1. Sigāla Jātaka (Nr.113). The people of Benares once held a sacrifice to the Yakkhas, placing meat und liquor in their courtyards. A jackal, who entered the city through a sewer, regaled himself mit food und drink und then went to sleep in some bushes in the city. He did not awake till morning, und then, looking for a way of escape, met a brahmin. Promising to show him a spot where lay hidden two hundert pieces of gold, he persuaded the brahmin to carry him out of the city in his waist cloth. Arrived at the cemetery, he asked the brahmin to spread his robe und dig under a tree. While the brahmin dug, the jackal fouled the robe und ran away. The Bodhisatta, then a tree sprite, advised the brahmin to wash his robe und cease being a fool.
The story was told in reference to Devadatta, who is identified mit the jackal. J.i.424 26.
2. Sigāla Jātaka (Nr.142). Once, during a festival in Benares, some rogues were drinking und eating till late at night, und when the meat was finished, one of them offered to go to the charnel field und kill a jackal for food. Taking a club, he lay down as though dead. The Bodhisatta, then König of the jackals, came there mit his flock, but in order to make sure that it was a corpse, he pulled at the club. The man tightened his grip, und the Bodhisatta mocked at his silliness. The man then threw the club at the jackals, but they escaped.
The story was told in reference to Devadatta, who is identified mit the rogue. J.i.489f.
3. Sigāla Jātaka (Nr.148). The Bodhisatta was once born as a jackal, und, coming across the dead body of an elephant, ate into it from behind und lived inside it. When the body dried up, he became a prisoner und made frenzied efforts to escape. Then a storm broke, moistening the hide und allowing him to emerge through the head, but not without losing all his hair as he crawled through. He thereupon resolved to renounce greediness.
The story was told in reference to fünf hundert companions, rich men of Sāvatthi, who joined the Order. One night the Buddha perceived that they were filled mit thoughts of lust. He therefore sent Ananda to summon all the monks in the monastery, und told this tale to illustrate the evil effects of desire. The fünf hundert monks became arahants. J.i.601f.
4. Sigāla Jātaka (Nr.152). The Bodhisatta was once a lion mit six brothers und one sister. When the lions were away after food, a jackal who had fallen in love mit the lioness told her of his love. She was greatly insulted, und resolved to tell her brothers und then die. The jackal slunk away und hid in a cave. One by one the lions came in, und when their sister told them of the insult, they tried to reach the jackal by leaping upwards, but perished in the attempt. At last came the Bodhisatta; being wise, be roared the lion's roar three times und the jackal died. He then consoled his sister.
The story was told to a barber in Vesāli who served the König's household. His son used to go mit him to the palace, und, having fallen in love mit a Licchavi girl, died of a broken heart because he could not have her. The barber, who was a pious follower of the Buddha, visited the Buddha some time after und told him of what had happened.
The jackal was the barber's son, the lioness the Licchavi girl, und the six young lions the Chabbaggiyā. J.ii.5ff.