Seri Vanija Jathakaya
The Buddha preached this Seri Vanija Jathaka when he was in Jethawanarama Vihara in Savatthi city revealing one of His previous lives as Bodhisattva
Once upon a time, our Bodhisattva was a hawker selling fancy goods was known as Kacchaputa, He accompanied another trader called Seri, a greedy man, who was trading the same items. One day the two of them were doing business in the city of Andhapura. They apportioned the streets of the city between the two of them and began selling their goods from door to door. In that city there was a rich family of nobility but now had become very poor and the sole survivors were a young girl and her grandmother.
While the greedy trader was on his rounds, he came to the door of that very house. The girl begged her grandmother to buy her a trinket. The grandmother said “We’re very poor, dear, what can we offer in exchange for it?” The girl suddenly remembered the old bowl that was covered with soot. Because of her pleading the grandmother gave the bowl to the trader and asked him “Sir, would you be so kind as to take this bowl and give my girl a trinket in exchange?” The greedy trader scratched it with a needle and knew it was of gold and thought that he would take it by giving nothing. Pretending to be angry, he shorted “It isn’t worth half a cent!” He then threw the bowl to the floor, got up and stalked out of the house.
Since it had been agreed between the two traders that the one might try the streets which the other had already covered, the Bodhisattva the honest hawker came later into that same street and appeared at the very door of that house. Once again the young girl made the same request to her grandmother. So, the trader was given the bowl who at once recognizing that the bowl was gold. He said, “Mother, this bowl is invaluable. I’m sorry but I don’t have that much money.” Astonished at his words, the old woman said, “Sir, the earlier trader who came here a little while ago threw it away saying it doesn’t worth even half a cent. It must be because of your own goodness that the bowl has turned into gold.” The Bodhisattva then gave all the money and the stock of goods retaining only his scales, the bag and some money for his return fare. The Bodhisattva then speeded up to the river ferry and got into the boat.
Shortly , the greedy hawker returned to the house, hoping to get the bowl in exchange for a few trinkets. When he heard of what had happened he lost control of himself. Throwing down all his money and goods he had and armed with the beam of his scales as a club, ran down to the river to find the Bodhisattva crossing the river. He shouted. “You ferry-man, will you stop that boat” The Bodhisattva advised the ferryman not to reverse the boat but proceed. The greedy hawker, realizing that he had lost the golden bowl his heart start burning and warm blood gushed out from the mouth. So intense was the hatred finally, his heart cracked and he perished.
The greedy hawkers is identified with Devadatta. This was the beginning of the implacable grudge which Devadatta held against the Bodhisattva through innumerable lives. .
written by Kithsiri Senadeera
Sri Lanka Association Seniors’ Group singing Vesak Bakthi Gee
at Lankarama Buddhist Temple in Sydney
