Once upon a time, while Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta came to life at the foot of Himalaya as a Monkey. He grew big, strong and sturdy. At that time there was a Crocodile living in the Ganges. The Crocodile’s mate saw the great monkey, and she was longing to eat his heart. So she said to her lord; “Sir! I desire to eat the heart of that great king of the monkeys!”

The Crocodile said, “Good wife! I live in the water and he lives on dry land how can we catch him?”

She replied, “By hook or by crook. If you don’t get him, I shall die.”

The Crocodile answered consoling her,, “All right. I have a plan; I will give you his heart to eat.”

So when the Bodhisatta was sitting on the bank of the Ganges, after taking a drink of water, the Crocodile went near him, and said, “Sir! why do you live on bad fruits in this old familiar place? On the other side of the Ganges there is no end to the mango trees, and labuja trees, with fruit sweet as honey! Is it not better to cross over and have all kinds of wild fruit to eat?”

The Monkey answered, “The Ganges is deep and wide; how shall I get across?”

“If you are ready to go, I will mount you on my back, and carry you over.”

The Monkey trusted him, and agreed.

The Crocodile said, “Come here, then; get up on my back!” and up the monkey climbed. But when the Crocodile had swum a little way, he plunged the Monkey under the water.

The Monkey cried, “Good friend! you are letting me sink! What is that for?”

The Crocodile said, “Do you think I am carrying you to the other bank? No! My wife has a longing for your heart, and I want to give it her to eat!”

The Monkey said, “Friend! It is nice of you to tell me now. My heart is not with me.”

Crocodile asked, “Well, where do you keep it?” The Bodhisatta pointed out a fig tree, with clusters of ripe fruit and said, “See! there are our hearts hanging on yon fig tree.”

The Crocodile said,”If you show me your heart, I won’t kill you.”

The monkey said, “Take me to the tree, then, and I will point it out to you hanging upon it.”

The Crocodile brought him to the place. The Monkey leapt off his back, and climbing up the fig tree sat upon it. The monkey said, “O! silly Crocodile! you thought that there were creatures that kept their hearts in a tree top! You are a fool, and I have fooled you! You may keep your fruit to yourself. Your body is great, but you have no sense.”

The Crocodile, feeling as sad and miserable as if he had lost a thousand pieces of money, went back to the place where he lived.