Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a crow. One day the King’s chaplain went out from the city to the river, bathed there, and came back to the city. On the archway of the city gate there sat two crows; and one of them said to his mate, “I mean to foul this brahmin’s head.”

The other said, “Don’t do any such thing. Because, this Brahmin is a great man, and it is an evil thing to incur the hatred of the great. If you anger him, he may destroy all our kind.”

The first crow said, “I really must.”

“Very well, you’re sure to be found out,” said the other, and flew away. Just when the Brahmin was under the arch, down dropped the filth upon him. The enraged Brahmin forthwith conceived hatred against all crows.

Now, at this time, a female slave in charge of a granary spread the rice out in the sun at the granary door and was sitting there to watch it, and she fell asleep. Just then up a shaggy goat came there and ate the rice till the girl woke up, who drove it away. Twice or three times the same thing happened. Then the slave thought that continued visits of the goat would consume half her store of rice and that steps must be taken to stop this. So she took a lighted torch, and, sitting down, pretended to fall asleep as usual. And when the goat was eating, she suddenly sprang up and hit its shaggy back with her torch. At once the goat’s shaggy hide was all ablaze, and to ease its pain, it dashed into a hay shed near the elephant’s stable and rolled in the hay. So the shed caught fire and the flames spread to the stables. As these stables caught fire, the elephants began to suffer, and many of them were badly burnt. The elephant doctors came to cure them. When this was reported to the King, he asked his chaplain whether he knew what would cure the elephants. The chaplain said, “”Certainly I do! sir!” and being pressed to explain, said his nostrum was crows fat. Then the King ordered crows to be killed and their fat taken. And forthwith there was a great slaughter of crows, but never was any fat found on them, and so they went on killing till dead crows lay in heaps everywhere. And a great fear was upon all crows.

The Bodhisatta lived in a great cemetery, as the head of eighty thousand crows. One of these brought the news of fear that was upon the crows. And the Bodhisatta, decided to free his kinsfolk from this danger. Reviewing the Ten Perfections, and selecting therefrom Kindness as his guide, he flew without stopping right up to the King’s palace, and entering in at the open window sat underneath the King’s throne. Straightway a servant tried to catch the bird, but the King entering the chamber stopped him.

Recovering himself in a moment, the Great Being, remembering Kindness, came from beneath the King’s throne and spoke thus to the king; “Sir!, a king should remember the maxim that kings should not walk according to lust and other evil passions in ruling their kingdoms. Before taking action, you must have thought the pros ans cons of an act. If your act is not salutary, they fill thousands with a great fear, even the fear of death. And in prescribing crows fat, your chaplain was prompted by revenge to lie; for crows have no fat.”

By these words the King’s heart was won, and he asked the Bodhisatta to sit on a throne of gold and gave food in gold cups. The king asked, “You say that crows have no fat. How come it that they have none?”

The Bodhisatta answered with a voice that filled the whole palace, and he proclaimed the Truth:-

In ceaseless dread, with all mankind for foes,

Their life is passed; and hence no fat have crows.

The Great Being taught the King, saying, “Sir! kings should never act without examining and knowing the whole matter.”

Well pleased, the King laid his kingdom at the Bodhisatta’s feet, but the Bodhisatta restored it to the King, whom he established in the Five Precepts, beseeching him to shield all living creatures from harm. And the King was moved by these words to grant immunity to all living creatures, and in particular he was unceasingly bountiful to crows. Every day he had six buckets of rice cooked for them and delicately flavoured, and this was given to the crows. But to the Great Being they gave king’s food.