{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_74064/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_74064","id":"gutenberg_74064","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74064","summary":null,"tags":["Buddhist legends","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"_The Grateful Elephant_\n\n\n\n\n_By the same author_:\n\n\n  BUDDHIST PARABLES. Translated from the original P\u0101li. One volume.\n    xxix + 348 pages. With photogravure of a Bodhisattva head from\n    Gandh\u0101ra, from original in the Pennsylvania Museum. Octavo. Cloth.\n    Yale University Press, 1922. $5.00.\n\n  BUDDHIST LEGENDS. Translated from the original P\u0101li text of the\n    Dhammapada Commentary. Three volumes. Harvard Oriental Series, 28,\n    29, 30. 1114 pages. Octavo. Cloth. Harvard University Press, 1921.\n    $15.00 a set.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: _Then the elephant with his trunk caressed the Future\nBuddha and lifted him up._]\n\n\n\n\n  _The Grateful Elephant_\n\n  _And Other Stories Translated from the P\u0101li_\n\n  _By Eugene Watson Burlingame_\n\n  _with Illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop_\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  _New Haven, Yale University Press_\n  _London, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press_\n  _Mcmxxiii_\n\n\n\n\n  _Copyright 1923 by Yale University Press._\n\n  _Printed in the United States of America._\n\n\n\n\n_To my nephew Westcott_\n\n\n\n\nThis _book contains twenty-six stories selected from the author\u2019s\nlarger work_ Buddhist Parables, _Yale University Press, 1922. The\ntranslation is a close, idiomatic rendering of the original P\u0101li text.\nIn a few cases, words and phrases have been softened, and sentences\nhave been omitted. In Story 1, two whole paragraphs which interrupt the\nprogress of the story have been omitted. The author has not, however,\n\u201cwritten down\u201d any of the stories in order to remove such difficulties\nas the original translation may present to the child._\n\n\n\n\n_Note on Pronunciation of P\u0101li Names._\n\n\nThe quantity of vowels is marked throughout. Short _a_ is pronounced\nlike _u_ in _but_, long _\u0101_ like _a_ in _father_, long _\u012b_ like _ee_ in\n_see_, long _\u016b_ like _oo_ in _too_, short _i_ and short _u_ differing\nfrom the corresponding long vowels not in sound but in length. The _u_\nin _Buddha_, for example, is short. Simple consonants are pronounced as\nin English, except that _c_ is pronounced like _ch_ in _church_, _g_\nas in _get_, and _j_ as in _judge_. Combinations like _th_ and _dh_\nshould be pronounced as in _hothouse_ and _madhouse_. Names containing\nunderdotted letters have been eliminated. A syllable is said to be long\nif it contains either a long vowel, or a short vowel followed by two\nconsonants (except a consonant followed by _h_). Words of three or more\nsyllables are accented on the second syllable from the last, provided\nthe next to the last syllable is short, as _G\u00f3tama_, _M\u00e1llika_. If\nthe next to the last syllable is long, it receives the accent, as\n_Brahmad\u00e1tta_, _Nibb\u0101na_.\n\n\n\n\n_Contents._\n\n\n                                                                    PAGE\n\n  Note on pronunciation of P\u0101li names                               viii\n\n  List of illustrations                                             xiii\n\n  Introduction                                                        xv\n\n  Note on the illustrations                                         xxix\n\n   1. The grateful elephant                       J\u0101. 156: ii. 17      1\n        _Where there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way_\n\n   2. Grateful animals and ungrateful man          J\u0101. 73: i. 322      9\n        _Driftwood is worth more than some men_\n\n   3. Elephant and ungrateful forester             J\u0101. 72: i. 319     19\n        _The whole earth will not satisfy an ungrateful\n          man_\n\n   4. Quail, crow, fly, frog, and elephants     J\u0101. 357: iii. 174     26\n        _The biter bit_\n\n   5. Quails and fowler                            J\u0101. 33: i. 208     30\n        _In union there is strength_\n\n   6. Brahmadatta and the prince                      Vin. i. 342     33\n        _Love your enemies_\n\n   7. Antelope, woodpecker, tortoise, and hunter J\u0101. 206: ii. 152     48\n        _In union there is strength_\n\n   8. Brahmadatta and Mallika                      J\u0101. 151: ii. 1     52\n        _Overcome evil with good_\n\n   9. A Buddhist Tar-baby                          J\u0101. 55: i. 272     58\n        _Keep the Precepts_\n\n  10. Vedabbha and the thieves                     J\u0101. 48: i. 252     64\n        _Cupidity is the root of ruin_\n\n  11. The anger-eating ogre                             S. i. 237     72\n        _Refrain from anger_\n\n  12. The patient woman                             M. 21: i. 125     75\n        _Patient is as patient does_\n\n  13. Blind men and elephant                            Ud\u0101na, 66     79\n        _Avoid vain wrangling_\n\n  14. King and boar                                                   83\n        _Evil communications corrupt good manners_\n\n      Part 1. Gem, hatchet, drum, and bowl       J\u0101. 186: ii. 101\n      Part 2. Corrupt fruit from a good tree     J\u0101. 186: ii. 104\n\n  15. A Buddhist Henny-Penny                     J\u0101. 322: iii. 74     92\n        _Much ado about nothing_\n\n  16. The birds (cf. 17)                            Vin. iii. 147     97\n        _Nobody loves a beggar_\n\n  17. Dragon Jewel-neck                                               99\n        _Nobody loves a beggar_\n\n      A. Canonical version                          Vin. iii. 145\n      B. Uncanonical version                     J\u0101. 253: ii. 283\n\n  18. Snake-charm                                                    107\n        _A blessing upon all living beings!_\n\n      A. Canonical version                           Vin. ii. 109\n      B. Uncanonical version                     J\u0101. 203: ii. 144\n\n  19. Partridge, monkey, and elephant                                114\n        _Reverence your elders_\n\n      A. Canonical version                           Vin. ii. 161\n      B. Uncanonical version                       J\u0101. 37: i. 217\n\n  20. The hawk      119\n        _Walk not in forbidden ground_\n\n      A. Canonical version                              S. v. 146\n      B. Uncanonical version                      J\u0101. 168: ii. 58\n\n  21. How not to hit an insect                                       124\n        _Better an enemy with sense than a friend without it_\n\n      A. Boy and mosquito                          J\u0101. 44: i. 246\n      B. Girl and fly                              J\u0101. 45: i. 248\n\n  22. Monkey-gardeners                                               129\n        _Misdirected effort spells failure_\n\n      A. One-stanza version                        J\u0101. 46: i. 249\n      B. Three-stanza version                    J\u0101. 268: ii. 345\n\n  23. Two dicers                                                     135\n        _Take care!_\n\n      A. Canonical version                             D. ii. 348\n      B. Uncanonical version                       J\u0101. 91: i. 379\n\n  24. Two caravan-leaders                                            138\n        _Be prudent!_\n\n      A. Canonical version                             D. ii. 342\n      B. Uncanonical version                         J\u0101. 1: i. 95\n\n  25. Boar and lion                          Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara, 72    154\n        _Eat me, O lion!_\n\n  26. Fairy-prince and griffin        Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara, 22 and 90    157\n        _Eat me, O griffin!_\n\n  Glossary                                                           169\n\n\n\n\n_List of Illustrations._\n\n\n  _Story_                                                       _Facing_\n\n   1. The grateful elephant                                 _Title-page_\n        _Then the elephant with his trunk caressed the\n          Future Buddha and lifted him up_\n\n   2. Grateful animals and ungrateful man                             12\n        _Thus did those four persons travel together,\n          swept along by the river_\n\n   3. Elephant and ungrateful forester                                22\n        _The man actually cut off his two principal tusks!_\n\n   7. Antelope, woodpecker, tortoise, and hunter                      50\n        _At that moment the tortoise had chewed all of the\n          strips except just one strap_\n\n   9. A Buddhist Tar-baby                                             60\n        _Then he hit him with a spear_\n\n  11. The anger-eating ogre                                           72\n       \u201c_Here, Sire, a certain ogre, ill-favored, dwarfish,\n          sits in your seat_\u201d\n\n  14. King and boar                                                   86\n        _He bit the gem, and by its magical power rose\n          into the air_\n\n  15. A Buddhist Henny-Penny                                          96\n        _So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang\n          forward with the speed of a lion_\n\n  17. Dragon Jewel-neck                                              104\n        _Every day Jewel-neck the dragon-king would\n          encircle him with his coils_\n\n  22. Monkey-gardeners                                               130\n       \u201c_When you water the young trees, pull them up\n          by the roots, every one_\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_Introduction._\n\n\nThese stories are said to have been related by Gotama Buddha for the\npurpose of conveying to his hearers moral and religious lessons and the\nlessons of common sense.\n\nGotama Buddha was born nearly twenty-five centuries ago in the city of\nKapila, in Northeast India. Kapila was the principal city of the Sakya\ntribe, and his father was king of the tribe. _Gotama_ was his family\nname. _Buddha_ means _Awakened_ or _Enlightened_, that is to say,\nawakened or enlightened to the cause and the cure of human suffering.\n\nThe Buddhist Scriptures tell us that when Gotama was born, the angels\nrejoiced and sang. An aged wise man inquired: \u201cWhy doth the company of\nangels rejoice?\u201d They replied: \u201cHe that shall become Buddha is born in\nthe village of the Sakyas for the welfare and happiness of mankind;\ntherefore are we joyful and exceeding glad.\u201d\n\nThe wise man hastened to the king\u2019s house, and said: \u201cWhere is the\nchild? I, too, wish to see him.\u201d They showed him the child. When he saw\nthe child, he rejoiced and was exceeding glad. And he took him in his\narms, and said: \u201cWithout an equal is he! foremost among men!\u201d Then,\nbecause he was an old man, and knew that he was soon to die, he became\nsorrowful and wept tears.\n\nSaid the Sakyas: \u201cWill any harm come to the child?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied the\nwise man, \u201cthis child shall one day become Buddha; out of love and\npity for mankind he shall set in motion the Wheel of Religion; far and\nwide shall his religion be spread. But as for me, I have not long to\nlive; before these things shall come to pass, death will be upon me.\nTherefore am I stricken with woe, overwhelmed with sorrow, afflicted\nwith grief.\u201d\n\nSeven days after Gotama was born, his mother died, and he was brought\nup by his aunt and step-mother. When he was nineteen years old, he\nmarried his own cousin. For ten years he lived a life of ease, in\nthe enjoyment of all the comforts and luxuries which riches and high\nposition could give him. When he was twenty-nine years old, a change\ncame over him.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nFor many centuries, it has been a common belief in India that when a\nhuman being dies, he is at once born again. If he has lived a good\nlife, he will be born again on earth as the child of a king or of a\nrich man, or in one of the heavens as a god. If he has lived an evil\nlife, he will be born again as a ghost, or as an animal, or in some\nplace of torment.\n\nAccording to this belief, every person has been born and has lived and\ndied so many times that it would be impossible to count the number.\nIndeed, so far back into the past does this series of lives extend that\nit is impossible even to imagine a beginning of the series. What is\nmore to the point, in each of these lives every person has endured much\nsuffering and misery.\n\nSaid the Buddha: \u201cIn weeping over the death of sons and daughters and\nother dear ones, every person, in the course of his past lives, has\nshed tears more abundant than all the water contained in the four great\noceans.\u201d\n\nAnd again: \u201cThe bones left by a single person in the course of his\npast lives would form a pile so huge that were all the mountains to be\ngathered up and piled in a heap, that heap of mountains would appear as\nnothing beside it.\u201d\n\nAnd again: \u201cThe head of every person has been cut off so many times\nin the course of his past lives, either as a human being or as an\nanimal, as to cause him to shed blood more abundant than all the water\ncontained in the four great oceans.\u201d\n\nNothing more terrible than this can be imagined. Yet for many centuries\nit has been a common belief in India. Wise men taught that there was\na way of escape, a way of salvation. If a person wished to avoid\nrepeated lives of suffering and misery, he must leave home and family\nand friends, become a monk, and devote himself to fasting, bodily\ntorture, and meditation.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Buddhist Scriptures tell us that when Gotama was twenty-nine years\nold, he saw for the first time an Old Man, a Sick Man, a Dead Man, and\na Monk. The thought that in the course of his past lives he had endured\nold age, sickness, and death, times without number, terrified him, and\nhe resolved to become a monk.\n\nLeaving home and wife and son, he devoted himself for six years to\nfasting, bodily torture, and meditation. Finally he became convinced\nthat fasting and bodily torture were not the way of salvation, and\nabandoned the struggle. One night he had a wonderful experience. First\nhe saw the entire course of his past lives. Next he saw the fate after\ndeath of all living beings. Finally he came to understand the cause of\nhuman suffering and the cure for it.\n\nThus it was that he became Buddha, the Awakened, the Enlightened. He\nsaw that the cause of rebirth and suffering was craving for worldly\npleasures and life and riches. He saw that if this craving were\nuprooted, rebirth and suffering would come to an end. He saw that this\ncraving could be uprooted by right belief, right living, and meditation.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nFor forty-five years the Buddha journeyed from place to place,\npreaching and teaching. He founded an order of monks and nuns, and won\nmany converts. He lived to be eighty years old. Missionaries carried\nhis teachings from India to Ceylon and Burma and China and Tibet and\nJapan. In a few hundred years the religion of the Buddha had spread\nover the whole of Asia. Hundreds of millions of human beings have\naccepted his teachings.\n\nIn at least two respects, the teachings of the Buddha were quite\nremarkable. In the first place, he insisted on the virtue of\nmoderation. He urged upon his hearers to avoid the two extremes\nof a life devoted to fasting and self-torture, and a life of\nself-indulgence. In the second place, he taught that a man must love\nhis neighbor as himself, returning good for evil and love for hatred.\nBut this was not all. He taught men to love all living creatures\nwithout respect of kind or person. He taught men not to injure or\nkill any living creature, whether a human being or an animal, even in\nself-defense. All war, according to the teaching of the Buddha, is\nunholy.\n\nIn the course of time it came to be believed that Gotama had become\nBuddha as the fruit of good deeds performed in countless previous\nstates of existence, especially deeds of generosity. At any time, had\nhe so desired, he might have uprooted craving for worldly pleasures and\nlife and riches by meditation, and thus have escaped the sufferings of\nrepeated states of existence. But this he deemed an unworthy course.\nOut of pity and compassion and friendliness for living creatures, he\npreferred to be reborn again and again, to suffer and to die again and\nagain, in order that, by the accumulated merit of good works, he might\nhimself become enlightened and thus be able to enlighten others.\n\nIn comparison with the career of the Future Buddha, devoted to the\nperformance of good works, unselfish, generous to the point of\nsacrificing his own body and blood,--the career of the monk, isolated\nfrom the world, selfish, seeking by meditation to uproot craving\nfor worldly pleasures and life and riches, seemed low and mean. The\ndisciple began to imitate his Master. Thus began the Higher Career or\nVehicle of Mah\u0101y\u0101na or Catholic Buddhism, as distinguished from the\nLower Career or Vehicle of the more primitive H\u012bnay\u0101na Buddhism of the\nP\u0101li texts. Thus did the quest of Buddhahood supplant the quest of\nNibb\u0101na. This development took place long before the beginning of the\nChristian era.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nGotama Buddha made frequent use of similes, allegories, parables,\nfables, and other stories, to illustrate his teachings. His example\nwas imitated by his followers, and in the course of time hundreds and\nhundreds of stories were attributed to him on general principles. Most\nof these stories were, in their original form, nothing but simple\nfolk-tales, many of them of great antiquity. Parallels and variants\nare found in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata, the Panchatantra, Bidpai\u2019s Fables, the\nHitopadesha, the Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara, and other fiction-collections,\nespecially those of the Jains.\n\nOf the twenty-six stories contained in this book, of eight of which two\nversions are given, eleven stories or versions of stories (6, 11, 12,\n13, 16, 17 _a_, 18 _a_, 19 _a_, 20 _a_, 23 _a_, 24 _a_) are taken from\nthe oldest canonical texts of the Buddhist Sacred Scriptures. Of these\neleven stories, the first nine are said to have been related by Gotama\nhimself, the last two being attributed to the Buddhist sage Kum\u0101ra\nKassapa. It is highly probable that the tradition embodied in the texts\nregarding these eleven stories is correct. We may therefore feel quite\ncertain that such remarkable parables as _Brahmadatta and the prince_\n(6), _Blind men and elephant_ (13), and _The birds_ (16) were actually\nrelated by Gotama himself, in substantially the same form as that in\nwhich we now have them. It is not at all unlikely that such a parable\nas _Brahmadatta and Mallika_ (8) was also related by Gotama, but of\nthis we cannot be certain.\n\nThe approximate date of these old canonical texts is now well\nestablished. Numerous references to the Buddhist Scriptures in the\nBh\u0101br\u0101 edict of Asoka, about 250 B.C., and in the canonical work\n_Kath\u0101vatthu_, of about the same date, amply justify the statement\nthat the texts from which these eleven stories are taken are, in\ntheir present form, at least three or four centuries anterior to the\nChristian era. It may interest the reader to know that these texts,\noriginating in North India in the lifetime of Gotama, were handed down\nby oral tradition for many generations, were reduced to canonical form\nwithin a century or two of the death of Gotama, were carried to Ceylon\nin the third century B.C., were written down for the first time in the\nfirst century B.C., and were copied and recopied on palm-leaves by\nsuccessive generations of scribes until comparatively recent times.\n\nThe rest of the stories (except 25 and 26) are taken from the _Book of\nthe Buddha\u2019s Previous Existences_ or _J\u0101taka Book_. This remarkable\nwork, which also originated in North India, relates in mixed prose\nand verse the experiences of the Future Buddha in each of 550 states\nof existence previous to his rebirth as Gotama. The received text of\nthis work represents a recension made in Ceylon early in the fifth\ncentury A.D., but much of the material is demonstrably many centuries\nolder. For example, the stanzas rank as canonical Scripture, older\nversions of some of the stories occur in the canonical texts, and\nmany of the stories (including 4 and 7 and 22) are illustrated by\nBharahat sculptures of the third century B.C. Stories 25 and 26 are\nalso _J\u0101taka_ tales, adapted from C. H. Tawney\u2019s translation of the\n_Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara_.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nFor the most part, the _J\u0101taka_ stories purport to relate incidents in\nGotama\u2019s previous states of existence as a human being. For example,\nas Prince Noble-heart (1), he triumphs over his enemies and succeeds\nto the throne of his father through the kindly offices of a grateful\nelephant. As a Brahman\u2019s son (2), he befriends in turn a pampered\nprince, a snake, a rat, and a parrot, with the result that he is basely\nbetrayed by the prince, but treated with profound gratitude by the\nthree animals.\n\nAs King Brahmadatta (8), he overcomes anger with kindness, evil with\ngood, the stingy with gifts, and the liar with truth. As Prince\nFive-weapons (9), he overcomes the giant ogre Sticky-hair with the\nWeapon of Knowledge. As a Brahman\u2019s son (17 _b_), he frees his younger\nbrother from the power of Jewel-neck, the dragon-king. As a Brahman\u2019s\nson (18 _b_), he teaches friendliness for all living beings. As a\ncaravan-leader (24 _b_), he protects his companions from a troop of\nman-eating ogres. As J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana, prince of the fairies (26), he\noffers the sacrifice of his body and blood for the welfare of all\nliving beings.\n\nSeveral of the stories purport to relate incidents in Gotama\u2019s previous\nstates of existence as an animal. For example, as a generous elephant\n(3), he gives his tusks to an ungrateful forester who has betrayed\nhim. As a merciful elephant (4), he spares the life of a tiny quail.\nAs a wise quail (5), he avoids the snares of a fowler. As a brave lion\n(15), he averts the destruction of a host of frightened animals. As a\nwise partridge (19 _b_), he serves as the preceptor of a monkey and an\nelephant. As a wise quail (20 _b_), he outwits a hawk. As a wise boar\n(25), he offers the sacrifice of his body and blood.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nHow did the Future Buddha come to be identified with the hero of each\nof these stories? The stories themselves give us the answer. For\nexample, in the story of _Brahmadatta and the prince_ (6), we read\nthat a high-minded prince generously forgave the murderer of his father\nand mother, returning good for evil and love for hatred. In this, the\noldest form of the story, the Future Buddha is not even mentioned. But\nin a later form of the story, _J\u0101taka_ 371, we are expressly told that\nthe generous prince was none other than the Future Buddha.\n\nStories 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, and 24 illustrate the same process in a\nvery striking way. Of each of these stories we have two versions, an\nearlier version from a canonical source, and a later version from an\nuncanonical source. It will be observed that in the older versions\nthe Future Buddha is not mentioned at all. But in the later versions\nhe is identified in turn with a wise ascetic (17 _b_, 18 _b_), a wise\npartridge (19 _b_), a wise quail (20 _b_), an honest dicer (23 _b_),\nand a wise caravan-leader (24 _b_).\n\nOriginally a simple folk-tale, each of these stories has been converted\ninto a birth-story by the simple literary device of identifying the\nhighest and noblest character in the story with the Future Buddha.\nThis, of course, was a comparatively easy matter, for the Future\nBuddha, in his previous states of existence, was believed to have\nexhibited the qualities of wisdom, courage, and generosity, and there\nare few of the stories in which at least one of the characters does not\nexhibit one or another of these qualities.\n\nThe attempt to introduce the Future Buddha into the stories is not\nalways carried out in a way to satisfy or convince the reader.\nThus, as an honest dicer (23 _b_), he violates Buddhist teaching by\nadministering deadly poison to his companion, a dishonest dicer. The\nlatter must not, of course, be allowed to die. The honest dicer is\ntherefore made to administer an emetic to his companion and to admonish\nhim. As a wise quail (20 _b_), he again violates Buddhist teaching\nby saving his own life at the expense of his enemy\u2019s life. Here the\ninconsistency is allowed to stand, and the story is used to illustrate\nthe folly of walking in forbidden ground.\n\nIn the case of some of the stories, the figure of the Future Buddha is,\nso to speak, lugged in by the heels. For example, little or nothing is\ngained by identifying the antelope caught in a trap (7) with the Future\nBuddha. As a Brahman\u2019s pupil (10), and as a king\u2019s counsellor (14), the\nFuture Buddha offers only a word of advice. As a trader (21), and as\na wise man (22), he is merely a spectator, and contents himself with\nremarking on the folly of misdirected effort. It is quite clear that in\nthe case of these stories also we are dealing with simple folk-tales\nwhich have undergone only slight modification.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nSome of the stories have traveled all over the world. In the\nthirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, many of them found\ntheir way into the highways and byways of European literature. With\nStory 1, _The grateful elephant_, compare the story of Androclus\nand the lion, Aesop\u2019s fable of the Lion and the Shepherd, and Gesta\nRomanorum 104. With Story 2, _Grateful animals and ungrateful man_,\ncompare R. Schmidt, Panchatantra i. 9; C. H. Tawney, Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara\nii. 103; E. Chavannes, Cinq Cents Contes 25; A. Schiefner, Tibetan\nTales 26; Gesta Romanorum 119; and the following stories in Grimm,\nKinder- und Hausm\u00e4rchen: 17 Die weisse Schlange, 60 Die zwei Br\u00fcder,\n62 Die Bienenk\u00f6nigin, 85 Die Goldkinder, 107 Die beiden Wanderer,\n126 Ferenand getr\u00fc und Ferenand ungetr\u00fc, 191 Das Meerh\u00e4schen. For\nadditional parallels, see J. Bolte und G. Polivka, Anmerkungen zu den\nKinder- und Hausm\u00e4rchen der Br\u00fcder Grimm, M\u00e4rchen 17, 62, 191.\n\nWith Story 3, _Elephant and ungrateful forester_, compare E. Chavannes,\nCinq Cents Contes 28. With Story 4, _Quail, crow, fly, frog, and\nelephants_, compare R. Schmidt, Panchatantra i. 18. Variants of\nStories 5 and 7 form the frame-story of Panchatantra ii. With Story 5,\n_Quails and fowler_, compare C. H. Tawney, Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara ii. 48;\nJ. Hertel, Tantr\u0101khy\u0101yika iii. 11; also Aesop\u2019s fable of the Falconer\nand the Birds. With Story 7, _Antelope, woodpecker, tortoise, and\nhunter_, compare Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata xii. 138; C. H. Tawney, Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara\ni. 296; also Aesop\u2019s fable of the Lion and the Mouse. With Story 6,\n_Brahmadatta and the prince_, compare E. Chavannes, Cinq Cents Contes\n10; also J\u0101taka 371. With Story 8, _Brahmadatta and Mallika_, compare\nMah\u0101bh\u0101rata iii. 194.\n\nWith Story 9, _A Buddhist Tar-baby_, compare E. Chavannes, Cinq Cents\nContes 89 and 410; also the well-known story in Joel Chandler Harris,\nUncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings. Story 10, _Vedabbha and the\nthieves_, is the original of Chaucer\u2019s Pardoner\u2019s Tale; compare also A.\nSchiefner, Tibetan Tales 19. With Story 13, _Blind men and elephant_,\ncompare E. Chavannes, Cinq Cents Contes 86. With Story 14, Part 1,\n_Gem, hatchet, drum, and bowl_, compare Grimm, Kinder- und Hausm\u00e4rchen:\n36 Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel, und Kn\u00fcppel aus dem Sack; 54 Der\nRanzen, das H\u00fctlein, und das H\u00f6rnlein. For additional parallels, see\nBolte-Polivka.\n\nWith Story 15, _A Buddhist Henny-Penny_, compare A. Schiefner, Tibetan\nTales 22; also the well-known children\u2019s story of the same name. With\nStory 19, _Partridge, monkey, and elephant_, compare A. Schiefner,\nTibetan Tales 24. With Story 21, _How not to kill an insect_, compare\nAesop\u2019s fable of the Bald Man and the Fly. For an interesting account\nof the history of some of the stories, see W. A. Clouston, _Popular\nTales and Fictions_, as follows: Story 2: i. 223-241. Story 9: i.\n133-154. Story 10: ii. 379-407. Story 14: i. 110-122. Story 15: i.\n289-313. Story 21: i. 55-57.\n\n\n\n\n_Note on the Illustrations._\n\n\nJust fifty years ago Sir Alexander Cunningham discovered among the\nruins of a memorial mound or st\u016bpa near the village of Bharahat, 120\nmiles southwest of Allahabad, a series of sculptures of the third\ncentury B.C., illustrating the legendary life of the Buddha and stories\nfrom the _Book of the Buddha\u2019s Previous Existences_ or _J\u0101taka Book_.\nPhotographs of these sculptures, together with a detailed description\nof each, will be found in the explorer\u2019s monumental work _St\u016bpa of\nBharhut_.\n\nIt is from these Bharahat sculptures that the artist has taken most of\nthe materials for the illustrations to the present volume. From these\nsculptures have been taken, not only three entire scenes, but animals,\ncostumes, trees, plants, fruits, flowers, and other objects. In the\ncase of two scenes, where the sculptured objects differ materially\nfrom the objects described in the text, the artist has followed\nthe sculptures rather than the text. In the matter of details, the\nillustrations are believed to be correct in every particular.\n\nThe design which appears on the cover, and again on the title-page,\n_Elephant and children_, is taken from Cunningham, Plate xxxiii. 2,\n_Elephant and monkeys_. The Bharahat sculpture represents an elephant\nbeing driven along by a troop of monkeys. The artist has substituted\nchildren for monkeys, but has preserved the spirit of the scene. It may\nas well be said here as anywhere else that the saffron yellow of the\ncover is the exact color of the robes of a Buddhist monk. The color is\ntherefore symbolic.\n\nThe frontispiece, illustrating Story 1, _The grateful elephant_,\nrepresents the scene in the elephant-stable. A pure white elephant is\nshown in the act of raising the young prince, the Future Buddha, to his\nshoulders. On the right stands the queen, under a parasol held by an\nattendant. On the left stand ministers of state, ladies-in-waiting,\nand slaves. The open window, through which the blue sky is seen, forms\nan effective panel for the portrait of the young prince. The saffron\nyellow of the background is again symbolic.\n\nThe illustration to Story 2, _Grateful animals and ungrateful man_,\nrepresents the pampered prince astride of a tree-trunk, accompanied by\nhis three companions, a snake, a rat, and a parrot, swept along by the\nriver amid storm and darkness.\n\nThe illustration to Story 3, _Elephant and forester_, shows the Future\nBuddha, in the form of a pure white elephant, reclining like a cow,\nand willingly permitting the ungrateful forester to cut off his two\ntusks. Trees.--Left middle: P\u0101tali-tree, Trumpet Flower, _Bignonia\nSuaveolens_, the Bo-tree of the Buddha Vipassi. See Cunningham, Plates\nxxiii. 3 and xxix. 1. Centre over elephant: Probably the S\u0101l-tree,\n_Shorea Robusta_, the Bo-tree of the Buddha Vessabhu. The mother of\nGotama is said to have stood upright at his birth and to have supported\nherself by a branch of a S\u0101l-tree. See Cunningham, Plate xxix. 2 and\n5. Over elephant\u2019s head: Fan-palm, _Borassus Flabelliformis_. See\nCunningham, Plate xxx. 4. Right middle: Probably a Sandalwood-tree,\nCandana. See Cunningham, Plate lvii. Lower left: Magnolia. See\nCunningham, Plate xxv. 1 (above archer).\n\nThe illustration to Story 7, _Antelope, woodpecker, tortoise, and\nhunter_, is taken from Cunningham, Plate xxvii. 9. As the hunter\napproaches, the tortoise releases the antelope from the trap, and the\nantelope springs to a place of safety. In drawing the trap, the artist\nhas followed the sculptured model, rather than the description in the\ntext. The tree in the background is the Sir\u012bsa-tree, _Acacia Sirisa_,\nmore properly, _Albizzia Lebbek_, the Bo-tree of the Buddha Kakusandha.\nSee Cunningham, Plate xxix. 3.\n\nThe illustration to Story 9, _A Buddhist Tar-baby_, represents the\nFuture Buddha in the person of Prince Five-weapons casting a spear at\nthe giant ogre Sticky-hair. The drawing of the ogre follows closely\nthe description given in the text. The tree in the background is the\nFan-palm, represented in Cunningham, Plate xxx. 4. The trees to the\nright and left are specimens of the Banyan-tree, the Nyagrodha, _Ficus\nIndica_, the Bo-tree of the Buddha Kassapa. Note the down-growing\nroots. See Cunningham, Plates xv. 3, xxvi. 6, xxx. 1 and 2.\n\nThe illustration to Story 11, _The anger-eating ogre_, represents\nthe ogre seated on the Yellowstone throne of Sakka (Indra), king of\nthe gods, in the heaven of the Thirty-three gods, thereby arousing\nthe indignation and anger of the gods, of whom two are shown in the\ndrawing. The tree in the background is probably the S\u0101l-tree. See note\non illustration to Story 3.\n\nThe illustration to Story 14, _King and boar_, represents the boar\nflying through the air by the magical power of the gem which he has\njust bitten. The power of flying through the air is mentioned in the\noldest texts as one of the several varieties of magical power which may\nbe acquired by the Practice of Meditation.\n\nThe illustration to Story 15, _A Buddhist Henny-Penny_, shows the\nFuture Buddha, in the form of a lion, setting out with the little hare\non his back to discover the cause of the flight of the animals. The\nartist has introduced representatives of the various animals mentioned\nin the story, and a few monkeys for good measure. Trees.--Left:\nMagnolia. See Cunningham, Plate xxv. 1 (above archer). Centre:\nJack-tree. See Cunningham, Plate xiv. 1 (extreme left), xli. 4, xlii.\n8, and xliii. 1. Top: Udumbara-tree, _Ficus Glomerata_, the Bo-tree of\nthe Buddha Kanakamuni. See Cunningham, Plate xxix. 4. Right middle:\nSir\u012bsa-tree, _Acacia Sirisa_, more properly, _Albizzia Lebbek_, the\nBo-tree of the Buddha Kakusandha. See Cunningham, Plate xiv. 3. In the\nillustration to Story 7, the tree is represented in flower. Compare\nCunningham, Plate xxix. 3. Lower right: Rose-apple, Jambu-tree. See\nCunningham, Plate xliv. 8. India is frequently called the Land of the\nRose-apple.\n\nThe illustration to Story 17, _Dragon Jewel-neck_, represents the king\nof the dragons encircling the ascetic with his coils. The ascetic is\nseated at the door of his leaf-hut on the bank of the Ganges. The\ntree in the background is the Sacred Fig-tree, the Pipphala, _Ficus\nReligiosa_. It was under a tree of this species that Gotama sat on the\nnight of his Enlightenment. Accordingly, this tree has a symbolic value\nfor Buddhists corresponding to that which the Cross has for Christians,\nand is frequently sculptured on the monuments. See Cunningham,\nPlates xiii. 1, xxx. 3. The tree to the right of the hut may be a\nSandalwood-tree. See note on illustration to Story 3.\n\nThe illustration to Story 22, _Monkey-gardeners_, is taken from\nCunningham, Plate xlv. 5. The monkeys, in obedience to the instructions\nof their leader, are pulling up the young fig-trees by the roots,\nexamining the roots, watering plentifully the trees with long roots,\nbut sparingly the trees with short roots, and planting them again. In\ndrawing the water-pots, the artist has followed the Bharahat sculpture\nrather than the description given in the text.\n\n\n\n\n_1. The Grateful Elephant._\n\n_Where there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way._\n\nJ\u0101taka 156: ii. 17-23.\n\n\n  _Relying on Noble-heart._ This parable was related by the Teacher\n  while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a certain monk\n  who relaxed effort. Said the Teacher to him: \u201cOf a truth, monk, did\n  you not, in a previous state of existence, by exerting yourself, get\n  and give to a young prince no bigger than a piece of meat, dominion\n  over the city of Ben\u0101res, a city twelve leagues in measure?\u201d So\n  saying, he related the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, there was a\ncarpenters\u2019 settlement not far from Ben\u0101res. In this settlement lived\nfive hundred carpenters. They would go up-stream in a boat, cut timber\nfor building materials for houses in the forest, and prepare houses\nof one or more stories on the spot. Then, marking all of the timbers,\nbeginning with the pillars, they would carry them to the river-bank,\nload them on a boat, return to the city with the current, and for a\nprice build for any particular person any particular kind of house he\ndesired to have built. Then they would go back to the forest and get\nbuilding materials once more. Thus they made their living.\n\nOne day, not far from the camp where they were fashioning timbers, a\ncertain elephant trod on an acacia splinter, and the splinter pierced\nhis foot. He suffered intense pain, and his foot became swollen and\nfestered. Maddened with pain, hearing the sound of those carpenters\nfashioning timbers, thinking to himself, \u201cWith the help of these\ncarpenters I can get relief,\u201d he went to them on three feet and lay\ndown not far off. The carpenters saw that his foot was swollen, and\non drawing closer, saw the splinter in his foot. So making incisions\nall round the splinter with a sharp knife, they tied a cord to the\nsplinter, removed the splinter with a pull, let out the pus, washed the\nwound with hot water, and by applying proper remedies, in no very long\ntime made the wound comfortable.\n\nWhen the elephant was well, he thought: \u201cI owe my life to these\ncarpenters; now I ought to do something for them.\u201d From that time on\nhe helped the carpenters remove trees, rolled them over and held them\nfor the carpenters while they were fashioning them, brought them their\ntools, and held the measuring-cord, taking it by the end and wrapping\nhis trunk about it. As for the carpenters, when it was time to eat,\neach one of them gave the elephant a morsel of food; thus in all they\ngave him five hundred morsels of food.\n\nNow that elephant had a son, and he was pure white, a noble son of\na noble sire. So the following thought occurred to the elephant: \u201cI\nam now old. I ought therefore to give my son to these carpenters to\nhelp them in their work, and myself go away.\u201d Without saying a word\nto the carpenters, he entered the forest, and leading his son to the\ncarpenters, said: \u201cThis young elephant is my son. You gave me my life;\nI give you this elephant by way of paying the fee which I owe to my\nphysicians. Henceforth he will work for you.\u201d\n\nThen he admonished his son: \u201cHenceforth you are to do whatever it was\nmy duty to do.\u201d Having so said, he gave his son to the carpenters and\nhimself entered the forest. From that time on the young elephant obeyed\nthe commands of the carpenters, was patient of admonition, performed\nall of the duties. They fed him also with five hundred morsels of food.\nAfter doing his work, he would descend into the river and play, and\nthen come back. And the carpenters\u2019 children used to take hold of him\nby the trunk and play with him, both in the water and on dry land.\n\nThe elephant-trainers reported that incident to the king, remarking:\n\u201cThat noble elephant should be sought out and brought to you, your\nmajesty.\u201d The king made haste up the river with boats and rafts; with\nrafts bound up-stream he reached the place of abode of the carpenters.\nThe young elephant, playing in the river, on hearing the sound of the\ndrum, went and stood by the carpenters. The carpenters went forth to\nmeet the king, and said: \u201cYour majesty, if you have need of timber, why\ndid you yourself come? why shouldn\u2019t you have sent men to get it?\u201d \u201cI\ndidn\u2019t come for timber, I assure you, but I came for this elephant.\u201d\n\u201cTake him and go, your majesty.\u201d\n\nThe young elephant would not go. \u201cWhat, pray, will you have done,\nelephant?\u201d \u201cHave the carpenters paid for my keeping, your majesty.\u201d\n\u201cVery well, I will,\u201d said the king. He had a hundred thousand pieces\nof money laid near each of the elephant\u2019s four feet, near his trunk,\nand near his tail. But for all that the elephant would not go. When,\nhowever, pairs of cloths had been given to all of the carpenters, when\nunder-garments had been given to the carpenters\u2019 wives, and when the\nproper attentions had been paid to the children he had played with,\nthen the elephant turned around, and eyeing the carpenters and their\nwives and their children as he went, accompanied the king.\n\nThe king took the elephant, went to the city, and caused both city\nand elephant-stable to be adorned. He caused the elephant to make\nrightwise circuit of the city and to be taken into the elephant-stable.\nHe adorned the elephant with all the adornments, sprinkled him, made\nhim his riding-animal, elevated him to the dignity of a friend, gave\nhim half his kingdom, and had him treated as himself. From the day when\nthe elephant arrived, the king obtained complete mastery over all the\nLand of the Rose-apple.\n\nAs time thus went on, the Future Buddha received a new existence as the\nchild of the chief consort of that king. But before the child was born,\nthe king died. Now if the elephant had known that the king was dead,\nit would have broken his heart then and there. So they said not a word\nto the elephant about the king\u2019s death, but waited on him just as if\nnothing had happened.\n\nBut when the king of Kosala, who ruled over the country immediately\nadjoining, heard that the king was dead, he reflected: \u201cThe kingdom,\nthey say, is empty;\u201d and came with a large army and surrounded the\ncity. The citizens closed the gates of the city and sent the following\nmessage to the king of Kosala: \u201cThe chief consort of our king is about\nto give birth to a child. The soothsayers have told us: \u2018Seven days\nhence she will give birth to a son.\u2019 If, on the seventh day, she gives\nbirth to a son, we will give battle,--not the kingdom. Wait that long.\u201d\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the king in assent. On the seventh day the queen gave\nbirth to a son. On the day when he received his name, because, as they\nsaid, \u201cHe is born extending a noble heart to the multitude,\u201d they gave\nhim the name Noble-heart, Al\u012bnacitta.\n\nNow from the day he was born, the citizens fought with the king of\nKosala. But because they had no man to lead them in battle, the force,\nlarge as it was, gave way little by little in the conflict. Ministers\nreported this fact to the queen, saying: \u201cWe fear that if the force\ncontinues thus to give way, we shall lose the battle. But the state\nelephant, the king\u2019s friend, does not know that the king is dead,\nthat his son is born, and that the king of Kosala has come to fight.\u201d\nAnd they asked her: \u201cShall we let him know?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the queen,\nassenting. She adorned the boy, laid him in a head-coil of fine cloth,\ncame down from the terrace, and accompanied by a retinue of ministers,\nwent to the elephant-stable, and laid the Future Buddha at the feet of\nthe elephant. Said she: \u201cMaster, your friend is dead. We didn\u2019t tell\nyou because we were afraid it would break your heart. Here is the son\nof your friend. The king of Kosala has come and has surrounded the city\nand is fighting with your son. The force is giving way. Do you either\nkill your son or get and give him the kingdom.\u201d\n\nThen the elephant with his trunk caressed the Future Buddha and lifted\nhim up and put him on his shoulders and cried and wept. Then he\nlowered the Future Buddha and laid him in the arms of the queen, and\nwith the words, \u201cI will capture the king of Kosala!\u201d went out of the\nelephant-stable. Then the ministers clad him with armor and adorned\nhim, and unlocking the city-gate, went out in his train.\n\nAs the elephant went out of the city, he trumpeted the Heron\u2019s Call,\nmaking the multitude tremble and quake, and frightening them away. He\nbroke down the stockade, seized the king of Kosala by the top-knot,\nand carried him and laid him at the Future Buddha\u2019s feet. And when men\nrose to kill him, he would not let them, but set the king free with the\nadmonition: \u201cHenceforth be careful; do not presume on the youth of the\nprince.\u201d\n\nThenceforth the Future Buddha had complete mastery over all the Land\nof the Rose-apple. No other adversary dared to stand up against\nhim. When the Future Buddha was seven years old, he received the\nceremonial sprinkling and became known as King Noble-heart. He ruled\nwith righteousness, and when his life was come to an end, departed,\nfulfilling the Path to Heaven.\n\n  When the Teacher had related this parable, he uttered, as Supreme\n  Buddha, the following stanza:\n\n    Relying on Noble-heart, a mighty host, delighted,\n    Captured Kosala alive, dissatisfied with his army.\n\n\n\n\n_2. Grateful Animals and Ungrateful Man._\n\n_Driftwood is worth more than some men._\n\nJ\u0101taka 78: i. 322-327.\n\n\n  _True is this saying of some men of the world._ This parable was\n  related by the Teacher while he was in residence at Bamboo Grove with\n  reference to Devadatta\u2019s going about for the purpose of killing him.\n  For while the Congregation of Monks, sitting in the Hall of Truth,\n  were discussing Devadatta\u2019s wickedness, saying, \u201cBrethren, Devadatta\n  knows not the Teacher\u2019s virtues, but is going about for the sole\n  purpose of killing him,\u201d the Teacher drew near and asked: \u201cMonks,\n  what is the subject that engages your attention now as you sit here\n  all gathered together?\u201d \u201cSuch-and-such,\u201d was the reply. \u201cMonks,\u201d\n  said the Teacher, \u201cnot only in his present state of existence has\n  Devadatta gone about for the purpose of killing me; in a previous\n  state of existence also he went about for the purpose of killing me\n  in the very same way.\u201d Then, in response to a request of the monks,\n  he related the following Story of the Past:\n\n\n_Prince Wicked._\n\nIn times past Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res. He had a son named Prince\nWicked, and Prince Wicked was as tough and hard as a beaten snake. He\nnever spoke to anybody without either reviling him or striking him.\nThe result was that both by indoor-folk and by outdoor-folk he was\ndisliked and detested as much as dust lodged in the eye or as a demon\ncome to eat.\n\nOne day, desiring to sport in the water, he went to the river-bank with\na large retinue. At that moment a great cloud arose. The directions\nbecame dark. He said to his slaves and servants: \u201cCome, fellows! take\nme and conduct me to mid-stream and bathe me and bring me back.\u201d They\nled him there and took counsel together, saying: \u201cWhat can the king\ndo to us! Let\u2019s kill this wicked fellow right here!\u201d So saying, they\nplunged him into the water, made their way out of the water again, and\nstood on the bank.\n\nAs the courtiers returned to the king, they reflected: \u201cIn case we\nare asked, \u2018Where is the prince?\u2019 we will say, \u2018We have not seen the\nprince; it must be that upon seeing a cloud arise he plunged into the\nwater and went on ahead of us.\u2019\u201d The king asked: \u201cWhere is my son?\u201d \u201cWe\ndo not know, your majesty. A cloud arose. We returned, supposing: \u2018He\nmust have gone on ahead of us.\u2019\u201d The king caused the gates to be flung\nopen, went to the river-bank, and caused them to search here and there.\n\u201cSearch!\u201d said he. Nobody saw the prince.\n\nAs a matter of fact, in the darkness caused by the cloud, while the god\nwas raining, the prince, swept along by the river, seeing a certain\ntree-trunk, clambered on it, and sitting astride of it, traveled along,\nterrified with the fear of death, lamenting.\n\n\n_Snake, rat, parrot, and man._\n\nNow at that time a resident of Ben\u0101res, a certain treasurer, who had\nburied forty crores of wealth by the river-bank, by reason of his\ncraving for that wealth, had been reborn on top of that wealth as a\nsnake. Yet another had buried thirty crores of wealth in that very\nspot, and by reason of his craving for that wealth, had been reborn on\nthe spot as a rat. The water entered their place of abode. They went\nout by the very path by which the water came in, cleft the stream, and\nwent until they reached the tree-trunk bestridden by the royal prince.\nThereupon one climbed up on one end, the other on the other, and both\nlay down right there on top of the tree-trunk.\n\nMoreover, on the bank of that very river there was a certain\nsilk-cotton tree, and in it lived a certain young parrot. That tree\nalso, its roots washed by the water, fell on top of the river. The\nyoung parrot, unable to make headway by flying while the god was\nraining, went and perched on one side of that very tree-trunk. Thus did\nthose four persons travel together, swept along by the river.\n\n\n_The Future Buddha befriends animals and man._\n\nNow at that time the Future Buddha was reborn in the kingdom of K\u0101si in\nthe household of a Brahman of high station. When he reached manhood,\nhe retired from the world and adopted the life of an ascetic, and\nbuilding a leaf-hut at a certain bend in the river, took up his abode\nthere. At midnight, as he was walking up and down, he heard the sound\nof the profound lamentation of that royal prince. Thought he: \u201cIt is\nnot fitting that that man should die in sight of an ascetic like me,\nendowed with friendliness and compassion. I will pull him out of the\nwater and grant him the boon of life.\u201d He calmed the man\u2019s fears with\nthe words, \u201cFear not! fear not!\u201d Then, cleaving the stream of water,\nhe went and laid hold of that tree-trunk by one end, and pulled it.\nPowerful as an elephant, endowed with mighty strength, with a single\npull he reached the bank, and lifting the prince in his arms, set him\nashore.\n\n[Illustration: _Thus did those four persons travel together, swept\nalong by the river._]\n\nSeeing the snake, the rat, and the parrot, he picked them up also,\ncarried them to his hermitage, and lighted a fire. \u201cThe animals are\nweaker,\u201d thought he. So first he warmed the bodies of the animals;\nthen afterwards he warmed the body of the royal prince and made him\nwell too. When he brought food also, he first gave it to those same\nanimals, and afterwards offered fruits and other edibles to the prince.\nThought the royal prince: \u201cThis false ascetic does not take it into his\nreckoning that I am a royal prince, but does honor to animals.\u201d And he\nconceived a grudge against the Future Buddha.\n\nA few days after that, when all four had recovered their strength and\nvigor and the river-freshet had ceased, the snake bowed to the ascetic\nand said: \u201cReverend Sir, it is a great service you have done me. Now\nI am no pauper. In such-and-such a place I have buried forty crores\nof gold. If you have need of money, I can give you all that money.\nCome to that place and call me out, saying: \u2018Longfellow!\u2019\u201d So saying,\nhe departed. Likewise also the rat addressed the ascetic: \u201cStand in\nsuch-and-such a place and call me out, saying: \u2018Rat!\u2019\u201d So saying, he\ndeparted.\n\nBut when the parrot bowed to the ascetic, he said: \u201cReverend Sir, I\nhave no money; but if you have need of ruddy rice,--such-and-such is my\nplace of abode,--go there and call me out, saying: \u2018Parrot!\u2019 I\u2019ll tell\nmy kinsfolk, have them fetch ruddy rice by the cart-load, and give it\nto you. That\u2019s what I can do!\u201d So saying, he departed.\n\nBut that other, the man, because it was his custom to betray his\nfriends, said not so much as a word according to custom. Thought he:\n\u201cIf you come to me, I\u2019ll kill you!\u201d But he said: \u201cReverend Sir, when I\nam established in my kingdom, be good enough to come and see me; I\u2019ll\nfurnish you with the Four Requisites.\u201d So saying, he departed. And in\nno very long time after he had gone, he was established in his kingdom.\n\n\n_Gratefulness of animals._\n\nThought the Future Buddha: \u201cI\u2019ll just put them to the test!\u201d First he\nwent to the snake, and standing not far off, called him out, saying,\n\u201cLongfellow!\u201d At the mere word the snake came out, bowed to the Future\nBuddha, and said: \u201cReverend Sir, in this place are forty crores of\ngold; carry them all out and take them with you!\u201d Said the Future\nBuddha: \u201cLet be as it is; if occasion arises, I\u2019ll think about it.\u201d So\nsaying, he let the snake go back.\n\nThen he went to the rat and made a noise. The rat also behaved just as\nhad the snake. The Future Buddha let him also go back. Then he went\nto the parrot and called him out, saying: \u201cParrot!\u201d The parrot also,\nat the mere word, came down from the top of the tree, and bowing to\nthe Future Buddha, asked: \u201cTell me, Reverend Sir, shall I speak to my\nkinsfolk and have them fetch you self-sown rice from the region of\nHimavat?\u201d Said the Future Buddha: \u201cIf I have need, I\u2019ll think about\nit.\u201d So saying, he let the parrot also go back.\n\n\n_Ungratefulness of man._\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d thought the Future Buddha, \u201cI\u2019ll test the king!\u201d He went and\npassed the night in the king\u2019s garden, and on the following day, having\nput on beautiful garments, entered the city on his round for alms. At\nthat moment that king, that betrayer of friends, seated on the back of\nhis gloriously adorned state elephant, accompanied by a large retinue,\nwas making a rightwise circuit of the city. Seeing the Future Buddha\neven from afar, he thought: \u201cHere\u2019s that false ascetic, come to live\nwith me and eat his fill! That he may not make known in the midst of\nthis company the service he has rendered me, I\u2019ll straightway have his\nhead cut off!\u201d\n\nHe looked at his men. Said they: \u201cWhat shall we do, your majesty?\u201d Said\nthe king: \u201cHere\u2019s a false ascetic, come to ask me for something or\nother, I suppose. Without so much as giving that false ascetic, that\nbird of evil omen, a chance to look at me, take that fellow, bind his\narms behind his back, conduct him out of the city, beating him at every\ncross-roads, cut off his head in the place of execution, and impale\nhis body on a stake!\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said the king\u2019s men in assent. They\nbound the Great Being, guiltless as he was, and started to conduct him\nto the place of execution, beating him at every cross-roads. The Future\nBuddha, wherever they beat him, uttered no lament, \u201cWomen! men!\u201d but\nunperturbed, uttered the following stanza:\n\n  True is this saying of some men of the world:\n  \u201cDriftwood is worth more than some men!\u201d\n\n  [_Native gloss_: A stick of wood washed up on dry land is of some\n  use: it will cook food; it will warm those who are shivering with the\n  cold; it will remove dangerous objects. But an ingrate is worse than\n  useless.]\n\nThus, wherever they beat him, did he utter this stanza. Hearing this,\nwise men who stood by said: \u201cBut, monk, what is the trouble between you\nand our king? have you done him some good turn?\u201d Then the Future Buddha\ntold them the whole story, saying: \u201cI alone, by pulling this man out\nof a mighty flood, have brought suffering upon myself. I speak as I do\nbecause I keep thinking: \u2018Alas! I have not heeded the words of wise men\nof old!\u2019\u201d\n\nHearing this, Warriors and Brahmans and others, residents of the city,\nbecame enraged. Said they: \u201cThis king here, this betrayer of friends,\nhas not the slightest conception of the virtues of this embodiment of\nthe virtues, this man who has granted him the boon of his own life!\nWhat have we to gain through him! Capture him!\u201d And rising in all\nquarters, they slew him, even as he sat on the back of the elephant,\nby hitting him with arrows and spears and rocks and clubs. And laying\nhold of his feet, they dragged him and threw him back of the moat.\nAnd conferring the ceremonial sprinkling on the Future Buddha, they\nestablished him in the kingdom. The Future Buddha ruled righteously.\n\nAgain one day, desiring to test the snake, the rat, and the parrot,\nhe went with a large retinue to the place of abode of the snake and\ncalled him out, saying: \u201cLongfellow!\u201d The snake came, bowed to him,\nand said: \u201cHere\u2019s your money, master; take it.\u201d The king entrusted to\nhis ministers wealth amounting to forty crores of gold. Then he went\nto the rat and called him out, saying: \u201cRat!\u201d The rat also came, and\nwith a bow handed over to him wealth amounting to thirty crores. The\nking entrusted that also to his ministers. Then he went to the place of\nabode of the parrot and called him out, saying: \u201cParrot!\u201d The parrot\nalso came, and reverencing his feet, said: \u201cMaster, shall I fetch\nrice?\u201d Said the king: \u201cWhen there is need of rice, you may fetch it;\ncome, let\u2019s go.\u201d\n\nWith the seventy crores of gold, causing those three animals also\nto be carried along, he went to the city. And ascending to the grand\nfloor of his magnificent palace, he caused that wealth to be stored and\nguarded. For the snake to live in, he caused a golden tube to be made;\nfor the rat, a crystal cave; for the parrot, a golden cage. For the\nsnake and the parrot to eat, he caused every day sweet parched grain to\nbe given in a vessel of gold purified with fire; for the rat, grains\nof perfumed rice; he gave alms and performed the other works of merit.\nThus those four persons, one and all, dwelt together in unity and\nconcord all their days, and when their days were come to an end, passed\naway according to their deeds.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cMonks, not only in his present state of existence\n  has Devadatta gone about for the purpose of killing me; in a previous\n  state of existence also he went about for the purpose of killing me\n  in the very same way.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_3. Elephant and Ungrateful Forester._\n\n_The whole earth will not satisfy an ungrateful man._\n\nJ\u0101taka 72: i. 319-322.\n\n\n  _To an ungrateful man._ This parable was related by the Teacher while\n  he was in residence at Bamboo Grove with reference to Devadatta.\n  The monks, seated in the Hall of Truth, were saying: \u201cBrethren,\n  Devadatta the ungrateful knows not the virtues of the Teacher.\u201d\n  The Teacher drew near and asked: \u201cMonks, what is the subject that\n  engages your attention now, as you sit here all gathered together?\u201d\n  \u201cSuch-and-such,\u201d was the reply. \u201cMonks,\u201d said the Teacher, \u201cnot\n  only in his present state of existence has Devadatta proved to be\n  ungrateful; in a previous state of existence also he was ungrateful\n  just the same. At no time soever has he known my virtues.\u201d Then, in\n  response to a request of the monks, he related the following Story of\n  the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn in the region of Himavat as an elephant. When he was born,\nhe was pure white, like a mass of silver; moreover his eyes were like\nglobules of jewels, and from them shone forth the Five Brightnesses;\nhis mouth was like a crimson blanket; his trunk was like a rope of\nsilver, ornamented with spots of ruddy gold; his four feet were as if\nrubbed with lac. Thus his person, adorned with the Ten Perfections,\nattained the pinnacle of beauty.\n\nNow when he reached the age of reason, elephants from all over Himavat\nassembled and formed his retinue. Thus did he make his home in the\nregion of Himavat, with a retinue of eighty thousand elephants. After a\ntime, perceiving that there was contamination in the herd, he isolated\nhimself from the herd and made his home quite alone in the forest.\nMoreover, by reason of his goodness, he became known as Good King\nElephant.\n\nNow a certain resident of Ben\u0101res, a forester, entered the forest,\nseeking wares whereby to make his living. Unable to distinguish the\ndirections, he lost his way, and terrified with the fear of death, went\nabout with outstretched arms lamenting. The Future Buddha, hearing\nthose profound lamentations of his, thought: \u201cI will free this man from\nhis suffering.\u201d And impelled by compassion, he went to him.\n\nThe instant that man saw the Future Buddha, he fled in fright. The\nFuture Buddha, seeing him in flight, halted right where he was. The\nman, seeing that the Future Buddha had halted, himself halted. The\nFuture Buddha came back. The man fled a second time, but halting when\nthe Future Buddha halted, thought: \u201cThis elephant halts when I flee,\nand approaches when I halt. He has no desire to do me harm, but without\na doubt desires only to free me from this suffering.\u201d And summoning up\nhis courage, he halted.\n\nThe Future Buddha approached him and asked: \u201cWhy, Master man, do you\ngo about lamenting?\u201d \u201cMaster, because I couldn\u2019t distinguish the\ndirections, lost my way, and was afraid of death.\u201d Then the Future\nBuddha conducted him to his own place of abode, and for a few days\ngladdened him with fruits and other edibles. Then said the Future\nBuddha: \u201cMaster man, don\u2019t be afraid: I\u2019ll conduct you to the path of\nman.\u201d And seating him on his back, he proceeded to the path of men.\n\nBut that man, that betrayer of friends, even as he sat on the back of\nthe Future Buddha, thought: \u201cIf anybody asks me, I must be able to tell\nhim where this elephant lives.\u201d So as he went along, he noted carefully\nthe landmarks of tree and mountain. Now the Future Buddha, having\nconducted that man out of the forest, set him down on the highway\nleading to Ben\u0101res, and said to him: \u201cMaster man, go by this road; but\nas for my place of abode, whether you are asked or not, say nothing to\nanybody about it.\u201d So saying, he took leave of him and went back to his\nown place of abode.\n\nNow that man went to Ben\u0101res, and in the course of his walks came to\nthe street of the ivory-carvers. And seeing the ivory-carvers making\nvarious kinds of ivory products, he asked: \u201cBut, sirs, how much would\nyou make if you could get the tusk of a real live elephant?\u201d \u201cWhat are\nyou saying, sir! The tusk of a live elephant is far more valuable than\nthe tusk of a dead elephant.\u201d \u201cVery well! I\u2019ll fetch you the tusk of a\nlive elephant.\u201d Accordingly, obtaining provisions for the journey and\ntaking a sharp saw, he went to the place of abode of the Future Buddha.\n\nWhen the Future Buddha saw him, he asked: \u201cFor what purpose have you\ncome?\u201d \u201cI, sir, am a poor man, a pauper, unable to make a living. I\ncame with this thought in my mind: \u2018I will ask you for a fragment of\none of your tusks; if you will give it to me, I will take it and go and\nsell it and with the money it brings make a living.\u2019\u201d \u201cLet be, sir!\nI\u2019ll give you tusks, if you have a sharp saw to cut them off with.\u201d \u201cI\nbrought a saw with me, sir.\u201d \u201cVery well, sever the tusks with your saw\nand take them and go your way.\u201d So saying, the Future Buddha bowed his\nknees together and sat down like a cow. The man actually cut off his\ntwo principal tusks!\n\n[Illustration: _The man actually cut off his two principal tusks!_]\n\nThe Future Buddha, taking those tusks in his trunk, said: \u201cMaster\nman, not with the thought, \u2018These tusks are not dear to me, not\npleasing to me,\u2019 do I give you these tusks. But dearer to me than\nthese a thousand times,--a hundred thousand times,--are the Tusks of\nOmniscience, which avail to the comprehension of all things. May this\ngift of tusks which I here bestow enable me to attain Omniscience!\u201d So\nsaying, as it were sowing the Seed of Omniscience, he gave him the pair\nof tusks.\n\nThe man took them and went and sold them. When the money they brought\nwas gone, he went to the Future Buddha again and said: \u201cMaster, the\nmoney I got by selling you tusks turned out to be no more than enough\nto pay off my debts. Give me the rest of your tusks!\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said\nthe Future Buddha, consenting. And ordering all things precisely as\nbefore, he gave him the rest of his tusks.\n\nThose also did that man sell, and then came back again. \u201cMaster,\u201d said\nhe. \u201cI cannot make a living. Give me the stumps of your tusks!\u201d \u201cVery\nwell,\u201d said the Future Buddha, and sat down precisely as before. That\nwicked man trod on the Great Being\u2019s trunk,--that trunk which was like\nunto a rope of silver; climbed up on the Great Being\u2019s temples,--those\ntemples which were like unto the snow-clad peaks of Kel\u0101sa, with his\nheel kicking the tips of the tusks and loosening the flesh; and having\nmounted the temples, with a sharp saw severed the stumps of the tusks,\nand went his way.\n\nBut even as that wicked man receded from the vision of the Future\nBuddha, the solid earth, which extends for a distance of two hundred\nthousand leagues and four Inconceivables more, which is able to\nendure such mighty burdens as Sineru and Yugandhara, and all manner\nof foul-smelling and repulsive objects,--even the solid earth, as if\nunable to endure the wickedness he had piled upon it, burst asunder\nand yawned. Instantly from the Great Waveless Hell flames of fire shot\nforth, enveloped that man, that betrayer of friends, wrapping him, as\nit were, in a blanket proper for death and laid hold of him.\n\nWhen that wicked man thus entered the earth, the tree-spirit resident\nin that forest-grove thought: \u201cAn ungrateful man, a man who will betray\nhis friends, cannot be satisfied, even if he be given the kingdom of a\nUniversal Monarch.\u201d And making the forest ring, proclaiming the Truth,\nthe tree-spirit uttered the following stanza:\n\n  To an ungrateful man\n  Ever looking for an opening\n  You may give the whole earth\n  And yet not satisfy him.\n\nThus did that tree-spirit, making the forest ring, proclaim the Truth.\nThe Future Buddha, having remained on earth during the term of life\nallotted to him, passed away according to his deeds.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cMonks, not only in his present state of existence\n  has Devadatta proved ungrateful; in a previous state of existence\n  also he was ungrateful just the same.\u201d Having completed the parable,\n  he identified the personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that\n  time the man who betrayed his friend was Devadatta, the tree-spirit\n  was one of my disciples, but Good King Elephant was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_4. Quail, Crow, Fly, Frog, and Elephants._\n\n_The biter bit._\n\nJ\u0101taka 357: iii. 174-177.\n\n\n  Hearing that the monks of Kosambi were quarreling, the Exalted One\n  went to them and said: \u201cEnough, monks! No quarreling! No brawling! No\n  contending! No wrangling!\u201d Then he said: \u201cMonks, quarrels, brawls,\n  contentions, wrangles,--all these are unprofitable. For because of a\n  quarrel even a tiny quail brought about the destruction of a noble\n  elephant.\u201d\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha was\nreborn as an elephant. He grew up to be a fine big animal, acquired\na retinue of eighty thousand elephants, and becoming the leader of a\nherd, made his home in the Him\u0101laya region. At that time a tiny female\nquail laid her eggs in the elephants\u2019 stamping-ground. When the eggs\nwere hatched, the fledglings broke the shells and came out. Before\ntheir wings had grown and while they were yet unable to fly, the Great\nBeing came to that spot with his retinue of eighty thousand elephants\nin search of food.\n\nWhen the tiny quail saw him, she thought: \u201cThis elephant-king will\ncrush my fledglings and kill them. Well, I will ask of him righteous\nprotection for the defense of my little ones.\u201d So folding her wings\nand standing before him, she uttered the first stanza:\n\n  I salute you, elephant of sixty years,\n  Forest-ranger, glorious leader of a herd;\n  With my wings I do you homage.\n  I am weak: do not kill my little ones.\n\nSaid the Great Being: \u201cDo not worry, tiny quail; I will protect your\nlittle ones.\u201d And he stood over the fledglings, and the eighty thousand\nelephants passed by. Then he addressed the tiny quail: \u201cBehind us comes\na single solitary elephant; he will not obey our command. If you ask\nhim also when he comes, you may obtain safety for your little ones.\u201d So\nsaying, he went his way.\n\nThe tiny quail went forth to meet the solitary elephant, did homage to\nhim with her wings, and uttered the second stanza:\n\n  I salute you, solitary elephant,\n  Forest-ranger, pasturing on mountain and on hill;\n  With my wings I do you homage.\n  I am weak: do not kill my little ones.\n\nThe solitary elephant, hearing her words, uttered the third stanza:\n\n  I will kill your little ones, tiny quail.\n  What can you do to me? You are a weakling.\n  Even a hundred thousand like you\n  Could I crush with my left foot.\n\nSo saying, he pulverized her little ones with his foot, and went his\nway trumpeting. The tiny quail perched on the branch of a tree and\nthought: \u201cJust now you go your way trumpeting. In only a few days you\nwill see what I can do! You do not understand that the mind is stronger\nthan the body. Ah, but I will make you understand!\u201d And threatening\nhim, she uttered the fourth stanza:\n\n  For not alway does strength avail;\n  For strength is the destruction of a fool.\n  Elephant-king, I will do you harm,\n  You who killed my little ones since I was weak.\n\nThus spoke the tiny quail. For a few days she ministered to a crow.\nThe crow was pleased and said: \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d Said the tiny\nquail: \u201cMaster, there is only one thing I want done. I expect you to\npeck out the eyes of that solitary elephant.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d assented\nthe crow. The tiny quail then ministered to a green fly. The fly also\nsaid, \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d Said the tiny quail: \u201cWhen this crow\nhas put out the eyes of the solitary elephant, I wish you would drop a\nnit on them.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d assented the fly also. The tiny quail then\nministered to a frog. Said the frog: \u201cWhat can I do?\u201d Said the tiny\nquail: \u201cWhen this solitary elephant has gone blind and seeks water to\ndrink, then please squat on the mountain-top and croak; and when he\nhas climbed to the top of the mountain, then please hop down and croak\nat the bottom. This is all I expect of you.\u201d The frog also, hearing her\nwords, assented, saying, \u201cVery well.\u201d\n\nNow one day the crow pecked out both of the elephant\u2019s eyes, and the\nfly let a nit drop on them. The elephant, eaten up by maggots, maddened\nwith pain, overcome with thirst, wandered about seeking water to drink.\nAt that moment the frog, squatting on the mountain-top, let out a\ncroak. The elephant thought: \u201cThere must be water there;\u201d and climbed\nthe mountain. Then the frog hopped down, and squatting at the bottom,\nlet out a croak. The elephant thought: \u201cThere must be water there.\u201d And\ngoing to the brink of the precipice, he tumbled and fell to the foot of\nthe mountain, and met destruction.\n\nWhen the tiny quail realized that he was dead, she cried out: \u201cI have\nseen the back of my enemy!\u201d And pleased and delighted, she strutted\nover his shoulders, and passed away according to her deeds.\n\n  Behold the quail, the crow, the fly, the frog!\n  They slew the elephant! Behold the hatred of the haters!\n\n\n\n\n_5. Quails and Fowler._\n\n_In union there is strength._\n\nJ\u0101taka 33: i. 208-210.\n\n\n  Then said the Exalted One to those monks: \u201cMonks, be united; do not\n  wrangle. For because of a wrangle many thousand quails lost their\n  lives.\u201d\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn as a quail, and lived in the forest with a retinue of many\nthousand quails. At that time a certain quail-hunter used to go to the\nhaunt of the quails and attract them by imitating a quail\u2019s whistle.\nWhen he perceived that they had assembled, he would throw a net over\nthem and huddle them all together by trampling the edges. Then he would\nfill his basket, go home, and sell them. Thus he made his living.\n\nNow one day the Future Buddha said to those quails: \u201cThis fowler is\nbringing our kinsfolk to destruction. I know a way by which he shall\nnot be able to catch us. From this time on, the moment he throws the\nnet over you, let each quail stick his head through a single mesh,\nlift the net, and carrying it wherever you will, let it down on some\nthorn-brake. This done, we can escape each through his own mesh.\u201d They\nall assented, saying, \u201cVery well!\u201d\n\nWhen the net was thrown over them on the following day, they raised the\nnet precisely as the Future Buddha had told them to, dropped it on a\ncertain thorn-brake, and themselves escaped from under. Twilight came\non with the fowler still busy disentangling the net from the brake, and\nhe went away absolutely empty-handed. On the next day, and thereafter\nalso, the quails did the very same thing. The fowler also, busy every\nmoment until sunset disentangling the net, got nothing, and went home\nabsolutely empty-handed.\n\nNow his wife got angry and said: \u201cDay after day you return\nempty-handed; I suppose there is some other household outside you have\nto provide for too.\u201d Said the fowler: \u201cMy dear, there is no other\nhousehold I have to provide for. The fact is, these quails are acting\nin unison. The moment I throw the net, they depart with it and drop\nit on a thorn-brake. But they will not live in unity forever. Do not\nworry. When they fall to wrangling, I will return with them all and\nbring a smile to your lips.\u201d And he recited the following stanza to his\nwife:\n\n  United, the birds go away with the net;\n  But when they fall out, they\u2019ll come into my power.\n\nNow after only a few days had passed, one quail, lighting on the\nfeeding-ground, accidentally trod on the head of another. The other was\noffended and said: \u201cWho trod on my head?\u201d \u201cI did, but accidentally;\ndo not be offended.\u201d But the other was offended just the same. They\nbandied words and wrangled with each other, saying, \u201cYou alone, I\nsuppose, lift the net!\u201d\n\nWhile they wrangled, the Future Buddha thought: \u201cThere is no safety for\na wrangler. From this moment they will not lift the net. Then they will\ncome to a sorry end. The fowler will get his chance. It is impossible\nfor me to live in this place.\u201d And he went elsewhere with his own\nretinue.\n\nAs for the fowler, he came back after a few days, imitated a quail\u2019s\nwhistle, and when the quails had assembled, threw the net over them.\nThen said one quail: \u201cThey say that in the very act of lifting the net,\nyou lost the down on your head. Now lift!\u201d Said another: \u201cThey say that\nin the very act of lifting the net, you lost your wing-feathers. Now\nlift!\u201d\n\nEven as they said: \u201cYou lift!\u201d \u201cYou lift!\u201d the fowler tossed the net.\nAnd huddling them all together, he filled his basket, and went home and\nbrought a smile to the lips of his wife.\n\n  And for the second time the Exalted One said this to those monks:\n  \u201cEnough, monks! No quarreling! No brawling! No contending! No\n  wrangling!\u201d\n\n  But in spite of this, they paid no attention to his words. Thereupon\n  the Exalted One related the following Story of the Past:\n\n\n\n\n_6. Brahmadatta and the Prince._\n\n_Love your enemies._\n\nVinaya i. 342-349.\n\n\nIn olden times at Ben\u0101res, Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si was rich,\npossessed of great wealth, ample means of enjoyment, a mighty army,\nmany vehicles, an extensive kingdom, and well filled treasuries and\nstorehouses. D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala was poor, possessed of meagre\nwealth, scanty means of enjoyment, a small army, few vehicles, a little\nkingdom, and unfilled treasuries and storehouses.\n\nNow Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si drew up his fourfold army and went up\nagainst D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala. And D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala heard:\n\u201cBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si, they say, has drawn up his fourfold army,\nand is come up against me.\u201d Then to D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala occurred\nthe following thought: \u201cBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si is rich, possessed of\ngreat wealth, ample means of enjoyment, a mighty army, many vehicles,\nan extensive kingdom, and well filled treasuries and storehouses. But\nI am poor, possessed of meagre wealth, scanty means of enjoyment, a\nsmall army, few vehicles, a little kingdom, and unfilled treasuries and\nstorehouses. I am not strong enough to withstand even a single clash\nwith Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. Suppose I were merely to countermarch\nand slip out of the city!\u201d\n\nAccordingly D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala took his consort, merely\ncountermarched, and slipped out of the city. Thereupon Brahmadatta king\nof K\u0101si conquered the army and vehicles and territory and treasuries\nand storehouses of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala, and took possession. And\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort set out for Ben\u0101res, and in\ndue course arrived at Ben\u0101res. And there, in a certain place on the\noutskirts of Ben\u0101res, D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala resided with his consort,\nin a potter\u2019s dwelling, in disguise, in the guise of a wandering\nascetic.\n\nNow in no very long time the consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala was\nwith child. And this was her craving: She desired at sunrise to see a\nfourfold army drawn up, clad in armor, standing in a pleasant place,\nand to drink the rinsings of swords. Accordingly the consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti\nking of Kosala said this to D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala: \u201cI am with child,\nO king. And this craving has arisen within me: I desire at sunrise to\nsee a fourfold army drawn up, clad in armor, standing in a pleasant\nplace, and to drink the rinsings of swords.\u201d \u201cWhence are we, wretched\nfolk, to obtain a fourfold army drawn up, clad in armor, standing in\na pleasant place, and the rinsings of swords?\u201d \u201cIf, O king, I do not\nobtain my desire, I shall die.\u201d\n\nNow at that time the Brahman who was the house-priest of Brahmadatta\nking of K\u0101si was a friend of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala. Accordingly\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala approached the Brahman who was the house-priest\nof Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. And having approached, he said this to the\nBrahman who was the house-priest of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cSir,\nyour female friend is with child. And this craving has arisen within\nher: She desires at sunrise to see a fourfold army drawn up, clad in\narmor, standing in a pleasant place, and to drink the rinsings of\nswords.\u201d \u201cVery well, O king, we also will see the queen.\u201d\n\nNow the consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala approached the Brahman who\nwas the house-priest of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. The Brahman who was\nthe house-priest of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si saw the consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti\nking of Kosala approaching even from afar. And seeing her, he rose from\nhis seat, adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one shoulder only,\nand bending his joined hands in reverent salutation before the consort\nof D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala, thrice breathed forth the utterance: \u201cAll\nhail! A king of Kosala shall be born of thee! All hail! A king of\nKosala shall be born of thee!\u201d Then he said: \u201cBe not distressed, O\nqueen. You shall obtain your desire to see at sunrise a fourfold army\ndrawn up, clad in armor, standing in a pleasant place, and to drink the\nrinsings of swords.\u201d\n\nThereupon the Brahman who was the house-priest of Brahmadatta king\nof K\u0101si approached Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. And having approached,\nhe said this to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cThus, O king, the signs\nappear: To-morrow at sunrise let the fourfold army be drawn up, clad\nin armor, standing in a pleasant place, and let the swords be washed.\u201d\nAccordingly Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si ordered his men: \u201cDo as the\nBrahman who is my house-priest has said.\u201d Thus the consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti\nking of Kosala obtained her desire to see at sunrise a fourfold army\ndrawn up, clad in armor, standing in a pleasant place, and to drink the\nrinsings of swords. And when that unborn child had reached maturity,\nthe consort of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala brought forth a son, and they\ncalled his name D\u012bgh\u0101vu. And in no very long time Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu\nreached the age of reason.\n\nNow to D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala occurred the following thought: \u201cThis\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si has done us much injury. He has robbed us of\narmy and vehicles and territory and treasuries and storehouses. If\nhe recognizes us, he will cause all three of us to be put to death.\nSuppose I were to cause Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to dwell outside of the city!\u201d\nAccordingly D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala caused Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to dwell\noutside of the city. And Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, residing outside of the city,\nin no very long time acquired all the arts and crafts.\n\nNow at that time the barber of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala resided at the\ncourt of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. The barber of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala\nsaw D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala residing with his consort in a certain place\non the outskirts of Ben\u0101res, in a potter\u2019s dwelling, in disguise,\nin the guise of a wandering ascetic. When he saw him, he approached\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si. And having approached, he said this to\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cO king, D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala is residing\nwith his consort in a certain place on the outskirts of Ben\u0101res, in a\npotter\u2019s dwelling, in disguise, in the guise of a wandering ascetic.\u201d\n\nThereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si ordered his men: \u201cNow then, bring\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort before me.\u201d \u201cYes, your\nmajesty,\u201d said those men to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si; and in obedience\nto his command brought D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort before\nhim. Then Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si ordered his men: \u201cNow then, take\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort, bind their arms tight behind\ntheir backs with a stout rope, shave their heads, and to the loud\nbeating of a drum lead them about from street to street, from crossing\nto crossing, conduct them out of the South gate, hack their bodies\ninto four pieces south of the city, and throw the pieces in the four\ndirections.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said those men to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si; and in\nobedience to his command took D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort,\nbound their arms tight behind their backs with a stout rope, shaved\ntheir heads, and to the loud beating of a drum led them about from\nstreet to street, from crossing to crossing.\n\nNow to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu occurred the following thought: \u201cIt is a long\ntime since I have seen my mother and father. Suppose I were to see my\nmother and father!\u201d Accordingly Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu entered Ben\u0101res, and\nsaw his mother and father, their arms bound tight behind their backs,\ntheir heads shaven, being led about, to the loud beating of a drum,\nfrom street to street, from crossing to crossing. When he saw this, he\napproached his mother and father.\n\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala saw Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu approaching even from afar.\nWhen he saw him, he said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cDear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, do\nnot look long! Do not look short! For, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are not\nquenched by hatred. Nay rather, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched by\nlove.\u201d\n\nAt these words those men said this to D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala: \u201cThis\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala is stark mad, and talks gibberish. Who is\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu to him? To whom did he speak thus: \u2018Dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, do not look\nlong! Do not look short! For, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are not quenched by\nhatred. Nay rather, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched by love\u2019?\u201d \u201cI am\nnot stark mad, I assure you, nor do I talk gibberish. However, he that\nis intelligent will understand clearly.\u201d For the second and the third\ntime D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala spoke thus to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, and those men\nspoke thus to D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala.\n\nThen those men led D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala with his consort about from\nstreet to street, from crossing to crossing, conducted them out of the\nSouth gate, hacked their bodies into four pieces south of the city,\nthrew the pieces in the four directions, posted a guard of soldiers,\nand departed.\n\nThereupon Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu entered Ben\u0101res, procured liquor, and gave\nit to the soldiers to drink. When they were drunk and had fallen, he\ngathered sticks of wood, built a pyre, placed the bodies of his mother\nand father on the pyre, lighted it, and with joined hands upraised in\nreverent salutation thrice made sunwise circuit of the pyre.\n\nNow at that time Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si was on an upper floor of his\nsplendid palace. And Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si saw Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, with\njoined hands upraised in reverent salutation, thrice making sunwise\ncircuit of the pyre. When he saw this, the following thought occurred\nto him: \u201cWithout doubt that man is a kinsman or blood-relative of\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala. Alas, my wretched misfortune, for no one will\ntell me the facts!\u201d\n\nNow Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu went to the forest, wailed and wept his fill,\nand wiped his tears away. Then he entered Ben\u0101res, went to the\nelephant-stable adjoining the royal palace, and said this to the\nelephant-trainer: \u201cTrainer, I wish to learn your art.\u201d \u201cVery well,\nyoung man, learn it.\u201d Accordingly Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu rose at night, at\ntime of dawn, and sang and played the lute with charming voice in the\nelephant-stable.\n\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si heard him as he rose at night, at time\nof dawn, and sang and played the lute with charming voice in the\nelephant-stable. Hearing him, he asked his men: \u201cWho was it, pray,\nthat rose at night, at time of dawn, and sang and played the lute\nwith charming voice in the elephant-stable?\u201d \u201cYour majesty, it was a\nyoung man, the pupil of such-and-such an elephant-trainer, who rose\nat night, at time of dawn, and sang and played the lute with charming\nvoice in the elephant-stable.\u201d \u201cVery well, bring that young man to me.\u201d\n\u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said those men to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si; and in\nobedience to his command brought Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to him.\n\n\u201cWas it you, young man, who rose at night, at time of dawn, and sang\nand played the lute with charming voice in the elephant-stable?\u201d \u201cYes,\nyour majesty.\u201d \u201cVery well, young man, sing and play the lute for me.\u201d\n\u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si;\nand in obedience to his command, desiring to win his favor, sang and\nplayed the lute with charming voice.\n\nThereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cYou,\nyoung man, may wait upon me.\u201d \u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu\nto Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si, and obeyed his command. And Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu\nrose in advance of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si, retired after him, obeyed\nhis every command, conducted himself in a pleasing manner, spoke in\na friendly manner. And in no very long time Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si\nappointed Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to a highly confidential position.\n\nNow Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cNow then,\nyoung man, harness the chariot; I wish to go a-hunting.\u201d \u201cYes, your\nmajesty,\u201d said Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. And having,\nin obedience to the king\u2019s command, harnessed the chariot, he said this\nto Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cYour majesty, the chariot is harnessed\nfor you; do as you think fit.\u201d Thereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si\nmounted the chariot; Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu drove the chariot. In such wise did\nhe drive the chariot that the army went one way, the chariot the other.\n\nNow when he had gone a long way, Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si said this\nto Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cNow then, young man, unharness the chariot. I am\ntired: I wish to lie down.\u201d \u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si; and in obedience to his command unharnessed\nthe chariot and sat down on the ground cross-legged. And Brahmadatta\nking of K\u0101si lay down, placing his head in Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu\u2019s lap. So\ntired was he that in the mere fraction of a moment he fell asleep.\n\nThereupon to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu occurred the following thought: \u201cThis\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si has done us much injury. He has robbed us of\narmy and vehicles and territory and treasuries and storehouses. And he\nhas killed my mother and father. This would be the very time for me\nto satisfy my hatred!\u201d And he drew sword from sheath. Then to Prince\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu occurred the following thought: \u201cMy father said to me in the\nhour of death: \u2018Dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, do not look long! Do not look short! For,\ndear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are not quenched by hatred. Nay rather, dear\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched by love.\u2019 It is not fitting that I should\ntransgress the command of my father.\u201d And he returned sword to sheath.\nAnd this happened a second time, and a third time.\n\nSuddenly Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si rose, frightened, agitated, alarmed,\nterrified. Thereupon Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu said this to Brahmadatta king\nof K\u0101si: \u201cWhy, your majesty, did you rise so suddenly, frightened,\nagitated, alarmed, terrified?\u201d \u201cRight here, young man, Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu,\nson of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala, fell upon me with his sword in a dream.\nTherefore I rose suddenly, frightened, agitated, alarmed, terrified.\u201d\n\nThen Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, stroking the head of Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si with\nhis left hand, and drawing his sword with his right hand, said this to\nBrahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cI, your majesty, am Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, son of\nD\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala. You have done us much injury. You have robbed\nus of army and vehicles and territory and treasuries and storehouses.\nAnd you have killed my mother and father. This would be the very time\nfor me to satisfy my hatred!\u201d\n\nThereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si prostrated himself on his face at\nthe feet of Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, and said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cGrant me\nmy life, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu! Grant me my life, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu!\u201d \u201cHow have I the\npower to grant your majesty your life? Your majesty, however, might\ngrant me my life.\u201d \u201cVery well, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu. You grant me my life, and\nI will grant you your life.\u201d Then Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si and Prince\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu granted each other their lives and shook hands and swore an\noath not to injure each other.\n\nThen Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cNow then,\ndear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, harness the chariot; let us be going.\u201d \u201cYes, your\nmajesty,\u201d said Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu to Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si. And having,\nin obedience to the king\u2019s command, harnessed the chariot, he said this\nto Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si: \u201cYour majesty, the chariot is harnessed\nfor you; do as you think fit.\u201d Thereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si\nmounted the chariot; Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu drove the chariot. In such wise did\nhe drive the chariot that in no very long time he came up with the army.\n\nThen Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si entered Ben\u0101res, caused the ministers of\nhis council to be assembled, and said this: \u201cIf, sirs, you were to\nsee Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu, son of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala, what would you do\nto him?\u201d Some spoke thus: \u201cWe, your majesty, would cut off his hands.\u201d\nOthers spoke thus: \u201cWe, your majesty, would cut off his feet.\u201d \u201cWe\nwould cut off his hands and feet.\u201d \u201cWe would cut off his ears.\u201d \u201cWe\nwould cut off his nose.\u201d \u201cWe would cut off his ears and nose.\u201d \u201cWe,\nyour majesty, would cut off his head.\u201d \u201cSirs, this is Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu,\nson of D\u012bgh\u012bti king of Kosala; it is not permissible to do anything to\nhim. He has granted me my life, and I have granted him his life.\u201d\n\nThen Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si said this to Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu: \u201cWhen, dear\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu, your father said to you in the hour of death: \u2018Dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu,\ndo not look long! Do not look short! For, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are\nnot quenched by hatred. Nay rather, dear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched\nby love,\u2019 what did your father mean by that?\u201d \u201cWhen, your majesty, my\nfather said to me in the hour of death: \u2018Not long,\u2019 what he meant was:\n\u2018Do not cherish hatred long.\u2019 This, your majesty, is what my father\nmeant when he said to me in the hour of death: \u2018Not long.\u2019 When, your\nmajesty, my father said to me in the hour of death: \u2018Not short,\u2019 what\nhe meant was: \u2018Do not break with your friends quickly.\u2019 This, your\nmajesty, is what my father meant when he said to me in the hour of\ndeath: \u2018Not short.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhen, your majesty, my father said to me in the hour of death: \u2018For,\ndear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are not quenched by hatred. Nay rather, dear\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched by love,\u2019 what he meant to have me\nunderstand was this: Your majesty has killed my mother and father. Were\nI to deprive your majesty of life, your majesty\u2019s well-wishers would\ndeprive me of life, and my well-wishers would deprive yours of life.\nThus that hatred would not be quenched by hatred. But as matters stand,\nyour majesty has granted me my life, and I have granted your majesty\nhis life. Thus hatred has been quenched by love. This, your majesty,\nis what my father meant when he said to me in the hour of death: \u2018For,\ndear D\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are not quenched by hatred. Nay rather, dear\nD\u012bgh\u0101vu, hatreds are quenched by love.\u2019\u201d\n\nThereupon Brahmadatta king of K\u0101si exclaimed: \u201cO how wonderful, O how\nmarvelous, that this Prince D\u012bgh\u0101vu should understand in its fulness a\nmatter which his father expressed so briefly!\u201d And he restored to him\nthe army and vehicles and territory and treasuries and storehouses of\nhis fathers, and gave him his daughter in marriage.\n\n  \u201cFor, monks, of these kings who took the rod, who took the sword,\n  such is said to have been the patience and gentleness. How much more,\n  monks, should you, who have retired from the world under a Doctrine\n  and Discipline so well taught, let your light so shine in this world\n  as to be known of men as patient and gentle.\u201d And for the third\n  time the Exalted One said this to those monks: \u201cEnough, monks! No\n  quarreling! No brawling! No contending! No wrangling!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_7. Antelope, Woodpecker, Tortoise, and Hunter._\n\n_In union there is strength._\n\nJ\u0101taka 206: ii. 152-155.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion the Teacher related the following story:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha was\nan antelope and made his home in a certain thicket in a forest, not\nfar from a certain lake. Not far from that same lake, on the tip of a\ncertain tree, perched a woodpecker. Moreover in the lake a tortoise\nmade his home. Thus did those three live together as friends, kindly\naffectionate one towards another.\n\nNow a certain hunter, on his way through the forest, seeing the tracks\nof the Future Buddha at the place where the animals went to drink, set\na trap, resembling an iron foot-chain, only made of leathern strips,\nand went his way. In the very first watch of the night the Future\nBuddha, coming to drink of the water, became entangled in the trap and\ncried the cry of a captured animal.\n\nWhen he made that sound, from the tip of the tree came the woodpecker\nand out of the water came the tortoise. And they took counsel\ntogether, saying: \u201cWhat\u2019s to be done now?\u201d Then said the woodpecker,\naddressing the tortoise: \u201cMaster, you have teeth; you saw this trap in\ntwo. I\u2019ll go and manage things in such a way that that hunter sha\u2019n\u2019t\ncome near. Thus, if the two of us do our very best, our friend will\nsave his life.\u201d And explaining this matter, he uttered the first stanza:\n\n  Come, tortoise! use your teeth, and cut the leathern trap!\n  I\u2019ll manage things in such a way the hunter shall not come!\n\nThe tortoise began to chew the strips of leather. The woodpecker went\nto the village where the hunter lived. At the first signs of dawn,\nthe hunter took his knife and started to leave the house. The bird,\nobserving that he was leaving the house, shrieked, flapped his wings,\nand struck him in the face just as he was coming out of the front door.\nThought the hunter: \u201cI have been struck by a bird of evil omen.\u201d So he\nwent back, lay down for a little while, and then got up again and took\nhis knife.\n\nThe bird knew: \u201cThis fellow first came out of the front door. This time\nhe will come out of the back door.\u201d So he went and perched back of the\nhouse. As for the hunter, he thought: \u201cWhen I went out of the front\ndoor, I saw a bird of evil omen. This time I will go out of the back\ndoor.\u201d So he went out of the back door. Again the bird shrieked, flew\nat him, and struck him in the face. The hunter, struck once again by\nthat bird of evil omen, made up his mind: \u201cThat bird will not permit me\nto go out.\u201d So he went back, lay down until the dawn came up, and when\nit was dawn, took his knife and went out. The bird went quickly and\ntold the Future Buddha: \u201cThe hunter is coming!\u201d\n\nAt that moment the tortoise had chewed all of the strips except just\none strap. But his teeth had got to the point where they were ready to\ndrop, and his jaws were smeared with blood. The Future Buddha saw the\nhunter, knife in hand, coming on with lightning-speed. Rending that\nstrap, he entered the wood. The bird perched on the tip of the tree.\nBut the tortoise was so weak that he continued to lie right there. The\nhunter threw the tortoise into a sack and hung the sack on some stump\nor other.\n\n[Illustration: _At that moment the tortoise had chewed all of the\nstrips except just one strap._]\n\nThe Future Buddha came back, looked about, and perceived that the\ntortoise had been taken captive. \u201cI will grant my friend the boon of\nlife!\u201d he resolved. So feigning weakness, he showed himself to the\nhunter. \u201cThat antelope must be very weak,\u201d thought the hunter: \u201cI will\nkill him.\u201d And knife in hand, he started after him. The Future Buddha,\nkeeping not too far away and not too near, led him on and entered the\nforest. When he thought he had gone far enough, he disguised his\ntracks, went by another path with the speed of the wind, lifted the\nsack on his horn, flung it on the ground, broke it open, and let out\nthe tortoise. As for the woodpecker, he came down from the tree.\n\nThe Future Buddha, admonishing his two friends, said: \u201cI, through you,\nhave obtained my life. You have done for me what a friend should do for\na friend. At any moment the hunter may come and catch you. Therefore,\nMaster woodpecker, do you take your fledglings and go elsewhere; and do\nyou, Master tortoise, enter the water.\u201d They did so.\n\n  The Teacher, as Supreme Buddha, uttered the second stanza:\n\n    The tortoise entered the water,\n    The antelope entered the wood,\n    The woodpecker from that dangerous path\n      Took his fledglings far away.\n\n\nWhen the hunter returned to that spot and saw nothing at all, he took\nthe tattered sack and went to his own house in deep dejection. As for\nthose three friends, they lived all their lives long with never a break\nin their friendly relations, and then passed away according to their\ndeeds.\n\n\n\n\n_8. Brahmadatta and Mallika._\n\n_Overcome evil with good._\n\nJ\u0101taka 151: ii. 1-5.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion king Pasenadi Kosala, after deciding\n  litigations in the Hall of Justice, came hastily to pay his respects\n  to the Teacher. Said the Teacher: \u201cGreat king, to decide litigations\n  righteously and justly is a good thing. It is the Path to Heaven. But\n  this is no remarkable thing, that you, receiving admonition from an\n  Omniscient Buddha like me, should decide litigations righteously and\n  justly. This alone is remarkable, that kings of old, listening to the\n  words of men who were wise but not omniscient, decided litigations\n  righteously and justly, avoided the Four Evil Courses, kept inviolate\n  the Ten Royal Virtues, ruled justly, and departed fulfilling the Path\n  to Heaven.\u201d Then, in response to a request of the king, he related\n  the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nreceived a new existence as the child of his chief consort. On his\nname-day he was given the name Prince Brahmadatta. In due time he grew\nup. When he was sixteen years old, he went to Takkasil\u0101, acquired\nproficiency in all the arts and crafts, and on the death of his father,\nbecame established in the kingdom.\n\nHe ruled righteously and justly. He avoided the Four Evil Courses\nin rendering judgments. Since he himself ruled so righteously,\nthe ministers of justice also transacted their affairs with an eye\nto righteousness alone. Since the ministers of justice transacted\ntheir affairs righteously, there were no men who brought dishonest\nlitigations. For lack of them, hubbub over litigations in the king\u2019s\ncourtyard ceased. Every day ministers of justice took their seats\nin the place of litigation, but seeing no one come for litigation,\ndeparted. The place of litigation became abandoned.\n\nThe Future Buddha thought: \u201cSince I have been ruling righteously, no\nmen at all have come for litigation, the hubbub has ceased, the place\nof litigation has become abandoned. The time has come for me to find\nout whether I have any fault. If I know, \u2018This, for example, is a\nfault in me,\u2019 I will get rid of it and have to do with good qualities\nonly.\u201d From that time on he mingled with indoor-folk and tested them\nwith the question, \u201cIs there anybody who says I have a fault?\u201d He met\nwith no one who said he had a fault, but heard mentioned only his own\ngood qualities. \u201cIt may be because these people are afraid of me that\nthey refrain from mentioning faults in me and speak only of my good\nqualities.\u201d\n\nHe tested the outdoor-folk, but among them also met no one. He tested\nthose who dwelt within the city. He took his stand in the settlements\nat the four gates and tested those who dwelt without the city. Among\nthem also he met with no one who said he had a fault, but heard\nmentioned only his good qualities. \u201cI will test the countryside,\u201d\nthought he. So turning over the kingdom to his ministers, he mounted\nhis chariot, departed from the city in disguise, accompanied only\nby his charioteer, and went as far as the frontier testing the\ncountryside. Meeting with no one who said he had a fault, but hearing\nmentioned only his good qualities, he turned back from the frontier and\nstarted back for the city on the highway.\n\nNow at this time a king of Kosala named Mallika, a righteous ruler, was\nalso trying to find out whether he had any faults. Meeting with no one\namong either indoor-folk or others who said he had a fault, but hearing\nmentioned only his own good qualities, he went to that region testing\nthe countryside. Both kings met face to face in a single wagon-track\nleading through a swamp. There was no room for either chariot to turn\nout.\n\nNow King Mallika\u2019s charioteer said to the charioteer of the king of\nBen\u0101res: \u201cGet your chariot out of the way!\u201d Said the charioteer of the\nKing of Ben\u0101res: \u201cMaster charioteer, get your chariot out of the way!\nIn this chariot sits the lord of the realm of Ben\u0101res, the mighty king\nBrahmadatta!\u201d Retorted King Mallika\u2019s charioteer: \u201cMaster charioteer,\nin this chariot sits the lord of the realm of Kosala, the mighty king\nMallika! Get your chariot out of the way! Make room for the chariot\nof our king!\u201d Thought the charioteer of the king of Ben\u0101res: \u201cHe also\nis every inch a king, to be sure. What\u2019s to be done?\u201d He came to the\nconclusion: \u201cThis is the way: I will find out the ages of the two kings\nand cause the chariot of the younger to turn out and make room for the\nchariot of the older.\u201d\n\nAccordingly the charioteer of the king of Ben\u0101res asked the other\ncharioteer the age of the king of Kosala. Comparing the ages of the\ntwo kings, he discovered that both kings were of exactly the same age.\nHe then made inquiry regarding the extent of his kingdom, his army,\nhis wealth, his reputation, and his position in respect of caste,\nrace, and family. He discovered: \u201cBoth are lords of kingdoms three\nhundred leagues in extent; they are equals as regards army, wealth, and\nreputation; they are in the same position in respect of caste, race,\nand family.\u201d Then he thought: \u201cI will make room for that king who is\nmore advanced in the practice of morality.\u201d Accordingly the charioteer\nof the king of Ben\u0101res asked the charioteer of the king of Kosala:\n\u201cWhat is your king\u2019s practice of morality like?\u201d The charioteer of\nthe king of Kosala replied: \u201cSuch-and-such is our king\u2019s practice of\nmorality.\u201d And proclaiming, as though they were good qualities, only\nthe faults of his own king, he uttered the first stanza:\n\n  Firmness he flings in the face of the firm;\n  Mallika overcomes kindly with kindness,\n  Good with good, evil with evil.\n  Such is this king. Charioteer, turn out of the road.\n\nBut the charioteer of the king of Ben\u0101res said to him: \u201cWhat! Are these\nthe good qualities of your own king which you have just recited?\u201d\n\u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWell! If these are his good qualities, what must his faults\nbe like? Now then, listen.\u201d So saying, the charioteer of the king of\nBen\u0101res uttered the second stanza:\n\n  He overcomes anger with kindness,\n  He overcomes evil with good,\n  The stingy with gifts, the liar with truth.\n  Such is this king. Charioteer, turn out of the road.\n\nHearing these words, King Mallika and his charioteer both got down from\nthe chariot, unharnessed the horses, removed the chariot, and gave the\nroad to the king of Ben\u0101res.\n\nThe king of Ben\u0101res admonished King Mallika, saying: \u201cThus and so must\none do.\u201d Having so said, he went to Ben\u0101res, gave alms and performed\nthe other works of merit, and when his term of life was come to an\nend, fulfilled the Path to Heaven.\n\nAs for King Mallika, he accepted the admonition of the king of Ben\u0101res,\ntested the countryside, met with no one who said he had a fault, and\nwent to his own city. Having given alms and having performed the other\nworks of merit, when his term of life was come to an end, he also\nfulfilled the Path to Heaven.\n\n\n\n\n_9. A Buddhist Tar-Baby._\n\n_Keep the Precepts._\n\nJ\u0101taka 55: i. 272-275.\n\n\n  _The man whose heart clings not._ This parable was related by the\n  Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a\n  monk who relaxed effort. For, addressing that monk, the Teacher\n  asked: \u201cMonk, is it true, as they allege, that you have relaxed\n  effort?\u201d \u201cTrue, Exalted One!\u201d \u201cMonk,\u201d said the Teacher, \u201cin former\n  times wise men exerted themselves on an occasion when it was\n  necessary for them to exert themselves, and by so doing attained the\n  glory of dominion.\u201d So saying, he related the following Story of the\n  Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nreceived a new existence as the child of the chief consort of that\nking. On the day when he received his name, his parents, after\ndelighting eight hundred Brahmans with all of the Pleasures of Sense,\ninquired regarding the signs. The Brahmans, skilled in the discernment\nof signs as they were, seeing that he possessed the signs of a Great\nMan, made the following prediction: \u201cGreat king, the prince possesses\nmerit; upon your decease he will attain the sovereignty; he will become\nthe foremost man in the Land of the Rose-apple, and will be celebrated,\nwill be renowned, for his deeds with the five weapons.\u201d His parents,\nhearing these words of the Brahmans, in selecting a name for the\nprince, gave him the name Prince Five-weapons.\n\nNow when he reached the age of discretion, when he was about sixteen\nyears of age, the king addressed him. \u201cSon,\u201d said the king, \u201cacquire\nthe arts and crafts.\u201d \u201cUnder what teacher shall I acquire them, your\nmajesty?\u201d \u201cSon, go acquire them under a world-renowned teacher who\nresides in the city of Takkasil\u0101 in the kingdom of Gandh\u0101ra; here is\nthe fee for you to give to this teacher.\u201d So saying, he gave him a\nthousand pieces of money and sent him on his way.\n\nThe prince went there and acquired the arts and crafts. Having so\ndone, he took the five weapons which his teacher gave him, bowed to\nhis teacher, departed from the city of Takkasil\u0101, and girded with the\nfive weapons, struck into the road leading to Ben\u0101res. On the way he\ncame to a certain forest infested by an ogre named Sticky-hair. Now\nat the mouth of the forest men who saw him tried to dissuade him from\nentering, saying: \u201cSir prince, do not enter this forest; an ogre named\nSticky-hair lives here; he kills every man he sees.\u201d\n\nThe Future Buddha, confident of himself, fearless as a maned lion,\nentered the forest just the same. When he reached the heart of that\nforest, that ogre showed himself to the Future Buddha. He had\nincreased his stature to the height of a palm-tree; he had created for\nhimself a head as big as a summer-house with bell-shaped pinnacle, eyes\nas big as alms-bowls, two tusks as big as giant bulbs or buds; he had\nthe beak of a hawk; his belly was covered with blotches; his hands and\nfeet were dark green.\n\nHaving shown himself to the Future Buddha, he said: \u201cWhere are you\ngoing? halt! you are my prey!\u201d But the Future Buddha said to him:\n\u201cOgre, I knew what I was about when I entered this forest. You would\ndo well to be careful about attacking me, for with an arrow steeped in\npoison will I pierce your flesh and fell you on the spot!\u201d Having thus\nthreatened him, the Future Buddha fitted to his bow an arrow steeped in\ndeadly poison and let fly.\n\nIt stuck right to the ogre\u2019s hair. Then he let fly, one after another,\nfifty arrows. All stuck right to the ogre\u2019s hair. The ogre shook off\nevery one of those arrows, letting them fall right at his feet, and\napproached the Future Buddha. The Future Buddha threatened him once\nmore, and drawing his sword, smote him with it. The sword, thirty-three\ninches long, stuck right to the ogre\u2019s hair. Then he hit him with a\nspear. That also stuck right to his hair. Perceiving that the spear had\nstuck, he smote him with a club. That also stuck right to his hair.\n\n[Illustration: _Then he hit him with a spear._]\n\nPerceiving that the club had stuck, he said: \u201cMaster ogre, you have\nnever heard of me before. I am Prince Five-weapons. When I entered\nthis forest infested by you, I took no account of bows and such-like\nweapons; when I entered this forest, I took account only of myself. Now\nI am going to beat you and pound you into powder and dust!\u201d Having thus\nmade known his determination, with a yell he struck the ogre with his\nright hand. His hand stuck right to the ogre\u2019s hair. He struck him with\nhis left hand. That also stuck. He struck him with his right foot. That\nalso stuck. He struck him with his left foot. That also stuck. Thought\nhe: \u201cI will beat you with my head and pound you into powder and dust!\u201d\nHe struck him with his head. That also stuck right to the ogre\u2019s hair.\n\nThe Future Buddha, snared five times, stuck fast in five places,\ndangled from the ogre\u2019s body. But for all that, he was unafraid,\nundaunted. As for the ogre, he thought: \u201cThis is some lion of a man,\nsome man of noble birth,--no mere man! For although he has been caught\nby an ogre like me, he appears neither to tremble nor to quake! In\nall the time I have harried this road, I have never seen a single man\nto match him! Why, pray, is he not afraid?\u201d Not daring to eat him, he\nasked: \u201cYouth, why are you not afraid? why are you not terrified with\nthe fear of death?\u201d\n\n\u201cOgre, why should I be afraid? for in one state of existence one death\nis absolutely certain. What\u2019s more, I have in my belly a thunderbolt\nfor weapon. If you eat me, you will not be able to digest that weapon.\nIt will tear your insides into tatters and fragments and will kill\nyou. In that case we\u2019ll both perish. That\u2019s why I\u2019m not afraid!\u201d (In\nthese terms, we are told, the Future Buddha referred to the Weapon of\nKnowledge within himself.)\n\nHearing this, the ogre thought: \u201cWhat this youth says is true, every\nword of it. From the body of this lion of a man, my stomach would not\nbe able to digest a fragment of flesh even so small as a kidney bean.\nI\u2019ll let him go!\u201d Terrified with the fear of death, he let the Future\nBuddha go, saying: \u201cYouth, you\u2019re a lion of a man! I\u2019ll not eat your\nflesh. Do you, this moment released from my hand, even as the moon is\nreleased from the Jaws of R\u0101hu, go gladden the circle of your kinsfolk\nand well-wishers!\u201d\n\nThen said the Future Buddha to the ogre: \u201cOgre, I\u2019ll go presently. But\nyou, because in a former state of existence also you wrought evil, have\nbeen reborn as an ogre, cruel, red-handed, feeding on the flesh and\nblood of others. If in this state of existence also, so long as you\nlive, you do evil deeds, you will go from darkness to darkness. But\nfrom the moment you saw me, it has been impossible for you to do evil\ndeeds. Such a crime as taking the life of living beings means rebirth\nin hell, in the animal kingdom, in the region of the fathers, in the\nworld of the fallen deities; should you be reborn in the world of men,\nyou will live but a short time and soon pass away.\u201d\n\nIn such wise did the Future Buddha recite the disadvantages of doing\ndeeds contrary to the Precepts, and the advantages of keeping the\nFive Precepts. With one reason after another he terrified the ogre,\npreached the Doctrine to him, subdued him, made him self-denying.\nHaving established him in the Five Precepts, he bade him practice them.\nThen he transformed him into a spirit entitled to receive offerings in\nthe forest, and having admonished him to be heedful, departed from the\nforest. At the mouth of the forest he told his story to human beings.\nThen, girded with the five weapons, he went to Ben\u0101res and visited his\nmother and father. After a time becoming established in the kingdom, he\nruled righteously, gave alms and performed the other works of merit,\nand passed away according to his deeds.\n\n\n\n\n_10. Vedabbha and the Thieves._\n\n_Cupidity is the root of ruin._\n\nJ\u0101taka 48: i. 252-256.\n\n\n  _Whoever seeks advantage by wrong means._ This was said by the\n  Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a\n  disobedient monk. For to this monk the Teacher said: \u201cMonk, not only\n  in your present state of existence are you disobedient, but in a\n  previous state of existence also you were just as disobedient. And\n  through this same habit of disobedience, because you disregarded the\n  words of wise men, you were cleft in twain with a sharp sword and\n  left lying on the road. And through your own fault, and yours alone,\n  a thousand men met destruction.\u201d So saying, he related the following\n  Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, there lived in a\ncertain little village a certain Brahman who knew a charm called the\nVedabbha charm. This charm, we are told, was beyond price, of great\nworth. When the moon was in conjunction with a certain constellation,\nthe Brahman would look up at the sky and recite that charm, and\nstraightway the Rain of the Seven Jewels would rain from the sky.\n\nAt that time the Future Buddha was learning the arts and crafts in\nthe house of that Brahman. Now one day the Brahman, accompanied by\nthe Future Buddha, departed from his own village and set out for the\nkingdom of Cetiya on some business or other. Along the road, at a\ncertain place in the forest, five hundred Despatcher-thieves were in\nthe habit of committing outrages on travelers. They captured both the\nFuture Buddha and Brahman Vedabbha.\n\n(But why were these thieves called _Despatcher-thieves_? We are told\nthat whenever they captured two persons, they would _despatch_ one of\nthem to fetch ransom-money; therefore they were appropriately called\n_Despatcher-thieves_. For example, if they captured father and son,\nthey would say to the father: \u201cFetch us ransom-money first; then you\nmay take your son and go.\u201d Similarly, if they captured mother and\ndaughter, they would despatch the mother; if they captured an older\nand a younger brother, they would despatch the older; if they captured\nteacher and pupil, they would despatch the pupil.)\n\nSo it was on this occasion. Having captured the Brahman Vedabbha, they\ndespatched the Future Buddha. The Future Buddha bowed to his teacher\nand said: \u201cI will return in the course of a day or two. Have no fear.\nHowever, do as I tell you. To-day will occur the conjunction of the\nmoon which causes the Rain of Riches. Under no circumstances, because\nyou cannot endure your misfortune, must you recite the charm and cause\nthe Rain of Riches. If you do so, you will yourself come to ruin,\nand these five hundred thieves likewise.\u201d Having thus admonished his\nteacher, he went for the ransom-money.\n\nWhen the sun had set, the thieves bound the Brahman and laid him down.\nAt that very moment, from the eastern quarter rose the disk of the\nfull moon. The Brahman surveyed the constellations and reflected: \u201cThe\nconjunction of the moon which causes the Rain of Riches is at hand. Why\nshould I endure misfortune? I will recite the charm, cause the Rain of\nRiches, give the riches to the thieves, and go where I please.\u201d\n\nAccordingly he addressed the thieves: \u201cWell, thieves, for what purpose\ndid you capture me?\u201d \u201cFor ransom-money, noble sir.\u201d \u201cIf you want\nransom-money, quickly free me from my bonds, bathe my head, clothe\nme with new garments, perfume me with scents, deck me with flowers,\nand set me on my feet.\u201d The thieves, hearing his words, did so. The\nBrahman, noting the conjunction of the moon, recited the charm and\nlooked up at the sky. Straightway jewels fell from the sky.\n\nThe thieves gathered up that wealth, wrapped it in folds of their upper\ngarments, and went their way. The Brahman followed close behind them.\nNow a second pack of five hundred thieves captured the first pack of\nthieves. \u201cFor what purpose did you capture us?\u201d inquired the first.\n\u201cFor ransom-money,\u201d replied the second. \u201cIf you want money, capture\nthis Brahman. It was he who, by looking up at the sky, caused a Rain of\nRiches; he is the man who gave us this wealth.\u201d\n\nThe second pack released the first, captured the Brahman, and said to\nhim: \u201cGive us wealth too.\u201d Said the Brahman: \u201cI would gladly give you\nwealth. But the conjunction of the moon which causes the Rain of Riches\nwill not occur for a year yet. If you want money, have patience, and I\nwill cause the Rain of Riches then.\u201d At this the thieves became enraged\nand said: \u201cOh, you rascally Brahman! You caused a Rain of Riches for\nothers but a moment ago, but you tell us to hold our patience for\nanother year!\u201d So saying, they cleft the Brahman in twain with a sharp\nsword and left him lying on the road.\n\nThen the second pack pursued the first pack hotly, fought with; them,\nkilled every man of them, and took the spoils. Again dividing into two\npacks, they fought with each other until one pack of two hundred and\nfifty had killed the other. Continuing in this wise, they killed each\nother off until there were only two men left. Thus those thousand men\ncame to ruin. Now those two men, having gotten away with the spoils\nby a ruse, hid the spoils in a thicket near a certain village. One sat\nguarding the spoils with sword in hand; the other, having procured\nrice, entered the village to have some porridge cooked.\n\n\u201cCupidity is the root of ruin!\u201d\n\nThe man sitting by the spoils reflected: \u201cWhen this fellow returns,\nthis wealth will have to be divided into two portions. Suppose I were\nto strike him with the sword and kill him the very moment he returns!\u201d\nSo girding on his sword, he sat watching for his companion to return.\n\nHis companion reflected: \u201cThat wealth will have to be divided into two\nportions. Suppose I were to put poison in the porridge, let that fellow\neat it, cause his death, and get the spoils for myself alone!\u201d So when\nthe porridge was done, he ate some himself, put poison in the rest, and\nthen took it and went to the thicket.\n\nThe moment the second thief took that porridge out and set it down, the\nfirst thief cleft him in twain with his sword and flung his remains\naway in a secluded spot. Then he ate that porridge and himself died on\nthe spot. Thus, by reason of that wealth, every one of those men came\nto ruin.\n\nAs for the Future Buddha, he returned in the course of a day or two\nwith the ransom-money. Not seeing his teacher where he had left him,\nbut seeing the spoils scattered all about, he reflected: \u201cIt must be\nthat my teacher disregarded my words and caused the Rain of Riches; it\nmust be that all of those men have come to ruin.\u201d And he continued his\nwalk along the highway.\n\nAs he proceeded, he saw his teacher lying on the highway, cleft in\ntwain. Thought he: \u201cMy teacher disregarded my words and is dead.\u201d Then\nhe gathered firewood, built a pyre, cremated his teacher, and honored\nhim with forest-flowers.\n\nAs he proceeded, he saw farther on five hundred thieves who had met\ndestruction; farther on yet, two hundred and fifty; and so on until\nfinally he came upon two. Thought he: \u201cThese thousand thieves have come\nto ruin save only two. There must be two thieves besides. They also\ncould never have restrained themselves. Where can they be?\u201d\n\nAs he proceeded, he saw the footprints of the two thieves who had\nentered the thicket with the spoils. Proceeding farther, he saw first a\nheap of riches wrapped up in a bundle, and then one of the two thieves\ndead with a porridge-bowl overturned beside him. Then he knew all.\n\u201cSuch-and-such they must have done,\u201d thought he. Then he reflected:\n\u201cWhere can that fellow be?\u201d Making a search, he found his body also\nflung away in a secluded spot. Then he reflected:\n\n\u201cOur teacher, because he disregarded my words, through his own habit\nof disobedience, through his own fault, has come to ruin. Moreover\nthrough him a thousand men besides have perished. Alas! By employing\nwrong means, for no reason at all, seeking gain for themselves, these\nthieves, like our teacher, must all have come to a fearful end indeed!\u201d\nAnd he recited the following stanza:\n\n  Whoever seeks advantage by wrong means, comes to grief.\n  Thieves slew Vedabbha, and all met destruction.\n\nThus, by the recitation of this stanza, did the Future Buddha preach\nthe Doctrine. And the spirits of the forest made the forest ring with\ntheir applause. Then said the Future Buddha: \u201cJust as our teacher,\nputting forth effort by wrong means, at the wrong time, caused the Rain\nof Riches, and thus himself met destruction and became the cause of\nothers\u2019 ruin, precisely so whoever else besides shall exert himself,\nseeking advantage for himself by wrong means, shall himself come to\nruin and shall become the cause of others\u2019 ruin.\u201d\n\nEmploying right means, the Future Buddha removed that wealth to his\nown home, and during the remainder of the term of life allotted to him\ngave alms and performed the other works of merit. And when his life\ncame to an end, he passed away, fulfilling the Path to Heaven.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cMonk, not only in your present state of existence\n  are you disobedient, but in a previous state of existence also you\n  were disobedient. And because of your habit of disobedience you came\n  to a fearful end.\u201d And having completed this parable, he identified\n  the personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the\n  Brahman Vedabbha was the disobedient monk, but the pupil was I\n  myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_11. The Anger-Eating Ogre._\n\n_Refrain from anger._\n\nSa\u1e41yutta i. 237-238.\n\n\n  Thus have I heard: Once upon a time the Exalted One was in residence\n  at Jetavana. At that time the Exalted One addressed the monks:\n  \u201cMonks!\u201d \u201cReverend Sir!\u201d said those monks to the Exalted One in\n  reply. The Exalted One said this:\n\nIn former times, monks, a certain ogre, ill-favored, dwarfish, sat\nin the seat of Sakka king of gods. Thereat, monks, the gods of the\nThirty-three became annoyed, offended, indignant: \u201cO how wonderful, O\nhow marvelous, that this ogre, ill-favored, dwarfish, should sit in the\nseat of Sakka king of gods!\u201d\n\nThe more, monks, the gods of the Thirty-three became annoyed, offended,\nindignant, the more did that ogre become handsome and pleasing to look\nupon and gracious. Then, monks, the gods of the Thirty-three approached\nSakka king of gods. And having approached, they said this to Sakka king\nof gods:\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Here, Sire, a certain ogre, ill-favored, dwarfish,\nsits in your seat._\u201d]\n\n\u201cHere, Sire, a certain ogre, ill-favored, dwarfish, sits in your seat.\nThereat, Sire, the gods of the Thirty-three are annoyed, offended,\nindignant: \u2018O how wonderful, O how marvelous, that this ogre,\nill-favored, dwarfish, should sit in the seat of Sakka king of gods!\u2019\nThe more, Sire, the gods of the Thirty-three become annoyed, offended,\nindignant, the more does that ogre become handsome and pleasing to look\nupon and gracious. For, Sire, of a surety he must be an anger-eating\nogre!\u201d\n\nThereupon, monks, Sakka king of gods approached that anger-eating ogre.\nAnd having approached, he adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one\nshoulder only, touched his right kneepan to the ground, bent his joined\nhands in reverent salutation before that anger-eating ogre, and thrice\nproclaimed his name: \u201cSire, I am Sakka king of gods! Sire, I am Sakka\nking of gods! Sire, I am Sakka king of gods!\u201d\n\nThe more, monks, Sakka king of gods proclaimed his name, the more did\nthat ogre become ill-favored and dwarfish. And having become more\nill-favored and dwarfish, he then and there disappeared.\n\nThen, monks, Sakka king of gods sat down in his own seat, and appealing\nto the gods of the Thirty-three, uttered at that time the following\nstanzas:\n\n  I am not easily vexed in spirit,\n  I am not easily led into a turning,\n  I do not cherish anger long, be sure;\n  Anger has no abiding-place in me.\n\n  I speak no harsh words in anger,\n  I do not praise my own virtues,\n  I restrain myself,\n  Intent on my own good.\n\n\n\n\n_12. The Patient Woman._\n\n_Patient is as patient does._\n\nMajjhima i. 125-126.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One addressed the monks as follows:\n  \u201cMonks, put away evil; devote yourselves to good works: so shall\n  you obtain increase, growth, development, in this Doctrine and\n  Discipline.\u201d\n\nIn olden times, in this very city of S\u0101vatthi, lived a house-mistress\nnamed Vedehik\u0101. Of Mistress Vedehik\u0101 prevailed the following excellent\nreputation: \u201cGentle is Mistress Vedehik\u0101, meek is Mistress Vedehik\u0101,\ntranquil is Mistress Vedehik\u0101.\u201d And Mistress Vedehik\u0101 had a servant\nnamed Blackie who was capable and industrious and performed her duties\nwell.\n\nNow to Servant Blackie occurred the following thought: \u201cOf my lady\nmistress prevails the following excellent reputation: \u2018Gentle is\nMistress Vedehik\u0101, meek is Mistress Vedehik\u0101, tranquil is Mistress\nVedehik\u0101.\u2019 But has her ladyship, in point of fact, an inward temper\nwhich she does not reveal, or has she not? Or is it solely because I\nhave performed these duties well that her ladyship does not reveal an\ninward temper which, in point of fact, she does possess;--not because\nshe does not possess it? Suppose I were to test her ladyship!\u201d\n\nAccordingly Servant Blackie got up late in the day. And Mistress\nVedehik\u0101 said this to Servant Blackie: \u201cSee here, Blackie!\u201d \u201cWhat is\nit, my lady?\u201d \u201cWhy did you get up so late?\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all, my\nlady.\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all, worthless servant, you got up so late!\u201d\nAnd Mistress Vedehik\u0101 frowned in anger and displeasure.\n\nThen to Servant Blackie occurred the following thought: \u201cHer ladyship\ndoes, in point of fact, possess an inward temper which she does not\nreveal;--it is not because she does not possess it. It is solely\nbecause I have performed these duties well that her ladyship does not\nreveal an inward temper which, in point of fact, she does possess;--it\nis not because she does not possess it. Suppose I were to test her\nladyship further!\u201d\n\nAccordingly Servant Blackie got up later in the day. And Mistress\nVedehik\u0101 said this to Servant Blackie: \u201cSee here, Blackie!\u201d \u201cWhat is\nit, my lady?\u201d \u201cWhy did you get up so late?\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all,\nmy lady.\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all, worthless servant, you got up so\nlate!\u201d And in anger and displeasure Mistress Vedehik\u0101 gave vent to her\ndispleasure in words.\n\nThen to Servant Blackie occurred the following thought: \u201cHer ladyship\ndoes, in point of fact, possess an inward temper which she does not\nreveal;--it is not because she does not possess it. It is solely\nbecause I have performed these duties well that her ladyship does not\nreveal an inward temper which, in point of fact, she does possess;--it\nis not because she does not possess it. Suppose I were to test her\nladyship further!\u201d\n\nAccordingly Servant Blackie got up even later in the day. And Mistress\nVedehik\u0101 said this to Servant Blackie: \u201cSee here, Blackie!\u201d \u201cWhat is\nit, my lady?\u201d \u201cWhy did you get up so late?\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all, my\nlady.\u201d \u201cFor no reason at all, worthless servant, you got up so late!\u201d\nAnd in anger and displeasure Mistress Vedehik\u0101 seized the pin of the\ndoor-bolt and gave her a blow on the head, breaking her head.\n\nThereupon Servant Blackie, with broken head streaming with blood,\ncomplained to the neighbors: \u201cSee, my lady, the work of the gentle\nwoman! See, my lady, the work of the meek woman! See, my lady, the work\nof the tranquil woman! For this is the way a lady acts who keeps but a\nsingle servant: \u2018You got up too late!\u2019 says she. So what must she do\nbut seize the pin of the door-bolt and give you a blow on the head and\nbreak your head!\u201d\n\nThe result was that after a time Mistress Vedehik\u0101 acquired the\nfollowing evil reputation: \u201cCruel is Mistress Vedehik\u0101, no meek woman\nis Mistress Vedehik\u0101, no tranquil woman is Mistress Vedehik\u0101!\u201d\n\n  \u201cPrecisely so, monks, here in this world, many a monk is ever so\n  gentle, ever so meek, ever so tranquil, so long as unpleasant remarks\n  do not reach him. But when, monks, unpleasant remarks reach a monk,\n  that is the time to find out whether he is really gentle, really\n  meek, really tranquil.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_13. Blind Men and Elephant._\n\n_Avoid vain wrangling._\n\nUd\u0101na vi. 4: 66-69.\n\n\n  Thus have I heard: Once upon a time the Exalted One was in residence\n  at Jetavana, near S\u0101vatthi. Now at that time there entered S\u0101vatthi\n  for alms a company of heretics, both monks and Brahmans, wandering\n  ascetics, holding heretical views, patient of heresy, delighting in\n  heresy, relying upon the reliance of heretical views. There were some\n  monks and Brahmans who held this doctrine, who held this view: \u201cThe\n  world is eternal. This view alone is truth; any other is folly.\u201d But\n  there were other monks and Brahmans who held this view: \u201cThe world is\n  not eternal. This view alone is truth; any other is folly.\u201d Some held\n  that the world is finite, others that the world is infinite. Some\n  held that the soul and the body are identical, others that the soul\n  and the body are distinct.\n\n  They quarreled and brawled and wrangled and struck one another with\n  the daggers of their tongues, saying: \u201cThis is right, that is not\n  right;\u201d \u201cThis is not right, that is right.\u201d\n\n  Now in the morning a company of monks put on their under-garments,\n  took bowl and robe, and entered S\u0101vatthi for alms. And when they had\n  made their alms-pilgrimage in S\u0101vatthi, they returned from their\n  pilgrimage. And when they had eaten their breakfast, they approached\n  the Exalted One. And having approached, they saluted the Exalted\n  One and sat down on one side. And sitting on one side, those monks\n  reported the matter to the Exalted One.\n\n  \u201cThe heretics, O monks, the wandering ascetics, are blind, without\n  eyes; know not good, know not evil; know not right, know not wrong.\n  Knowing not good, knowing not evil, knowing not right, knowing not\n  wrong, they quarrel and brawl and wrangle and strike one another with\n  the daggers of their tongues, saying: \u2018This is right, that is not\n  right;\u2019 \u2018This is not right, that is right.\u2019\u201d\n\nIn olden times, in this very city of S\u0101vatthi, there was a certain\nking. And that king ordered a certain man: \u201cCome, my man, assemble in\none place all the men in S\u0101vatthi who are blind from birth.\u201d \u201cYes, your\nmajesty,\u201d said that man to that king. And when, in obedience to the\nking\u2019s command, he had laid hands on all the men in S\u0101vatthi who were\nblind from birth, he approached that king. And having approached, he\nsaid this to that king: \u201cYour majesty, the blind from birth in S\u0101vatthi\nare assembled for you.\u201d \u201cVery well! Now let the blind men feel of\nthe elephant.\u201d \u201cYes, your majesty,\u201d said that man to that king. And\nin obedience to the king\u2019s command he let the blind men feel of the\nelephant, saying: \u201cThis, O blind men, is what an elephant is like.\u201d\n\nSome of the blind men he let feel of the elephant\u2019s head, saying:\n\u201cThis, O blind men, is what an elephant is like.\u201d Some of the blind\nmen he let feel of the elephant\u2019s ears, saying: \u201cThis, O blind men, is\nwhat an elephant is like.\u201d Some of the blind men he let feel of the\nelephant\u2019s tusks, saying: \u201cThis, O blind men, is what an elephant is\nlike.\u201d Others he let feel of the trunk, saying the same. Others he\nlet feel of the belly, others of the legs, others of the back, others\nof the tail, saying to each and to all: \u201cThis, O blind men, is what an\nelephant is like.\u201d\n\nNow when that man had let the blind men feel of the elephant, he\napproached that king. And having approached, he said this to that king:\n\u201cYour majesty, those blind men have felt of the elephant; do as you\nthink fit.\u201d\n\nThen that king approached those blind men. And having approached,\nhe said this to those blind men: \u201cBlind men, have you felt of the\nelephant?\u201d \u201cYes, your majesty, we have felt of the elephant.\u201d \u201cTell me,\nblind men, what is an elephant like?\u201d\n\nThe blind men who had felt of the elephant\u2019s head, said: \u201cYour\nmajesty, an elephant is like a water-pot.\u201d The blind men who had felt\nof the elephant\u2019s ears, said: \u201cYour majesty, an elephant is like a\nwinnowing-basket.\u201d The blind men who had felt of the elephant\u2019s tusks,\nsaid: \u201cYour majesty, an elephant is like a plow-share.\u201d Those who had\nfelt of the trunk, said: \u201cAn elephant is like a plow-pole.\u201d Those who\nhad felt of the belly, said: \u201cAn elephant is like a granary.\u201d Those\nwho had felt of the legs, said: \u201cAn elephant is like pillars.\u201d Those\nwho had felt of the back, said: \u201cAn elephant is like a mortar.\u201d The\nblind men who had felt of the elephant\u2019s tail, said: \u201cYour majesty, an\nelephant is like a fan.\u201d\n\nAnd they fought among themselves with their fists, saying: \u201cThis is\nwhat an elephant is like, that is not what an elephant is like;\u201d \u201cThis\nis not what an elephant is like, that is what an elephant is like.\u201d And\nthereat that king was delighted.\n\n  \u201cPrecisely so, O monks, the heretics, the wandering ascetics, are\n  blind, without eyes; know not good, know not evil; know not right,\n  know not wrong. Knowing not good, knowing not evil, knowing not\n  right, knowing not wrong, they quarrel and brawl and wrangle and\n  strike one another with the daggers of their tongues, saying: \u2018This\n  is right, that is not right;\u2019 \u2018This is not right, that is right.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_14. King and Boar._\n\n_Evil communications corrupt good manners._\n\nJ\u0101taka 186: ii. 101-106.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion the Teacher addressed the monks as follows:\n  \u201cMonks, contact with the corrupt is a bad thing, an injurious thing.\n  Indeed, why should it be necessary to discuss the injurious effect on\n  human beings of contact with the corrupt, when in times past even a\n  senseless mango tree, with flavor as sweet as the flavor of celestial\n  fruit, through contact with sour, unpalatable nimbs, turned sour and\n  bitter?\u201d\n\n\n_Part. 1. Gem, hatchet, drum, and bowl._\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, four Brahman brothers\nin the kingdom of K\u0101si adopted the life of ascetics, and building a\nrow of leaf-huts in the Him\u0101laya region, took up their abode there.\nThe eldest of the four brothers died and was reborn as Sakka, king of\ngods. Knowing who he had been, he went from time to time, every seven\nor eight days, and ministered to his former brothers.\n\nOne day he saluted the eldest ascetic, sat down on one side, and asked:\n\u201cReverend Sir, is there anything you need?\u201d The ascetic, who was\nsuffering from jaundice, said: \u201cI need fire.\u201d Sakka gave him a little\nhatchet. Said the ascetic: \u201cWho will take this and fetch me wood?\u201d\nThen Sakka said to him: \u201cWhen, Reverend Sir, you need wood, just rub\nthis hatchet with your hand and say: \u2018Please fetch me wood and make me\na fire.\u2019 And the hatchet will fetch wood, make a fire, and turn it over\nto you.\u201d\n\nHaving given him the little hatchet, Sakka went to the second ascetic\nand asked: \u201cReverend Sir, what do you need?\u201d Past his leaf-hut ran\nan elephant-track. Since the elephants bothered him, he said: \u201cThe\nelephants annoy me; drive them away.\u201d Sakka presented a drum to him,\nsaying, \u201cReverend Sir, if you beat this side, your enemies will flee;\nif you beat that, they will become kindly disposed and will surround\nyou with a fourfold army.\u201d\n\nHaving given him the drum, Sakka went to the youngest ascetic and\nasked: \u201cReverend Sir, what do you want?\u201d He also was afflicted with\njaundice; therefore he said: \u201cI want curds.\u201d Sakka gave him a bowl of\ncurds, saying: \u201cIf you invert this and make a wish, the curds will turn\ninto a mighty river, will set flowing a mighty flood, and will even be\nable to get and give you a kingdom.\u201d So saying, he went his way.\n\nFrom that time on the little hatchet made fire for the eldest brother;\nwhen the second brother beat the drum, the elephants fled; the youngest\nbrother enjoyed his curds.\n\nAt that time a boar, rooting among the ruins of a village, caught\nsight of a gem endowed with magical power. He bit the gem, and by its\nmagical power rose into the air. Seeing a little island in mid-ocean,\nhe thought: \u201cThere now is the place for me to live.\u201d So he descended\nand made his home in a pleasant place under a fig tree.\n\nOne day the boar lay down at the foot of that tree, placed the gem in\nfront of him, and fell asleep.\n\nNow a certain man who lived in the kingdom of K\u0101si, driven from home by\nhis mother and father with the remark, \u201cHe\u2019s no good to us,\u201d went to a\ncertain seaport, hired himself out to mariners, and embarked on a ship.\nIn mid-ocean the ship sprang a leak, and he floated to that island on\na plank. While seeking wild fruits he saw that boar. Creeping up, he\nseized the gem. By its magical power he rose into the air. Seating\nhimself on the fig tree, he thought: \u201cThis boar, become an air-voyager\nby the magical power of this gem, lives here, I suppose. But I must\nnot go back without first of all killing him and eating his flesh.\u201d He\nbroke off a twig and let it fall on the boar\u2019s head. The boar woke up,\nbut not seeing the gem, ran this way and that, all of a tremble. The\nman sitting in the tree laughed. The boar looked, and seeing him, ran\nhis head against the tree, and died then and there. The man came down,\nmade a fire, and cooked the boar\u2019s flesh and ate it. Then he rose into\nthe air and passed over the tops of the Him\u0101layas.\n\nSeeing a region of hermitages, he descended at the hermitage of the\neldest ascetic. He lived there for two or three days, performed the\nmajor and minor duties for the ascetic, and saw the magical power of\nthe little hatchet. \u201cThis I must get,\u201d thought he. Accordingly, after\ndemonstrating to the ascetic the magical power of the gem, he said:\n\u201cReverend Sir, take this gem and give me the little hatchet.\u201d The\nascetic, having a desire to travel through the air, took the gem and\ngave him the little hatchet.\n\n[Illustration: _He bit the gem, and by its magical power rose into the\nair._]\n\nThe man took the little hatchet and went a short distance. Then he\nrubbed the little hatchet and said: \u201cLittle hatchet, chop off the\nascetic\u2019s head and bring me the gem.\u201d The little hatchet went and\nchopped off the ascetic\u2019s head and brought him the gem. The man put\nthe little hatchet in a secret place, and then went to the second\nascetic and lived with him for a few days. Seeing the magical power\nof the drum, he gave the second ascetic the gem, took the drum, and\nin the same way as before caused his head also to be cut off. Then he\napproached the youngest ascetic. Seeing the magical power of the bowl\nof curds, he gave the youngest ascetic the gem, took the bowl of\ncurds, and in the same way as before caused his head to be cut off.\n\nThen he took the gem and the little hatchet and the drum and the bowl\nof curds, and rose into the air. Halting not far from Ben\u0101res, he sent,\nby the hand of a certain man, the following message to the king of\nBen\u0101res: \u201cGive me battle or the kingdom!\u201d As soon as the king heard the\nmessage, he said: \u201cLet\u2019s catch the bandit;\u201d and sallied forth. The man\nbeat the proper side of the drum, and a fourfold army surrounded him.\nPerceiving that the king had deployed his forces, he turned the bowl of\ncurds loose. A mighty river began to flow, and the multitude sank down\nin the curds and were unable to extricate themselves. Then he rubbed\nthe little hatchet and said: \u201cBring me the king\u2019s head.\u201d The little\nhatchet went and brought the king\u2019s head and laid it at his feet. Not a\nsingle soldier had the power to lift a weapon. Accompanied by a mighty\nforce, the man entered the city and caused himself to be sprinkled\nking. Having become king under the name King of the Curds, he ruled\nwith righteousness.\n\n\n_Part 2. Corrupt fruit from a good tree._\n\nOne day, while he was amusing himself in the mighty river, in an\nenclosure formed by a net, there floated up and lodged in the net a\nsingle mango fruit fit for the gods. When they lifted the net they\nsaw it and gave it to the king. It was of large size, as big as a\nwater-pot, perfectly round, and of a golden color. The king asked his\nforesters: \u201cWhat is that the fruit of?\u201d \u201cThe fruit of a mango tree.\u201d\nHaving eaten it, he caused the stone to be planted in his own garden,\nand to be sprinkled with milk and water. The tree sprouted, and in the\nthird year bore fruit.\n\nGreat was the honor rendered to the mango. They sprinkled it with milk\nand water, they made marks of the spread hand with scented ointment on\nit, they festooned it with wreaths and ropes of flowers, they burned\nlamps with perfumed oil before it, and round about it they hung a\ncurtain of fine cloth.\n\nThe fruit was sweet and of a golden color. When the king sent the fruit\nof the mango to other kings, he pierced with a thorn the spot where\nthe sprout starts, for fear a tree might sprout from the stone. When,\nafter eating the mango fruit, they planted the stone, nothing happened.\n\u201cWhat, pray, can be the cause of this?\u201d they inquired, and discovered\nthe cause.\n\nNow a certain other king summoned his gardener and asked: \u201cCan you\nspoil the flavor of my rival\u2019s mango fruit and make it bitter?\u201d \u201cYes,\nyour majesty.\u201d \u201cVery well, go.\u201d So saying, he gave him a thousand\npieces of money and sent him off. The gardener went to Ben\u0101res, caused\nthe king to be informed that a gardener had arrived, managed to have\nhimself summoned by the king, and entering the palace, made obeisance\nto the king. \u201cAre you the gardener?\u201d asked the king. \u201cYes, your\nmajesty,\u201d said the gardener, and described his own marvelous powers.\nSaid the king: \u201cGo, assist our gardener.\u201d\n\nFrom that time on the two men cared for the garden. The newly arrived\ngardener caused flowers to blossom out of season and fruits to grow out\nof season, and made the garden a charming place. The king, pleased with\nthe new gardener, dismissed the old gardener, and gave the new gardener\nexclusive charge of the garden. The new gardener, realizing that the\ngarden was in his own hands, planted nimbs and pot-herbs and creepers\nall around the mango tree.\n\nIn the course of time the nimbs grew up. Roots with roots, branches\nwith branches, were in contact, entangled, intertwined. Merely through\nthis contact with the sour, unpalatable nimbs, the sweet fruit of the\nmango turned bitter, and its flavor became like the flavor of the\nleaves of the nimbs. The gardener, knowing that the fruit of the mango\nhad turned bitter, fled.\n\nThe king went to the garden and ate a mango fruit. As soon as he put\nthe mango into his mouth, perceiving that the juice tasted like the\nvile juice of the nimb, he was unable to swallow it, and coughing it\nup, spat it out. Now at that time the Future Buddha was his counsellor\nin temporal and spiritual matters. The king addressed the Future\nBuddha: \u201cWise man, this tree is just as well cared for now as it was of\nold. But in spite of this, its fruit has turned bitter. What, pray, is\nthe reason?\u201d And by way of inquiry he uttered the first stanza:\n\n  Color, fragrance, flavor, had this mango before.\n  Receiving the same honor, why has the mango bitter fruit?\n\nThen the Future Buddha told him the reason by uttering the second\nstanza:\n\n  Your mango, O king, is surrounded with nimbs,\n  Root touches root, branches entwine about branches.\n  Through contact with the bad, therefore your mango has bitter fruit.\n\nThe king, hearing his words, had every one of the nimbs and pot-herbs\nchopped down, the roots pulled up, the sour earth round about removed,\nsweet earth put in its place, and the mango fed with milk and water,\nsweetened water, and perfumed water. Through contact with sweet juices\nthe mango became perfectly sweet again. The king gave the regular\ngardener sole charge of the garden, and after living out his allotted\nterm of life, passed away according to his deeds.\n\n\n\n\n15. _A Buddhist Henny-Penny._\n\n_Much ado about nothing._\n\nJ\u0101taka 322: iii. 74-78.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion the Teacher, referring to the\n  self-mortification of the Hindu ascetics, said to the monks: \u201cMonks,\n  there is no value, no merit, in their self-mortification. It is like\n  the \u2018rat-a-tat\u2019 the little hare heard.\u201d Said the monks: \u201cWe do not\n  understand what you mean by saying that it is like the \u2018rat-a-tat\u2019\n  the little hare heard. Tell us about it, Reverend Sir.\u201d So in\n  response to their request the Teacher related the following Story of\n  the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha was\nreborn as a lion, and when he grew up, lived in a forest. At that time,\nnear the Western Ocean, grew a grove of cocoanut trees intermingled\nwith Vilva trees. There, at the foot of a Vilva tree, under a cocoanut\nsapling, lived a little hare. One day, returning with food, he lay down\nunder a cocoanut leaf and thought: \u201cIf this earth should collapse, what\nwould ever become of me?\u201d\n\nAt that very instant a Vilva fruit fell on top of the cocoanut leaf.\nAt the sound of it the little hare thought: \u201cThis earth is certainly\ncollapsing!\u201d And springing to his feet, back he ran, without so much\nas taking a look. As he was running away as fast as he could in fear\nof death, another little hare saw him and asked: \u201cWhy, pray, are you\nrunning away in such a fright?\u201d \u201cOh, don\u2019t ask me!\u201d And he kept right\non running, in spite of the fact that the other little hare kept\nasking: \u201cOh! what is it? Oh! what is it?\u201d The other little hare turned\naround, and without so much as taking a look, said: \u201cThe earth is\ncollapsing here!\u201d He also ran away, following the first.\n\nIn the same way a third little hare saw the second, and a fourth the\nthird, until finally there were a hundred thousand little hares running\naway together. A deer saw them,--also a boar, an elk, a buffalo, an ox,\na rhinoceros, a tiger, a lion, and an elephant. Seeing, each asked:\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d \u201cThe earth is collapsing here!\u201d Each ran away. Thus, in\nthe course of time, there was an army of animals a league in size.\n\nAt that time the Future Buddha, seeing that army running away, asked:\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d \u201cThe earth is collapsing here!\u201d When the Future Buddha\nheard this, he thought: \u201cNo such thing! The earth is collapsing\nnowhere! It must certainly be that they failed to understand something\nthey heard. But if I do not put forth effort, they will all perish. I\nwill grant them their lives.\u201d\n\nWith the speed of a lion he preceded them to the foot of a mountain\nand thrice roared the roar of a lion. Terrified with fear of the lion,\nthey turned around and stood all huddled together. The lion made his\nway in among them and asked: \u201cWhy are you running away?\u201d \u201cThe earth is\ncollapsing!\u201d \u201cWho saw it collapsing?\u201d \u201cThe elephants know.\u201d He asked\nthe elephants. Said the elephants: \u201cWe don\u2019t know; the lions know.\u201d\nSaid the lions: \u201cWe don\u2019t know; the tigers know.\u201d The tigers: \u201cThe\nrhinoceroses know.\u201d The rhinoceroses: \u201cThe oxen know.\u201d The oxen: \u201cThe\nbuffaloes.\u201d The buffaloes: \u201cThe elks.\u201d The elks: \u201cThe boars.\u201d The\nboars: \u201cThe deer.\u201d The deer: \u201cWe don\u2019t know; the little hares know.\u201d\n\nWhen the little hares were asked, they pointed out that little hare and\nsaid: \u201cHe\u2019s the one that told us.\u201d So the lion asked the little hare:\n\u201cFriend, is it true, as you say, that the earth is collapsing?\u201d \u201cYes,\nmaster, I saw it.\u201d \u201cWhere were you living when you saw it?\u201d asked the\nlion. \u201cNear the Western Ocean, in a grove of cocoanut trees mingled\nwith Vilva trees. For there, at the foot of a Vilva tree, under a\ncocoanut sapling, beneath a cocoanut leaf, I lay and thought: \u2018If the\nearth collapses, where shall I go?\u2019 That very instant I heard the sound\nof the earth collapsing. So I ran away.\u201d\n\nThe lion thought: \u201cEvidently a Vilva fruit fell on top of that\ncocoanut leaf and made a \u2018rat-a-tat,\u2019 and this hare here, hearing\nthat sound, came to the conclusion: \u2018The earth is collapsing!\u2019 I will\nfind out for a fact.\u201d So the lion, taking the little hare with him,\nreassured the throng, saying: \u201cI am going to find out for a fact\nwhether or not the earth collapsed at the spot where the little hare\nsaw what he saw; having so done, I will return. Until I return, all of\nyou remain right here.\u201d\n\nSo taking the little hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed\nof a lion. And setting the little hare down in the cocoanut grove, he\nsaid: \u201cCome, show me the spot where you saw what you saw.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t\ndare, master.\u201d \u201cCome, don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d The little hare, not daring to\napproach the Vilva tree, stood no great distance off and said: \u201cThat,\nmaster, is the spot where it went \u2018rat-a-tat.\u2019\u201d So saying, he uttered\nthe first stanza:\n\n  \u201cRat-a-tat\u201d it went,--I wish you luck,--\n  In the region where I dwell.\n  But as for me, I do not know\n  What made that \u201crat-a-tat.\u201d\n\nWhen the little hare said this, the lion went to the foot of the Vilva\ntree, looked at the spot beneath the cocoanut leaf where the little\nhare had lain, and observed that a Vilva fruit had fallen on top of\nthe cocoanut leaf. And knowing for a fact that the earth had not\ncollapsed, he took the little hare on his back, went quickly, with the\nspeed of a lion, to the assemblage of animals, informed them of all\nthe facts, reassured the throng of animals by saying, \u201cFear not,\u201d and\nreleased the little hare.\n\nFor if, at that time, the Future Buddha had not come to the rescue,\nthey would all have run down into the sea and perished. It was through\nthe Future Buddha that they obtained their lives.\n\n  Hearing a Vilva fruit fall,--\u201crat-a-tat,\u201d--the hare ran.\n  Hearing the hare\u2019s words, a host of animals were frightened.\n\n  Those who have not attained consciousness of their portion,\n  Those who follow the voice of others,\n  Those who are given to heedlessness,--the foolish,--\n  They attain what others attain.\n\n  But those who are endowed with morality,\n  Those who delight in the tranquillity of wisdom,\n  Those who abstain and refrain from worldly delights,--the wise,--\n  They attain what others attain not.\n\n  (These three stanzas were uttered by the Supremely Enlightened One.)\n\n  When the Teacher had related this parable, he identified the\n  personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the lion was\n  I myself.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: _So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang\nforward with the speed of a lion._]\n\n\n\n\n_16. The Birds._\n\n_Nobody loves a beggar._\n\nVinaya iii. 147-148.\n\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One reproved the monks for begging.\n  Said he:\n\nIn olden times a certain monk dwelt on a slope of Himavat in a certain\nforest-grove. Not far from that forest-grove was a great marsh, a\nswamp. Now a large flock of birds sought food in that swamp in the\ndaytime, returning to that forest-grove at eventide to roost. Now that\nmonk, driven away by the noise of that flock of birds, approached me,\nand having approached, saluted me and sat down on one side. And as he\nsat on one side, I said this to that monk:\n\n\u201cI trust, monk, that you have suffered no discomfort. I trust that you\nhave received sufficient sustenance. I trust that you have made your\njourney without fatigue. And, monk, whence have you come?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have suffered no discomfort, Exalted One. I have received sufficient\nsustenance. I have made my journey without fatigue. Reverend Sir, on\na slope of Himavat is a large forest-grove. And not far from that\nforest-grove is a great marsh, a swamp. Now a large flock of birds seek\nfood in that swamp in the daytime, returning to that forest-grove at\neventide to roost. Thence, Reverend Sir, do I come, driven away by the\nnoise of that flock of birds.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, monk, do you wish that flock of birds never to come back again?\u201d\n\u201cI wish that flock of birds never to come back again.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell then, monk, go there, plunge into that forest-grove, and\nthroughout the watches of the night cry out: \u2018Let the pretty birds hear\nme, as many as roost in this forest-grove! I want feathers! Let the\npretty birds each give me a feather!\u2019\u201d\n\nSo that monk went there, plunged into that forest-grove, and throughout\nthe watches of the night cried out: \u201cLet the pretty birds hear me, as\nmany as roost in this forest-grove! I want feathers! Let the pretty\nbirds each give me a feather!\u201d\n\nThereupon that flock of birds, reflecting, \u201cThe monk begs feathers,\nthe monk wants feathers,\u201d departed from that forest-grove. When they\ndeparted, they departed indeed, and never came back again.\n\n  \u201cFor, monks, to living beings in the form of animals, begging is said\n  to have been offensive, hinting is said to have been offensive. How\n  much more so must it be to human beings!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_17. Dragon Jewel-Neck._\n\n_Nobody loves a beggar._\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nVinaya iii. 145-147.\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One reproved the monks for begging.\n  Said he:\n\nIn olden times two ascetics, brothers, lived by the Ganges river. Now\nJewel-neck, a dragon-king, came out of the Ganges, approached the\nyounger ascetic, and having approached, encircled the younger ascetic\nseven times with his coils and rose and spread his huge hood over his\nhead. And the younger ascetic, for fear of that dragon, became lean,\ndried-up, pale, yellow as ever was yellow, his body strewn with veins.\n\nThe older ascetic saw the younger ascetic lean, dried-up, pale, yellow\nas ever was yellow, his body strewn with veins. Seeing, he said this\nto the younger ascetic: \u201cWhy are you lean, dried-up, pale, yellow as\never was yellow, your body strewn with veins?\u201d \u201cWhile I was here,\nJewel-neck, a dragon-king, came out of the Ganges river, approached me,\nand having approached, encircled me seven times with his coils and\nrose and spread his huge hood over my head. For fear of him I am lean,\ndried-up, pale, yellow as ever was yellow, my body strewn with veins.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut do you wish that dragon never to come back again?\u201d \u201cI wish that\ndragon never to come back again.\u201d \u201cWell, but do you see anything on\nthat dragon?\u201d \u201cI see he wears a jewel on his neck.\u201d \u201cWell then, ask\nthat dragon for the jewel, saying: \u2018Give me the jewel! I want the\njewel!\u2019\u201d\n\nNow Jewel-neck the dragon-king came out of the Ganges river, approached\nthe younger ascetic, and having approached, stood aside. As he stood\naside, the younger ascetic said this to Jewel-neck the dragon-king:\n\u201cGive me the jewel! I want the jewel!\u201d Thereupon Jewel-neck the\ndragon-king, reflecting, \u201cThe monk begs the jewel, the monk wants the\njewel,\u201d quickly enough departed.\n\nThree times did the younger ascetic beg the jewel of Jewel-neck the\ndragon-king, and three times did Jewel-neck the dragon-king depart. The\nthird time, Jewel-neck the dragon-king addressed the younger ascetic\nwith stanzas:\n\n  My food and drink, abundant, choice,\n  I get by the power of this jewel.\n  This I will not give you,--you ask too much;\n  Nor will I even come back again to your hermitage.\n\n  Like a lad with sand-washed sword in hand,\n  You frighten me, asking for the stone.\n  This I will not give you,--you ask too much;\n  Nor will I even come back again to your hermitage.\n\nThereupon Jewel-neck the dragon-king, reflecting, \u201cThe monk begs the\njewel, the monk wants the jewel,\u201d departed. When he departed, he\ndeparted indeed, and never came back again. And the younger ascetic,\nbecause he saw no more that dragon so fair to see, became more than\never lean, dried-up, pale, yellow as ever was yellow, his body strewn\nwith veins.\n\nWhen the older ascetic saw the younger ascetic altered in appearance,\nhe inquired the reason. The younger ascetic told him. Then the older\nascetic addressed the younger ascetic with a stanza:\n\n  One should not beg or seek to get what is dear to another.\n  Odious does one become by asking overmuch.\n  When the Brahman asked the dragon for the jewel,\n  Never again did the dragon let himself be seen.\n\n  \u201cFor, monks, to living beings in the form of animals, begging is said\n  to have been offensive, hinting is said to have been offensive. How\n  much more so must it be to human beings!\u201d\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 258: ii. 283-286.\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One reproved the monks for begging.\n  Said he: \u201cMonks, begging is offensive even to dragons, though the\n  World of Dragons wherein they dwell is filled to overflowing with the\n  Seven Jewels. How much more so must it be to human beings, from whom\n  it is as difficult to wring a penny as it is to skin a flint!\u201d So\n  saying, he related the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha was\nreborn in a Brahman household of great wealth. When he was old enough\nto walk and could run hither and thither, another being of merit also\nreceived a new existence as his brother. When both brothers reached\nmanhood, their mother and father died. In agitation of heart over\ntheir death, both brothers adopted the life of ascetics, and building\nleaf-huts on the bank of the Ganges, took up their residence there. The\nolder brother\u2019s hut was up the Ganges; the younger brother\u2019s hut was\ndown the Ganges.\n\nNow one day a dragon-king named Jewel-neck came forth from the World\nof Dragons, walked along the bank of the Ganges disguised as a Brahman\nyouth, came to the hermitage of the younger ascetic, bowed, and sat\ndown on one side. The dragon-king and the younger ascetic greeted each\nother in a cordial manner, and became fast friends and inseparable\ncompanions.\n\nEvery day Jewel-neck would come to the hermitage of the younger ascetic\nand sit down and talk and converse with him. When it was time for him\nto go, out of affection for the ascetic he would lay aside his human\nform, encircle the ascetic with his coils, and embrace him, holding his\nhuge hood over his head. Having remained in this position for a time,\nand having dispelled his affection, he would unwind his body, bow to\nthe ascetic, and go back again to his own abode.\n\nThe ascetic, for fear of him, became lean, dried-up, pale, yellow as\never was yellow, his body strewn with veins. One day he went to visit\nhis brother. The latter asked him: \u201cWhy are you lean, dried-up, pale,\nyellow as ever was yellow, your body strewn with veins?\u201d He told him\nthe facts. The older ascetic asked: \u201cBut do you or do you not wish that\ndragon never to come back again?\u201d The younger ascetic said: \u201cI do not.\u201d\n\u201cBut when that dragon-king comes to your hermitage, what ornament does\nhe wear?\u201d \u201cA jewel.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell then, when that dragon-king comes to your hermitage, before he\nhas a chance to sit down, ask, saying: \u2018Give me the jewel.\u2019 If you do\nso, that dragon-king will depart without so much as encircling you\nwith his coils. On the next day you must stand at the door of your\nhermitage and ask him just as he approaches. On the third day you must\nstand on the bank of the Ganges and ask him just as he comes out of the\nwater. If you do so, he will not come back to your hermitage.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: _Every day Jewel-neck the dragon-king would encircle him\nwith his coils._]\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d assented the ascetic, and went to his own leaf-hut. On the\nnext day the dragon-king came and stopped at the hermitage. The moment\nhe stopped, the ascetic asked: \u201cGive me this jewel you wear.\u201d Without\nso much as sitting down, the dragon-king fled. On the second day the\nascetic, standing at the door of the hermitage, said to the dragon-king\njust as he approached: \u201cYesterday you would not give me the jewel;\nto-day I must have it.\u201d Without so much as entering the hermitage, the\ndragon-king fled. On the third day the ascetic said to the dragon-king\njust as he came out of the water: \u201cThis is the third day I have asked;\ngive me this jewel now.\u201d The dragon-king, still remaining in the water,\nrefused the ascetic, reciting these two stanzas:\n\n  My food and drink, abundant, choice,\n  I get by the power of this jewel.\n  This I will not give you,--you ask too much;\n  Nor will I even come back again to your hermitage.\n\n  Like a lad with sand-washed sword in hand,\n  You frighten me, asking for the stone.\n  This I will not give you,--you ask too much;\n  Nor will I even come back again to your hermitage.\n\nSo saying, that dragon-king plunged into the water, went back to his\nown World of Dragons, and never came back again. And that ascetic,\nbecause he saw no more that dragon-king so fair to see, became more\nthan ever lean, dried-up, pale, yellow as ever was yellow, his body\nstrewn with veins.\n\nNow the older ascetic, thinking, \u201cI will find out how my younger\nbrother is getting on,\u201d went to visit him. Seeing that he was suffering\nmore than ever from jaundice, he said: \u201cHow comes it that you are\nsuffering more than ever from jaundice?\u201d \u201cBecause I see no more that\ndragon so fair to see.\u201d \u201cThis ascetic cannot get along without the\ndragon-king,\u201d concluded the older ascetic, and recited the third stanza:\n\n  One should not beg or seek to get what is dear to another.\n  Odious does one become by asking overmuch.\n  When the Brahman asked the dragon for the jewel,\n  Never again did the dragon let himself be seen.\n\nHaving thus addressed him, the older ascetic comforted him, saying:\n\u201cHenceforth grieve not;\u201d and went back again to his own hermitage.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cThus, monks, even to dragons, though the World\n  of Dragons wherein they dwell is filled to overflowing with the\n  Seven Jewels, begging is offensive. How much more so must it be to\n  human beings!\u201d And having completed this parable, he identified the\n  personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the younger\n  brother was my favorite disciple, but the older brother was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_18. Snake-Charm._\n\n_A blessing upon all living beings!_\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nVinaya ii. 109-110.\n\n  Now at that time a certain monk was bitten by a snake and died. They\n  reported that fact to the Exalted One.\n\nAssuredly, monks, that monk had not suffused the four royal families of\nsnakes with friendly thoughts. For, monks, if that monk had suffused\nthe four royal families of snakes with friendly thoughts, in that case,\nmonks, that monk would not have been bitten by a snake and died.\n\nWhat are the four royal families of snakes?\n\nThe Vir\u016bpakkhas are a royal family of snakes.\n\nThe Er\u0101pathas are a royal family of snakes.\n\nThe Chaby\u0101puttas are a royal family of snakes.\n\nThe Black Gotamakas are a royal family of snakes.\n\nAssuredly, monks, that monk had not suffused the four royal families of\nsnakes with friendly thoughts. For, monks, if that monk had suffused\nthe four royal families of snakes with friendly thoughts, in that\ncase, monks, that monk would not have been bitten by a snake and died.\n\nI permit you, monks, to suffuse these four royal families of snakes\nwith friendly thoughts; for self-preservation, for self-defense, to\neffect Protection of Self. And this, monks, may be effected in the\nfollowing way:\n\n      There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Vir\u016bpakkha snakes,\n      There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Er\u0101patha snakes,\n      There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Chaby\u0101putta snakes,\n      There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Black Gotamaka snakes.\n\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings without feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with two feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with four feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with many feet.\n\n            Let no living being without feet injure me!\n            Let no living being with two feet injure me!\n            Let no living being with four feet injure me!\n            Let no living being with many feet injure me!\n\n    Let all creatures that live,--let all creatures that breathe,--\n    Let all creatures that exist,--one and all,--\n            Let all meet with prosperity!\n            Let none come unto any adversity!\n\n  Infinite is the Buddha! Infinite is the Doctrine! Infinite is the\n  Order!\n\n  Finite are creeping things,--snakes and scorpions, centipedes,\n  spiders and lizards, rats and mice!\n\n  I have wrought defense for myself!\n  I have wrought protection for myself!\n  Begone, living beings!\n  I here do homage to the Exalted One\n  And to the Seven Supreme Buddhas!\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 203: ii. 144-148.\n\n  _There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Vir\u016bpakkha snakes._ This parable\n  was related by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with\n  reference to a certain monk.\n\n  The story goes that while he was splitting wood at the door of the\n  room where the monks took hot baths, a snake came out of a hole\n  in a rotten log and bit him on the big toe. He died on the spot.\n  The news of his death and of how he came to die spread throughout\n  the monastery. In the Hall of Truth the monks began to discuss the\n  incident: \u201cBrethren, such-and-such a monk, they say, while splitting\n  wood at the door of the room where the monks take hot baths, was\n  bitten by a snake and died on the spot.\u201d\n\n  The Teacher drew near and inquired: \u201cMonks, what is the subject\n  that engages your attention as you sit here all gathered together?\u201d\n  \u201cSuch-and-such,\u201d said they. \u201cMonks,\u201d said the Teacher, \u201cif that monk\n  had cultivated friendship for the four royal families of snakes, the\n  snake would not have bitten him. For even ascetics of old, before a\n  Buddha had arisen, cultivated friendship for the four royal families\n  of snakes, and thus obtained deliverance from the perils that arose\n  through those royal families of snakes.\u201d So saying, he related the\n  following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn in the kingdom of K\u0101si in the household of a Brahman. When\nhe reached manhood, he renounced the pleasures of sense, retired\nfrom the world and adopted the life of an ascetic, and developed the\nSupernatural Powers and the Attainments. By supernatural power, in the\nregion of Himavat, at a bend in the Ganges, he created a hermitage,\nand there he resided, surrounded by a company of ascetics, diverting\nhimself with the diversions of the Trances.\n\nAt that time, on the bank of the Ganges, reptiles of various kinds\nwrought such havoc among the ascetics that many of them lost their\nlives. Ascetics reported that fact to the Future Buddha. The Future\nBuddha caused all of the ascetics to be assembled, and said to them:\n\u201cIf you would cultivate friendship for the four royal families of\nsnakes, the snakes would not bite you. Therefore from this time forth,\ncultivate friendship for the four royal families of snakes in the\nfollowing way.\u201d So saying, he recited this stanza:\n\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Vir\u016bpakkha snakes,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Er\u0101patha snakes,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Chaby\u0101putta snakes,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and Black Gotamaka snakes.\n\nHaving thus pointed out to them the four royal families of serpents,\nhe said: \u201cIn case you are successful in cultivating friendship for\nthese, reptiles will not bite you or annoy you.\u201d So saying, he recited\nthe second stanza:\n\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings without feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with two feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with four feet,\n  There is friendship \u2019twixt me and living beings with many feet.\n\nHaving thus set forth Cultivation of Friendship in the usual form, he\nnext set it forth by way of prayer, reciting this stanza:\n\n  Let no living being without feet injure me!\n  Let no living being with two feet injure me!\n  Let no living being with four feet injure me!\n  Let no living being with many feet injure me!\n\nNext, setting forth Cultivation of Friendship without respect of\npersons, he recited this stanza:\n\n  Let all creatures that live,--let all creatures that breathe,--\n  Let all creatures that exist,--one and all,--\n          Let all meet with prosperity!\n          Let none come unto any adversity!\n\n\u201cThus,\u201d said he, \u201ccultivate friendship for all living beings without\nrespect of persons.\u201d Having so said, he spoke once more, to bid them\nmeditate on the virtues of the Three Jewels. Said he: \u201cInfinite is the\nBuddha! Infinite is the Doctrine! Infinite is the Order!\u201d\n\nWhen the Future Buddha had thus pointed out that the virtues of the\nThree Jewels are infinite, he said: \u201cMeditate on the virtues of these\nThree Jewels.\u201d Having so said, in order to point out that living\nbeings are finite, he continued: \u201cFinite are creeping things,--snakes,\nscorpions, centipedes, spiders, lizards, rats and mice!\u201d\n\nHaving so said, the Future Buddha declared: \u201cSince lust, ill-will,\nand delusion, which exist in these creatures, are the qualities which\nmake creatures finite, therefore these creeping things are finite.\u201d\nAnd he said: \u201cBy the supernatural power of the Three Jewels, which\nare infinite, let those of us who are finite, obtain protection for\nourselves both by night and by day.\u201d And he said: \u201cThus meditate on the\nvirtues of the Three Jewels.\u201d Having so said, in order to point out\nwhat more must yet be done, he recited this stanza:\n\n  I have wrought defense for myself!\n  I have wrought protection for myself!\n  Begone, living beings!\n  I here do homage to the Exalted One\n  And to the Seven Supreme Buddhas!\n\nSaid the Future Buddha: \u201cIn the very act of rendering homage, meditate\non the Seven Buddhas.\u201d Thus the Future Buddha composed this protective\ncharm for the company of ascetics and gave it to them.\n\nFrom that time on the company of ascetics, abiding steadfast in the\nadmonition of the Future Buddha, cultivated friendliness, meditated on\nthe virtues of the Buddhas. Even as they thus meditated on the virtues\nof the Buddhas, all of the reptiles disappeared. As for the Future\nBuddha, through the cultivation of the Exalted States, he attained the\ngoal of the World of Brahm\u0101.\n\n\n\n\n_19. Partridge, Monkey, and Elephant._\n\n_Reverence your elders._\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nVinaya ii. 161-162.\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One admonished a company of monks\n  to show proper respect for their elders. Said he:\n\nIn former times, monks, on a slope of Himavat, grew a huge banyan\ntree. Near it lived three friends: a partridge and a monkey and an\nelephant. They lived without respect or deference for each other,\nhaving no common life. Now, monks, to these friends occurred the\nfollowing thought: \u201cIf only we knew which one of us was the oldest, we\nwould respect, reverence, venerate, and honor him, and we would abide\nsteadfast in his admonitions.\u201d\n\nAccordingly, monks, the partridge and the monkey asked the elephant:\n\u201cHow far back, sir, can you remember?\u201d \u201cSirs, when I was a youngster, I\nused to walk over this banyan tree, keeping it between my thighs; the\nlittle tips of the shoots would just touch my belly. As far back as\nthat, sirs, can I remember.\u201d\n\nNext, monks, the partridge and the elephant asked the monkey: \u201cHow far\nback, sir, can you remember?\u201d \u201cSirs, when I was a youngster, I used to\nsit on the ground and eat the little tips of the shoots of this banyan\ntree. As far back as that, sirs, can I remember.\u201d\n\nFinally, monks, the monkey and the elephant asked the partridge: \u201cHow\nfar back, sir, can you remember?\u201d \u201cIn yonder open space, sirs, grew a\nhuge banyan tree. I ate one of its fruits and dropped the seed in this\nplace. From that sprang this banyan tree. At that time also, sirs, I\nwas the oldest.\u201d\n\nThereupon, monks, the monkey and the elephant said this to the\npartridge: \u201cYou, sir, are our elder. You will we respect, reverence,\nvenerate, and honor, and in your admonitions will we abide steadfast.\u201d\n\nAccordingly, monks, the partridge prevailed upon the monkey and the\nelephant to take upon themselves the Five Precepts, and himself also\ntook upon himself the Five Precepts and walked therein. They lived in\nrespect and deference for each other, and had a common life. After\ndeath, upon dissolution of the body, they were reborn in a place of\nbliss, in a heavenly world. This, monks, was called the Holy Life of\nthe Partridge.\n\n  Men versed in the Law who honor the aged\n  Have praise even in this life\n  And in the next life are in bliss.\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 37: i. 217-220.\n\n  On a certain occasion the Teacher admonished a company of monks to\n  show proper respect for their elders. Said he: \u201cIn former times,\n  monks, even animals reflected: \u2018But it is not becoming in us that\n  we should live without respect or deference for each other, having\n  no common life. Let us find out which one of us is the oldest, and\n  to him let us offer respectful greetings and the other marks of\n  courtesy.\u2019 And when, after diligent inquiry, they knew, \u2018He is our\n  elder,\u2019 to him did they offer respectful greetings and the other\n  marks of courtesy. And having so done, they departed, fulfilling the\n  Path to Heaven.\u201d So saying, he related the following Story of the\n  Past:\n\nIn times past, on a slope of Himavat, near a certain huge banyan tree,\nlived three friends: a partridge, a monkey, an elephant. They were\nwithout respect or deference for each other, having no common life.\nAnd to them occurred the following thought: \u201cIt is not proper for us\nto live thus. Suppose we were to live hereafter offering respectful\ngreetings and the other marks of courtesy to that one of us who is the\noldest!\u201d \u201cBut which one of us is the oldest?\u201d they considered. \u201cThis is\nthe way!\u201d said the three animals one day as they sat at the foot of the\nbanyan tree.\n\nSo the partridge and the monkey asked the elephant: \u201cMaster elephant,\nsince how long have you known this banyan tree?\u201d He said: \u201cFriends,\nwhen I was a young elephant, I used to go with this banyan sapling\nbetween my thighs. Moreover, when I stood with the tree between my\nthighs, the tips of its branches used to rub against my belly. Thus I\nhave known this tree from the time it was a sapling.\u201d\n\nNext the other two animals, in the same way as before, asked the\nmonkey. He said: \u201cFriends, when I was a young monkey, I used to sit\non the earth, extend my neck, and eat the tips of the shoots of this\nbanyan tree. Thus I have known it since it was very small.\u201d\n\nFinally the other two animals, in the same way as before, asked the\npartridge. He said: \u201cFriends, in former times, in such-and-such a\nplace, grew a huge banyan tree. I ate its fruits and dropped its seed\nin this place. From that sprang this tree. Thus I know this tree from\nthe time when it had not yet sprouted. Therefore I am older than you.\u201d\nThus spoke the partridge.\n\nThereupon the monkey and the elephant said to the wise partridge:\n\u201cMaster, you are older than we. Henceforth to you will we offer\nrespect, reverence, veneration, salutation, and honor; to you will we\noffer respectful greeting, rising on meeting, homage with joined hands,\nand proper courtesy; in your admonitions will we abide steadfast. From\nthis time forth, therefore, be good enough to give us admonition and\nneeded instruction.\u201d\n\nFrom that time forth the partridge gave them admonition, established\nthem in the Precepts, and himself also took upon himself the Precepts.\nAnd those three animals, established in the Precepts, showed respect\nand deference for each other, and had a common life. When their life\nwas come to an end, they attained the goal of a heavenly world. The\ntaking upon themselves by these three animals of the Precepts was\ncalled the Holy Life of the Partridge.\n\n  \u201cFor, monks, those animals lived in respect and deference for each\n  other. Why is it that you, who have retired from the world under a\n  Doctrine and Discipline so well taught, do not live in respect and\n  deference for each other?\u201d\n\n  When the Teacher had thus related this parable, he assumed the\n  prerogative of One Supremely Enlightened and uttered the following\n  stanza:\n\n    Men versed in the Law who honor the aged\n    Have praise even in this life\n    And in the next life are in bliss.\n\n  When the Teacher had thus extolled the practice of honoring the\n  oldest, he joined the connection and identified the personages in\n  the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the elephant was one of\n  my disciples, the monkey was another, but the wise partridge was I\n  myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_20. The Hawk._\n\n_Walk not in forbidden ground._\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nSa\u1e41yutta v. 146-148.\n\n  Thus have I heard: Once upon a time the Exalted One was in residence\n  at Jetavana. At that time the Exalted One addressed the monks:\n  \u201cMonks!\u201d \u201cReverend Sir!\u201d replied those monks to the Exalted One. The\n  Exalted One said this:\n\nIn olden times, monks, a hawk attacked a quail with violence and caught\nit. Now, monks, as the hawk was carrying off the quail, the quail thus\nlamented: \u201cI am indeed unfortunate, I possess little merit,--I who\nwalked in forbidden ground, in a foreign region. If to-day I had walked\nin my own ground, in the region of my fathers, this hawk would not have\nbeen equal to a combat with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, quail, what is your feeding-ground? What is the region of your\nfathers?\u201d\n\n\u201cA field of clods, turned up by the plow.\u201d\n\nThen, monks, the hawk, not exerting his strength, not asserting his\nstrength, released the quail. \u201cGo, quail! Even there you will not\nescape from me.\u201d Then, monks, the quail went to the field of clods,\nturned up by the plow, and mounting a big clod, stood and called the\nhawk: \u201cCome now, hawk, I dare you! Come now, hawk, I dare you!\u201d\n\nThen, monks, the hawk, exerting his strength, asserting his strength,\nflapped both his wings and attacked the quail with violence. When,\nmonks, the quail knew: \u201cThis hawk is coming for me with a vengeance!\u201d\nhe entered a crack in that very clod. And, monks, the hawk struck his\nbreast against that very clod.\n\n  \u201cFor, monks, so it goes with whoever walks in forbidden ground, in a\n  foreign region. Therefore, monks, walk not in forbidden ground, in a\n  foreign region. If, monks, you walk in forbidden ground, in a foreign\n  region, the Evil One will obtain entrance, the Evil One will obtain\n  lodgment. And what, monks, is forbidden ground, a foreign region?\n  The Five Pleasures of Sense. What are the Five? Pleasurable Sights,\n  Sounds, Odors, Tastes, Contacts. And what, monks, is lawful ground,\n  the region of the fathers? The Four Earnest Meditations. What are the\n  Four? Meditation on the Body, on the Sensations, on the Thoughts, on\n  the Conditions of Existence. Walk, monks, in lawful ground, in the\n  region of the fathers. If, monks, you walk in lawful ground, in the\n  region of the fathers, the Evil One will not obtain entrance, the\n  Evil One will not obtain lodgment.\u201d\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 168: ii. 58-60.\n\n  _A hawk flying strong._ This stanza was recited by the Teacher while\n  in residence at Jetavana to explain his own meaning in the Parable\n  of the Bird. For one day the Teacher addressed the monks: \u201cWalk,\n  monks, in lawful ground, in the region of the fathers.\u201d Then he\n  said: \u201cYou just stay where you belong. In former times even animals,\n  because they left their own ancestral region and walked in forbidden\n  ground, fell into the hands of their enemies, but through their own\n  intelligence and resourcefulness escaped from the hands of their\n  enemies.\u201d So saying, he related the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn as a quail, and made his home in a field of clods, turned\nup by the plow. One day he said to himself: \u201cI will seek food in a\nforeign region.\u201d So he left off seeking food in his own region and went\nto the edge of a wood. Now while he was picking up food there, a hawk\nsaw him and attacked him with violence and caught him. As the hawk was\ncarrying off the quail, the quail thus lamented: \u201cI am indeed mighty\nunfortunate, I possess very little merit,--I who walked in forbidden\nground, in a foreign region. If to-day I had walked in my own ground,\nin the region of my fathers, this hawk would certainly not have been\nequal to coming to a combat with me.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, quail, what is your feeding-ground? What is the region of your\nfathers?\u201d\n\n\u201cA field of clods, turned up by the plow.\u201d\n\nThen the hawk, not exerting his strength, released him. \u201cGo, quail!\nEven there you will not escape.\u201d The quail went there, and mounting a\nbig clod, stood and cried to the hawk: \u201cCome now, hawk!\u201d\n\nThe hawk, exerting his strength, flapped both his wings and attacked\nthe quail with violence. But when the quail knew: \u201cThis hawk is coming\nfor me with a vengeance!\u201d he turned and entered a crack in that very\nclod. The hawk, unable to check his speed, struck his breast against\nthat very clod. Thus the hawk, with heart broken and eyes bulging out,\nmet destruction.\n\n  When the Teacher had related this Story of the Past, he said:\n  \u201cThus, monks, even animals, when they walk in forbidden ground,\n  fall into the hands of their adversaries; but when they walk in\n  their own ground, in the region of their fathers, they humble their\n  adversaries. Therefore you also must not walk in forbidden ground,\n  in a foreign region. If, monks, you walk in forbidden ground, in a\n  foreign region, the Evil One will obtain entrance, the Evil One will\n  obtain lodgment. If, monks, you walk in lawful ground, in the region\n  of the fathers, the Evil One will not obtain entrance, the Evil\n  One will not obtain lodgment.\u201d Then, revealing his omniscience, he\n  uttered the first stanza:\n\n    A hawk flying strong, attacked with violence\n    A quail standing in his feeding-ground, and thus met death.\n\nNow when the hawk had thus met his death, the quail came out and\nexclaimed: \u201cI have seen the back of my enemy!\u201d And standing on his\nheart and breathing forth a solemn utterance, the quail uttered the\nsecond stanza:\n\n  Endowed with sense, delighting in my own feeding-ground,\n  My enemy gone, I rejoice, intent on my own good.\n\n  The Teacher, having proclaimed the Truths by the narration of this\n  fable, identified the personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt\n  that time the hawk was Devadatta, but the quail was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_21. How Not To Hit an Insect._\n\n_Better an enemy with sense than a friend without it._\n\n\n_A. Boy and mosquito._\n\nJ\u0101taka 44: i. 246-248.\n\n  _Better an enemy._ This parable was related by the Teacher while he\n  was journeying from place to place in the country of the Magadhas, in\n  a certain little village, with reference to some foolish villagers.\n\n  The story goes that once upon a time the Teacher went from S\u0101vatthi\n  to the kingdom of Magadha, and journeying about from place to\n  place in that kingdom, arrived at a certain little village. Now\n  that village was inhabited for the most part by men who were utter\n  fools. There one day those utter fools of men assembled and took\n  counsel together, saying: \u201cFolks, when we enter the forest and do\n  our work, the mosquitoes eat us up, and because of this our work is\n  interrupted. Let us, every one, take bows and weapons, go and fight\n  with the mosquitoes, pierce and cut all the mosquitoes, and thus\n  make way with them.\u201d They went to the forest with the thought in\n  their minds, \u201cWe\u2019ll pierce the mosquitoes.\u201d But they pierced and hit\n  one another and came to grief, and on their return, lay down within\n  the boundaries of the village, in the village-square, and at the\n  village-gate.\n\n  The Teacher, surrounded by the Congregation of Monks, entered that\n  village for alms. The rest of the inhabitants, being wise men,\n  seeing the Exalted One, erected a pavilion at the village-gate,\n  gave abundant alms to the Congregation of Monks presided over by\n  the Buddha, saluted the Teacher, and sat down. The Teacher, seeing\n  wounded men lying here and there, asked those lay disciples: \u201cHere\n  are many men who are in a bad way. What have they done?\u201d \u201cReverend\n  Sir, these men started out with the thought in their minds, \u2018We\u2019ll\n  have a fight with the mosquitoes.\u2019 But they pierced one another and\n  returned themselves the worse for wear.\u201d Said the Teacher: \u201cNot only\n  in their present state of existence have utter fools of men, with the\n  thought in their minds, \u2018We\u2019ll hit mosquitoes,\u2019 hit themselves; in a\n  previous state of existence also they were the very men who, with the\n  thought in their minds, \u2018We\u2019ll hit a mosquito,\u2019 hit something very\n  different.\u201d Then, in response to a request of those men, he related\n  the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nmade his living by trading. At that time, in the kingdom of K\u0101si, in\na certain frontier village, dwelt many carpenters. There a certain\ngrey-haired carpenter was planing a tree. Now a mosquito settled on his\nhead,--his head looked like the surface of a copper bowl!--and pierced\nhis head with his stinger, just as though he were sticking him with\na spear. Said he to his son who sat beside him: \u201cSon, a mosquito is\nstinging me on the head,--it feels just as if he were sticking me with\na spear! Shoo him away!\u201d \u201cFather, wait a moment! I\u2019ll kill him with a\nsingle blow!\u201d\n\nAt that time the Future Buddha also, seeking wares for himself, having\nreached that village, was sitting in that carpenter\u2019s hut. Well, that\ncarpenter said to his son: \u201cShoo this mosquito off!\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll shoo him\noff, father!\u201d replied the son. Taking his stand immediately behind his\nfather, the son, with the thought in his mind, \u201cI\u2019ll hit the mosquito!\u201d\nraised aloft a big, sharp axe, and split the skull of his father in\ntwo. The carpenter died on the spot. The Future Buddha, seeing what the\nson had done, thought: \u201cEven an enemy, if he be a wise man, is better;\nfor an enemy, though it be from fear of human vengeance, will not\nkill.\u201d And he uttered the following stanza:\n\n  Better an enemy with sense\n  Than a friend without it,\n  For with the words, \u201cI\u2019ll kill a mosquito!\u201d\n  A son,--both deaf and dumb!--\n  Split his father\u2019s skull!\n\nHaving uttered this stanza, the Future Buddha arose and passed away\naccording to his deeds. As for the carpenter, his kinsfolk did their\nduty by his body.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cThus, lay disciples, in a previous state of\n  existence also they were the very men who, with the thought in their\n  minds, \u2018We\u2019ll hit a mosquito,\u2019 hit something very different.\u201d Having\n  related this parable, he joined the connection and identified the\n  personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cBut the wise man who\n  uttered the stanza and departed on that occasion was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n_B. Girl and fly._\n\nJ\u0101taka 45: i. 248-249.\n\n  _Better an enemy._ This parable was related by the Teacher while he\n  was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a certain slave-girl.\n\n  A certain wealthy merchant, we are told, had a slave-girl. Where she\n  was pounding rice, her old mother came in and lay down. Flies buzzed\n  round her and ate her up, just as though they were piercing her with\n  needles. She said to her daughter: \u201cMy dear, the flies are eating\n  me up. Shoo them off!\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll shoo them off!\u201d replied the daughter.\n  Raising her pestle aloft, intending to kill the flies, with the\n  thought in her mind, \u201cI\u2019ll make way with them!\u201d she struck her mother\n  with the pestle and killed her. When she saw what she had done, she\n  began to weep: \u201cMother! Mother!\u201d\n\n  They reported that incident to the merchant. The merchant had her\n  body attended to, and went to the monastery and reported the whole\n  incident to the Teacher. Said the Teacher: \u201cVerily, householder,\n  not only in her present state of existence has this girl, with the\n  thought in her mind, \u2018I\u2019ll kill the flies on my mother\u2019s head!\u2019\n  struck her mother with a pestle and killed her; in a previous state\n  of existence also she killed her mother in the very same way.\u201d And in\n  response to the merchant\u2019s request, he related the following Story of\n  the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn in a merchant\u2019s household, and on the death of his father,\nsucceeded to the post of merchant. He also had a slave-girl. She also,\nwhen her mother came to the place where she was pounding rice and said\nto her, \u201cMy dear, shoo the flies away from me!\u201d--she also, in the very\nsame way, struck her mother with a pestle and killed her and began to\nweep. The Future Buddha, hearing of that incident, thought: \u201cFor even\nan enemy in this world, if only he be a wise man, is better!\u201d And he\nuttered the following stanza:\n\n  Better an enemy who is intelligent\n  Than a well-disposed person who is a fool!\n  Look at that wretched little slave-girl!\n  She killed her mother, and now,--she weeps!\n\nWith this stanza did the Future Buddha preach the Doctrine, praising\nthe man of wisdom.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cVerily, householder, not only in her present state\n  of existence has this girl, with the thought in her mind, \u2018I\u2019ll\n  kill flies!\u2019 caused the death of her mother; in a previous state of\n  existence also she caused the death of her mother in the very same\n  way.\u201d Having related this parable, he joined the connection and\n  identified the personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that\n  time that very mother was the mother, that very daughter was the\n  daughter, but the wealthy merchant was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_22. Monkey-Gardeners._\n\n_Misdirected effort spells failure._\n\n\n_A. One-stanza version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 46: i. 249-251.\n\n  _Never, in the hands of one who knows not what is good._ This parable\n  was related by the Teacher in a certain little village in the country\n  of the Kosalas with reference to one who spoiled a garden.\n\n  The story goes that the Teacher, while journeying from place to place\n  in the country of the Kosalas, arrived at a certain little village.\n  There a certain householder invited the Teacher, provided seats in\n  his garden, gave alms to the Congregation of Monks presided over\n  by the Buddha, and said: \u201cReverend Sirs, walk about in this garden\n  according to your pleasure.\u201d\n\n  The monks arose, and accompanied by the gardener, walked about\n  the garden. Seeing a certain bare spot, they asked the gardener:\n  \u201cDisciple, everywhere else this garden has dense shade, but in this\n  spot there is not so much as a tree or a shrub. What, pray, is the\n  reason for this?\u201d \u201cReverend Sirs, when this garden was planted, a\n  certain village boy watered it. In this spot he pulled up the young\n  trees by the roots, and according as the roots were large or small,\n  watered them plentifully or sparingly. Those young trees withered and\n  died. That\u2019s how this spot comes to be so bare!\u201d\n\n  The monks approached the Teacher and reported that matter to him.\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cNot only in his present state of existence has\n  that village boy spoiled a garden; in a previous state of existence\n  also he did naught but spoil a garden.\u201d So saying, he related the\n  following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, a holiday was\nproclaimed. From the moment they heard the holiday drum, the residents\nof the entire city went about making holiday.\n\nAt that time many monkeys lived in the king\u2019s garden. The gardener\nthought: \u201cA holiday has been proclaimed in the city. I\u2019ll tell\nthese monkeys to water the garden, and then I\u2019ll go make holiday.\u201d\nApproaching the leader of the monkeys, he said: \u201cMaster monkey-leader,\nthis garden is of great use even to you. Here you eat flowers and\nfruits and shoots. A holiday has been proclaimed in the city. I\u2019m going\nto make holiday.\u201d And he asked him the question: \u201cCan you water the\nyoung trees in this garden until I come back?\u201d \u201cYes, indeed, I\u2019ll water\nthem.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said the gardener; \u201cbe heedful.\u201d So saying, he gave\nthose monkeys water-skins and wooden water-pots to use in watering\nthe trees, and departed. The monkeys took the water-skins and wooden\nwater-pots and watered the young trees.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_When you water the young trees, pull them up by the\nroots, every one._\u201d]\n\nNow the leader of the monkeys said to the monkeys: \u201cMaster-monkeys, the\nwater must not be wasted. When you water the young trees, pull them\nup by the roots, every one; look at the roots; water plentifully\nthe roots that strike deep, but sparingly the roots that do not strike\ndeep; later on we shall have a hard time getting water.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d\nsaid the monkeys, promising to do as he told them to. And they did so.\n\nAt that time a certain wise man saw those monkeys working away in the\nking\u2019s garden, and said to them: \u201cMaster-monkeys, why are you pulling\nup by the roots every one of those young trees and watering them\nplentifully or sparingly according as the roots are large or small?\u201d\nThe monkeys replied: \u201cThat\u2019s what the monkey who is our leader told\nus to do.\u201d When the wise man heard that reply, he thought: \u201cAlas!\nalas! Those that are fools, those that lack wisdom, say to themselves:\n\u2018We\u2019ll do good.\u2019 But harm\u2019s the only thing they do!\u201d And he uttered the\nfollowing stanza:\n\n  Never, in the hands of one who knows not what is good,\n  Does a good undertaking turn out happily.\n  A man who lacks intelligence spoils what is good\n  Like the monkey who worked in the garden.\n\nThus, with this stanza, did that wise man censure the leader of the\nmonkeys. Having so done, he departed from the garden with his followers.\n\n  Said the Teacher: \u201cNot only in his present state of existence has\n  that village boy spoiled a garden; in a previous state of existence\n  also he did naught but spoil a garden.\u201d Having related this parable,\n  he joined the connection and identified the personages in the\n  Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the leader of the monkeys was\n  the village boy who spoiled a garden, but the wise man was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n_B. Three-stanza version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 268: ii. 345-347.\n\n  _If the monkey considered the best of the crowd._ This parable was\n  related by the Teacher in the South Mountain region with reference to\n  a certain gardener\u2019s son.\n\n  The story goes that the Teacher, after keeping residence for the\n  period of the rains, departed from Jetavana and journeyed from place\n  to place in the South Mountain region. Now a certain lay disciple\n  invited the Congregation of Monks presided over by the Buddha,\n  provided seats in his garden, delighted them with rice-gruel and hard\n  food, and said: \u201cNoble sirs, if you desire to take a walk about the\n  garden, go with this gardener.\u201d And he gave orders to the gardener:\n  \u201cPray give the noble monks fruits and other such-like edibles.\u201d\n\n  As the monks walked about, they saw a certain cleared space, and\n  asked: \u201cThis space is cleared, without growing trees; what, pray, is\n  the reason for this?\u201d Then the gardener told them: \u201cThe story goes\n  that a certain gardener\u2019s son once watered the saplings. \u2018I\u2019ll water\n  them plentifully or sparingly according as the roots are large or\n  small,\u2019 thought he. So he pulled them up by the roots and watered\n  them plentifully or sparingly according as the roots were large or\n  small. That\u2019s how this space comes to be cleared!\u201d\n\n  The monks went to the Teacher and reported that matter to him. Said\n  the Teacher: \u201cNot only in his present state of existence has that\n  youth spoiled a garden; in a previous state of existence also he did\n  naught but spoil a garden.\u201d So saying, he related the following Story\n  of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Vissasena ruled at Ben\u0101res, a holiday was\nproclaimed. Thought the gardener: \u201cI\u2019ll go make holiday;\u201d and said\nto the monkeys who lived in the garden: \u201cThis garden is of great use\nto you. I\u2019m going to make holiday for seven days. You must water the\nsaplings on the seventh day.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said they, consenting. He\ngave them little water-skins and departed.\n\nThe monkeys did as they were told and watered the saplings. Now the\nleader of the monkeys said to the monkeys: \u201cWait a moment! Water is at\nall times hard to get; it must not be wasted. What you must do is to\npull up the saplings by the roots, note the length of the roots, water\nplentifully the saplings that have long roots, but sparingly those\nthat have short roots.\u201d \u201cVery well,\u201d said the monkeys, and went about\nwatering the saplings, some of them pulling the saplings up by the\nroots and others planting them again.\n\nAt that time the Future Buddha was the son of a certain notable in\nBen\u0101res. Having occasion, for some purpose or other, to go to the\ngarden, he saw those monkeys working away, and asked them: \u201cWho told\nyou to do this?\u201d \u201cThe monkey who is our leader.\u201d \u201cWell! if this is the\nwisdom of your leader, what must yours be like!\u201d And explaining the\nmatter, he uttered the first stanza:\n\n  If the monkey considered the best of the crowd\n  Has wisdom like this,\n  Then what in the world must the others be like?\n\nHearing this remark, the monkeys uttered the second stanza:\n\n  Brahman, you don\u2019t know what you are talking about\n  When you blame us like this;\n  For how, unless we see the roots,\n  Can we know whether the tree stands firm?\n\nHearing their reply, the Future Buddha uttered the third stanza:\n\n  It isn\u2019t you I blame,--not I,--\n  Nor the other monkeys in the wood;\n  Vissasena alone is the one to blame,\n  Who asked you to tend his trees for him.\n\n  When the Teacher had related this parable, he identified the\n  personages in the Birth-story as follows: \u201cAt that time the leader of\n  the monkeys was the youth who spoiled the garden, but the wise man\n  was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_23. Two Dicers._\n\n_Take care!_\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nD\u012bgha ii. 348-349.\n\nIn olden times two dicers played at dice. The first dicer swallowed\nevery ace. The second dicer saw that dicer swallow every ace. Seeing,\nhe said this to that dicer: \u201cYou, sir, have it all your own way. Give\nme the dice, sir; I must hurry away.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d said that dicer, and\nhanded over the dice to that dicer.\n\nNow that dicer painted the dice with poison, and said this to that\ndicer: \u201cCome, sir, let us play at dice.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d said that dicer in\nassent to that dicer.\n\nA second time also those dicers played at dice; a second time also that\ndicer swallowed every ace. The second dicer saw that dicer swallow for\nthe second time also every ace. Seeing, he said this to that dicer:\n\n  Smeared with the strongest poison\n  Was the die the man swallowed, but knew it not.\n  Swallow, O swallow, wicked dicer!\n  Later it will taste bitter to you.\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 91: i. 379-380.\n\n  On a certain occasion the Exalted One reproved the monks for handling\n  their property carelessly. Said he: \u201cMonks, careless handling of\n  property is like careless handling of deadly poison. For men of old,\n  through carelessness, not knowing what was the matter, ate poison,\n  and as a result experienced great suffering.\u201d So saying, he related\n  the following Story of the Past:\n\nIn times past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Ben\u0101res, the Future Buddha\nwas reborn in a household of great wealth. When he reached manhood, he\nbecame a dicer. Now a second dicer used to play with the Future Buddha,\nand he was a cheat. So long as he was winning, he would not break the\nplay-ring; but when he lost, he would put a die in his mouth, say, \u201cA\ndie is lost!\u201d break the play-ring, and make off.\n\nThe Future Buddha, knowing the reason for this, said: \u201cLet be! I shall\nfind some way of dealing with him.\u201d So taking the dice to his own home,\nhe painted them with deadly poison and let them dry thoroughly. Then,\ntaking them with him, he went to the second dicer\u2019s and said: \u201cCome,\nsir, let us play at dice.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d said the second dicer, and\nmarked out the play-ring.\n\nAs the second dicer played with the Future Buddha, he lost, and put a\ndie in his month. Now the Future Buddha, seeing him do this, said:\n\u201cJust swallow! Later you will know what that is.\u201d And to rebuke him he\nrecited the following stanza:\n\n  Smeared with the strongest poison\n  Was the die the man swallowed, but knew it not.\n  Swallow, O swallow, wicked dicer!\n  Later it will taste bitter to you.\n\nEven as the Future Buddha spoke, he swooned from the effect of the\npoison, rolled his eyes, dropped his shoulders, and fell. Said the\nFuture Buddha: \u201cNow I must grant him his life.\u201d So giving him an emetic\ncontaining herbs, he made him vomit. Then, giving him ghee, honey, and\nsugar to eat, he made him well. Finally he admonished him: \u201cNever do\nsuch a thing again.\u201d And having performed alms-giving and the other\nworks of merit, the Future Buddha passed away according to his deeds.\n\n  When the Teacher had completed this parable, he said: \u201cMonks,\n  careless handling of property is like careless handling of deadly\n  poison.\u201d Then he identified the personages in the Birth-story as\n  follows: \u201cAt that time the wise dicer was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_24. Two Caravan-Leaders._\n\n_Be prudent!_\n\n\n_A. Canonical version._\n\nD\u012bgha ii. 342-346.\n\nIn olden times a great caravan of a thousand carts went from the\neastern country to the western country. Wherever it went, very quickly\nwere consumed grass, sticks, water, and pot-herbs. Now over that\ncaravan were two caravan-leaders, one over five hundred carts, one over\nfive hundred carts. And to these caravan-leaders occurred the following\nthought: \u201cThis is a great caravan of a thousand carts. Wherever we go,\nvery quickly are consumed grass, sticks, water, and pot-herbs. Suppose\nwe were to divide this caravan into two caravans of five hundred carts\neach!\u201d They divided that caravan into two caravans, one of five hundred\ncarts, one of five hundred carts. One caravan-leader only loaded his\ncarts with abundant grass and sticks and water, and started his caravan\nforward.\n\nNow when he had proceeded a journey of two or three days, that\ncaravan-leader saw coming in the opposite direction in a chariot drawn\nby asses, a black man with bloodshot eyes, with ungirt quiver, wearing\na garland of lilies, his garments wet, the hair of his head wet, the\nwheels of his chariot smeared with mud. Seeing, he said this: \u201cWhence,\nsir, do you come?\u201d \u201cFrom such-and-such a country.\u201d \u201cWhither do you\nintend to go?\u201d \u201cTo such-and-such a country.\u201d \u201cEvidently, sir, farther\non in the wilderness a heavy rain has been in progress.\u201d \u201cYes, indeed,\nsir. Farther on in the wilderness a heavy rain has been in progress.\nThe roads are drenched with water; abundant are grass and sticks and\nwater. Throw away, sir, the old grass, sticks, and water; with lightly\nburdened carts go ever so quickly; do not overburden the conveyances.\u201d\n\nNow that caravan-leader told his drivers what that man had said, and\ngave orders as follows: \u201cThrow away the old grass, sticks, and water;\nwith lightly burdened carts start the caravan forward.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d\nsaid those drivers to that caravan-leader. And in obedience to his\ncommand they threw away the old grass, sticks, and water, and with\nlightly burdened carts started the caravan forward. Neither in the\nfirst stage of the journey, nor in the second, nor in the third, nor in\nthe fourth, nor in the fifth, nor in the sixth, nor in the seventh, did\nthey see grass or sticks or water; they all met destruction and death.\nAnd all that were in that caravan, whether men or beasts, did that\nogre, that demon, devour, leaving only the bare bones.\n\nWhen the second caravan-leader knew, \u201cIt is now a long time since\nthat caravan started out,\u201d he loaded his carts with abundant grass\nand sticks and water, and started his caravan forward. Now when he\nhad proceeded a journey of two or three days, this caravan-leader\nsaw coming in the opposite direction in a chariot drawn by asses, a\nblack man with bloodshot eyes, with ungirt quiver, wearing a garland\nof lilies, his garments wet, the hair of his head wet, the wheels of\nhis chariot smeared with mud. Seeing, he said this: \u201cWhence, sir, do\nyou come?\u201d \u201cFrom such-and-such a country.\u201d \u201cWhither do you intend\nto go?\u201d \u201cTo such-and-such a country.\u201d \u201cEvidently, sir, farther on\nin the wilderness a heavy rain has been in progress.\u201d \u201cYes, indeed,\nsir. Farther on in the wilderness a heavy rain has been in progress.\nThe roads are drenched with water; abundant are grass and sticks and\nwater. Throw away, sir, the old grass, sticks, and water; with lightly\nburdened carts go ever so quickly; do not overburden the conveyances.\u201d\n\nNow that caravan-leader told his drivers what that man had said,\nadding: \u201cThis man surely is no friend of ours, no kinsman or\nblood-relative. How can we trust him on our journey? On no account\nmust the old grass, sticks, and water, be thrown away. Start the\ncaravan forward, leaving the things just as they are. I will not\npermit you to throw away the old.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d said those drivers to\nthat caravan-leader. And in obedience to his command they started the\ncaravan forward, leaving the things just as they were. Neither in the\nfirst stage of the journey, nor in the second, nor in the third, nor\nin the fourth, nor in the fifth, nor in the sixth, nor in the seventh,\ndid they see grass or sticks or water; but they saw that caravan in\ndestruction and ruin. And of those that were in that caravan, whether\nmen or beasts, they saw only the bare bones, for they had been eaten by\nthat ogre, by that demon.\n\nThereupon that caravan-leader addressed his drivers: \u201cThis caravan\nhere met destruction and ruin solely through the folly of that foolish\ncaravan-leader who acted as its guide. Now then, throw away those wares\nin our own caravan which are of little worth, and take those wares in\nthis other caravan which are of great worth.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d said those\ndrivers to that caravan-leader. And in obedience to his command they\nthrew away all those wares in their own caravan which were of little\nworth, and took those wares in that other caravan which were of great\nworth. And they passed in safety through that wilderness solely\nthrough the wisdom of that wise caravan-leader who acted as their guide.\n\n\n_B. Uncanonical version._\n\nJ\u0101taka 1: i. 95-106.\n\n  One day a wealthy merchant, accompanied by five hundred disciples of\n  heretical teachers, went to Jetavana monastery, saluted the Exalted\n  One, presented offerings, and sat down. Likewise did those disciples\n  of heretical teachers salute the Teacher and sit down, close beside\n  the merchant. And they gazed at the countenance of the Teacher,\n  resplendent with the glory of the full moon; at his form, a form like\n  that of Great Brahm\u0101, adorned with the greater and lesser marks of\n  beauty, encircled with a radiance a fathom deep; at the solid rays\n  of a Buddha which issued from his body, forming, as it were, garland\n  after garland and pair after pair.\n\n  And to them the Teacher, as it were a young lion roaring the lion\u2019s\n  roar on a table-land in the Him\u0101laya mountains, as it were a cloud\n  thundering in the rainy season, as it were bringing down the Heavenly\n  Ganges, as it were weaving a rope of jewels, with a voice like that\n  of Great Brahm\u0101, endowed with the Eight Excellences, captivating\n  the ear, delighting the heart, preached a pleasing discourse on the\n  Doctrine, diversified in divers ways.\n\n  The heretics, after listening to the discourse of the Teacher,\n  believed in their hearts, and rising from their seats, burst asunder\n  the refuge of the heretical teachers and sought refuge in the Buddha.\n  From that time on they regularly accompanied the merchant to the\n  monastery with offerings, listened to the Doctrine, gave alms, kept\n  the Precepts, observed Fast-day. Now the Exalted One departed from\n  S\u0101vatthi and went back again to R\u0101jagaha. When the Teacher departed,\n  the heretics burst that refuge asunder, sought refuge once more in\n  the heretical teachers, lapsed once more into their former position.\n\n  When the Exalted One returned to S\u0101vatthi and learned what had\n  happened, he said to those backsliders: \u201cLaymen, in former times also\n  men mistook for a refuge what was no refuge at all, grasped with the\n  grasp of reason, with the grasp of contradiction, and in a wilderness\n  haunted by demons came to a sorry end, becoming the food of ogres.\n  But men who laid hold of Truth absolute, certain, consistent,\n  obtained safety in that very wilderness.\u201d Having so said, he became\n  silent.\n\n  Thereupon the merchant, rising from his seat, saluted and applauded\n  the Exalted One. And joining his hands and pressing them to his head\n  in token of reverent salutation, he spoke as follows: \u201cReverend\n  Sir, it is clear to us that these laymen just now burst asunder the\n  Supreme Refuge and chose instead speculation. But the fact that\n  in former times, in a wilderness haunted by demons, men who chose\n  speculation were destroyed, while men who chose Absolute Truth were\n  saved,--that fact is hidden from us and clear to you alone. It were\n  indeed well were the Exalted One, as it were making the full moon\n  rise in the heavens, to make this fact clear to us.\u201d\n\n  Then the Exalted One aroused the attention of the merchant by saying:\n  \u201cI, O householder, fulfilled the Ten Perfections during a period of\n  time which cannot be measured, and penetrated Omniscience, for the\n  sole purpose of rending asunder the doubt of the world. Lend ear and\n  listen as attentively as though you were filling a golden tube with\n  lion-marrow.\u201d Thereupon, as it were cleaving the Vault of the Snow\n  and releasing the full moon, he revealed circumstances hidden by\n  rebirth:\n\nIn times past, in the kingdom of K\u0101si, in the city of Ben\u0101res, there\nwas a king named Brahmadatta. At that time the Future Buddha was\nreborn in the household of a caravan-leader. In the course of time\nhe grew to manhood, and went about trading with five hundred carts.\nSometimes he went from east to west, sometimes from west to east. In\nthe same city of Ben\u0101res there was another caravan-leader besides, a\nfoolish, short-sighted, resourceless fellow.\n\nAt that time the Future Buddha took a valuable lot of goods from\nBen\u0101res, filled five hundred carts, made preparations for the journey,\nand was all ready to start. Likewise that foolish caravan-leader also\nfilled five hundred carts, made preparations for the journey, and was\nall ready to start.\n\nThe Future Buddha thought: \u201cIf this foolish caravan-leader goes at the\nsame time I go, and a thousand carts travel along the road together,\neven the road will not be big enough. It will be difficult for the men\nto find firewood and water, and difficult for the oxen to find grass.\nEither he or I should go first.\u201d So he had the man summoned, told him\nthe situation, and said: \u201cIt is out of the question for both of us to\ngo at the same time. Will you go first, or follow after?\u201d\n\nThought the foolish caravan-leader: \u201cThere are many advantages in my\ngoing first. There will not be a single rut in the road over which I\ntravel; my oxen will eat grass which has not been touched; my men will\nhave leaves for curry which have not been touched; the water will be\nclear; I can sell my goods at whatever price I choose to set.\u201d So he\nsaid: \u201cI, sir, will go first.\u201d\n\nAs for the Future Buddha, he saw many advantages in going second, for\nthe following considerations presented themselves to his mind: \u201cThose\nwho go first will make smooth the rough spots on the road; I shall go\nby the same road they have gone; the oxen that go first will eat the\nold tough grass, and my oxen will eat the fresh grass which will have\nsprung up in the meantime; wherever they pluck leaves, fresh leaves\nfor curry will have sprung up and will be at the disposal of my men;\nin places where there is no water, they will dig wells and obtain a\nsupply, and we shall drink water from wells dug by others. Moreover,\nprice-fixing is like depriving men of life! If I go second, I can sell\nmy goods for whatever price they have fixed.\u201d Accordingly, seeing all\nthese advantages in going second, he said: \u201cYou, sir, go first.\u201d \u201cVery\nwell, sir,\u201d said the foolish caravan-leader. So harnessing his carts,\nhe set out, and in due course passing beyond the habitations of men, he\nreached the mouth of the wilderness.\n\n(Wildernesses are of five kinds: robber-wildernesses, beast-wildernesses,\nwaterless wildernesses, demon-wildernesses, famine-wildernesses. Where\nthe road is infested with robbers, it is called a robber-wilderness.\nWhere the road is infested with lions and other beasts of prey, it\nis called a beast-wilderness. Where there is no water for bathing or\ndrinking, it is called a waterless wilderness. If it is infested with\ndemons, it is called a demon-wilderness. If it lacks roots and hard\nfood and soft food, it is called a famine-wilderness. Of these five\nkinds of wildernesses, this wilderness was both a waterless wilderness\nand a demon-wilderness.)\n\nTherefore that caravan-leader set many huge chatties in the carts and\nhad them filled with water before he struck into the sixty-league\nwilderness. Now when he reached the middle of the wilderness, the\nogre who lived in the wilderness, thinking, \u201cI will make these men\nthrow away the water they took,\u201d created a car to delight the heart,\ndrawn by pure white young oxen; and surrounded by ten or twelve demons\nbearing in their hands bow, quiver, shield, and weapon, decked with\nwater-lilies both blue and white, head wet, garments wet, seated in\nthat car like a very lord, the wheels of the car smeared with mud, came\ndown that road from the opposite direction.\n\nBoth before him and behind him marched the demons who formed his\nretinue, heads wet, garments wet, decked with garlands of water-lilies\nboth blue and white, carrying in their hands clusters of lotus-flowers\nboth red and white, chewing the fibrous stalks of water-lilies,\nstreaming with drops of water and mud.\n\nNow caravan-leaders, when the wind is ahead, to avoid the dust, ride\nin front, sitting in their cars, surrounded by their attendants. When\nit blows from behind, they ride behind in precisely the same way. But\nat this time the wind was ahead; therefore that caravan-leader rode in\nfront.\n\nWhen the ogre saw him approaching, he caused his own car to turn out\nof the road and greeted him in a friendly manner, saying: \u201cWhere are\nyou going?\u201d The caravan-leader also caused his own car to turn out of\nthe road, allowing room for the carts to pass, and standing aside,\nsaid to that ogre: \u201cWe, sir, are just approaching from Ben\u0101res. But\nyou are approaching decked with water-lilies both blue and white, with\nlotus-flowers both red and white in your hands, chewing the fibrous\nstalks of water-lilies, smeared with mud, with drops of water streaming\nfrom you. Is it raining along the road by which you came? Are the\nlakes completely covered with water-lilies both blue and white, and\nlotus-flowers both red and white?\u201d\n\nWhen the ogre heard his words, he said: \u201cFriend, what\u2019s this you\u2019re\nsaying? Do you see that dark green streak of woods? Beyond that\npoint the entire forest is one mass of water; it rains all the time;\nthe hollows are full of water; in this place and in that are lakes\ncompletely covered with lotus-flowers both red and white.\u201d As the carts\npassed, one after another, he inquired: \u201cWhere are you going with these\ncarts?\u201d \u201cTo such-and-such a country.\u201d \u201cWhat are the goods you have in\nthis cart,--and in that?\u201d \u201cSuch-and-such.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe cart that approaches last moves as though it were excessively\nheavy; what goods have you in that?\u201d \u201cThere is water in that.\u201d \u201cIn\nbringing water thus far, of course, you have acted wisely. But beyond\nthis point you have no occasion to carry water. Ahead of you water is\nabundant. Break the chatties to pieces, throw away the water, travel\nat ease.\u201d And having so said, he added: \u201cYou continue your journey;\nwe have some business that detains us.\u201d The ogre went a little way,\nand when he was out of their sight, went back again to his own city of\nogres.\n\nNow that foolish caravan-leader, out of his own foolishness, took the\nadvice of the ogre, broke the chatties to pieces, threw away all of the\nwater, leaving not so much as a dribble, and caused the carts to move\nforward. Ahead there was not the slightest particle of water. For lack\nof water to drink the men grew weary. They traveled until sundown,\nand then unharnessed the carts, drew them up in a contracted circle,\nand tied the oxen to the wheels. There was neither water for the oxen\nnor gruel and boiled rice for the men. The weakened men lay down here\nand there and went to sleep. At midnight the ogres approached from the\ncity of ogres, slew both oxen and men, every one, devoured their flesh,\nleaving only the bare bones, and having so done, departed. Thus, by\nreason of a single foolish caravan-leader, they all met destruction.\nThe bones of their hands and all their other bones lay scattered about\nin the four directions and the four intermediate directions; five\nhundred carts stood as full as ever.\n\nAs for the Future Buddha, he waited for a month and a half from the\nday when the foolish caravan-leader set out, and then set out from\nthe city with five hundred carts. In due course he reached the mouth\nof the wilderness. There he had the water-chatties filled, putting in\nan abundant supply of water. Then, sending a drum around the camp, he\nassembled his men and spoke as follows: \u201cWithout first obtaining my\npermission, you must not use so much as a dribble of water. In the\nwilderness there are poison-trees: any leaf or flower or fruit which\nyou have not previously eaten, you must not eat without first obtaining\nmy permission.\u201d Having thus admonished his men, he struck into the\nwilderness with his five hundred carts.\n\nWhen he reached the middle of the wilderness, that ogre showed himself\nin the path of the Future Buddha in precisely the same way as before.\nWhen the Future Buddha saw him, he knew: \u201cIn this wilderness is no\nwater; that is what is called a waterless wilderness. Moreover this\nfellow is fearless, red-eyed, casts no shadow. Without a doubt this\nfellow caused the foolish caravan-leader who went first to throw away\nall his water, and having thus brought weariness upon him and his\ncompany, devoured them. But, unless I am mistaken, he does not know how\nwise and resourceful I am.\u201d\n\nAccordingly the Future Buddha said to the ogre: \u201cYou go your way. We\nare traders. Unless we see water farther on, we shall not throw away\nthe water we have brought. But wherever we do see water, there we shall\nthrow away the water we have brought, and having thus lightened our\ncarts, shall continue our journey.\u201d The ogre went a little way, and\nwhen he was out of sight, went back again to his own city of ogres.\n\nNow when the ogre had gone, the men asked the Future Buddha: \u201cNoble\nsir, these men said: \u2018Do you see that dark green streak of woods?\nBeyond that point it rains all the time.\u2019 And the men who said it\napproached garlanded with garlands of water-lilies both blue and white,\ncarrying clusters of lotus-flowers both red and white, chewing the\nfibrous stalks of water-lilies, heads wet, garments wet, with drops of\nwater streaming from them. Let us throw away the water and go quickly\nwith lightened carts.\u201d\n\nThe Future Buddha, hearing their words, caused the carts to halt,\nassembled all of his men, and asked: \u201cHas any one of you heard that\nthere is either a lake or a pool in this wilderness?\u201d \u201cNoble sir, we\nhave not so heard. This is what is called a waterless wilderness.\u201d\n\u201cJust now some men said: \u2018Beyond that dark green streak of woods it is\nraining.\u2019 Now how far does a rain-wind blow?\u201d \u201cA matter of a league,\nnoble sir.\u201d \u201cBut has a rain-wind touched the body of even a single\none of you?\u201d \u201cIt has not, noble sir.\u201d \u201cHow far off is a cloud-head\nvisible?\u201d \u201cA matter of a league, noble sir.\u201d \u201cBut has any one of you\nseen even a single cloud-head?\u201d \u201cWe have not, noble sir.\u201d \u201cHow far off\nis lightning visible?\u201d \u201cFour or five leagues, noble sir.\u201d \u201cBut has\nany one of you seen a flash of lightning?\u201d \u201cWe have not, noble sir.\u201d\n\u201cHow far off can the sound of a cloud be heard?\u201d \u201cA matter of one or\ntwo leagues, noble sir.\u201d \u201cBut has any one of you heard the sound of a\ncloud?\u201d \u201cWe have not, noble sir.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are not human beings; those are ogres. They must have come with\nthe thought in their minds: \u2018We will make these men throw away their\nwater, weaken them, and devour them.\u2019 The foolish caravan-leader who\nwent first was not resourceful. Undoubtedly he must have thrown away\nthe water at their behest, grown weary, and been devoured; the five\nhundred carts must stand as full as ever. To-day we shall see them. Do\nnot throw away even so much as a dribble of water, but drive ahead as\nfast as ever you can.\u201d With these words he bade them drive forward.\n\nProceeding, he saw the five hundred carts as full as ever, and the\nbones of the men\u2019s hands and all their other bones scattered in all\ndirections. He had the carts unharnessed and a stockade built by\ndrawing them into a contracted circle. He had both men and oxen given\ntheir supper betimes, and the oxen lie down in the centre of the circle\nformed by the men. He himself, assisted by the leaders of the force,\nkept watch during the three watches of the night, sword in hand, and\nallowed the dawn to rise upon him standing there.\n\nOn the following day, very early in the morning, he had his men do all\ntheir chores, feed the oxen, discard the weak carts, substitute strong\nones, throw away goods of little value, substitute those of great\nvalue. And going to the place where he would be, he sold his goods for\ntwice or thrice the price, and together with his entire company went\nback again to his own city.\n\n  When the Teacher had related this parable, he said: \u201cThus,\n  householder, in times past those who grasped with the grasp of\n  speculation came to a sorry end, but those who grasped Absolute Truth\n  escaped from the hands of demons, went in safety to the place where\n  they would be, and went back again to their own place.\u201d And having\n  thus joined the two parts of this Parable of Absolute Truth, he, the\n  Supremely Enlightened, uttered the following stanza:\n\n    Some adhered to Absolute Truth, sophists to less than this.\n    Knowing this, a wise man should lay hold on Absolute Truth.\n\n  Said the Teacher in conclusion: \u201cAt that time the wise caravan-leader\n  was I myself.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n_25. Boar and Lion._\n\n\u201c_Eat me, O lion!_\u201d\n\nAdapted from C. H. Tawney, Ocean of the Streams of Story\n(Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara), Chapter 72.\n\n\nIn times past there dwelt in a cave in the Vindhya mountains a wise\nboar, who was none other than the Buddha in a previous state of\nexistence, and with him his friend a monkey. He was compassionate\ntowards all living beings. One day there came to his cave a lion and\na lioness and their cub. And the lion said to his mate: \u201cSince the\nrains have hindered the movements of all living beings, we shall of a\ncertainty perish for lack of some animal to eat.\u201d And the lioness said:\n\u201cOf a certainty one or another of us is destined to die of hunger.\nTherefore do you and the cub eat me, for thus you will save your lives!\nAre you not my lord and master? Can you not get another mate like me?\nTherefore do you and the cub eat me, for thus you will save your lives!\u201d\n\nNow at that moment the wise boar awoke, and hearing the words of the\nlioness, was delighted, and thought to himself: \u201cThis is the fruit of\nthe merit which I have acquired in previous states of existence. I will\nsatisfy the hunger of my friends with my own body and blood.\u201d Then the\nwise boar arose from his bed and went out of his cave and said to the\nlion: \u201cMy good friend, do not despair. For here I am, ready to be eaten\nby you and your mate and your cub. Eat me, O lion!\u201d Now when the lion\nheard these words, he was delighted, and said to his mate: \u201cLet our cub\neat first; then I will eat, and you shall eat after me.\u201d The lioness\nagreed.\n\nSo first the cub ate some of the flesh of the wise boar, and then the\nlion began to eat. And while he was eating, the wise boar said to him:\n\u201cBe quick and drink my blood before it sinks into the ground, and\nsatisfy your hunger with my flesh, and let your mate eat what is left.\u201d\nSo the lion gradually devoured the flesh until only the bones were\nleft. But--wonderful to relate!--the wise boar did not die, for his\nlife remained in him, as if to see how long his endurance would endure.\nIn the meantime the lioness died of hunger in the cave, and the lion\nwent off somewhere or other with his cub, and so the night came to an\nend.\n\nThen the monkey awoke and went out of the cave, and seeing the wise\nboar reduced to a heap of bones, became greatly excited and exclaimed:\n\u201cWhat reduced you to a heap of bones? Tell me, O friend, if you\ncan.\u201d So the wise boar told him the whole story. Then the monkey did\nreverence to the wise boar, and said to him: \u201cTell me what you wish me\nto do, and I will do it.\u201d The wise boar replied: \u201cI wish only to have\nmy body restored to me like as it was before, and to have the lioness\nthat died of hunger restored to life again, that she may satisfy her\nhunger with my body and blood.\u201d Thereupon, as the fruit of the merit\nwhich the wise boar had acquired, he was transformed into a sage, and\nthe monkey into a sage likewise.\n\n\n\n\n_26. Fairy-Prince and Griffin._\n\n\u201c_Eat me, O griffin!_\u201d\n\nAdapted from C. H. Tawney, Ocean of the Streams of Story\n(Kath\u0101sarits\u0101gara), Chapters 22 and 90.\n\n\nOn a ridge of the Him\u0101laya stands a city called the Golden City, for it\ngleams from afar like the rays of the sun. And in that city, once upon\na time, lived the king of the fairies, and his name was J\u012bm\u016bta-ketu.\nAnd in the garden of his palace grew a wishing-tree, and its name\nwas Granter of Desires, for it granted all desires. By the favor of\nthat tree the king obtained a son, who was none other than the Future\nBuddha, and his name was J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana. He was valiant in generosity,\nof mighty courage, and compassionate towards all living beings.\n\nWhen J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana was become of age, his father made him crown-prince.\nThus did he become the fairy-prince. And when he had become the\nfairy-prince, the ministers of the kingdom came to him and said: \u201cO\nfairy-prince, do reverence always to this wishing-tree, for it grants\nall desires, and cannot be resisted by any living creature. For so\nlong as we possess this tree, we cannot suffer injury of any kind from\nanyone, even from Indra, king of the gods, much less from any other.\u201d\n\nWhen J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana heard these words, he thought to himself: \u201cAlas!\nour forefathers, for all their possession of this noble tree, obtained\nby the favor of this tree naught but wealth and victory over their\nenemies; thus did they demean themselves, and thus did they demean\nthis tree likewise. For no such purposes as these will I employ this\ntree. For I know that the good things of this world endure but for a\nshort while, and then perish and vanish utterly. But friendliness and\ncompassion and generosity towards all living beings yield abundant\nfruit, both in this world and in the next. As for wealth, if it be\nnot used for the benefit of others, it is like lightning which for an\ninstant stings the eye, and then flickers and vanishes. Therefore if\nthis wishing-tree which we possess, and which grants all desires, be\nemployed for the benefit of others, we shall reap from it all the fruit\nthat it can give. Accordingly I will so act that by the wealth of this\ntree all living beings shall be delivered from poverty and distress.\u201d\n\nThen J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana went to the wishing-tree and said: \u201cO tree-spirit,\nthou that dost grant to us the fruit that we desire, fulfil to-day this\none wish of mine: Deliver all living beings from poverty and distress.\u201d\nStraightway--wonderful to relate!--the wishing-tree showered a shower\nof gold upon the earth, and all living beings rejoiced thereat and\nbecame well-disposed to J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana, and the fame and glory of him\nspread both near and far. But the relatives of J\u012bm\u016bta-ketu, seeing\nthat his throne was firmly established by the glory of his son, were\nmoved to jealousy and became hostile to him. And because the kingdom of\nJ\u012bm\u016bta-ketu was weak, they determined to attack it and overthrow it,\nand to take possession of the wishing-tree that granted all desires.\nAnd they assembled and met together and began preparations to attack\nthe kingdom of J\u012bm\u016bta-ketu and to overthrow it and to take possession\nof the wishing-tree that granted all desires.\n\nThereupon J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana the fairy-prince said to J\u012bm\u016bta-ketu the\nfairy-king his father: \u201cWhy should we seek to obtain new wealth, or\nto retain the wealth that we possess? Is not this body of ours like a\nbubble in the water, which bursts in an instant and vanishes? Is it not\nlike a candle, which, when it is exposed to the wind, flickers for an\ninstant and goes out? Should a wise man desire to obtain wealth or to\nretain it when it is obtained, by the killing of living beings? I will\nnot fight with my relatives. Therefore I will leave my kingdom and go\nto some forest-hermitage. Let these miserable wretches do as they like,\nbut let us not kill the members of our own family.\u201d\n\nAnd J\u012bm\u016bta-ketu the fairy-king said to J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana the fairy-prince\nhis son: \u201cThen will I too go, my son. For what desire for rule can I\nhave, who am old, when you, who are young, out of compassion towards\nall living beings, abandon your kingdom as though it were so much straw\nand stubble?\u201d Thereupon J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana, with his father and mother, went\nto the Malaya mountain, and took up his abode in a forest-hermitage,\nthe dwelling of the fairy-magicians, the Siddhas, where the brooks were\nhidden by the sandalwood trees, and devoted himself to the care of his\nfather and mother.\n\nOne day, as he was roaming about with a companion, he came to a wood on\nthe shore of the sea. There he saw many heaps of bones. And he said to\nhis companion: \u201cWhose bones are these?\u201d His companion replied: \u201cGive\near, and I will tell you the story in a few words.\u201d\n\n\n_Griffin and snakes._\n\nIn times past Kadr\u016b and Vinat\u0101, the two wives of Kashyapa, had a\nquarrel. Kadr\u016b said that the horses of the Sun were black, and Vinat\u0101\nsaid that they were white, and they made a wager that whichever of the\ntwo was wrong should become a slave of the other. Then Kadr\u016b, bent on\nwinning, actually induced her sons the snakes to defile the horses of\nthe Sun by spitting venom over them; and showing them to Vinat\u0101 thus\ndefiled, she conquered her by a trick and made her her slave.\n\nWhen the griffin, the son of Vinat\u0101, heard of that, he came and tried\nto induce Kadr\u016b to release Vinat\u0101 from slavery. Then the snakes, the\nsons of Kadr\u016b, said to the griffin, the son of Vinat\u0101: \u201cO griffin,\nthe gods have begun to churn the sea of milk. Fetch thence the drink\nof immortality and give it to us as a substitute, and then take your\nmother away with you.\u201d When the griffin heard these words, he went to\nthe sea of milk and displayed his mighty prowess in order to obtain\nthe drink of immortality. Then the god Vishnu, pleased with his mighty\nprowess, condescended to say to him: \u201cI am pleased with thee; choose\nsome boon.\u201d Then the griffin, angry because his mother had been made\na slave, asked the following boon of Vishnu: \u201cMay the snakes become\nmy food!\u201d Vishnu granted him this boon. Now Indra, king of the gods,\nlistened to the conversation, and when the griffin, by his mighty\nprowess, had obtained the drink of immortality, he said to him: \u201cO\ngriffin, take steps to prevent the foolish snakes from consuming the\ndrink of immortality, and to enable me to take it away from them\nagain.\u201d The griffin agreed, and elated by the boon of Vishnu, he went\nto the snakes with the vessel containing the drink of immortality.\n\nAnd he called out from afar to the snakes: \u201cTo you have I brought the\ndrink of immortality. Take it, and release my mother. But if you are\nafraid, I will put it on a bed of darbha-grass. So soon as my mother is\nreleased, I will go; therefore take the drink of immortality thence.\u201d\nNow the snakes were terrified by reason of the boon which Vishnu had\ngranted to the griffin, and at once agreed to the bargain. Then the\ngriffin set on a bed of darbha-grass the vessel containing the drink of\nimmortality, and the snakes released his mother from slavery, and the\ngriffin departed with her.\n\nBut while the snakes, not suspicious of a ruse, were in the very act\nof taking the drink of immortality, Indra, king of the gods, suddenly\nswooped down, and confounding them with his mighty prowess, carried\noff the vessel containing the drink of immortality. Then the snakes in\ndespair licked the bed of darbha-grass with their tongues, thinking\nthat there might be so much as a drop of the drink of immortality spilt\nthereon; whereupon--wonderful to relate--their tongues became split,\nand they became double-tongued for nothing.\n\nThus did the snakes fail to obtain the drink of immortality. And\nstraightway their enemy the griffin, relying on the boon which he had\nobtained from Vishnu, swooped down on them and began to devour them.\nAnd this he did again and again. And he wrought such havoc among them\nthat the snakes in P\u0101t\u0101la were nigh unto death from sheer fright, and\ntheir females miscarried, and the whole race of the snakes was nigh\nunto utter destruction. Then V\u0101suki, king of the snakes, fearing that\nthe whole race of the snakes would be rooted out, begged the griffin\nto relent, and made the following agreement with him: \u201cO king of\nbirds, every day, on the hill that rises out of the sand of the sea,\nI will send you a single snake to eat. But you must not commit the\nfolly of entering P\u0101t\u0101la, for by destroying utterly the whole race\nof the snakes, you will only defeat your own purpose.\u201d The griffin\nconsented. So every day, on the hill that rises out of the sand of the\nsea, V\u0101suki, king of the snakes, sends to the griffin, the king of the\nbirds, a single snake to eat. And the griffin, the king of the birds,\ndevours each day the snake which V\u0101suki, king of the birds, sends to\nhim to eat. These heaps of bones are the bones of the snakes which the\ngriffin has eaten, and which, gradually accumulating, have come to look\nlike the peak of a mountain.\n\n\n_Fairy-prince and griffin._\n\nWhen J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana, the fairy-prince, embodiment of generosity and\ncompassion towards all living beings, heard this story from the lips\nof his companion, he was pricked to the heart. And he said to his\ncompanion: \u201cOf a truth, V\u0101suki, king of the snakes, is to be pitied,\nfor that, like a coward, he delivers with his own hand into the hands\nof his most bitter enemy the snakes that are his subjects. Since he has\na thousand faces and a thousand mouths, why can he not say with one of\nhis mouths to the griffin who is his enemy: \u2018Eat me first, O griffin!\u2019\u201d\nThen did the noble-hearted J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana make the following Earnest\nWish: \u201cMay I, by the sacrifice of my own body and blood, obtain Supreme\nEnlightenment!\u201d\n\nAt that moment a servant summoned J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana\u2019s companion to return\nhome, and J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana, embodiment of generosity and compassion\ntowards all living beings, was left alone. And J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana roamed\nabout alone, intent on carrying out the resolution which he had formed.\nAnd as he roamed about, he heard afar off a piteous sound of weeping.\nAnd drawing near, he beheld on a lofty slab of rock a youth of handsome\nappearance plunged in bitter grief. And by his side stood an officer\nof some monarch, as if he had brought him and left him there. And the\nyouth was seeking to persuade an old woman who was weeping, to cease\nher weeping and return whence she had come.\n\nAnd J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana stood and listened, melted with pity, eager to\nknow who he might be, and she. And the old woman, overwhelmed with\nthe burden of her grief, began to look again and again at the youth,\nand to lament her misfortune in the following words: \u201cAlas, my son!\nthou that wast obtained by me at the cost of a hundred bitter pangs!\nAlas, virtuous youth! Alas, only scion of our family, where shall I\nbehold thee again? Bereft of thee, thy father will be plunged into the\ndarkness of sorrow, and will not for long endure to live. That body of\nthine, which would suffer even from the torch of the sun\u2019s rays,--how\ncan it endure the agony of being devoured by the griffin? How comes it\nthat Fate and the king of the snakes were able to discover thee, the\nonly son of ill-starred me, though the world of the snakes is wide?\u201d\nThereupon the youth said: \u201cMother, I am afflicted enough as it is. Why\ndo you afflict me more? Return to your home, I beg you. This is my last\nreverence to you. The griffin will soon be here.\u201d When the old woman\nheard those words, she cast her sorrowful eyes all around the horizon,\nand cried aloud: \u201cAlas, I am undone! Who will deliver my son from\ndeath?\u201d\n\nThen J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana with joy and delight went up to the old woman and\nsaid: \u201cMother, I will deliver your son!\u201d\n\nWhen the old woman heard those words, she was frightened and terrified,\nfor she thought that the griffin had come. And straightway she cried\nout: \u201cEat me, O griffin! eat me!\u201d Then said the youth her son: \u201cMother,\nbe not afraid, for this is no griffin!\u201d Then said J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana:\n\u201cMother, I am the prince of the fairies, disguised in the garb of a\nman. I am come to deliver your son from death. I will give my own body\nand blood to the hungry griffin. Therefore return to your home, and\ntake your son with you.\u201d But the old woman said: \u201cBy no means! for in\na still higher sense you yourself are my very own son, since you have\nshown such a measure of compassion to me and my son at this time.\u201d\nThen said J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana: \u201cI have formed a resolution, and you must not\ndefeat my purpose.\u201d\n\nThen said the youth: \u201cO thou of great and noble heart! I cannot consent\nto save my own body at the cost of thine. Should a common stone be\nsaved by the sacrifice of a precious stone? The world is full of those\nwho, like myself, pity only themselves. But few in number are those who\nentertain sentiments of compassion for the whole world and for all the\nliving beings that are therein.\u201d At that moment the trees began to sway\nwith the wind of the wings of the griffin, and seemed to utter a cry\nof dissuasion. And the sea, churned by the wind, seemed with the eyes\nof its bright-flashing jewels to be gazing in wonder and astonishment\nat the greatness of his courage and the depth of his compassion. Then\ncame the griffin, hiding the heavens with his outspread wings. And\nswooping down, he smote the valiant hero J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana with his beak,\nand gripping him with his talons, carried him off from that slab of\nrock; and soaring aloft, flew quickly with him to a peak of the Malaya\nmountain, to eat him there. And J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana\u2019s crest-jewel was torn\nfrom his head, and drops of blood fell from his body, as the griffin\ncarried him through the air. And while the griffin was devouring his\nbody and blood, he uttered the following Earnest Wish: \u201cMay my body and\nblood be offered thus in every state of my existence, and may I not\nobtain rebirth in heaven or deliverance from the round of existences\nif thereby I shall be deprived of the opportunity of doing good to my\nneighbor!\u201d\n\nBut afterwards, through the finding of his crest-jewel, his kinsfolk\nand friends effected his deliverance from the power of the griffin, and\na goddess sprinkled him with a potion, whereupon he arose more glorious\nthan before, with all his limbs made whole again. And the goddess said\nto him: \u201cMy son, I am pleased with this sacrifice of thy body and\nblood. Therefore I sprinkle thee king of the fairies, and thy reign\nshall endure for a cycle of time.\u201d Thereupon a rain of flowers fell\nfrom the sky, and the drums of the gods resounded with approbation.\nAnd the griffin repented of his evil deeds, and said: \u201cFrom this day\nhenceforth I will not again eat snakes. As for those which I have\nalready eaten, let them return to life again!\u201d Then--wonderful to\nrelate!--all the snakes that he had previously eaten returned to\nlife again. Then J\u012bm\u016bta-v\u0101hana was escorted to the Him\u0101laya, and was\nsprinkled king over all the kings of the fairies, and his reign endured\nfor a cycle of time.\n\n\n\n\n_Glossary._\n\n\n  _Ace._ The losing throw at dice.\n\n  _Ascetic._ A man who has taken a vow to remain single, and to devote\n    himself to fasting, bodily torture, and meditation as a means of\n    escape from the horrors of repeated existences. Specifically, a monk\n    belonging to some religious order other than the order of monks\n    founded by Gotama Buddha.\n\n  _Ben\u0101res._ A sacred city of North India, situated on the Ganges. It\n    was the capital of K\u0101si.\n\n  _Brahm\u0101._ The Supreme Being, the Invincible, the All-seeing, the\n    Subduer, the Lord, the Maker, the Creator, the Ancient of Days, the\n    Conqueror, the Ruler, the Father of all that are and are to be.\n    Gotama ignored the question whether such a being exists.\n\n  _Brahman._ A man belonging to the priestly caste.\n\n  _Buddha._ See Introduction.\n\n  _Casts no shadow._ One of the marks of a demon.\n\n  _Chatty._ An earthenware vessel.\n\n  _Crore._ 10,000,000.\n\n  _Devadatta._ Cousin and enemy of Gotama. The Judas of Buddhism.\n\n  _Enlightenment._ See Introduction.\n\n  _Exalted One._ Title of Buddha.\n\n  _Exalted States._ Friendliness, Compassion, Sympathy, and\n    Indifference.\n\n  _Five Precepts._ (1) Thou shalt not take the life of any living\n    being. (2) Thou shalt not take that which is not given. (3) Thou\n    shalt not give way to the sins of the flesh. (4) Thou shalt not\n    speak falsehood. (5) Thou shalt avoid occasions of heedlessness\n    through the use of liquor or spirits or other intoxicants.\n\n  _Four Requisites._ Robes, food, lodging, and medicine.\n\n  _Fourfold Army._ Infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants.\n\n  _Future Buddha._ See Introduction.\n\n  _Ganges._ A sacred river of North India, in the valley of which\n    Buddhism took its rise. The Heavenly Ganges is the Milky Way.\n\n  _Great Being._ Title of a Future Buddha.\n\n  _Heretic._ A man who refuses to accept the teachings of Buddha.\n\n  _Hermitage._ Dwelling-place of a hermit or ascetic.\n\n  _Heron\u2019s Call._ Triumphant cry of an elephant.\n\n  _Him\u0101laya, Himavat._ Literally, Abode of Snow. A range of mountains,\n    the loftiest in the world, forming the northeastern border of India.\n    The foothills of the Him\u0101laya range were a favorite resort for monks\n    and ascetics.\n\n  _Inconceivable._ 1 followed by 28 ciphers.\n\n  _Jaws of R\u0101hu._ Eclipses of the sun and moon were supposed to be due\n    to the fact that they were swallowed from time to time by a demon\n    named R\u0101hu, the Seizer.\n\n  _Jetavana._ Conqueror\u2019s Grove. Name of a monastery near S\u0101vatthi. The\n    favorite residence of the Buddha.\n\n  _K\u0101si._ A country of North India of which Ben\u0101res was the capital.\n\n  _Kel\u0101sa._ One of the principal peaks of the Him\u0101laya range.\n\n  _Kosala._ A country lying north of K\u0101si, of which S\u0101vatthi was the\n    capital.\n\n  _Lac._ A scarlet dye.\n\n  _Land of the Rose-apple._ India. A Rose-apple (Jambu) tree is\n    represented in the illustration to Story 15, lower right.\n\n  _Marks of the spread hand._ For good luck. The fingers were supposed\n    to \u201cpoint off\u201d evil spirits.\n\n  _Meru. Sineru._ A vast mountain occupying the centre of each of an\n    infinite number of worlds.\n\n  _Monk._ A man who has taken a vow to remain single, and to devote\n    himself to meditation and good works in accordance with the\n    teachings of the Buddha.\n\n  _Nit._ A fly\u2019s egg.\n\n  _Play-ring._ Before beginning play, dicers would draw a circle on the\n    ground or floor. So long as the play continued, a dicer was bound to\n    remain within the circle. By stepping outside of the circle, a dicer\n    \u201cbroke\u201d the play-ring and stopped the play.\n\n  _Omniscience._ Knowledge of all things. Enlightenment. By performing\n    a work of merit and making an Earnest Wish thereby to attain\n    Enlightenment in some future state of existence, a Future Buddha, as\n    it were, sows the Seed of Omniscience.\n\n  _S\u0101vatthi._ A city of North India, the capital of Kosala.\n\n  _Seven Buddhas._ The oldest texts mention only seven Buddhas. The\n    J\u0101taka Book mentions twenty-four. Later, the number is increased\n    indefinitely.\n\n  _Sineru._ See Meru.\n\n  _Sprinkling._ In ancient India kings were not anointed, but sprinkled.\n\n  _Takkasil\u0101._ A city of Northwest India, the capital of Gandh\u0101ra. A\n    famous seat of learning in ancient times.\n\n  _Teacher._ Title of Buddha.\n\n  _Ten Perfections._ Generosity, Morality, Renunciation, Wisdom,\n    Energy, Patience, Truth, Resolution, Friendliness, Indifference.\n\n  _Three Jewels._ The Buddha, the Doctrine, and the Order of Monks.\n\n  _Warrior._ A man belonging to the military caste.\n\n  _Yugandhara._ One of seven vast circles of rock which surround Mount\n    Meru.\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES:\n\n\n  Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.\n\n  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.\n\n  Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.\n\n  Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.","title":"The grateful elephant : $b And other stories translated from the P\u0101li","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":42139}