A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Jātaka 475 begins its past-life account with a black lion resting beneath a tree. Wind drops a dry branch onto the animal, which mistakenly accuses the resident deity of attacking it. The spirit expressly denies responsibility. The lion nevertheless resolves to destroy the tree and directs a cartwright to its supposedly excellent wood. Its ability to speak a human language astonishes the man; the initial injury is an accident, not a proven supernatural assault.

The frightened tree-spirit takes a woodman’s form and recommends strengthening the proposed wheel with a strip of black lion skin. It then explains how the cartwright can entice the lion close enough to kill it while obtaining advice about where to cut. The man follows the scheme, kills the lion and takes its skin. He also fells the tree. The deity’s retaliatory plan therefore fails to save its dwelling and brings about the destruction of both antagonists.

The Buddhist frame concerns a quarrel among relatives and uses the episode against mutual hostility. The Buddha is identified with a separate forest deity who witnessed these events, not with the vengeful spirit. Rouse’s botanical footnote relates the tree-name to a kind of palāṣa; this profile retains the tale’s name without independently verifying a modern botanical determination. The deity has a human disguise but no fixed monstrous anatomy in this witness.

Tree residenceWoodman disguiseRetaliatory deceptionMutual destruction
01

Origins & earliest records

Pāli Jātaka literary tradition; English translator W. H. D. Rouse, general editor E. B. Cowell.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant English account, narrative frame, conclusion and attached notes read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Jātaka, Volume IV

    W. H. D. Rouse (translator); E. B. Cowell (editor) · 1901

    475, Phandana-Jātaka, pp.129–132; complete frame, ending and six footnotes

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Complete English primary translation, frame, ending and notes read

The Jātaka, Volume IV

IV; Rouse translation, Cowell general editor, 1901. 475, Phandana-Jātaka, pp.129–132; complete frame, ending and six footnotes

Retained complete HTML/text cache: data/cache/asia-continuation/jataka4-039.html/.txt. Translator/editor roles distinct; no Pāli collation.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical English translation of Buddhist narrativeRouse, Jātaka IV, complete tale and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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