138. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

The Buddha told this story at Jetavana monastery about a hypocritical monk who understood how to be cunning, as in the past story of the Kuhaka-Jātaka [No. 89]

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. While he was ruling, the Enlightenment Being was born as an iguana. He lived in a termite hill in a remote village.

At the same time, there lived in the same village, with the help of the villagers, a very virtuous and highly righteous ascetic. The Enlightenment Being, who had been born as an iguana, used to listen to his sweet-voiced sermons two times a day. Later, the ascetic left this place and went to the Himalayas after telling his intentions to the villagers. After that, a bogus ascetic came to that village and settled in the same temple. Living there, he accepted the offerings of the villagers.

The iguana, who was the Enlightenment Being, thought that this ascetic would also be righteous like the former ascetic. And he came to see him also two times a day. One day, there was an untimely rain and termites came out in swarms from the locality’s termite hills. Many iguanas came out from the various termite hills to eat the termites. The villagers, seeing that there were many iguanas, started to kill them. They then cooked the delicious iguana meat. Some of them gave this as an offering to the bogus ascetic. The ascetic tasted the meat and asked, “What kind of meat is this?” They responded, “It is iguana meat.” And the ascetic became intent on eating more iguana meat. He thought, “There is a big iguana that comes to me twice a day. I can kill him, and eat his meat.”

Thinking so, he requested the villagers to bring some condiments and a pot with which to cook. He hid them in the temple. Then he made a club that he could use to kill the iguana. He hid the club under his robes, and he sat at the end of the cloister path waiting for the iguana to come while taking a very righteous and virtuous pose.

When the iguana was coming from his termite hill, he sensed a difference in the ascetic. He did not go near to him as before. He first went upwind, and he smelt the smell of iguana meat coming from the robes of the ascetic. Therefore, he did not approach as he had become afraid. Instead, he went around the ascetic. As the iguana did not come near to him, the ascetic became upset. As he was anxious to kill the iguana, he thought that he would now throw the club and hit him from afar. Fortunately, the club missed the iguana, hitting only its tail. For a second time, the bogus ascetic ran to get the club and hit the iguana. The iguana, though, ran into a nearby termite hill and saved his life.

The iguana poked his head out through another hole in the termite hill and said, “Hey, ascetic. I thought that you were a righteous person, like the former ascetic. Such a person as you does not deserve to wear saffron robes and a turban, and to sit on a tiger skin.” Saying so, he went to hide.

The ascetic thought, “It is no longer good for me to stay here because the iguana can tell the villagers about me.” Thinking so, he left for the Himalayan forest on the very same day.

The Buddha, disclosing this story, said, “This bogus ascetic was the present hypocritical monk. The righteous ascetic was the Venerable Sāriputta. And I was the iguana, who has now become the fully enlightened one.”

The moral: “Righteousness can only be known through a long association with someone.”

138. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/04/138-the-story-of-an-iguana-godha-jataka/

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