Bambhadatta: A Tale of Rebirth and Redemption
Bambhadatta: A Tale of Rebirth and Redemption
Adapted from Hindu Tales: An English Translation of Jacobi’s Ausgewählte Erzählungen in Māhārāshṭrī (1909)
The Prince Who Renounced the World
In the ancient town of Soma lived a prince named Municanda, son of King Candavadimsa. Despite his royal privileges, Municanda grew weary of worldly pleasures. At the feet of the sage Sagaracanda, he renounced his princely life to become a religious mendicant.
One day, while wandering with his teachers to beg for alms, Municanda entered a village in a distant land. Separated from his companions, he lost his way in the wilderness. Four young herdsmen discovered him collapsed from hunger and thirst. As they tended to his needs, the prince shared his spiritual wisdom. His words awakened something profound within the boys, and they decided to embrace the life of religious mendicants themselves.
Two of these boys, finding the physical hardships of their new life unbearable, developed a loathing for the world. When they died, they were reborn in the realm of the gods.
The Cycle of Rebirth Begins
From the heavenly realm, these two souls were eventually reborn as twin sons of Jasamai, a slave girl belonging to the Brahman Sandilla in the town of Dasapura. The Brahman himself had fathered these boys. They grew from childhood into adolescence, their souls bound together through multiple lifetimes.
One day, the twins ventured into the woods to guard the fields. While they slept beneath a fig tree, a snake emerged from a hollow in the trunk and bit one of the boys. The other, attempting to catch the serpent, was also bitten. With no remedy available, both perished from the venom.
Their souls, still connected, were reborn as twin fawns on Mount Kalinjara. The bond from their previous life remained strong, and they always grazed near one another. This closeness led to their shared fate when a hunter killed both with a single arrow.
In their next life, they were born as swans on the banks of the sacred Ganges River. They grew together until one day, as they wandered side by side, a fisherman caught them both in a single snare, wrung their necks, and ended their lives once more.
Their journey continued in the city of Benares, where they were reborn as the sons of Bhuyadinna, a wealthy leader of the Candala community. Even in this life, they maintained their close bond. They were named Citta and Sambhuya, two brothers whose friendship was unbreakable.
The Minister’s Secret
At this time, Benares was ruled by King Sankha, whose chief minister was named Namui. The minister committed a grave offense—one punishable by death. The king commanded Bhuyadinna, as head of the Candalas, to execute the minister in secret.
Instead of carrying out the execution, Bhuyadinna hid the minister and made him an offer: “I will spare your life if you live in an underground dwelling and educate my sons.” Fearing death, the minister agreed. He began teaching Citta and Sambhuya, and time passed peacefully.
One day, Bhuyadinna discovered that his wife had been intimate with the minister. Enraged, he resolved to kill the man. However, Citta and Sambhuya, recognizing the minister as their benefactor and teacher, helped him escape. The minister eventually found his way to the city of Hastinapura, where he became counselor to the great sovereign Sanamkumara.
The Talented Outcasts
Citta and Sambhuya possessed extraordinary talents. They excelled in beauty, youthful vigor, grace, dancing, singing, and many other arts. Their performances, accompanied by instruments like the tisaraya, flute, and lute, brought joy to the people of Benares. Their music touched the hearts of all who heard it, especially the young women of the city.
This popularity aroused jealousy among the Brahmin scholars versed in the four Vedas. Approaching the king with false humility, they complained, “Your Majesty, all the people have been corrupted by contact with these Candala boys.” The king, influenced by their words, forbade Citta and Sambhuya from entering the town.
Time passed, and the festival of the full moon arrived. Overcome by curiosity and desire to participate, the brothers forgot the king’s decree and entered the town. As they watched the performances, their refined taste found the music crude and jarring—like the howling of jackals. Unable to resist, they began to sing, covering their faces with their garments to avoid recognition.
Their song was so beautiful that people gathered around them in wonder, saying, “Who creates such pleasure for our ears with this sweet song, which rivals the music of the Kinnaras?” When someone pulled away their garments and revealed their faces, the crowd recognized the Candala brothers. Shouting “Strike them! Strike them!” the people attacked the brothers with kicks, blows, and slaps. Citta and Sambhuya fled the town and found refuge in a park outside the walls.
The Path to Enlightenment
Overwhelmed with sadness, the brothers reflected on their situation: “What good are our beauty, youth, artistic skills, and other talents? Because of our birth as Candalas, all our qualities mean nothing, and we have been humiliated by the people.”
A profound disgust for life overtook them. Without informing their relatives, they resolved to end their lives and journeyed southward. After traveling a great distance, they came upon a magnificent mountain. Climbing it, they discovered a great ascetic seated on a stone slab. His body was thin from years of penance, his hands hung loosely at his sides, and he sat motionless in the kayotsarga posture, absorbed in deep meditation.
Filled with joy at this sight, the brothers approached and respectfully greeted the holy man. When he completed his meditation, the ascetic blessed them with the Blessing of Faith and asked, “Where have you come from?”
They shared their story and revealed their intention: “We wish to throw ourselves from this mountain.”
The wise ascetic replied, “Such an act is not fitting for people like you, whose minds have been enlightened by knowledge of many sciences. Instead, follow the Law of monks taught by the prince of the Jinas, which can burn away the karman that causes suffering of both body and mind.”
The brothers accepted his wisdom without doubt, like patients who trust a physician’s remedy for a serious illness. “Revered sir,” they said, “grant us your spiritual vow.”
Recognizing their sincerity, the ascetic initiated them into the monastic life. Through this new path, Citta and Sambhuya found purpose beyond the prejudices of society, and their journey of spiritual transformation began.
Continued in Part Two: The Path to Liberation
