Question
Write a brief note on the subject matter, historical background and importance of the Jatakas.
Solution
Literary Importance of the Jatakas: The Jataka stories have important place in Buddhist literature. These stories were originally written in Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures and compiled in books during the first century B.C.
Subject Matter: There are about 500 Jataka tales that tell about the 84,000 previous births of the Buddha. It was believed that before he was finally born as Gautama, the Buddha passed through more than 84,000 births, in many cases in the form of animals. Each birth story is called a Jataka, which is a folk tale. They are interesting and deal with the common life of people, economic conditions, and social manner, and customs of those times. The subjects of these stories were used in sculptures in the railings of the famous stupas.
Historical Significance: Well-known scholar Winternitz remarked, “Jataka works have a valuable significance, not because they are part of literature and art but because they reveal information about Indian culture in the 3rd century A.D. Though original Jataka collection is lost but we know about them from a commentary written on them called “Jataka Tathvanamma.” It was composed by some Buddhist monk. Jatakas are in prose as well as poetry. Scholars believe that prose style is easier than the poetic style and was adopted first in their composition. The Jatakas throw valuable light on social and economic conditions ranging from the fifth to the second century B.C. They also make incidental references to political events in the age of the Buddha.
