Ungrateful Four Sons Neglect Their Old Father

Senior Lecturer, Pandit,
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Dr. Ven. Dodamgoda Sumanasara Thero

On one occasion the Buddha stayed at Jetawana Maha Viharaya with his disciples in Shravatthi, India. At that time there was a very wealthy brahmin in the same village living with his wife and four sons.

The brahmin and his wife decided to get their four sons married to young and beautiful ladies when they were in the right ages. On their wedding days, each son was equally given sufficient gifts and a share of wealth from their parents. The remaining wealth they kept with them for their expenses in day-to-day work. Unfortunately, after a few years, the brahmin’s wife suddenly died. Then the brahmin had to live alone at his house. But the four sons never forgot to visit his father daily and looked after him very lovingly and affectionately. As the time passed, however, the sons thought of getting the remaining wealth from his father and asked him to divide it among the four of them.

According to the request of the sons, the brahmin divided the remaining wealth equally among the sons again. Eventually, he became a moneyless person and he had to spend his life woefully unless he received any help from his four sons.

Meanwhile, the poor brahmin first went to his eldest son’s home and stayed there for a few days. While he was staying there his daughter-in- law asked him, “Father, did you give any extra wealth to your eldest son?” and “Father, don’t you know the way to the house of your other sons?” Hearing this the old brahmin got angry, but without saying anything to her, he thought of his second son.

The next day he left for his second son and stayed there for a few days as before. While he was living there the same questions were raised by his second son’s wife.

Then the old brahmin took his clothes and his stuff and went to the house of the third son and finally to the house of the youngest son.

From those houses also he could hear the same remarks raised by his sons’ wives. Thus, the brahmin hearing these unpleasant and unkind remarks from his daughters-in-law, became destitute in his old age unless he received any affection and protection from his sons and others. Finally, the desperate old brahmin determined to beg for a living on the road with his walking stick and a bowl. While walking on the road, he visited the great compassionate one, the Buddha for further advice for the protection of his future life.

The old brahmin approached the Buddha and told him how he had been mistreated by his four sons and how he treated them so far.

Then the Buddha taught the brahmin a few verses and advised him to recite them in the gathering of the public in the state of Shravatthi.

The verses contain the meaning as “My four foolish sons are like ogres. Even though they called me ‘father, father’, there is no meaning because those words come out from only their mouths and not from their kind and loving hearts.

I have been cheated and they took my whole wealth showing their deceitful thoughts and performances before me. Now following the unkind advice of their wives, I have been driven away from their homes and neglected.

Now I am on the road begging to survive. Those sons do not give me their hands to live and there is no protection at all, at this age, so I depend on this stick and the bowl with sorrow unless I receive any protection from my beloved four sons I looked after.”

After these woeful verses were recited by the old brahmin at the brahmins’ meeting in Shravastthi, the four sons were punished for ill- treating their father according to the prevailing law at the state of the county at that time. Also, these deceitful and ungrateful four sons were threatened by the crowd for neglecting and ill-treating their old father.

In the end, the four sons realized and understood their mistakes and begged for pardon from their father kneeling down at his feet.

Meanwhile, each of the sons promised their father that they would look after him with their wives properly, lovingly and respectfully from that day onwards. Accordingly, the old brahmin became overjoyed and spent the time with his sons and daughters-in-law delightfully at their houses.