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Cariyapitaka · Story 30

The Fish King’s Conduct

Maccharāja Cariyā — The Chapter With Yudhañjaya · The Perfection of Truth (4th of 6)

Setting
No external narrative frame; the Buddha speaks in the first person about his past life as a fish king in a drying lake
Speaker
The Buddha, recounting his life as the fish king
Form
Nine verses of first-person narration, including a formal declaration of truth
Length
1–2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this story in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a second, structurally similar example of the truth-act device

Why this text

Following directly on Cp 29's quail, this story shows the same device — a formal declaration of truth, relied on for a real effect — used at a larger scale: a drought has emptied a lake, scavenging birds are devouring the trapped fish daily, and their king declares a specific truth about his own past conduct to summon rain.

Reading guide

A slow disaster, not a sudden one

Unlike Cp 29's fire, this crisis unfolds gradually: the lake's water evaporates in the heat, and crows, vultures, herons, hawks, and falcons descend to feed on the exposed fish ‘day and night’, an ongoing predation rather than a single moment of danger.

A truth chosen deliberately as the tool

Considering how to help his relatives, the fish king does not attempt a physical solution; he explicitly ‘saw the truth as a support’ and decides in advance to rely on a declaration.

A very specific truth, stated as the basis for the claim

The truth he declares is precise: ‘so long as I can recall myself, since I became aware, I do not recall deliberately harming even a single living creature.’ The power of the declaration rests on the specificity and accuracy of this claim about his own past, not on a general appeal.

A named deity addressed directly, and an immediate response

The fish king calls out to Pajjuna, a rain deity, by name, asking that the crow's hunting ground be disrupted and the fish freed from sorrow. The response is immediate: thunder, then rain pouring down over ‘the uplands and valleys’ without delay.

Key terms

sacca — “truth” — the perfection this story illustrates, the fourth of six stories on this theme.
saccakiriyā — an “act of truth”, the same device used in Cp 29's story of the baby quail, here applied to save an entire community of fish rather than one individual.
Pajjuna — a deity associated with rain and storms, addressed directly in the fish king's declaration.
cariyā — “conduct” — this collection's title, and the word used for each of its thirty-five stories, this one its thirtieth.
ahiṁsā — “non-harm” — not named directly in this translation, but the substance of the specific truth the fish king declares about his own past conduct.

The text

The text in full: nine verses, including the fish king's declaration of truth. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1“Then again when I was a fish king in a great lake, in the heat of the sun the water in the lake evaporated.

§2Then crows and vultures, herons, hawks, and falcons, perched near the fish and devoured them day and night.

§3There I had the following thought, being harassed with my relatives: ‘By what means can I free my relatives from this suffering?’

§4Considering the value of the Dhamma, I saw the truth as a support. Standing in the truth, I freed my relatives from that holocaust.

§5Recollecting the true Dhamma, considered the ultimate goal, I made a declaration of truth that would last eternally in the world.

§6‘So long as I can recall myself, since I became aware, I do not recall deliberately harming even a single living creature.

§7By this declaration of truth, may Pajjuna rain down! Thunder forth, Pajjuna! Disperse the trove of the crow! Subject the crow to sorrow, and free the fish from sorrow!’

§8As this excellent truth was declared, Pajjuna thundered forth. In an instant the rain poured down, soaking the uplands and valleys.

§9Having made such supreme effort for this excellent truth, I made the great cloud pour down, relying on the force of the power of truth. There is no-one to equal my truthfulness: this is my perfection of truth.”

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10
How does this story's crisis unfold, compared to Cp 29's forest fire?
Correct: B. Ongoing predation, not a single sudden threat.
Question 2 of 10
What does the fish king decide to rely on, rather than a physical solution?
Correct: B. A tool chosen deliberately, as in Cp 29.
Question 3 of 10
What specific truth does the fish king declare?
Correct: B. The power of the declaration rests on this claim's specificity and accuracy.
Question 4 of 10
Who does the fish king address directly in his declaration?
Correct: B. Naming the deity whose response he seeks.
Question 5 of 10
What is the result of the fish king's declaration?
Correct: B. An immediate response, without delay.
Question 6 of 10
How does this story relate to Cp 29's baby quail?
Correct: B. The same device, here saving a whole community rather than one individual.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'saccakiriyā' mean?
Correct: A. The device shared between this story and Cp 29's.
Question 8 of 10
What creatures does the text name as preying on the trapped fish?
Correct: B. A range of scavenging and hunting birds.
Question 9 of 10
What perfection does this story illustrate?
Correct: B. Continuing the sequence of six truth-stories in this chapter.
Question 10 of 10
What relationship do the fish being preyed upon have to the fish king?
Correct: B. Making the crisis a personal one, not just a general disaster.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousCp 29 · The Baby Quail’s Conduct