Cūṭajanaka — Book of the Ones · Chapter Six (Āsīsavagga) · Poem 2 of 10
Setting
No narrative scene in the canonical verse itself
Speaker
King Janaka himself, reflecting after his ordeal
Form
One four-line stanza, completing this chapter's first matched pair
Length
Under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
This reading guide does not assert a specific matching text for this poem in other Buddhist literatures.
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — one short verse, part of a matched pair
Why this text
This poem completes Ja 51's matched pair, shifting from hope to effort as the operative virtue, and connects directly to this site's own already-completed Thag 1.88 and MN 83 — a rare case of a single Jātaka verse threading through two entirely different collections already on this site.
Reading guide
Effort rewarded, after apparent disaster
The verse pairs with Ja 51 almost exactly: ‘a man should make an effort, the astute should not be disillusioned. Now I truly see myself, lifted from the water to the shore.’ Per Sujato's comment, this brief telling relates how Janaka of Videha regained his kingdom through unremitting effort; the fuller version of the same story is told at Ja 539 (Mahājanakajātaka), outside this site's own 82-poem selection.
A famous royal house, and a connection to this site's own MN 83
Sujato's comment identifies the Janakas as ‘the famed kingly house of Videha’, and notes that at this site's own MN 83, a different King Janaka is framed as the source of that kingdom's decline — the same royal name recurring across different generations and different moral roles within the wider tradition.
A specific line shared with an already-completed Theragātha poem
Sujato's comment directly compares this poem's central lines to this site's own already-completed Thag 1.88 (Ajjuna) — a case of the same imagery of being rescued or lifted to safety appearing across two entirely separate collections within this site's own selections.
Key terms
vāyametha — “should make an effort” — this poem's own variation on Ja 51's opening word, shifting the emphasis from hope to active effort.
udakā thalamubbhataṁ — “lifted from the water to the shore” — the poem's own image of rescue after apparent disaster.
Cūḷajanakajātaka — the traditional title of this tale, ‘A Short Tale of Janaka’ — distinguished from the fuller Mahājanakajātaka at Ja 539, outside this site's own selection.
Thag 1.88 — Ajjuna — the already-completed page on this site Sujato's own comment compares to this poem's central lines.
MN 83 — “About King Maghadeva” — the already-completed page on this site where a different King Janaka is framed as the source of Videha's decline.
The text
The text in full: a single verse, completing the matched pair begun at Ja 51. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1A man should make an effort the astute should not be disillusioned. Now I truly see myself, lifted from the water to the shore.
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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 King Janaka regain his kingdom, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: D. Shifting this poem's emphasis from Ja 51's hope to active, sustained effort.
Question 2 of 10
Where is the fuller version of this same story told, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: A. This poem gives only the shorter version.
Question 3 of 10
What already-completed page on this site does Sujato's comment compare this poem's central lines to?
Correct: B. The same imagery of being rescued or lifted to safety, appearing in two separate collections on this site.
Question 4 of 10
What already-completed page connects to a different King Janaka framed as a kingdom's decline?
Correct: C. The same royal name recurring across different generations and moral roles in the wider tradition.
Question 5 of 10
What does the verse's closing image describe?
Correct: D. Per Sujato's comment, the fuller Ja 539 relates how he survived the sinking of his ship.
Question 6 of 10
What word does this poem substitute for Ja 51's 'hope'?
Correct: A. Completing the matched pair's shift in emphasis.
Question 7 of 10
What is this poem's traditional title?
Correct: B. The fifty-second poem overall, and the second of the Āsīsavagga, completing its first matched pair.
Question 8 of 10
What royal house are the Janakas, per Sujato's comment?
Correct: C. Connecting this brief tale to a well-known royal lineage within the wider tradition.
Question 9 of 10
Where does this poem sit in the collection's own chapter structure?
Correct: D. Part of the same ten-poem Āsīsavagga.
Question 10 of 10
What is distinctive about this poem's cross-links compared to most other poems in this selection?
Correct: A. A relatively rare case of one verse threading through multiple already-completed collections.
