एक विद्वान् परिवार
में सात भाई और एक बहन थी। परिवार का
सबसे बड़ा भाई बहुत ही शीलवान् और गुणी था। उसने अपने काल की
अनेक विद्याओं का अच्छा ज्ञान प्राप्त किया था।
जब उसके माता-पिता की मृत्यु हो गई तो उसने
संयास वरण करने का निश्चय किया।
भाई के आदर्शों पर चलने वाले उसके छोटे बहन-भाई
भी उसका अनुकरण करना चाहते थे। उनके
साथ ही उनकी सेवा-टहल के लिए उनका एक नौकर और एक नौकरानी
भी हो ली। उन लोगों ने वन में एक जलाशय के किनारे अपनी अलग-अलग कुटिया
बनाई। फिर उन्होंने यह व्रत लिया कि दिन
भर में वे केवल एक बार ही भोजन करेंगे और प्रत्येक पाँचवें दिन
बड़े भाई के उपदेश सुनने के लिए इकट्ठा होंगे।
नौकरानी उनके लिए प्रतिदिन कमल की ककड़ी जलाशय
से निकाल आठ बराबर भागों में बाँट, दो
लकड़ियों को बजा उन सभी को यह सूचना दिया करती थी कि
उनका भोजन तैयार है। वे भाई-बहन उम्र के क्रम
से आते और अपना हिस्सा उठा पुन: अपनी कुटिया
में लौट जाते। हाँ, प्रत्येक पाँचवें दिन
वे सभी बड़े भाई को उपदेश को सुनने अवश्य इकट्ठे होते थे। उसके उपदेश एक
यक्ष, एक बंदर और एक हाथी भी नियमित
रुप से सुनते थे।
उनकी कठिन साधना को देख, परीक्षण हेतु
शक्र एक दिन वहाँ पहुँचे। उस दिन नौकरानी ने जब
लकड़ियाँ बजा कर कुटिया-वासियों को यह
संदेश दिया कि "उनका भोजन तैयार है", तो
शक्र ने अदृश्य रुप से बड़े भाई के हिस्से की कमल-ककड़ी चुरा
ली। बड़े भाई ने, जो सबसे पहले वहाँ पहुँचता था, जब अपने हिस्से की ककड़ी गायब देखी तो वह चुपचाप ही अपनी कुटिया को
लौट गया। फिर शेष भाई-बहन आते गये और अपने हिस्से का
भोजन लेकर अपनी-अपनी कुटिया को
लौट गये। इस प्रकार पाँच दिनों तक
शक्र ने वैसा ही किया जिससे बड़ा भाई
बिना भोजन किये ही साधना करता रहा और उसका
स्वास्थ्य बिगड़ गया।
पाँचवे दिन जब सारे भाई-बहन, नौकर-नौकरानी,
यक्ष, बंदर और हाथी बड़े भाई के उपदेश
सुनने इकट्ठे हुए तो वह बिल्कुल
रुग्ण दीखा। उसके मुख से भी आवाज़ ठीक
से नहीं निकल रही थी। कारण जानने के
बाद सभी बड़े खिन्न हुए। फिर भी उन्होंने चोर की
भत्र्सना नहीं की बल्कि उसकी मंगलकामना की। इसे
सुनकर शक्र लज्जित हुए और स्वयं प्रकट होकर उन्होंने
उनसे क्षमा मांगी और बड़े भाई के
शील-व्रत की विशेष प्रशंसा की।
Bhisha-Jataka, Bharhut
O nce the Bodhisatta
was born in an illustrious family of scholars. He had six younger brothers
and one sister. Having mastered the Vedas and the Upavedas (medicinal
science, military science, music and architecture) he became famous for
his erudition. Further, he attended to his old and senile parents with
great care; and taught his siblings, too.
When his parents died;
and the funeral ceremony was over, he made a sudden announcement to
renounce the worldly life. All his seven brothers and his only sister,
too, decided to join him as ascetics. So, they all gave up the worldly
belongings and started for the forest. They had two faithful servants,
too, one male and one female, who also accompanied them as they loved
their masters.
They went to a forest,
where there was a large blue lake, which in the day-time displayed the
resplendency of expanding lotus-beds; and at nights the exuberance of
myriad water lilies exposing their calyxes. All the ascetics decided to
stay there and built as many huts as they numbered. There, they strictly
adhered to their vows and observances and would meet only on every fifth
day to listen to the discourse of the Bodhisatta. There lived a yakkha ,
a monkey and an elephant in the same forest, who also joined the audience
to listen to the discourse.
The Bodhisatta giving discourse to his audience, which was also attendend by an elephant and a monkey.
The maid servant still
served them food. She collected the eatable lotus-stalks out of the lake
and divided them in eight equal parts on the large lotus-leaves at a clean
place on the lake shore. She would then beat the two pieces of sticks to
announce that the food was ready. She would then walk away silently. Each
of the mendicants would then come according to the seniority and pick up
his or her share and go back to the respective hut. Thus, they avoided
talking and interacting with each other as an ascetic practice.
Their penance won them
great fame. Sakka, the lord of the celestial beings also heard of their
reputation and one day when the food was placed in eight places for the
eight ascetics and the announcement of the meal-time was made, he pinched
the share of the Bodhisatta to examine the seriousness of his austerity.
When the Bodhisatta came and saw his share missing, he quietly went back
to his hut to continue with his meditation. Others, however, came and went
away with their shares without knowing that the Bodhisattas share was
stolen. Sakka, likewise, stole the Bodhisattas share consecutively for
the following four days.
On the fifth day, when
all the ascetics assembled they noticed that the Bodhisatta looked
extremely emaciated and his voice, too, was feeble. After a brief
investigation it was discovered that he had to live without any food for
five consecutive days as his food was stolen. All the mendicants then one
by one swore that the thief should go back to the house-hold life and
become prosperous. No body showed any malice against anybody. The yaksa ,
the monkey and the elephant who came to listen to the discourse, also
prayed for the welfare of the
unknown thief.
The prayers and good wishes for the thief made Sakka feel guilty. He then appeared before them and bowed before the Bodhisatta to praise his virtues and to confess his sin.
See Bhisa Jataka Jataka Pali no.488; Jataka Mala No.19; Chariya Pitaka 3.4