Stories from the Buddha's previous births

With its timeless message of compassion and concord, the Jatakamala or stories about the Buddha's virtuous deeds in previous incarnations continue to hold relevance in today's conflict ridden time, says AND Haksar who has translated the ancient tales from Sanskrit.
"The Jatakamala has both religious and literary value. It has been in international academia for a very long time but it's last full translation in English more than a century ago. It has greater relevance in the present period, which is marked with increasing acrimony and conflict," says Haskar.
Haskar's book is based on the celebrated Sanskrit collection of 34 stories composed 1700 years ago, in the 4th century by poet Arya Shura and is well known in both sacred Buddhist and classical Sanskrit literature.

In these tales the Buddha appears in different incarnations- divine, human and animal form. As a ruler or a merchant, a teacher or a student, a loving father and husband or a respectful but determined son. He is also born an ape and an elephant, a hare and a deer, a swan, a woodpecker and a fish among others.
Some of as stories and verses from the Jatakamala can be found in the Ajanta paintings. The cave frescoes date to the 6th century. A century later Chinese traveler I-Tsing mentions it among the works he found popular in India during his travels.

Arya Shura's text was translated into Chinese and Tibetan and its verses are found in two anthologies of Chinese poetry as far apart as 10th century Bengal and 15th century Kashmir.
"All this indicates that the Jatakamala had a currency for 1000 years, both in this country and outside," says Haksar.
Haskar's 2003 translation containing a foreword by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been republished now by Harper Collins.