2:3:1 Khanti Vadi jataka

It is about the story of a king called Kalabu who was swallowed up in earth for doing
inappropriate thing because of anger to the Boddhisattva ascetic who was a virtuous man.
This jataka was uttered by Buddha when he was residing in Jetavonna monastery based on a
wrathful monk.
Once upon a time, a king called Kalabu reigned Benares. At that time, the Boddhisattva came to
life in a rich Brahmin family and his name was Kundala. When he was of age, he learnt the
sciences of Takkasila. When the parents passed away, looking at the pile of possessions, he
thought, “The dead people cannot bring the wealth; they had to leave them”. Therefore, he
donated all the property and went to Himalayas to enter hermithood. Then, he reached to
Benares. The ascetic dwelt in the royal park of the king according to the wish of a commander-
in-chief.
One day, king Kalabu went on the picnic with the dancers. The king got drunk and fell asleep in
the alms of a woman. When the king was asleep, the dancers went around the park to see the
flowers. At that time, they met the Boddhisattva ascetic sitting in revering manner under the Sal
tree, and they requested the ascetic to utter dhamma.
At that time, the king woke up and asked the woman where the other dancers had gone. When he
knew that they were sitting in attendance on the ascetic, he was furious, seized his royal dagger
and said, “I would kill that cunning ascetic”.
When the furious king reached near the hermit, the women who were close to the king took the
dagger by pacifying him. However, the king who could not remove his anger asked the ascetic,
“What is your doctrine?”, and the ascetic answered, “Your Majesty, I have the doctrine of khanti
(patience).” The king asked, “What does that khanti mean?”. The hermit answers, “Not having
anger on those who swear or slander means khanti (patience)”.
The king said in rage, “I will see now the reality of your patience,". Then he summoned his
executioner and asked him to torture the hermit. The hermit was hit about 2000 times with the
scourge with thorn, so his skins were cut through to the flesh, and the blood flowed.
Again, the king asked with rage, “The ascetic, what is your doctrine?”. The ascetic answered
again, “My doctrine is Khanti”. At that time, the king asked the executioner to cut two hands and
two legs of the hermit”. Then, he asked to cut the ears and nose of the Boddhisattva. Blood
flowed from the whole body of the ascetic.
The king asked again the question. The ascetic answered, “Your majesty, I have the doctrine of
khanti. It does not exist on the tip of ears or nose. My khanti exists deep in my mind”. The king
was furious and kicked the chest of the Boddhisattva ascetic’s chest with the leg by saying “The
cunny ascetic, exault your patience”.
When the king had gone, the commander-in-chief wiped off the blood from the body of the
Boddhisattva and he apologized the ascetic. The Boddhisattva hermit did not bear anger on the
king. Moreover, he sent loving-kindness to the king. As soon as the king got out of the garden, he
was swollen in the earth for treating the virtuous person badly because of anger. The ascetic also
died of those injuries on that day.
By studying the above jataka, king Kalabu was angry with the thought of the layman since the
female dancers who were called to perform him surrounded the hermit. Moreover, he was furious
sine the ascetic responded him calmly without getting angry although he was in rage. The king
did not understand the khantivada (the doctrine of patience) of the ascetic. Therefore, with anger,
he ironically tortured the ascetic to death. He committed a sin which should not be done because
of anger. He followed Dosagati and his reputation drained like the waning moon as stated in
agati sutta uttered by Buddha. Moreover, he was punished by the earth and suffered in Maha
avici hell.