Losaka Jātaka

[Full title: Jātakas and Avadānas in the Amarāvatī Art: Losaka Jātaka]

Story:-

According to the Losaka Jātaka in the days of Buddhakassapa, there was a brother who was leading a virtuous life in a village. There was an elder, an Arhat living in the same village supported by the brother. Out of greed and jealousy the brother drove the elder from the monastery. As a result of this sin the brother suffered in many births as a despicable creature. Later he was born into a beggar family in Kasi village. He was called Miṭṭaviṇḍaka. His parents after observing problems and ill luck of their son drove him away.

After many wanderings Miṭṭaviṇḍaka reached Banaras. In those days Bodhisattva was the teacher and Miṭṭaviṇḍaka joined him as a charity scholar. After some day Miṭṭaviṇḍaka developed quarrels with his fellow students and teachers. At last he ran away to the border village where he married a poor woman and had two children. The villagers gave him a hut at the entrance and paid him to their teacher.

The king invaded the village for seven times. Seeing these misfortunes the villagers drove him away. After many wanderings he reached a village on the coast called Cambhira. He was appointed as a sailor. After several ill-lucks he reached the island of Ogress where the Ogress was living in the form of a goat. Not knowing that she was an ogress, Miṭṭaviṇḍaka thought of making a meal of goat and seized the creature by the leg. The goat began to bleat and goat herds came running. They beat him and began to haul him away.

At that time Bodhisattva who was coming to the city to bathe saw Miṭṭaviṇḍaka and asked the goat herds to relieve him. Mittavindaka told him all that he had done. He took refuge in his preceptor^[1].

Depiction:-

The synoptic narrative mode of the Jātaka is portrayed on a fragment of a limestone coping panel at Amarāvatī preserved in the Madras Government Museum (Pl 15a). The scene depicts Miṭṭaviṇḍaka with a poor family living in a village having thatched huts. The two standing persons in the panel are Miṭṭaviṇḍaka and his wife holding their new born babies in their hands. Outside the fenced area the standing man is Miṭṭaviṇḍaka with two boys. The woman sitting to the right is shown cooking food and the boy is shown eating food on the extreme left side of the panel. The depiction of cavaliers and foot soldiers on the lower part of the panel suggests king’s retinue who are carrying the order of the invasion of the village^[2]. This Jātaka is also found on a mutilated roundel of a railing from Phanigiri.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Cowell E.B, Op.cit, Vol I -II, No. 41, pp 105–111

[2]:

Sivaramamurti C, Op.cit, pp 219-220, pl XLVI, fig 2.