JAI SRI RAM

JATAKA TALES

Compiled by S.Geethapriya Price Rs. 22.00 Published by

Sri Aanjineyaa Pathippagam

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CONTENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. The Power of rumor The Fortunate Fish Interdependence The Greedy Crow The Quail King and the Hunter The Physician's Revenge The Groom Who Lost His Bride to the Stars The Jackal who saved the Lion The Dog King Silver The Cunning Wolf 5 9 14 18 21 28 32 38 43 55 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

CONTENTS
The Penny Wise Monkey The Golden Swan The Sandy Road The Golden Plate The King with One Grey Hair Beauty and Grey Why the Owl Is Not King of the Birds 59 62 66 73 80 86 92

1.
A hare

The Power of a rumor

resting under a banyan tree had a

Other animals got caught up in the panic. The word spread from mouth to mouth, and soon everyone knew: the earth was breaking up.

premonition of doom. What would happen to me if the earth were to break up? he wondered. Suddenly, there was a thud followed by a rumbling sound. Its happened, thought the hare, the earths breaking up! He jumped up and ran. Why are you running? asked a hare who crossed his path. The earths breaking up! shouted the hare. Youd better run too. The second hare ran so fast he overtook the first. The earths breaking up, the earths breaking up! he shouted to other hares he passed. Soon thousands of hares were scampering through the forest.

It was not long before the whole jungle was on the move. Reptiles, insects, birds and terror filled the air. four-footed animals fled in wild disorder, and their cries of

7 A lion standing on a hillock saw the animals coming and wondered what was going on. He hastened down and positioning himself in front of the horde called of panic for it among to the stop. animals. His commanding presence stemmed the rising tide The earth is breaking up! shrieked a parrot, alighting on a rock near him. Who says so? I heard it from the monkeys." The monkeys said they had heard it from the tigers, When who the said hares their were informants finally were the they elephants, who gave the buffaloes as their source. implicated pointed one to another until the one who had started it all was identified. What makes you think the earth is breaking up? the lion asked him. squeaked the hare, trembling in

8 I heard it cracking with my own ears, sire, fear. The lion investigated the sound the hare had heard and found that it had been caused by a large coconut falling from a tree. It had landed on a pile of rocks, causing a minor landslide. Go back to your homes, said the lion to the animals who had been running away, and who were now looking very foolish. The earths safe. Next time, check a rumor

before acting on it.

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2. The Fortunate Fish

Once upon a time, King Brahmadatta had a very wise adviser who understood the speech of animals. He understood what they said, and he could speak to them in their languages. One day the adviser was wandering along the riverbank with his followers. They came upon some fishermen who had cast a big net into the river. While peering into the water, they noticed a big handsome fish that was following his pretty wife. Her shining scales reflected the morning sunlight in all the colors of the rainbow. Her feather-like fins fluttered like the delicate wings of a fairy, as they sent her gliding through the water. It was clear that her husband was so entranced by the way she looked and the way

she moved, that he was not paying attention to anything else! As they came near the net, the wife fish smelled it. Then she saw it and alertly avoided it at the very last moment. But her husband was so blinded by his desire for her that he could not turn away fast enough. Instead, he swam right into the net and was trapped! The fishermen pulled in their net and threw the big fish onto the shore. They built a fire, and carved a spit to roast him on. Lying on the ground, the fish was flopping around and groaning in agony. Since the wise adviser understood fish talk, he translated for the others. He said, "This poor fish is madly repeating over and over again

11 "My wife! My wife! I must be with my wife! I care for her much more than for my life! My wife! My wife! I must be with my wife! I care for her much more than for my life!" The adviser thought, "Truly this fish has gone crazy. He is in this terrible state because he became a slave to his own desire. And it is clear that he has learned nothing from the results of his actions. If he dies keeping such agony, and the desire that caused it, in his mind, he will surely continue to suffer by being reborn in some hell world. Therefore, I must save him!" So this kind man went over to the fishermen and said, "Oh my friends, loyal subjects of our king, you have never given me and my followers a fish for our curry. Won't you give us one today?" from us any fish you wish!"

12 They replied, "Oh royal minister, please accept "This big one on the riverbank looks delicious," said the adviser. "Please take him, sir," they said.

13 Then he sat down on the bank. He took the fish, who was still groaning, into his hands. He spoke to him in the language only fish can understand, saying, "You foolish fish! If I had not seen you today, you would have gotten yourself killed. Your blind desire was leading you to continued suffering. From now on, do not let yourself be trapped by your own desires!" Then the fish realized how fortunate he was to have found such a friend. He thanked him for his wise advice. The minister released the lucky fish back into the river, and went on his way.

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3. Interdependence
In a clearing, deep in the forest, the trees were having a pre-dawn discussion. Animals come and rest in our shade but they leave a mess behind, said the Jamun. The smell on some days is unbearable! They show no concern for us because were silent, said the Sal. But Ive had enough! Ive made up my mind to drive away any animal that comes here! That may not be a wise thing to do, said the Peepul, the oldest and biggest tree there. The animals are a nuisance, I agree, but they serve a useful purpose. We are all inter-dependent trees, animals, men . . . Im sorry, interrupted the Sal.

The moral is: Fools are trapped by their own desires.

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16 The Sal drove away all the animals that came to the clearing that day and in the days that followed. In course of time animals stopped coming to that part of the forest. The Sal became a great hero to the younger trees in the neighborhood and even some of the older ones began bowing to him when the Peepul was not looking. Then one day two woodcutters came to the clearing. Men! gasped the Sal. Why have they come here? Theyve never come

Ive great respect for your views but in this matter I will not listen to anyone. I wont allow animals here any more! True to his word when a leopard came to rest in the shade later that day, the Sal began to shake violently from side to side. The leopard, frightened out of his wits, jumped up and ran.

here before. If theyve never come here before it was because they were afraid of the animals, said the Peepul. Now the absence of the leopard and the tiger has made them bold.

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4. The Greedy Crow

Once upon a time there was a fine pigeon who used to live on a nest close to a kitchen. The cooks of The Sal began to tremble with fear and with good reason. It was the first tree the woodcutters chopped down. the kitchen used to like her very much and often used to feed her grain. She liked the place and her life was fine. One day a crow saw the pigeon and saw how it was getting wonderful food from the kitchen.

19 Then one day she made friends with the pigeon, and under the pretext of friendship, she somehow made the pigeon to share the nest with the crow. The pigeon then told her that they could spend time together discussing politics, religion etc but when it came to food both had their own ways. So she suggested the crow to search for her own food. But the crow was impatient and the very reason she had made friends with the pigeon was for the food. The crow wanted meat and all the pigeon got was grains from the kitchen. It could not wait any longer and ultimately decided that she visit the kitchen directly for the food. Thinking so it stealthily crept down the chimney into the kitchen. She got the smell of a fish

20 being curried on the pan. She got greedy and went ahead and tried to get the fish. But in the process she disturbed a ladle, and created a noise. This alerted the cook who was in the neighboring room and he caught hold of the crow and killed it.

Moral: Greed Numbs intelligence.

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5. The Quail King and the Hunter

Once upon a time, there was a Quail King who reigned over a flock of a thousand quails. There was also a very clever quail hunter. He knew how to make a quail call. Because this sounded just like a real quail crying for help, it never failed to attract other quails. Then the hunter covered them with a net, stuffed them in baskets, and sold them to make a living. Because he always put the safety of his flock first. Quail King was highly respected by all. While on the lookout for danger, one day he came across the hunter and saw what he did. He thought, This quail hunter has a good plan for

I must make a better plan to save us." Then he called together his whole nation of a thousand quails. He also invited other quails to attend the meeting. He said, "Greetings to our quail nation and welcome to our visitors. We are faced with great danger. Many of our relatives are being trapped and sold by a clever hunter. Then they are being killed and eaten. I have come up with a plan to save us all. When the hunter covers us with his net, every single one of us must raise his neck at the same time. Then, all together, we should fly away with the net and drop it on a thorn bush. That will keep him busy, and we will be able to escape with our lives." All agreed to follow this smart strategy.

destroying our relatives.

23 The next day the hunter lured the quails with his quail call as usual. But when he threw his net over them, they all raised up their necks at once, flew away with the net, and dropped it on a thorn bush. He could catch no quails at all! In addition, it took him the rest of the day to loosen his net from the thorns - so he had no time left to try again! The same thing happened on the following day. So he spent a second day unhooking his net from sharp thorns. He arrived home only to be greeted by his wife's sharp tongue! She complained, "You used to bring home quail to eat, and money from selling quails. Now you return empty-handed. What do you do all day? You must have another wife somewhere, who is feasting on quail meat at this very moment!"

24 The hunter replied, "Don't think such a thing, my darling. These days the quails have become very unified. They act as one, and raise up their necks and carry my net to a thorn bush. But thanks to you, my one and only wife, I know just what to do! Just as you argue with me, one day they too will argue, as relatives usually do. While they are occupied in conflict and bickering, I will trap them and bring them back to you. Then you will be pleased with me again. Until then, I must be patient." The hunter had to put up with his wife's complaints for several more days. Then one morning after being lured by the quail call, it just so happened that one quail accidentally stepped on the head of another. He immediately got angry and squawked at her. She removed her foot from his head and said, "Please don't be angry with me. Please excuse my mistake."

25 But he would not listen. Soon both of them were squawking and squawking, and the conflict got worse and worse!

26 Hearing this bickering getting louder and louder, Quail King said, "There is no advantage in conflict. Continuing it will lead to danger!" But they just wouldn't listen. Then Quail King thought, "I'm afraid this silly conflict will keep them from cooperating to raise the net." So he commanded that all should escape. His own flock flew away at once. And it was just in time too! Suddenly the quail hunter threw his net over the remaining quails. The two arguing quails said to each other, "I won't hold the net for you." Hearing this, even some of the other quails said, "Why should I hold the net for anyone else?" So the conflict spread like wildfire. The hunter grabbed all the quails, stuffed them in his

27 baskets, and took them home to his wife. Of course she was overjoyed, and they invited all their friends over for a big quail feast.

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6. The Physician's Revenge

A girl threw a firebrand at a goat that was eating her corn and the goats coat caught fire. Maddened with fear, it ran to a haystack and started rubbing

The moral is: There is safety in unity, and danger in conflict.

against it. The haystack was soon ablaze. The fire spread to the barn and then to the stables in which the royal elephants were housed. Some of the elephants were badly burnt before the fire was finally put out. The men looking after the elephants could not heal their wounds. So the king sent for his own physician. On the way to the palace the physician lay down under a tree for a nap. Hardly had he closed his eyes than he felt something warm running down his face. He got up with a start and found that

29 a crow that was sitting on a branch directly above him, had spattered him with its droppings. The physician cursed the crow and wiping his face, continued on his way, but in a foul mood. When he reached the palace and the king asked him for a remedy for the elephants wounds he replied: "Rub the wounds with crow's fat, lots of crows fat!" And so began a great slaughter of

30 crows.

Thousands were shot and it looked as if the slaughter would continue till all the crows in the kingdom were dead. One day, a crow flew into the palace and settled down in front of the king. Soldiers rushed forward to catch it, but the king waved them back. "Let it be, he said. Perhaps it has come to tell me something." "I have," said the bird. "I am the king of crows and I have come to tell you that you are doing us a great wrong. You are being led astray by a man bent on revenge against my brethren." "You are making a serious accusation," said the king." Have you any proof?" "I have," said the crow. "The proof lies in the fact that crows have no fat, otherwise you would have got bucketfuls

31 of it from the thousands you have already

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slaughtered." The king felt ashamed of what he had done and immediately stopped the slaughter of the birds.

7. The Groom Who Lost His Bride to the Stars

Once upon a time, there was a rich family living in Benares, in northern India. They arranged for their son to marry a good and honest girl from a nearby village. Being very pretty as well, they were sure they

It is important to evaluate advice before acting on it

could not find a better wife for their son. The groom's family decided on a date for the wedding. The bride's family agreed to meet them in the village on the wedding day. Meanwhile, the rich family also had their own special astrological priest. When he found out they had picked the wedding day, without paying him to consult the stars, he became angry. He decided to get even with them.

33 When the wedding day arrived, the astrological priest dressed up in his finest robes, and called the family together. He bowed to them all, and then looked at his star charts very seriously. He told them that this star was too close to the horizon, and that planet was in the middle of an unlucky constellation, and the moon was in a very dangerous phase for having a wedding. He told them that, not seeking his advice, they had picked the worst day of the year for a wedding. This could only lead to a terrible marriage. The frightened family forgot all about the wonderful qualities of the intended bride, and remained home in Benares. Meanwhile the bride's family had arranged everything for the village wedding ceremony.

34 When the agreed upon hour arrived, they waited and waited for the future husband and his family. Finally they realized they were not coming. So they thought, "Those city people picked the date and time, and now they didn't show up. This is insulting! Why should we wait any longer? Let our daughter marry an honorable and hard working village man." So they quickly arranged a new marriage and celebrated the wedding. The next day, the astrological priest said that, suddenly, the stars and planets and moon were in perfect positions for a wedding! So the Benares family went to the village and asked for the wedding to take place. But the village people said, "You picked the date and time. Then you disgraced us by not showing up!"

35 The city people replied, "Our family priest told us that yesterday the stars and planets and moon were in terrible positions. It was a very unlucky day for a wedding. But he has assured us that today is a most lucky day. So please send us the bride at once!" The village family said, "You have no honor. You have made the choice of the day more important than the choice of the bride. It's too late now! Our daughter has married another." Then the two families began to quarrel heatedly. A wise man happened to come along. Seeing the two families quarrelling so, he tried to settle the dispute. The city people told him that they had respected the warnings of their astrological priest. It was because of the unlucky positions

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37 of the stars and planets and moon, that they had not come to the wedding. The wise man said, "The good fortune was in the bride, not in the stars. You fools have followed the stars and lost the bride. Without your foolishness, those far off stars can do nothing!"

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8. The Jackal who saved the Lion

Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a forest. One day, when he went to drink water in a river, one of his feet got stuck into the damp mushy mud of the river. He tried a lot to get out of the mud, but to no avail. He had to lie without food for days because he didnt find any help. On one fortunate day, a kind jackal came to drink water from the river.

The moral is: Luck comes from actions, not from stars.

When he saw the lion, he went closer to the lion and said, What is the matter? Why are you resting here? The lion narrated him the pathetic story. The Jackal instantly made a way out from the sand but the lion was unable to move his feet. As he was set in the same posture for last several days, his body became stiff.

39 The jackal understood the condition of the lion and helped him to get out of the mud with an extra effort. The Lion was really thankful to jackal for his kind help. He was very happy to get free after so many days. The Lion appreciated the effort made by the jackal. He offered the jackal to live close to him and also promised to give food to him whenever he caught food. The jackal accepted the offer and started living with the lion. Thus, they lived happily sharing the food. With the passing time, they expanded their families. The lion had cubs and the jackal had kid jackals. Both, the lion and the jackal were passing their days happily. They didnt have any idea that their friendship was not liked by their families. One day after a long time, the lioness, lady of the lion's house, asked her cubs that she

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41 didnt like the amity between the jackal and her husband. The cubs conveyed the message to the kid jackals. The kids complained the matter to the lady jackal. The lady jackal conveyed the complaint to her husband. The jackal went to the Lion and asked, I helped you without any consideration in return. You had asked me to live with you, so I started living with you. Now, if you dont want me to live with you, you should have told me yourself. What did you involve your wife and cubs to convey this? The Lion was shocked to hear such words. He said, My dear friend, what are you saying? I dont find any problem with you or your friendship. He assured the jackal that he had no such illfeelings for the friendship between them.

42 The Lion also assured that he would talk to the lioness and solve the whole matter. The jackal was intelligent and understood the situation. He said to the lion, Dear friend, I know you are sincere, but our families could not exactly respond the same level of friendship. So, let us stay apart and meet often as friends. We could also hunt together. It would be better, if our families stay apart. The Lion agreed to the proposal with a heavy heart. The two families parted from each other as friends. The Jackal and the Lion continued to share the friendship. They often met each other and hunt together. Thus, the two friends shared a healthy friendship throughout their life.

Moral:

Dont

expect

your

family

to

reciprocate the same level of friendship you have with someone.

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9. The Dog King Silver

Once upon time, the King of Benares went to his pleasure garden in his fancy decorated chariot. He loved this chariot, mostly because of the rich handworked leather belts and straps. On this occasion, he stayed in his pleasure garden all day long and into the evening. It was late when he finally got back to the palace. So the chariot was left outside in the compound all night, instead of being locked up properly. During the night it rained heavily, and the leather got wet, swelled up, became soft, and gave off an odor. The pampered palace dogs smelled the delicious leather scent and came down into the compound. They chewed off and devoured the soft wet chariot straps.

Before daybreak, they returned unseen to their places in the palace. When the king woke up and came down, he saw that the leather had been chewed off and eaten by dogs. He called the servants and demanded to know how this happened. Since they were supposed to watch the palace dogs, the servants were afraid to blame them. Instead, they made up a story that stray dogs, the mutts and mongrels of the city, had come into the grounds through sewers and storm drains. They were the ones who had eaten the fancy leather. The king flew into a terrible rage. He was so overcome by anger that he decided to take vengeance against all dogs. So he decreed that whenever anyone in the city saw a dog, he was

45 to kill him or her at once! The people began killing dogs. The dogs could not understand why suddenly they were being killed. Later that day, they learned of the king's decree. They became very frightened and retreated to the cemetery just outside the city. This was where their leader lived, the Dog King Silver. Silver was king not because he was the biggest or strongest or toughest. He was average in size, with sleek silver fur, sparkling black eyes and alert pointed ears. He walked with great dignity, that brought admiration and respect from men as well as dogs. In his long life he had learned much, and was able to concentrate his mind on what is most important. So he became the wisest of all the dogs, as well as the one who cared most for the others.

46 Those were the reasons he was king of the dogs. In the cemetery, the dogs were in a panic. They were frightened to death. The Dog King Silver asked them why this was. They told him all about the chariot straps and the king's decree, and the people killing them whenever they saw them. King Silver knew there was no way to get into the well-guarded palace grounds. So he understood that the leather must have been eaten by the dogs living inside the palace. He thought, "We dogs know that, no matter how different we may appear, somehow we are all related. So now I must make my greatest effort to save the lives of all these poor dogs, my relatives. There is no one to save them but me." He comforted them by saying, "Do not be afraid. I will save you all. Stay here

47 in the cemetery and don't go into the city. I will tell the King of Benares who are the thieves and who are the innocent. The truth will save us all." Before setting out, he went to a different part of the 49 cemetery to be alone. Having practiced goodness all chariot his life, leather and trained "Dogs ate my rich beautiful and his mind, he now concentrated very hard and filled straps." his with which feelings of did loving-kindness. He "Do mind you know dogs this?" asked King thought, Silver. "No one knows," said the King of Benares. "May all lord," dogs said be well happy, and may "My the and dog, "for a king such all as dogs you, be safe. I goto to be therighteous, palace for is the who wishes it sake right of todogs haveand all men oneplace shall of attack or harm dogs alike. killed No in the the few guiltyme." ones? Does Then the Dog King Silver began walking slowly this do justice to the innocent ones?" The king through the of Benares. replied, as if streets it made perfect sense to him, Because mind was which focused, he destroyed had no fear. "Since I his do not know dogs my Because of his long life ofthe goodness, he walked leather, only by ordering killing of all dogs can I with a of calm dignitythe that demanded respect. And be sure punishing guilty. The king must have because justice!" of the warm glow of loving-kindness that all the people sensed, no for one the rising The Dog King Silver paused afelt moment, before challenging the king with the crucial question " My lord king, is it a fact that you have ordered of anger or any intention to harm him.

48 Instead, they marveled as the Great Being passed, and wondered how it could be so! It was as if the whole city were entranced. With no obstruction, the Dog King Silver walked right 50past the palace into of who justice, all dogs to guards, be killed, or the are royal there hall some are and not sat calmly underneath the king's throne to bedown killed?" itself! The king suddenly became a little uneasy as he was The King of Benares was impressed by such forced to admit, before his whole court, courage and dignity. So when came to "It is true that most dogs are toservants be killed, but not remove the pure-breeds dog, he ordered toare lettohim all. The fine of my them palace be remain. spared." Then the Dog came out before from under the dog King king Silver said, "My lord, you said throne faced King of Benares. He that all and dogs werethe to mighty be killed, in order to insure bowed respectfully and be asked, that the guilty would punished. Now you say "Your majesty, was itdogs you are whoto ordered that all the that your own palace be spared. dogs of the that city should be gone killed?" This shows you have wrong in the way of "It was I," For replied thewho king. prejudice. a king wishes to be righteous, it "What crime thesome dogs over commit?" asked the dog is wrong to did favor others. The king's king. justice must be unbiased, like an honest scale. Although you have decreed an impartial death to all dogs, in fact this is only the slaughter of poor dogs. Your rich palace dogs are unjustly saved,

51 while the poor are wrongly killed!" Recognizing the truth of the dog king's words, the King of Benares asked, "Are you wise enough to know which dogs ate my leather straps and belts?" "Yes my lord, I do know," said he, "it could only be your own favorite palace dogs, and I can prove it." "Do so," said the king. The dog king asked to have the palace pets brought into the hall of justice. He asked for a mixture of buttermilk and grass, and for the dogs to be made to eat it. Lo and behold, when this was done they vomited up partly digested pieces of the king's leather straps! Then the Dog King Silver said, "My lord, no poor dogs from the city can enter the well-guarded palace compound. You were blinded by prejudice. It is your dogs who are the guilty ones. Nevertheless, to kill any living being is an

52 unwholesome thing to do. This is because of what we dogs know, but men do not seem to know - that somehow all life is related, so all living beings deserve the same respect as relatives." The whole court was amazed by what had just taken place. The King of Benares was suddenly overcome by a rare feeling of humility. He bowed before the dog king and said, "Oh great king of dogs, I have never seen anyone such as you, one who combines perfect wisdom with great compassion. Truly, your justice is supreme. I offer my throne and the kingdom of Benares to you!" The Enlightenment Being replied, "Arise my lord, I have no desire for a human crown. If you wish to show your respect for me, you should be a just and merciful ruler. It would help if you begin to purify your mind by

53 practicing the 'Five Training Steps'. These are to give up entirely the five unwholesome actions: destroying life, taking what is not given, sexual wrong-doing, speaking falsely, and drunkenness." The king followed the teachings of the wise dog king. He ruled with great respect for all living beings. He ordered that whenever he ate, all dogs, those of the palace and those of the city, were to be fed as well. This was the beginning of the faithfulness between dogs and men that has lasted to this day.

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The moral is: Prejudice leads to injustice, wisdom leads to justice.

55 proper food, it was quite impossible. One of the men said,

56 They wanted to enjoy the vacation and without

10. The Cunning Wolf

There is no need to worry. I will bring some fresh meat. We will make a fire here and roast it. It will be a great fun too. After saying this, he took a club and went to the lake. He knew that the animals would definitely come to the riverside for drinking water. He lay down on the ground with a club in his hand and pretended as if, he was dead. Once upon a time, some people from a certain town went into a forest for an excursion. They want to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. They took baskets full of eatables with them. They ate all the meat they had brought with them till the noon time. They didnt leave anything for the dinner and suddenly realized that what they would eat in the dinner. After some time, a group of wolves came down to the lake. When they saw the man lying on the riverside, they kept an eye on him for some time. The King of the wolves said, I think, this man is playing trick on us. All of you stay here, while I will go and check whether he is really dead or pretending to be dead.

57 So, the cunning king of the wolves slithered up to the man and pulled his club a little cautiously. The man pulled back his club at once. The King of the wolves ran from the place and shouted, If you had been dead, you would not have pulled back you club when I tried to pull it. I caught your trick. You pretended to be dead so that you may kill one of us for your dinner. The man quickly jumped up and tried to kill the wolf. He chucked his club at the King of the Wolves. Unfortunately, the man missed his aim and the wolf safely ran away. He looked for the other animals, but none of them was visible. All of them ran away. The man got frustrated at this, but could not do anything. Thus, he went back to his friends and said,

58 I tried to get fresh meat by playing a trick on the animals, but the cunning wolf played a better trick on me. I am sorry. I could not get fresh meat for you.

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11. The Penny Wise Monkey

Once upon a time, there lived the King of a big and affluent country. The King was quite fond of traveling. Usually, he didnt like to visit his own country; instead he went to other countries. One day, he assembled his army to move out for a holiday to some distant country. The King and his soldiers walked for the whole morning in the forest. After this, they went into the camp to take some rest. The horses were also tired, so they were fed with peas. One of the Monkeys, who lived in the forest, was keeping a track of the things done by the kings men from a distance. When he saw peas offered to the horses, he jumped down from the tree at once to get some of them. He quickly gobbled some peas, also filled his mouth and hands with them. Then, he went up the tree and sat down to eat the peas. As and when, he sat there to eat peas; one pea fell from his hand to the ground. The greedy monkey dropped all the peas he had in his hands and ran down to look for the lost pea at once. Unluckily, he could not find that one pea. He climbed up the tree again and sat at rest. He was looking very sad. He said to himself, To get one pea, I threw away what I had. The King was watching the monkey from

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12. The Golden Swan

Once upon a time, there was a swan that had striking golden feathers. This swan lived in a pond.

the camp and said to himself, I would not be like this stupid monkey, who lost much to gain a little. I will go back to my own country and enjoy what I have. Thus, the King and his army marched back to their own country. There was a house near this pond, where a poor woman lived with her two daughters. The people were really poor and were leading a tough life. The swan found that the poor mother was passing a hard time with her daughters. The swan thought,

Moral: Value the things you have.

If I give them one after another my golden feathers, the mother can sell them.

63 She and her daughters can live in comfort with the money raised from it. After thinking this, the swan flew away to the poor womans house. On seeing the swan inside the house, the woman said, Why have you come here? We have nothing to offer you. The Swan replied, I have not come to take anything, but I have something to give you. I know your condition. I will give my golden feathers one by one and you can sell them. With the money raised through it, you people can easily live in comfort. After saying this, the swan shed one of her feathers and then flew away. This became a regular feature and from time to time, the swan came back and every time left another feather. Like this, the mother and her daughters were

64 happily leading their life by selling the feathers of the golden swan. Each golden feather got them enough money to keep them in comfort. But the mother became greedy to get all the feathers as soon as possible. One day, she said to her daughters, Now, we will not trust this swan, possibly she may fly away and never come back. If this would happen, we will be poor again. We will take all of her feathers, when she will come the next time. The innocent daughters replied, Mother, this will hurt the swan. We will not cause any pain to her. But the mother was determined to catch hold the swan the very next time she comes. Next time, when the swan came, the mother caught her and pulled out all of her feathers. Now, the golden feathers of the swan changed

65 into some strange feathers. The mother was

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13. The Sandy Road

shocked to see such feathers. The Golden Swan said, Poor Mother, I wanted to help you, but you wanted to kill me instead. As per my wish, I used to give you the golden feather. Now, I think there is no need to help you. Now, my feathers are nothing more than chicken feathers for you. I am going from this place and will never come back. The mother felt sorry and apologized for the mistake committed by her. The Golden Swan said, Never be greedy and flew away. Once upon a time, there lived a merchant in a small village. The merchant dealt in different kinds of goods. He wanted to sell his goods in the town, in order to gain good sum of profits. One day, he decided to go to the town to try his fortune. He arranged for some men who could go along with him. During the journey, he had to pass through a desert, so he also arranged for

Moral: Excess greed brings nothing.

67 water, rice and firewood. According to the plan, he packed his goods in several carts and set out for the journey along with his mates. When they reached the desert, the sun was shining on the fine sand, making it severely hot. In the day time, no one could dare to walk on it. One could only think of travel through the desert during the night time, when the moon made the sands cool. So, the merchant and his people waited for the night to start their further journey. With the arrival of night, they started their journey. One of them, had knowledge about the stars, so he was guiding the way to other people by reading the position of stars. T hey traveled for the whole night without taking any break. At daybreak, they stopped and camped.

68 They released the oxen from the carts and fed them. They made fire, cooked the rice and ate the food to their fill. They spread a huge covering over all the carts and the oxen. Subsequently, all the men laid down under it, to rest till the sunset. When the sun set in the early evening, they again built fire and cooked rice. After the meal, they folded the covering and tied the oxen to the carts. As soon as, the sand became cool, they again started their journey across the desert. Night after night, they traveled in such manner and rested during the day time. On the last morning, the one who was guiding the group said, In one more night, we will cross the desert. Every one was happy to hear this, as all of them were tired.

69 After taking meal in the evening, the merchant said, Now, you people can throw the water and the firewood because tomorrow we will reach the town. Tie the oxen and start. The Guide took his position at first in the line of the carts, but instead of sitting and guiding the drivers, he laid down in the cart on the cushions. Soon, he was in a deep slumber because he had not slept for many nights and in the daytime, the sun had been so strong that he had not slept properly. The oxen went on, for the whole night. Near daybreak, the guide awoke and looked at the last stars fading in the light. He said to the drivers, Stop! We are in the same place where we were yesterday. The oxen must have turned about while I slept.

70 They released the oxen, but there was no water for them to drink, as they had thrown away the water the previous night. They spread out the covering over the carts and the oxen rested tired and thirsty. The men lay down too, saying, Without wood and water, we are lost. Every one was tired and sat down. The merchant thought, This is no time for me to sleep. I have to find water. The oxen cannot start unless they get water to drink. The people need water other wise they cannot cook rice. If I give up, we will lose. There must be water somewhere below. He walked down and down, keeping a close watch of the ground. Finally, he saw some grass and thought, There must be water somewhere below otherwise that grass would not be there.

71 He ran back, shrieking to the people, Get the spade and the hammer. All of them jumped up and ran with the merchant to the spot where he saw the grass. They started digging and after much toil, they struck a rock. After this, they could dig no further. The merchant jumped down into the hole they had dug and kept his ear to the rock. He called to them, I can hear water running under this rock. We must not give up. Then, the merchant came out of the hole and said to the serving boy, My boy, if you give up, we are lost. Please go down and try. The boy stood up raising the hammer high above his head and hit the rock with his full strength. He didnt give up, thinking the words of the merchant. Every time the hammer came down, he thought that everyone must be saved.

72 Ultimately, the rock broke, the boy hardly got any time to come out of the hole and it was full of water. All the men drank water, as if they could never get enough. They watered the oxen and took bath. After drinking and bathing, they split the extra wooden yokes and axles from their carts. They made a fire out of it and cooked their rice. They had their meal and rested through the day. They also placed a flag on the well, so that the passing travelers could see and have water. After the sunset, they started their journey and reached the town in the morning. They sold the goods making huge profits and happily returned back to their village.

Moral: Will and Determination can achieve anything.

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74 The salesman saw that these people were very

14. The Golden Plate

Once upon a time in a place called Seri, there were two salesmen of pots and pans and hand-made trinkets. They agreed to divide the town between them. They also said that after one had gone through his area, it was all right for the other to try and sell where the first had already been. One day, while one of them was coming down a street, a poor little girl saw him and asked her grandmother to buy her a bracelet. The old grandmother replied, "How can we poor people buy bracelets?" The little girl said, "Since we don't have any money, we can give our black sooty old plate." The old woman agreed to give it a try, so she invited the dealer inside.

poor and innocent, so he didn't want to waste his time with them. Even though the old woman pleaded with him, he said he had no bracelet that she could afford to buy. Then she asked, "We have an old plate that is useless to us, can we trade it for a bracelet?" The man took it and, while examining it, happened to scratch the bottom of it. To his surprise, he saw that underneath the black soot, it was a golden plate! But he didn't let on that he had noticed it. Instead he decided to deceive these poor people so he could get the plate for next to nothing. He said, "This is not worth even one bracelet. There's no value in this. I don't want it!" He left, thinking he would return later when they would accept even less for the plate.

75

76 to trade the old plate for a bracelet. The woman saw that this was a nice tender looking merchant and thought, "He's a good man, not like the rough-talking first salesman." So she invited him in and offered to trade the same black sooty old plate for one bracelet. When he examined it, he too saw that it was pure gold under the grime. He said to the old woman, "All my goods and all my money together are not worth as much as this rich golden plate!" Of course the woman was shocked at this discovery, but now she knew that he was indeed a good and honest fellow. So she said she would be glad to accept whatever

Meanwhile the other salesman, after finishing in his part of town, followed after the first as they had agreed. He ended up at the same house. Again the poor little girl begged her grandmother

he could trade for it. The salesman said, "I'll give you all my pots and pans and trinkets, plus all my money, if you will let me

77 keep just eight coins and my balancing scale, with its cover to put the golden plate in." They made the trade. He went down to the river, where he paid the eight coins to the ferry man to take him across. By then the greedy salesman had returned, already adding up huge imaginary profits in his head. When he met the little girl and her grandmother again, he said he had changed his mind and was willing to offer a few cents, but not one of his bracelets, for the useless black sooty old plate. The old woman then calmly told him of the trade she had just made with the honest salesman, and said, "Sir, you lied to us." The greedy salesman was not ashamed of his lies, but he was saddened as he thought ,

78
"I've lost the golden plate that must be worth a hundred thousand." So he asked the woman, "Which way did he go?" She told him the direction. He left all his things right there at her door and ran down to the river, thinking, "He robbed me! He robbed me! He won't make a fool out of me!" From the riverside he saw the honest salesman still crossing over on the ferry boat. He shouted to the ferry man, "Come back!" But the good merchant told him to keep on going to the other side, and that's what he did. Seeing that he could do nothing, the greedy salesman exploded with rage. He jumped up and down, beating his chest.

79 He became so filled with hatred towards the honest man, who had won the golden plate, that he made himself cough up blood. He had a heart attack and died on the spot!

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15. The King with One Grey Hair

The moral is: "Honesty is the best policy."

81 A very very long time ago, there were people who lived much longer than they do today. They lived many thousand years. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a baby named Makhadeva. He lived 84,000 years as a child and crown prince. At the time of our story, he had been a young king for 80,000 years. One day, Makhadeva told the royal barber, "If you see any grey hair on my head, you must tell me immediately!" Of course, the barber promised to do so. Another 4,000 years passed, until Makhadeva had been a young king for 84,000 years. Then one day, while he was cutting the king's hair, the royal barber saw just one little grey hair on all the king's head. So he said, "Oh my lord, I see one grey hair on your head."

82 The king said, "If this be so, pull it out and put it in my hand." The barber got his golden tweezers, plucked out the single little grey hair, and put it in the king's hand. At that time, the king still had at least another 84,000 years left to live as an old king! Looking at the one grey hair in his hand, he became very afraid of dying. He felt like death was closing in on him, as if he were trapped in a burning house. He was so afraid, that the sweat rolled down his back, and he shuddered. King Makhadeva thought, "Oh foolish king, you have wasted all this long life and now you are near death. You have made no attempt to destroy your greed and envy, to live without hating, and to get rid of your

83 ignorance by learning the truth and becoming wise." As he thought this, his body burned and the sweat kept rolling down. Then he decided once and for all, "It is time to give up the kingship, be ordained as a monk, and practice meditation!" Thinking so, he granted the income of a whole town to the barber. It amounted to one-hundredthousand per year. Then the king called his oldest son to him and said, "My son, I have seen a grey hair. I have become old. I have enjoyed the worldly pleasures of great wealth and power. When I die, I want to be reborn in a heaven world, to enjoy the pleasures of the gods. So I will be ordained as a monk. You must now take the responsibility of ruling the country. I will live the life of a monk in the forest."

84
Hearing of this, the royal ministers and the rest of the court rushed to the king and said, "Our lord, why do you suddenly want to be ordained?" The king held up the grey hair in his hand and said, "My ministers and subjects, I have realized that this grey hair shows that the three stages of life youth, middle age and old age - are coming to an end. This first grey hair was the messenger of death sitting on my head. Grey hairs are like angels sent by the god of death. Therefore, this very day is the time for me to be ordained." The people wept at the news of his departure. King Makhadeva gave up his royal life, went into the forest, and was ordained as a monk. There he practiced what holy men call the tender affection for all. 'Four Heavenly States of Mind'. First is loving-kindness,

85 Second is feeling sympathy and pity for all those who suffer. Third is feeling happiness for all those who are joyful. And the fourth state is balance and calm, even in the face of difficulties or troubles. After 84,000 years of great effort meditating and practicing these states as a humble forest monk, the Bodhisatta died. He was reborn in a high heaven world, to live a life a million years long!

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16. Beauty and Grey

The moral is: Even a long life is too short to waste.

Once upon a time, there was a deer who was the leader of a herd of a thousand. He had two sons. One was very slim and tall, with bright alert eyes, and smooth reddish fur. He was called Beauty. The other was Grey in color, also slim and tall, and was called Grey. One day, after they were fully grown, their father called Beauty and Grey to him. He said, "I

87 am now very old, so I cannot do all that is necessary to look after this big herd of deer. I want you, my two grown-up children, to be the leaders, while I retire from looking after them all the time. We will divide the herd, and each of you will lead 500 deer." So it was done. In India, when the harvest time comes, the deer are always in danger. The rice is at its tallest, and the deer cannot help but go into the paddies and eat it. To avoid the destruction of their crops, the human beings dig pits, set sharp stakes in the ground, and build stone traps - all to capture and kill the deer. Knowing this was the season, the wise old deer called the two new leaders to him. He advised them to take the herds up into the mountain forest, far from the dangerous farm lands.

88 This was how he had always saved the deer from being wounded or killed. T hen he would bring them back to the low lands after the harvest was over. Since he was too old and weak for the trip, he would remain behind in hiding. He warned them to be careful and have a safe journey. Beauty set out with his herd for the mountain forest, and so did Grey with his. The villagers all along the way knew that this was the time the deer moved from the low lying farm lands to the high countryside. So they hid along the way and killed the deer as they passed by. Grey did not pay attention to his father's wise advice. Instead mountain forest. of being careful and traveling safely, he was in a hurry to get to the lush

89 So he moved his herd constantly, during the night, at dawn and dusk, and even in broad daylight. This made it easy for the people to shoot the deer in Grey's herd with bows and arrows. Many were killed, and many were wounded, only to die in pain later on. Grey reached the forest with only a few deer remaining alive. The tall sleek red-furred Beauty was wise enough to understand the danger to his moving herd. So he was very careful. He knew it was safer to stay away from the villages, and from all humans. He knew it was not safe in the daytime, or even at dawn or dusk. So he led his herd wide around the villages, and moved only in the middle of the night. Beauty's herd arrived in the mountain forest safe and sound, with no one killed or injured.

90 The two herds found each other, and remained in the mountains until well after the harvest season was over. Then they began the return to the farmland country. Grey had learned nothing from the first trip. As it was getting cold in the mountains, he was in a hurry to get to the warmer low lands. So he was just as careless as before. Again the people hid along the way and attacked and killed the deer. All Grey's herd were killed, later to be eaten or sold by the villagers. Grey himself was the only one who survived the journey. Beauty led his herd in the same careful way as before. He brought back all 500 deer, completely safe. While the deer were still in the distance, the old chief said to his doe,

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92

"Look at the deer coming back to us. Beauty has all his followers with him. Grey comes limping back alone, without his whole herd of 500. Those who follow a wise leader, with good qualities, will always be safe. Those who follow a foolish leader, who is careless and thinks only of himself, will fall into troubles and be destroyed." After some time, the old deer died and was reborn as he deserved. Beauty became chief of the herd and lived a long life, loved and admired by all.

17. Why the Owl Is Not King of the Birds

Once upon a time, the people who lived together when the world was young took a certain man for their king. The four-footed animals also took one of their numbers for their king. The fish in the ocean chose a king to rule over them. Then the birds gathered together on a great flat rock, crying:

The moral is: A wise leader puts the safety of his followers first.

93 "Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and the fish have one, too; but we birds have none. We ought to have a king. Let us choose one now." And 95 so the birds talked the matter over and at last they allRichest said, Man Bill Gates lists some rules of life Worlds "Let us which kids have dont the learn Owlin for school our king." No, not all, for one old Crow rose up and said, "For my part, I don't want the Owl to be our king. Look at him now while you are all crying that you want him for your king. See how sour he looks right now. If that's the cross look he wears when he is happy,
1.

94 From that time on the Crows and the Owls have been enemies. The birds chose a Turtle Dove to be their king, and then flew to their homes.

96 5.
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

6.

You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year

right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a cell phone, until you earn both.

how will he look when he is angry? I, for one, want no such sour-looking king!"
2.

Life is not fair; get used to it.

For the same reason crows torment the Owls as they sleep in the daytime. The Owls try to kill the Crows while they sleep at night

Then the Crow flew up into the air crying,

you feel good about yourself.

The world won't care about your self-esteem. The

world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE

"I don't like it! I don't like it!"

The Owl rose and followed him.

3. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so

don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

4.

Television is NOT real life. In real life people

actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.