Shibi Jataka is one of the
Jataka
The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, th ...
tales detailing episodes of the various incarnations of Buddha. Each Jataka tale illustrates the
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
ideals of ''
Dhamma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
'' and sacrifice in various forms. Tradition states that these tales were narrated by Buddha himself during his ministry in India to emphasise that by the constant practice of
virtuous deeds one reaches the status of ''
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
'' or enlightenment.
The Story of King Sibi
![Sibi Jataka BM OA 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Sibi_Jataka_BM_OA_1912.12-21.1_n01.jpg)
Arvind Sharma describes the story of King Shibi in the following terms,
"As he sat in the court one day, a sparrow sought refuge in his lap, while being chased by a falcon. The falcon demanded the sparrow from the king as it constituted his means of subsistence. Accepting the falcon’s right, the king offered his own flesh in order to fulfill his duty of protecting his subjects."
Variations
There are many versions of the Shibi Jataka and the one narrated above is also found in the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
''. Another version of the story of Shibi is narrated as follows:
" Indra came as a blind person to King Shibi and asked him to donate one of his eyes so that he could regain his sight partially. Sibi, however, offered both eyes for the complete restoration of the blind man's sight. The ready willingness of king Sibi to sacrifice both his eyes moved Indra into revealing his true form and blessing the king."
In the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Buddhist tradition, the two versions of the story are attributed to two different kings. The king who sacrifices his eyes is called ''Kuai-mu Wang'' - the king with happy eyes.
Cave Paintings
The story is depicted in numerous Buddhist cave paintings. An example of this can be found in Cave 17 at
Ajanta. This shows a man holding a set of scales while the king is engaged in cutting his flesh out. The panel also shows the king’s courtiers, and subjects rejoicing this noble act of their king. A painting in the
Mogao Caves
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu p ...
(Cave 275) shows a panel illustrating five jataka tales. The two versions of the Sibi legend are depicted in this panel.
Connections with the Chola Dynasty
The story of King Shibi has been linked with the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...
n dynasty of
Cholas who ruled between c 100 C.E. to c. 1250 C.E. The later Cholas claimed to have descended from Shibi. The
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
name for Shibi was ''Sembiyan''. This name was assumed by many Chola kings.
See also
*
Jātaka
The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...
*
List of Jatakas
* ''
Mahanipata Jataka
The ''Mahanipata Jataka'' (), sometimes translated as ''the Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha'', are a set of stories from the Jataka tales (Khuddaka Nikāya) describing the ten final lives of the Bodisattva who would finally be born as S ...
''
* ''
Paññāsa Jātaka''
*
Shibi (king)
Shibi () is a king featured in Hindu texts. He is described to be the son of Ushinara of the Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty). King Shibi is said to have been renowned for his liberal beliefs and selflessness. In one of his legends, he is said to ...
References
{{Reflist
Jataka tales
Indian folklore
Indian literature
Indian fairy tales
Indian legends