Category Archives: JATAKA TALES
313. The Elephant And The Beetle
Once upon a time, those citizens of the kingdoms of Anga and Magadha who were traveling from one land to the other, used to stay in a house on the marches of the two kingdoms, and there they drank liquor and ate the flesh or fishes, and early in the morning they yoked their carts and went away. At the time when they came, a certain dung beetle, led by the odour of dung, came to the place where they had drunken, and saw some liquor shed upon the ground, and for thirst he drank it, and returned to his lump of dung intoxicated.
312. The Crow And The Quail
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta wsas reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as a quail and lived in the forest on rude grass and seeds. At the time there was in Benares a greedy crow who, not content with carcases of elephants and other animals, went to the forest in hopes of better food: eating woks fruits there he saw the Bodhisatta and thinking “This quail is very fat; I think he eats sweet food; I will ask him what he eats and by eating it I will become fat myself.” He perched on a bough above the Bodhisatta. The Bodhisatta, without being asked, gave him greeting and spoke:–
311. The Crocodile And The Monkey
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!”
310. The Crocodile And The Fishes
Once upon a time, the Brahmadatta was king of Benares, and a good king he was. One day he entered his park, and came to the side of a lake. And those girls of harem began to dance and sing. The fish and tortoises, eager to hear the sound of song, flocked together and went along beside the king. And the king, seeing a mass of fish as long as a palm trunk, asked his courtiers,
