Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 17: Illustration of the Returning Favors Sutra - Prince Sujata Jataka

CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu; Southern Song dynasty

Situated in the middle tier on the right side of the niche, this carving illustrates the Prince Sujata Jataka as described in the “Chapter on Filial Piety” in the Returning Favors Sutra. The sutra tells of a kingdom named Varanasi that existed in the incalculable kalpas of the past. One day the king and his first two sons were killed by a treacherous court official named Rahu. The king’s third son, knowing that he would likely soon be killed as well, fled with his wife and his son, Prince Sujata. During the escape, they became lost and ran out of food, halting their progress and forcing them to find shelter. As the armies sent by Rahu approached them, the third son decided to kill his wife in an act of desperation, so that he could share her flesh with his son. Sujata stopped his father from murdering his mother, instead cutting his own flesh to offer to his parents.
In the carving, Sujata’s father holds a sword with his right hand and Sujata with his left. Sujata’s mother leans forward, receiving her son’s flesh. Scars are depicted on Sujata’s arms. Behind the scene, there is an inscription within a cartouche stating that this is a story of one of the past lives of Sakyamuni Buddha.