A Study of the Act of Truth (Saccakiriya) Utilized in Sinhala Jātaka Stories as a Specific Writing Technique.

Abstract

The Buddha’s preachings on the former births of him can be described as Jātaka-s. As Jātaka-s are found in the Navāṅgasatthusāsana, which is part of the early preaching of the Buddha it seems that Jātaka tales had exited even during the time of the Buddha. The Sāratthadīpani Vinayatīkā, expounding the meaning of ‘Jātaka’ says that the former lives of the Buddha that reveals and tells the birth story of the Buddha is the Jātaka-s. (“Jātaṃ bhūtaṃ purāvutthaṃ bhagavato pubbacaritaṃ kāyati katheti pakāsetīti jātakaṃ”, Sāratthadīpanī-ṭīkā-paṭhamo bhāgo, Chaṭṭha saṃgāyanā CD-Rom, Vipassanā Research Institute, India, 1999) In regard to this, by the terms ‘jātaṃ’ bhūtaṃ, purāvuttaṃ’ the reality of the Jātaka tales has been authenticated. Jātaṃ means born, bhūtaṃ means happened and ‘purāvuttaṃ’ lived in the past. In the ‘Saddanītippakaraṇa, it has been explained that ‘Jātaka’ contain previous life of the Buddha and it is a sermon by the Buddha. (“Jātaṃ bhūtaṃ atītaṃ bhagavato cariyaṃ, taṃ kīyati kathīyati etenāti jātakaṃ. Jātakapāḷi hi idha ‘jātaka’nti vuttā. Aññatra pana jātaṃ eva jātakanti gahetabbaṃ. Tathā hi jātakasaddo desanāyampi vattati, itivuttakaṃ jātakaṃ abbhutadhamma’’ntiādīsu. Jātiyampi vattati ‘‘jātakaṃ samodhānesī’tiādīsu.”, Saddanītippakaraṇaṃ, Chaṭṭha saṃgāyanā CD-Rom, Vipassanā Research Institute, India, 1999) Accordingly it is stated that Jātaka is a doctrine that has been preached by the Buddha with perfect arrangement of incidents. Ven. Budhdagosa, the commentator, in his explanation of the Navāṅgasatthusāsana, says that the five hundred sermons starting with the Apaṇṇaka are Jātaka-s. (“Apaṇṇakajātakādīni paññāsādhikāni pañcajātakasatāni ‘jātaka’nti veditabbaṃ.”, Davids, T.W.Rhys and Carpenter J.E. Sumaṅgala ilāsinī. 1968: 24) However, either in the Pali or Sinhala versions Jātaka-s exactly 550 stories are not found. In the Jātakapali and the Jātakaṭṭhakathā, only 547 Jātaka-s are to be found. In the Sinhala version ‘Pansiyapaṇas Jātaka Pota’ also there are only 547 stories. In the Sinhala Jātaka Ațuvā Gätapada, commentaries have been provided only to 535 Jātaka-s. In this paper, my attention will be only on a particular feature in Jātaka-s known as the ‘Saccakiriya’ or the ‘Act of Truth’. Therefore I think it is not necessary to provide a long account of the Jātaka literature.