāśakuni. How can I give her to this man? The present complication is entirely due to this maiden.” The ministers said, “As there is at present no other prospect of victory, let this man fight the prince offhand. We shall find out then which is the conqueror.” The king said, “Let that be done by you.” And the ministers said, “Thousand-strength, act according to your words.”

Thereupon the youth took the two quivers, which held five hundred arrows, and also the shell, the disk, and the mace, and set forth. When he sounded the shell, the ears of the enemy were shattered, and they fled. The princess thought, “As this youth Kuśa is excellently endowed with boldness and courage, why should I dislike him?” So she took a liking for him, and said to the king, “What you promised, that fulfil.”

“Daughter, I will give you to Kuśa.”

“Father,” she said, “this is the youth Kuśa himself.”

“Go to him then, daughter, since that is so.”

The king paid Kuśa great honour, gave him a fourfold host, and let him and the rest of his party go free.

Kuśa went to the other hill-town, and said to the inhabitants, “Honoured sirs, now give me the half of the fourfold army.” They replied, “O youth, such a flood has taken place as has washed away the four divisions of the army.” As there were sheep grazing at no great distance, the youth Kuśa uttered this saying, “Reflect and know that whither the sixty-year old bullock, whither the elephant has been brought, thither also will the cows and sheep be brought. If ye give me the army, good. If ye give it not, there will be a tussle for it.”

After the army had been given to him he went down to a river. Being wearied, he entered the water to bathe; and as he did so he saw the reflection of his face in the water, and thought, “As I have the eighteen signs of uncomeliness and a face like a lion, and as on that account the king’s daughter takes no pleasure in me, it is needless that such a one as I should remain alive. I will go and put myself to death.”

He entered into a copse, and was preparing to hang himself, when the king of the gods, Indra, reflected, “As this is a Bodisat of the Bhadrakalpa, and he is going to hang himself because he does not possess a beautiful appearance, I will fill his mind with hope.” So Indra said to him, “Youth, despair not! And in order that you may not kill yourself, set this jewel upon your head, and your courage will be restored to you.” Then Indra vanished.

When the youth Kuśa was going to enter into his house, the doorkeeper kept him back, saying, “Do not intrude here, for this is the house of the youth Kuśa.” “I am Kuśa,” he replied. As the doorkeeper would not believe him, Kuśa removed the jewel from his head. Then his appearance became what it had been before, so that the doorkeeper now believed him.

The youth Kuśa resolved to remain at that spot, and to let his father know. So he sent word to him saying, “I shall stay here.”

The king of the gods, Indra, pointed out to him the locality of four treasures. Kuśa had a city built of the four precious stones, and it was named Kuśinagara, inasmuch as the youth Kuśa abode there. He became the mightily ruling Cakravartin Kuśa.