Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c24.252

v1.c24.252

1. Dhammadhaja Jātaka (No. 220).—The Bodhisatta was once born as Dhammadhaja, chaplain to Yasapāṇi, king of Benares. One day the king’s captain, Kāḷaka, who was wont to take bribes, gave a wrong decision in a case, and the Bodhisatta, being appealed to, reheard the case and decided in the plaintiff’s favour. The people applauded greatly and the king made him judge. But Kāḷaka, wishing for an excuse to put Dhammadhaja to death, persuaded the king that he was getting too popular, and the king gave him various impossible tasks. Dhammadhaja, with the help of Sakka, performed them all. One day the king ordered him to find a park-keeper with four virtues, and once again, with the aid of Sakka, the Bodhisatta discovered Chaṭṭapāṇi, the king’s barber. On being questioned, Chaṭṭapāṇi told the king that he was free from envy, drank no wine, had no strong desires, never gave way to anger; he then related stories of his past lives,¹ the experiences of which had made him renounce these evils. The king, at length, discovered Kāḷaka’s perfidy and had him put to death.