Culla-Kuṇāla Jātaka

In ancient days, when Brahmadatta reigned over Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into the bird kingdom as Kuṇāla, a cuckoo of magnificent speckled plumage, melodious voice, and profound wisdom. Dwelling in the fragrant forests of the Himalayas, Kuṇāla observed the ways of living creatures and understood the subtle arising of cravings and mental defilements. Meanwhile, in the palace of Benares, King Brahmadatta was utterly infatuated with his beautiful chief queen. So intoxicated was he with her charms that he granted her every wish, neglected his royal duties, and placed the keys of the royal treasury and garrison in her hands, oblivious to the fact that she was conducting illicit intrigues with low-born servants behind the palace walls.

Having discovered her treacherous infidelity through his royal spies, the heartbroken king fell into profound despair and bitter cynicism. Weeping in solitude upon his terrace, he felt his life had lost all meaning and contemplated renouncing his throne to wander as a beggar. Taking pity on the suffering monarch, the Bodhisatta flew from the snowy ranges and perched upon a golden jasmine trellis near the king's open window. With a voice as sweet as the strumming of a celestial harp, Kuṇāla addressed the weeping king in measured human speech, speaking the four classical stanzas of the Catukkanipāta on the deceptive nature of sensual pleasure.

'Great King,' spoke the wise bird, 'fire is never satisfied with fuel, nor is the boundless ocean filled by all the rivers of the earth. Even so is the uncontrolled mind never sated with lust. He who builds the peace of his soul upon the shifting sands of another creature's fleeting affections is like a traveler who seeks shelter under the hood of a striking viper.' Kuṇāla explained that genuine freedom comes from self-mastery, guarding the senses, and cultivating loving-kindness for all beings without clinging. The king's mind cleared of sorrow like the moon emerging from behind stormy clouds. Pardoning his enemies without wrath, the king established equitable laws, practiced royal charity, and governed with righteous equanimity. The Buddha related this birth to an assembly of monks in Kapilavatthu to extinguish persistent lustful memories.