147. The Story of Safflower [Puppharatta-Jātaka]

At one time the Buddha was living in Jetavanārāma in Sāvatthi. He disclosed this Jātaka story on seeing a monk disturbed by infatuation with his former wife. The Buddha asked him, “Why, monk, have you become so disturbed with infatuation?” He said, “Your lordship, my former wife is very clever in cooking the daintiest foods, and in other womanly household arts.” The Buddha said, “Oh monk, because of her you were impaled in the past, and suffered rebirth in hell.” On hearing these words, the other monks requested the Buddha to disclose the story of the past.

This is how the Buddha stated the story:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling the kingdom of Benares. At this time, the Enlightenment Being was born as an aerial deity. Once, when people were celebrating the summer Kattikā festival, a certain poor man in the city had only one cloth to wear for both him and his wife for the festival. Just before the festival, he tore the cloth into two pieces, washed and dried them, and folded them over and over a hundred times until they were small. On the first festival day, he took them out, unfolded them, and gave one of the pieces of cloth to his wife to wear. She said, “I would like to have a cloth to wear that is colored with safflower.

While wearing such a safflower colored cloth, I want to go into the street with you and kiss you.” The husband said, “What are you saying? I am a poor man. I do not have safflower colored cloth. Here is the white cloth that I kept clean after washing it. Wear this cloth as your skirt, and let us go and play in the street.” Then his wife said, “No. I do not want to go and play without wearing a safflower colored cloth. If you want to play in the street with a woman wearing a white cloth, then take your cloth to another woman, and play with her.”

On hearing this, he pleaded with her again and again. His wife said, “If a man has a will, what can he not do. Why cannot you go to the king’s flower garden and bring some flowers from his garden?” The husband said, “Oh, what are you saying? I not only cannot bring flowers from the king’s garden. I cannot even see it.” The wife said, “Why cannot you steal some flowers during the night?” Then, on account of his wife’s pleading, the husband could not say “no” to her. Finally, he agreed to go and steal the flowers. He went out from the city to the king’s flower garden, and jumped up on the fence surrounding it. The security guards heard the noise from this, and went to where he was. They seized the husband, handcuffed him, and the next morning they took him to the king. The king sentenced him to death saying, “Why do you show him to me? Take him, go to the execution ground, and impale him.” The guards took him to the execution ground while the execution drums were being beaten, and impaled him alive on a stake. He suffered the pains of the impaling, and while he was still living, crows came and pecked out his eyes.  Even though the pain was very severe, he could not stop thinking about his wife. He thought, “All my good wife wanted to do was to go to the festival and enjoy herself while wearing a safflower colored cloth.” While he was thinking such thoughts, he died and was reborn in the hell where there is burning fire.

The husband and wife at that time are today this monk and his former wife. The aerial deity who saw this happen as it was is today the Buddha who preaches to you now.

The moral: “Unending craving causes much suffering.”

147. The Story of Safflower [Puppharatta-Jātaka]

#Buddhisttalesforyoungandold #Buddhiststories #storiesforkids #moralstories #Buddha #Jatakastories #PansiyaPanasJataka #JatakaTalesofSakyamuniBuddha #JatakaTales #SakyamuniBuddha’sPast

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2026/01/06/147-the-story-of-safflower-puppharatta-jataka/