1. Sujáta Játaka (No. 269). The Bodhisatta was once king of Benares. His mother was a passionate woman, harsh and ill tongued, and the Bodhisatta waited for an opportunity of admonishing her. One day, as he accompanied her to the park, a blue jay screeched, and the courtiers stopped their ears, saying: "What a scream! Stop it!" On another day they heard a cuckoo singing and stood listening eagerly. The Bodhisatta pointed this out to his mother and left her to draw her own inference. She understood and reformed herself.

The story was related to Anáthapindika's daughter in law, Sujátá, who was identified with the queen mother. J.ii.347-51.


2. Sujáta Játaka (No. 306). The Bodhisatta was once chaplain to the king of Benares. One day, the king heard a fruiterer's daughter, Sujátá, hawking sweets, and falling in love with her voice he sent for her and made her his queen. Some time later she saw the king eating sweets from a golden dish and asked him what those egg shaped fruits were. The king was very angry; but the Bodhisatta interceded on her behalf and she was pardoned.

The story was told in reference to a quarrel between Malliká and Pasenadi, which became famous under the name of Siriviváda or Sayanakalaha. Pasenadi ignored Malliká completely, and the Buddha, knowing this, went to the palace with five hundred monks. The king invited them to a meal, and as the food was being served, the Buddha covered his bowl and asked for Malliká. She was sent for, and the Buddha made peace between them. Malliká is identified with Sujátá and Pasenadi with the king of Benares. J.iii.20-22.


3. Sujáta Játaka (No. 352). The Bodhisatta was once a landowner of Benares, named Sujáta. When his grandfather died his father gave himself up to despair and, having erected a mound over the dead man's bones, spent all his time offering flowers there. Wishing to cure him, Sujáta feigned madness, and, seeing a dead ox outside the city, put grass and water near it and kept on trying to make it eat and drink. News of this was carried to his father, who hurried to the spot. In the course of their conversation Sujáta convinced his father of his folly.

The story was told to a lay follower of the Buddha who, after his father's death, gave himself up to grief. The Buddha visited him and told him this story.

J.iii.155-7. The story is given in PvA.39f., but there it is related to the monks and not to the householder; he, however, became a sotápanna.


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