Candakinnara Jataka

5.10.2011

The Buddha narrated Chandakinnara jataka with reference to the virtue of Yasodhara. In ancient time, millions years ago in India there was king called Brahmadatta. He was fond of hunting. He was powerful king reign all over India. Being fond of hunting one day he went to the Himalaya.

At the same period our Bodhisatta was born as a merman and he was living with his mermaid in the Himalaya. They lived in the forest very peacefully. (actually mermaid means a kind of human. It's, anyway, not the imaginary mermaid you have seen in arts and crafts).

One day Bodhisatta merman walked around the forest with his beautiful mermaid looking at the beauty of the forest. They sang. They danced. They looked at each other hours and hours affectionately. The mermaid, wearing a garland, was singing and dancing on a rock. She was seen by the king, who came for hunting and he was having five weapons (pancayudha)

At once, he was greedy about the mermaid and though to kill the merman and to own the mermaid and possess her. Thinking so, the king aim at the merman, who was watching his wife's dancing, on the ground, and shot at him with an arrow. The arrow was gone deep into the merman's heart and fell on the ground. The mermaid, who saw the entire scene from the rock, came swiftly towards the fallen unconscious merman. She was shocked and helpless. What innocent she can do against a man but lamented.

The king though that, the merman was killed. And came to mermaid and asked her reminding all the past incident with the merman. But she noticed that his body was hot and he has his pulse. Then it is said in the Jataka that they received assistance from the king of gods in Tawatimsa. So the merman came round and they were advised to go deep into the forest where no men were available.

The Buddha uttered that at that time mermaid was Yasodhara and the merman no one but himself.

Sugata Himi

Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple

Sentul, MALAYSIA