Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

Author(s): K R Chandra, Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 69

6. The Jataka Literature in Pāli and its
Socio-ethical Importance
N, H. Samtani, Banaras
The Jalaka' or former birth-stories of the Buddha, included in the Khuddaka nikāya in Pāli Canon are important not only from the literary point of view but also they constitute a great contribution towards the social and moral advancement of mankiad. Although they became important vehicles of Bhddhist teachings, they are mostly secular in origin and teach human values in the most splendid manner.
There are about 550 birth-stories of the previous existences of Buddha. Jataka book, however, of the Pali Canon contains only verses. It is the Jataka Commentary which gives these 550 stories in details. Some birthstories of the Buddha are scattered throughout the Nikāyas of the Suttapitaka. In them the Buddha (or Bodhisattva as he is called before becoming Buddha) is depicted not as a bird or animal as in the tales of Jātakacommentary but as a famous sage or teacher of old time.
All the Jātakas, canonical and non-canonical, represent generally Bodhisattva preparing himself for the attainment of Buddhahood by the practice of certain definite virtues afterwards called 'Pāramitas, or Perfections'. Generally each birth-story designed to illustrate Bodhisattva's practices of particular perfection. In a Jataka story the Bodhisattva is the main figure. Generally he is a hero of the story and does some good deed, but even if he is a secondary character he impresses by some virtuous action.
Buddhists made full use of the art of story-telling. As Winternitz points out: “One had only to make a Bodhisatta out of some human, animal or divine being which occurred in the story, and any story, however worldly and however far removed from the sphere of Buddhist thought, could become a Buddhist story”. He further adds: “Now the Buddhist monks would not have been true Indians if they have not taken into account the need, so deeply rooted in the soul of Indian people, of hearing and relating stories and if they had not utilised this need to gain followers for their religion. In fact not only the Buddhist monks but the preachers of all sects in India, have always done what the Christian monks of the west did centuries later."'1