Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in a Brahmin family. And when he grew up, learned all knowledge and became a teacher of world wide fame with five hundred young Brahmins studying under him.

Now these young Brahmins had a cock who crowed early in the morning so that the brahmins could wake up and study. And this cock died. So they looked all out for another cock. When picking up firewood in the cemetery grove, they saw a cock. They brought it home and kept in a coop.

But, as this second cock had been bred in a cemetery, he had no knowledge of either morning or evening, and used to crow casually whenever possible. Roused by his crowing at midnight, the young Brahmins fell to their studies; by dawn they were tired out and could not pay attention on the subject; and when he was crowing in broad day, they did not get a chance for repeating their lesson. And as it was the cock’s crowing both at midnight and by day which had brought their studies to a standstill, they took the bird and wrung his neck. Then they told their teacher that they had killed the cock that crowed in and out of season.

Teacher said, for their edification, “It was his bad bringing up that brought this cock to his end.”

Such was the Bodhisatta’s teaching on the matter; and when he had lived his allotted time on earth, he passed away to fare according to his deserts.