123. The Story of a Plough Handle [NanÄgalīsa-Jātaka]

Once while the Buddha was living in Jetavana monastery, this story was delivered about Venerable KāÀudāyi. He used to go to preach to gatherings. As he often could not understand the purpose of the gatherings, sometimes he would preach sad things to a happy community and happy things to a grieving community. As he could not preach appropriately to communities, he obtained a bad name. The community of monks knew this. One time, the monks who were assembled in the hall of law for the evening preaching were talking about this matter.

When the Buddha came there, he asked, “Oh monks, what were you talking about before I arrived?” The monks said, “Your lordship, we were talking about the lack of understanding of Venerable KāÀudāyi in preaching.” Then the Buddha said, “Monks, KāÀudāyi not only acts like this today. Even in the past, he has acted in the same way.” And Buddha was invited to disclose the story of the past that had been hidden by the course of time. Buddha preached the story of the past.

This is how it was:

Long ago in the past, there was a king called Brahmadatta in Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was a prominent teacher in the city. He lived by giving instruction to students. People who were rich enough to afford it gave a thousand gold coins to the teacher. Some, who had not much money, got their education by working as servants to the master. And in this way, they were able to study.

Once there came a poor foolish man to get an education from the Enlightenment Being. He was paying for his education by working. One day he was massaging his master’s feet, and the master requested that he raise up his feet. The student agreed, and under one side of the foot of the bed he placed folded cloth. As he had nothing for the other side, he placed his thigh under the bed. All that night, until the next morning, he kept his thigh under the bed forgoing his rest. In the morning, when the master awoke, he saw that the student was sitting at his foot, and he became very sad. He thought, “This poor foolish man works here as a slave, and cannot learn anything. Therefore, it would be good to somehow teach this man something.” Thinking so, he said to the foolish student, “Whatever you see daily, you must tell me. And also relate to me a comparable thing [upamā].” The Enlightenment Being thought that by the student making a comparison, he would be able to develop his thinking.

The next day, the teacher asked the student to bring some firewood. When the student returned, the master requested, “Tell me whatever you have seen.” The student said, “I have seen a snake in the forest.”  The master asked,

“What did the snake resemble?” The student responded, “The snake was like a plough handle.” The master thought, “A snake is long, and a plough handle is also long. Therefore his example is correct.” Thinking so, he was satisfied.

The following day, he also went to the forest to bring firewood. And on that day, he saw an elephant. On returning, he said to his master that he had seen an elephant. The master asked him for a comparison. The student said, “It is like a plough handle.” The teacher thought, “The end of an elephant’s trunk is similar to a snake’s head. Therefore it is a good comparison.” And he was satisfied.

On still the next day, he went again into the forest. There he saw sugarcane. When he returned, he told his master, “I have seen sugarcane.” The master again asked for a comparison. He said, “It is like a plough handle.” The master thought, “Sugarcane is long, and the trunk of an elephant is also long. Therefore the comparison is correct.” And he was satisfied.

The next day, when he went to the place where lunch was to be given, he ate curd and rice. After eating the curd and rice, he returned. He told his master, “I have eaten curd and rice.” His master asked for a similar thing to curd and rice. He said, “It is like a plough handle.”

The teacher had been satisfied with the previous three answers. But in this case he thought, “What a foolish man this is. No matter how hard I try, I will not be able to make him a wise man.” And he gave up his efforts to make the student a person with understanding.

The foolish student at that time is today KāÀudāyi. I who am the Buddha was his master at that time.

Saying so, he completed the discourse of the Jātaka story.

The moral: “Even if good luck is in an unwise man’s pocket, he will lose it.”

123. The Story of a Plough Handle [NanÄgalīsa-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/07/15/123-the-story-of-a-plough-handle-nanagalisa-jataka/

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122. The Story of an Unwise Person [Dummedha-Jātaka]

When the Buddha was living in the Bamboo Grove temple, once those monks who were assembled in the preaching hall were talking about the monk Devadatta. They said to each other, “Brothers, monk Devadatta even when seeing the Buddha’s physical beauties, such as the thirty-two great marks of a great person [mahāpurisa] and the eighty additional attributes, a fathom wide halo, and physical beauties of the like, does not respect the Buddha and affords him no loving kindness. He has become jealous by thinking, ‘I do not have such physical beauty.’ And he wants to kill the Buddha.”

Then the Buddha came there and sat on his seat. He asked, “Oh monks, what were you discussing before I came?” The monks replied, “Your reverence, we were talking about the monk Devadatta’s jealousy of the Buddha.” The Buddha said, “Monks, it is not only now, but even in the past he was jealous of me.” The monks said, “Please, sir, disclose that story to us.” The Buddha, after that invitation, stated the following story:

Long ago in ancient days, there was a king called Magadha in the city of Rājagaha. The Enlightenment Being was born among elephants, was white, and was very beautiful. He was in service to King Magadha.

Once, King Magadha got onto this white elephant that was well caparisoned and left in a grand procession to go to the city. The citizens, on seeing this elephant’s beautiful body that was well shaped and large, said, “Oh, what a nice elephant. Such a big elephant is good for a universal monarch, and not for a king like this.” Talking so, the people appreciated only the elephant, and not the king. On hearing such appreciation of the elephant, the king got angry, thinking, “These people did not appreciate me, who is their king.” He became in this way jealous of the elephant, and thought of killing him. Thinking so, he summoned the mahout and said, “I want to know whether you trained this royal elephant to be obedient. If so, I want to examine it. Climb with him to the top of Vephulla Mountain.” The mahout did so. And the king followed him with his ministers. He ordered the mahout to lead the elephant to a precipice. The mahout did so. The king then asked the mahout to have the elephant stand on three feet. He did so. Then the king ordered to have the elephant hold up its front two feet. He did so. Then the king asked him to have the elephant raise up its hind legs. He did so. Then he asked the mahout to have the elephant stand on one foot. He did so. And the elephant still did not fall. Then the king said, “Ask the elephant to go forward toward the precipice raising all four legs into the air.”

The mahout thought, “This king wants to kill the elephant. This is just a stratagem.” He said secretly to his elephant, “Your lordship, he is trying to kill you. If you can, get up into the sky and flee away to the city of Benares.” At that very same moment, there arose a certain miraculous power on account of the virtue from previous merit, and miraculously the elephant jumped up into the sky. Then the mahout said to the king, “Your lordship, this elephant is not appropriate for such a person as you who has so little merit. Therefore, this elephant is not fit for such a foolish king as you. You stay there by yourself.” And he had the elephant go through the sky to Benares to the king’s palace grounds. People saw this, and they were surprised and became very happy. They ran to the king and informed him about this. The king came to that place and saw the elephant. And he said with great pleasure, “If this elephant will allow me to mount it, I request you to come down to the ground.” And the elephant came down to the ground.

The mahout got down from the elephant and gave respect to the king. The king asked, “Why, son, did you come with this elephant?” The mahout told him everything. The king thanked him, saying, “You have done a good deed.” Being satisfied, the king took the elephant into his possession. He divided Benares into three parts. He gave one part to the elephant, the second part to the mahout, and the third part he kept for himself. And he ruled righteously. Finally, he passed away according to his Kamma.

The Buddha, finalizing the story, said, “The king of Benares at that time was the Venerable Sāriputta. The mahout was the Venerable Ānanda. And King Magadha was the monk Devadatta. I, who am now the Buddha, was the elephant.” Saying so, the Buddha ended this Jātaka story of an unwise person.

The moral: “While lack of wisdom brings death, wisdom brings happiness.”

122. The Story of an Unwise Person [Dummedha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/07/08/122-the-story-of-an-unwise-person-dummedha-jataka/

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