Once a Peacock, Once an Actress: Twenty-Four Lives of the Bodhisattva from Haribhatta's "Jatakamala"

by Haribhatta, Peter Khoroche (Translator)

Overview

Written in Kashmir around 400 CE, Haribhatta’s Jåtakamåla is a remarkable example of classical Sanskrit literature in a mixture of prose and verse that for centuries was known only in its Tibetan translation. But between 1973 and 2004 a large portion of the Sanskrit original was rediscovered in a number of anonymous manuscripts. With this volume Peter Khoroche offers the most complete translation to date, making almost 80 percent of the work available in English.
 
Haribhatta’s Jåtakamålå is a sophisticated and personal adaptation of popular stories, mostly non-Buddhist in origin, all illustrating the future Buddha’s single-minded devotion to the good of all creatures, and his desire, no matter what his incarnation—man, woman, peacock, elephant, merchant, or king—to assist others on the path to nirvana. Haribhatta’s insight into human and animal behavior, his astonishing eye for the details of landscape, and his fine descriptive powers together make this a unique record of everyday life in ancient India as well as a powerful statement of Buddhist ethics. This translation will be a landmark in the study of Buddhism and of the culture of ancient India.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226485829
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	08/30/2017
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Peter Khoroche is an independent scholar and translator as well as the author of monographs on the British artists Ivon Hitchens and Ben Nicholson. He lives in Suffolk.   

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction 1

Prologue 9

1 King Prabhasa vows to become a Buddha King Prabhasa 11

2 As the merchant Supriya, the Bodhisattva gains the jewel that grants all wishes Jujube Island 19

3 As Dharmakama, the Bodhisattva barters his life for a wise saying Dharmakama 26

4 The Hare. As a hare, the Bodhisattva offers his life to feed another 33

5 As King Candraprabha, the Bodhisattva gives his head to one who begs for it King Candraprabha 40

6 As Rupyavati, the Bodhisattva cuts off her breasts to feed a starving servant-girl Rupyavati 46

7 The Merchant's Son. As a merchant's son, the Bodhisattva feeds his body to animals 53

8 As King Padmaka, the Bodhisattva turns into a carp to cure his subjects of disease King Padmaka 60

9 King Brahmadatta. As King Brahmadatta, the Bodhisattva gives away his food ration in time of famine 67

11 The Deer. As a deer, the Bodhisattva offers himself to the king's butchers in place of a pregnant doe 73

12 The Peacock. As a peacock, the Bodhisattva saves a queen from adultery 80

14 Syama. As Syama, the Bodhisattva devotes himself to his blind parents 95

19 The Elephant. As an elephant, the Bodhisattva helps the hunter who is sent to kill him 104

20 Prince Candra. As Prince Candra, the Bodhisattva shows forbearance to the minister who wants him killed 111

22 The Antelope. As an antelope, the Bodhisattva sacrifices his life to save his herd from extinction 120

23 Prince Kanakavarman. As Prince Kanakavarman, the Bodhisattva rescues his sister and her lover from the king's wrath and conquers the goblins who have laid waste a foreign land 129

24 Mulika. As Mulika, a gatherer of medicinal herbs, the Bodhisattva nurses an ailing Pratyekabuddha 143

25 Sudhana and the Fairy Princess. As Prince Sudhana, the Bodhisattva undergoes many trials to be reunited with his fairy wife 147

26 Jajvalin. As the ascetic Jajvalin, the Bodhisattva finds that a dove has nested on his head while he has been meditating. He waits until her chicks are fully fledged before moving 176

27 Kesava. As Kesava, a doctor, the Bodhisattva cures a madwoman 180

29 Nirupama. As Nirupama, an actress, the Bodhisattva cures an actor of lust 192

32 The Lion. As a lion, the Bodhisattva saves the lives of two little monkeys entrusted to him 198

33 Sakra. As Sakra, lord of the gods, the Bodhisattva resuscitates a dead elephant calf 210

34 Syenaka. As Syenaka, a king's minister, the Bodhisattva renounces the world and reforms the king 217

Notes 227

References 243

Editorial Reviews

The scholarship in this volume is impeccable. Peter Khoroche is a remarkably sensitive reader of Sanskrit, as one sees clearly from the fluent style he has chosen for this translation. The text itself is of major importance within the world of classical Buddhist literature and Buddhist art, and the stories that appear here are full of surprises even for scholars well versed in the Buddhist tradition. Khoroche has performed a great service in making a large selection from the Haribhaṭṭa text available to a wider audience.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem David Shulman

A delightful English rendering of a work hitherto available only to a relative few. . . . Khoroche’s appreciation for Haribhaṭṭa’s style seeps through the closing pages of the introduction, during which he orients readers toward the types of scenes—sometimes verdant, sometimes gruesome, but always extraordinarily detailed—that they are about to encounter. In the chapters that follow, Khoroche succeeds in transforming both the prose and verse of Haribhaṭṭa’s text into idiomatic yet elegant English.”
 

Reading Religion

Reanimates classical stories of the Buddha’s past lives in vivid poetry and prose. While virtues like generosity and the Buddha-to-be’s extraordinary embodiment of them remain the work’s focus, Khoroche observes that Haribhatta’s descriptive powers give this text an almost cinematic quality, coupling ethics with artistry.”
 

Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly

"Creative and absorbing. Peter Khoroche’s informed and scholarly translation, alongside his clean and evocative prose, shows that this collection has some great literary merits. Fortunately for us, his ability to carry a story and keep it fresh ensure that this collection is well worth reading in English too."

Orientalistische Literaturzeitung