सिवि का त्याग

Jataka Stories - The Sacrifice of Sivi

The Illustrated Jataka : Other Stories of the Buddha by C.B. Varma 048 - The Sacrifice of Sivi /

सिवि का त्याग 

अरीद्वपुरा देश के राजा सिवि बड़े दान-पारमी थे। एक बार उन्होंने संकल्प लिया कि क्यों न मांगे जाने पर वे अपना अंग भी याचक को दान में दे दे। उनके संकल्प को देख शक्र ने उनकी दानवीरता की परीक्षा लेनी चाही और एक दिन वे राज-दरबार में एक साधु के भेष में जा पहुँचे। वहाँ उन्होंने सिवि से उसकी दोनों आँखें मांगी। राजा ने सहर्ष अपनी दोनों आँखें निकालकर देवराज को दे दी।

कुछ दिनों के बाद एक बाग में बैठ राजा सिवि ने अपने भविष्य के विषय में सोचना प्रारंभ किया तो शक्र को उन पर दया आ गयी। वे तत्काल ही सिवि के पास पहुँचे और उन्हें 'सच्चक्रिया' करने की सलाह दी।

सच्चक्रिया करते हुए तब राजा ने कहा कि यदि दान के पूर्व और दान के पश्चात् उनकी भावना याचक के लिए एक जैसी थी तो उनका पहला नेत्र वापिस लौट आए। उनके ऐसा कहते ही उनका पहला नेत्र आँख के गड्ढे में उत्पन्न हो गया।

पुन: सच्चक्रिया करते हुए उन्होंने जब कहा कि यदि दूसरी आँख के दान से उन्हें उतनी ही प्रसन्नता हुई थी जितनी पहली आँख के दान से तो उनका दूसरा नेत्र भी तत्काल उत्पन्न हो जाये। ऐसा कहते ही उनका दूसरा नेत्र भी उत्पन्न हो गया।

इस प्रकार राजा सिवि पूर्ववत् देखने लगे।

O nce Bodhisatta was born in Aritthapura as a king with the name Sivi. He was a pious king reputed for his charity. No one ever returned empty-handed from his court. Yet, he was never satisfied with his alms giving. In the zeal to donate more and more once it flashed on his mind to donate some part of his body if asked by some one. This thought aroused the curiosity of Sakka, the lord of the devas to examine the firmness of his will. So, in the guise of a blind brahmin he arrived at Sivis court and begged for his eyes. Despite the shocks and persuasions and oppositions by the courtiers the king agreed to donate his eyes to the beggar. He removed his eyes resembling the petals of a blue lotus with a knife and offered them to Sakka. Surprisingly, those eyes got fixed in the beggars face. The Brahmin was then able to see. But the king became blind; and with the loss of the eyes his visage looked like a lotus-pond with no lotus.

When the kings wound healed he visited a secluded floral garden on the bank of a pond. There, he sat on a couch under the trees laden with flowers and thought of his future without eyes. Sakka, watching him from the heaven felt sorry for him. So, he descended there to oblige him with a boon. When the king desired for the restoration of his eyes, he then advised him to perform the sacchakiriya (act of truth) to restore his eyes.

Sivi, to Perform the sacchakiriya recited:

If the thankful blessings of a beggarArouse similar pleasure When enunciated before And enunciated after the Act of the donations

  O My Eye! Must you then reappear�.

And thus his one eye appeared .

He then added, If the pleasure in offering the second eye Has given equal pleasureLike the offering of the first eye O My Eye! You must then reappear�. If I was equally pleased to offer The other eye to the person, Who I gave the first

Then let the other eye also reappear.�

Thus, the second eye of the king also emerged. The earth then trembled in its joy. The oceans crossed their boundaries with the gay effusions. And the songs and music of the celestial beings echoed all over. The celestial nymphets hovered in the sky with their wide-open eyes. Sun emanated its warmth like a winter day and the trees showered their flowers in profusion.

Thus it is said:

The sole worth of the worthless wealth Is its charitability; As what is given in charity accumulates into the [meritorious] treasury; And what is not used as benefaction

Is rather a fruitless consumption.  

(Dhanasya nissaralaghoh sa saro yaddiyate lokahitonmukhena /

Nidhanato yati hi diyamanamadiyamanam nidhanaekanistam //)  - Jataka-Mala 2.50

See Sivi Jataka   Jataka Pali No.499;   Jataka Mala2. Copyright IGNCA© 2002