Dhamma Principles › The Mahāsīlava Jātaka: Not Giving Up Even When Buried to the Neck
The Mahāsīlava Jātaka: Not Giving Up Even When Buried to the Neck
Everyday life

The Mahāsīlava Jātaka: Not Giving Up Even When Buried to the Neck

Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

King Sīlava would not let his soldiers fight an invader and was buried up to his neck in a charnel ground, yet he taught his ministers to cultivate loving-kindness, then used presence of mind and effort to bring everyone out alive. The verse teaches that a wise person should keep hoping and not lose heart.

7 points

In the Mahāsīlava Jātaka of the Ekanipāta in the Jātaka, Khuddaka Nikāya, there is a single verse: a wise man should keep hoping and not lose heart; I see myself as the example: as I wished, so it came to be.

The story comes from the commentary. The Bodhisatta was King Sīlava of Bārāṇasī, who ruled righteously, set up six alms halls, and was full of patience, loving-kindness and compassion. A minister who committed an offence in the royal household was banished, and went to urge the King of Kosala to seize Bārāṇasī. The King of Kosala sent men to raid border villages as a test, but King Sīlava gave money to the robbers who had raided because they had nothing to eat. When the Kosalan army came, a thousand warriors asked to fight, but the king forbade it, saying he did not want anyone to suffer on his account, and opened the city gates.

The King of Kosala had him and his ministers buried up to their necks in a charnel ground. King Sīlava told his ministers to cultivate loving-kindness and bear no ill will toward the invader. When jackals came in the night, he used his wits until the earth loosened, pulled himself out and freed everyone. The commentary goes on to tell of a marvel in which yakkhas carried him into the invader's bedchamber. Moved by his virtue, the invader asked forgiveness and returned the kingdom, and King Sīlava spoke this verse. The commentary says the Buddha told this story to a monk who had slackened in his effort.

  1. 1

    Kindness toward those who do wrong out of poverty Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

    In the commentary, when the robbers who raided the border villages were caught, King Sīlava asked why they did it. Told they had nothing to eat, he asked why they hadn't come to him, then gave them money and let them go.

    Applying it in daily life

    When someone wrongs you, ask about the cause before judging. Sometimes a problem is solved by helping at its root rather than by punishment alone.

  2. 2

    Not letting others suffer on your account Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

    In the commentary, the thousand warriors asked several times to go to battle, and each time King Sīlava refused, saying he did not want others to suffer because of him; if the King of Kosala wanted the kingdom, let him come and take it.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before entering a conflict, ask who will be affected, such as your children, your team or your friends. Some battles can be left without dragging the people around you into harm.

  3. 3

    Choosing loving-kindness even in the pit Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

    In the commentary, buried to the neck in the charnel ground, King Sīlava urged all his ministers to cultivate loving-kindness only and bear no ill will toward the invader. The commentary says not one minister disobeyed him.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you are being taken advantage of, separate two things: finding a way out of the problem, and feeding resentment. Put your full effort into the first, and set the second down.

  4. 4

    Keeping your wits in a crisis Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

    In the commentary, jackals came at midnight. The king and ministers shouted them away several times, but they kept returning. The king then cleverly pinned the lead jackal with his jaw; it struggled and scrabbled at the earth around him until it loosened. He let the jackal go, pulled himself out, and dug the earth away so all his ministers could climb out.

    Applying it in daily life

    In a crisis, pause to look at what in the situation could serve as a way out. Even something that looks dangerous can be the starting point of a solution.

  5. 5

    Virtue changes an enemy's heart Mahāsīlavajātakaṃ

    In the commentary, when the King of Kosala learned the whole story, he was shaken that he, a human being, had not recognised King Sīlava's virtue when even yakkhas had. He asked forgiveness before the assembly, returned the kingdom, and promised to guard it against robbers.

    Applying it in daily life

    Integrity kept on the day you are wronged is often what earns the other side's respect later. Don't abandon your principles just because the other person behaved badly first.

  6. 6

    Keep hoping, do not lose heart Na nibbindeyya paṇḍito

    The verse says a wise man should keep hoping and not lose heart. The commentary explains: set your hope through the strength of your own effort, thinking that by striving like this you will escape this suffering, and don't cut off hope by thinking your effort will bear no fruit.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you want to quit halfway, ask whether you're discouraged because the path is truly impossible, or because you're tired. If it's tiredness, rest, then continue one step at a time.

  7. 7

    Being your own witness Yathā icchiṃ tathā ahu

    The verse ends: I see myself as the example; as I wished, so it came to be. The commentary explains that though he was actually buried in a pit, he escaped suffering and regained his kingdom through effort.

    Applying it in daily life

    Write down times you came through when you thought you wouldn't, and reread them on discouraging days. Evidence from your own life carries more weight than general words of comfort.

Try it in daily life

This Jātaka is usually remembered as a story about perseverance, but the perseverance here comes with a heart free of grudges. King Sīlava's effort was not for revenge, but to get himself and those trapped with him out of the pit.

In real life many people have felt buried to the neck: losing a job, debt, or betrayal by someone they trusted. The verse doesn't promise that everything will succeed. It says that giving up hope first is closing the way yourself.

The king's refusal to fight belongs to the story of the Bodhisatta; it isn't a model saying we should not protect ourselves or others. The usable lesson is not letting anger make the decision.

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