Readings of the Vessantara Jataka (Columbia Readings of Buddhist Literature) by Collins Steven

Author:Collins, Steven [Collins, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL007010, Religion/Buddhism/Sacred Writings, Religion/Buddhism/History, REL007030
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2016-03-21T17:00:00+00:00

JŪJAKA AND THE NORTHERN THAI TUJOK

The Jūjaka character first appears in the fifth chapter (the Jūjaka chapter) of the Vessantara Jātaka and dies in the eleventh chapter (the Maharaat or Great King chapter). In the Pali and the Thai regional variations, the overall plotline is similar. In the fifth chapter, Jūjaka obtains Amittatāpanā (Thai: Amittata) as his wife; she is badly treated by jealous village women and sends Jūjaka off on the journey to obtain Vessantara’s two children as her servants. In subsequent chapters, Jūjaka travels through the forest, meets Vessantara, and receives the children. He treats them heartlessly, but ultimately ends up in the court of Vessantara’s parents, where he overeats and dies. In the concluding paragraph of the Pali version, Jūjaka is explicitly identified with the future evil monk, Devadatta, and Amittatāpanā is identified as the future Ciñcamānavikā, the woman who falsely accuses the Buddha of making her pregnant.

The Pali version contains no obvious humor. As the following description by Vessantara’s son reveals, Jūjaka is portrayed as cruel, heartless, and physically grotesque:

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.