Cūlabodhi Jātaka

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

Story:-

When the king Brahmadatta was ruling in Banaras, Bodhisattva was born as the son of a wealthy couple. He was named Bodhikumāra. When he came of age his parents got him married. Though they married but neither of them desired to lead a family life. So they lived a life of celibacy. After the death of his parents, the Bodhisattva and his wife decided to become recluses. So they distributed all their wealth and made a hermitage for themselves in a pleasant spot. Once they passed through the countryside and in due course came to Banaras where they lived in the royal park.

One day the king decided to make merry in the park and he went with his retinue. While he visited the place he saw the beautiful lady and fell in love with her. He asked Bodhisattva what she was to him. The Great Being replied she is nothing to him and only shares his ascetic life. But when he lived in the world she was his wife. On hearing, the reply the king asked Bodhisattva that what he would do if one seized his wife and carried her off from him. The answer to his question was that “Once risen, it never would leave me my life long, no never at all, as a storm of rain lays the dust again, quench it while it is small.”

Thus, the king ordered the lady to be taken to the palace. The instructions were followed right away while Bodhisattva just looked at her once. The king showed great honour to the woman. But it was of no worth. Soon the king realized that by no means he could win over her mind. He thought of testing the sage who was left behind in the park.

When the king reached the park he saw Bodhisattva stitching his cloak silently and without one look at the king, the other went on sewing. The king misunderstood it to be anger and asked Bodhisattva the reason for it. He replied that he was free from anger and that he had quenched it as he had told him he would do. On hearing this, the king was pleased with the Great Being and so asked one of his courtiers to get the woman back. He then invited both of them to stay in the park and also assured to look after them. Then apologizing they took leave. Afterwards the woman died and the man returned to the Himālayas^[1].

Depiction:-

The synoptic sequential episode of the Jātaka is identified on a broken limestone upright from Amarāvatī preserved in the Madras Government Museum^[2]. In the panel, a man is shown as king’s attendant, taking off the woman at king’s order. The next scene is separated by the arched gateway. The king is seated on a couch in the palace with his woman. One of the standing woman probably the wife of the king is shown pointing to the king for the mistake he has done in abducting the wife of an ascetic. The identification of this panel as Cūlabodhi Jātaka is supported by the depiction of the abduction of woman and criticism of royal woman, probably the wife of the king.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Cowell E.B, Op.cit, Vol III -IV, No. 443, pp 13-16

[2]:

Sivaramamurti C, Op.cit, pp 209-210 pl XXXIII, fig 3.