Mahasstava
In the remote past there lived a devout and powerful king named Maharattha.
He had three sons by name, Maha Prashada, Maha Deva, and Mahasattva, all good
and obedient.
One bright day the king, accompanied by the princes and attendants, went on
an excursion to a forest park. The young princes, admiring the enchanting beauty
of the flowers and trees, gradually penetrated far into the thick forest.
The attendants noticed their absence and reported the matter to the king. He
ordered his ministers to go in search of them and returned to his palace.
The tree princes, wandering through the forest, reached a mountain top. From
there the eldest saw a starving tigress with five cubs almost on the verge of
death. For seven days since her delivery she had been without food. The cubs
approached the mother to suck milk, but she had nothing to satisfy their hunger,
and the tigress, driven by starvation, was clearly at the point of unnaturally
devouring her own cubs.
The eldest brother was the first to see this pathetic spectacle. He showed the
tigress to his brothers and said, "Behold that pitiful sight, O brothers!
That starving tigress is about to devour her own cubs. How wretched is their
condition!"
"What is their staple food, brother?" inquired Mahasattva.
"Flesh and blood is the staple food of tigers and lions." replied
Maha Prashada.
"The tigress seems to be very weak. Evidently she is without food for some
days. How noble if one could sacrifice one's own body for their sake!"
"But who is willing to make such great sacrifice!" remarked Maha Deva.
"Surely, no one would be able to do so," stated Maha Prashada.
"I lack intelligence. Ignorant people like us would not be able to sacrifice
their bodies for the sake of another. But there may be selfless men of boundless
compassion who would be willingly do so," said Mahasattva in a merciful
tone.
Thus they discussed amongst themselves and casting a last glance at the helpless
tigress, they departed.
Mahasattva thought to himself, "Sacrifice I must this fleeting body for
the sake of this starving tigress. Foul is this body, and is subject to decay
and death. One may adorn and perfume it, but soon it will stink and perish."
Reflecting thus, he requested his brothers to proceed as he would retiring to
the forest for some reason or other.
He retraced his steps to the place where the tigress was resting. Hanging his
garments and ornaments on a tree, again he thought, "Work I must for the
weal of others. Compassionate we must be towards all beings. To serve those
who need our succour is our paramount duty. This foul body of mine will I sacrifice
and thus save the tigress and her five cubs. By this meritorious act may I gain
Samma Sambuddhahood and save all beings from the ocean of Samsara! May all beings
be well and happy!"
Moved by compassion and inspired by the spirit of selfless service, dauntlessly
he jumped off the precipice towards the tigress.
The fall did not result in an instantaneous death. The tigress, though ruthless
by nature, pitied the Bodhisattva and would not even touch his body.
The Bodhisattva thought otherwise, "Obviously the poor animal is too weak
to devour me!"
So he went in search of a weapon. He came across a bamboo splinter, and drawing
near the tigress, he cut off his neck and fell dead on the ground in a pool
of blood.
The hungry tigress greedily drank the blood and devoured the flesh leaving mere
bones.
At the moment the Bodhisattva sacrificed his body, the earth quaked, the water
of the ocean were disturbed, the sun's ray dimmed, eye-sight was temporarily
blurred, Devas gave cries of Sadhu, and Parijata flowers came down as rain from
heaven.
Affected by the earthquake, the two elder brothers rightly guessed that their
younger brother must have become a prey to the tigress.
"Surely, Mahasattva must have sacrificed his life, for he spoke in a very
merciful tone," said Maha Deva.
Both of them turned back and went to the spot. They were horrified and awe-struck
at the unexpected spectacle. What they saw was not their belovedbrother but
a mass of bone besmeared with blood. On a tree close by they saw the hanging
garments.
They wept and fainted and on regaining consciousness, they returned home with
a heavy heart.
On the very day the Bodhisattva sacrificed his life the mother-queen dreamt
that she was dead, that her teeth had fallen out, and that she experienced a
pain as if her body were cut by a sharp weapon. Furthermore, she dreamt that
a hawk came drooping down and carried one of the three beautiful pigeons that
were perched on the roof.
The queen was frightened, and on waking she remembered that her princes had
gone for an airing in the forest. She hastened to the king and related the inauspicious
dreams.
On being informed that the princes were missing, she entreated the king to send
messengers in search of them.
Some ministers who had gone earlier to search for them returned to the palace
with the sad news of the lamentable deadth of the youngest prince. Hearing it
nobody was able to refrain from weeping. The king, however, comforted the queen
and, mounting an elephant, speedily proceeded to the forest with his attendants
and brought back the other two grieving sons.
So great was their grief that at first the were speechless. Later summoning
up courage, they explained to their bereaved mother the heroic deed of their
noble brother.
Soon order was given by the king to make necessary arrangements for them all
to visit the memorable scene of the incident.
All reached the spot in due course. At the mere sight of the blood-smeared bones
of the dearest son scattered here and there, both the king and queen fainted.
The Purohita Bhahmin instantly poured sandal wood water over them, and they
regained consciousness.
Thereupon, the king ordered his ministers to gather all the hair, bones, and
garments and, heaping them together, worshipped them. Advising them to erect
a golden Cetiya enshrining the relics, with a grieving heart, he departed to
his palace.
The Cetiya was afterwards named "Om Namo Buddha."