jātaka (6551)

jātaka
Entry 6551, Page 240, Col. 1

(jAtaka, jAtaka)
jātaka¦, nt., rarely m., (1) m. pl., experiences in past births, particularly of Bodhisattvas: Bbh 67.17 (sa tena pūrve-)nivāsānusmṛtijñānena jātakān pūrvāṃ bodhisat- tvacaryā-paramādbhutacaryāṃ sattvānāṃ buddhe… prasādajananārthaṃ…prakāśayati, by this knowledge consisting of remembrance of former births he reveals to creatures, in order to make them well-disposed to the Buddha, his experiences in past births etc.; 397.13 (pūrvenivāsā- nusmṛtijñānabalena tathāgataḥ pūrvānte itivṛttakāṃś) ca jātakāṃś ca smṛtvā…vineyānāṃ deśayati; this [Page240-b+ 71] usage, which is prob. only a late and secondary extension of the next mg., seems not recorded in Pali; (2) nt., = Pali id., a story of a previous birth of the Buddha, common esp. in colophons to many such stories in Mv, e.g. i.282.13; also as n. of a work or type of literature, sometimes, at least, referring to a specific collection of such stories like the Pali Jāt.: as one of the nine (Mvy twelve) pravacana, gospel texts (Mvy dharma-pra°), Dharmas 62; Mvy 1275; in a similar list, SP 45.7; Jātake Śyāmākajātakaprabhṛtiṣu Karmav 50.6, in the Jātaka (collection), in the Śyāmāka (individual) Jātaka and others like it, combining both these mgs. in one phrase; (3) in Mv i.104.13; 105.5, 7; 192.19 taken by Senart in sense 2 above, but I think wrongly; I believe it means nativity in the sense of (astrologically determinable) personality and destiny, as in Skt.; or possibly future birth. This seems to me indicated by adjoining parallel terms, esp. paramata, q.v., which Senart misunderstands: (bodhisattvacaritaṃ…) jātakā- paramateṣu kovidā (deśayanti…īśvarā) Mv i.104.13 (vs; kā for -ka, m.c.), the Lords (Buddhas), being skilled in nativities (indicating personality and destiny; or, future births) and in the thoughts of others, proclaim the (future!) course of Bodhisattvas…; (yānīmāni)…jātakāni jina- bhāṣitāni imāni kutaḥprabhṛtikāni vijñeyāni (? em.; mss. ciṃhneyāni) 105.5, answered by: yānīmāni…jātakāni jinabhāṣitāni imāṃ aṣṭamīṃ bhūmiṃ (so some mss.) prapadyanti (v.l. prayanti) 105.7; the mg., as Senart suggests, seems (from -prabhṛtikāni) to be that they begin with the 8th bhūmi; but as this passage occurs in a description of the 4th bhūmi, it is future births or destines that are meant. In i.192.19 (vs), after saṃ- buddhāḥ sarvaparamataṃ viduḥ 18, Buddhas know all the thoughts of others, we read: adhyāśayaṃ parīkṣanti jātakā sarvaprāṇināṃ, they perceive the disposition and the destinies (future births) of all living beings.