Dhamma Principles › The Kukku Jātaka: The Roof Peak, the Citron and the Lotus
The Kukku Jātaka: The Roof Peak, the Citron and the Lotus
Everyday life

The Kukku Jātaka: The Roof Peak, the Citron and the Lotus

Kukkujātakaṃ

Three similes for leaders. A roof peak stays up because the rafters hold it, and a leader stands because of steadfast friends. A citron must be peeled skilfully to taste good, and wealth must be gathered without extortion. A lotus is unstained by mud, and one who judges honestly and without rashness is unstained by wrongdoing.

6 points

In the Kukku Jātaka of the Sattakanipāta, Khuddaka Nikāya, the canonical text consists of seven verses forming three sets of similes. The first asks how a roof peak made of heartwood stays in place without falling, and answers that thirty heartwood rafters are set evenly against one another and hold it firmly. So too a wise leader, well supported by friends and counsellors who are steadfast, undivided and upright, does not fall from fortune.

The second says that if a person with a knife doesn't peel a hard-skinned citron properly, it turns bitter; peeled well, it tastes good; peeled only thinly, it is still unpleasant. So too a wise leader should gather wealth in villages and towns without rashness, following the Dhamma and not harming others. The third says that just as a lotus growing in a pond is not stained by mud, dust or water, so one who judges honestly, is not rash, and whose deeds are pure is not stained by defiled action.

The story comes from the Jātaka commentary. According to the commentary, a king was ruling unjustly and extorting heavy taxes. The Bodhisatta, his minister, was looking for a way to advise him. When the king visited his park, saw a pavilion whose roof was not yet finished, was presented with citrons, and came to a lotus pond, the Bodhisatta used each sight as a simile. From then on the king ruled righteously. None of these details are in the verses.

  1. 1

    The roof peak that doesn't fall Kuhiṃ ṭhitā

    The roof peak is made of good heartwood, yet the verse asks how it stays up without falling. The strength of the peak alone isn't enough. According to the commentary, the king saw the unfinished pavilion and, afraid the peak would fall on him, asked this question.

    Applying it in daily life

    When a project succeeds, ask what is holding that success up, rather than assuming it's all down to your own ability.

  2. 2

    Rafters set against each other Tāhi susaṅgahitā

    Thirty heartwood rafters set evenly against each other hold the roof peak well, and pressed together by their strength, it does not fall. The commentary explains that without the peak the rafters cannot stand, and when the rafters separate the peak falls; each depends on the other.

    Applying it in daily life

    In a team, value the people working behind the scenes as much as those out front. If the supporting base splits apart, the people on top can't stay up either.

  3. 3

    A leader stands by steadfast, upright friends Mittehi daḷhehi paṇḍito

    A wise leader, well supported by friends and counsellors who are steadfast, undivided and upright, does not fall from fortune, like a roof peak borne up by its rafters. The qualities the verse names for those around the leader are steadfastness, unity and integrity.

    Applying it in daily life

    When choosing people to work closely with you, look at their honesty and their ability to work with others, not just at whether they always agree with you.

  4. 4

    Peeling the citron skilfully Kharattacaṃ bellaṃ

    A citron has a hard skin. If the person with a knife doesn't peel it properly, it turns bitter; peeled well, it tastes good; peeled only thinly, it is still unpleasant. According to the commentary, citrons were brought as a gift, and the Bodhisatta used them as a simile for levying taxes the right way.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you need your team to take on more work, or need to raise prices for customers, think about a fair approach and explain the reasons, rather than imposing it all at once and souring the whole relationship.

  5. 5

    Gathering wealth without harming others Aviheṭhayaṃ paraṃ

    A wise leader gathers wealth in villages and towns without rashness, following the Dhamma and bringing prosperity without harming others. The commentary compares this to termites building a mound and bees gathering pollen, accumulating gradually without destroying the source, and adds the ten royal virtues.

    Applying it in daily life

    A good business earns profit the way bees gather pollen: customers still benefit and come back, rather than being squeezed once and never returning.

  6. 6

    Judging purely and without rashness, like a lotus Vohārasuciṃ asāhasaṃ

    A lotus grows in a pond, yet mud, dust and water don't stain it. So too one who judges honestly, is not rash, and whose deeds are pure and free of evil is not stained by defiled action. The commentary explains this as deciding cases by the Dhamma, without being swayed by bias.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before deciding something where people stand to gain or lose, such as a team dispute or who gets an award, hear every side first and take care that personal liking doesn't decide the outcome.

Try it in daily life

Although the verses speak of a king, all three principles apply to leaders at every level, from team leads and business owners to the head of a household.

The roof peak simile reminds us that no leader stands alone. The citron simile reminds us that asking others for resources or effort takes skill: take what is appropriate, without destroying what is good. The lotus simile reminds us that one can live amid competing interests without being stained, if one judges honestly and without haste.

These similes are also an example of how to counsel someone in power. In the commentary, the Bodhisatta doesn't criticise the king directly; he uses what the king sees right in front of him so the king can reflect for himself.

Sign in to keep track of what you have read

Sources in the Tipiṭaka

Tap to read the actual passage on the page cited.

Other principles worth reading

Log in to earn 40 merit points for reading this page