Category Archives: JATAKA TALES
156. The Bodhisatta And The Cripple
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was one of the king’s courtiers. And the royal chaplain of those days was so talkative that, when he once started, no one else could get a word in. So the King cast about for someone to cut the chaplain short, and looked high and low for such an one.
Now at that time there was a cripple in Benares who was a wonderful marksman with stones. The boys used to put him on a little cart and draw him to the gates of Benares, where there is a large banyan tree covered with leaves.
155. The Bodhisatta And The Cock
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.
154. The Bodhisatta And The Carpenter
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta gained his livelihood as a trader. In those days in a Border village in Kasi there dwelt a number of carpenters. And one of them was a bald grey-haired man. He was planning to make a furniture and then a mosquito settled on his scalp and stung him with its dart–like sting.
The carpenter said to his son, who was seated next to him, -“My boy, there’s a mosquito stinging me on the head; drive it away.”
“Hold still then, father,” said the son; “one blow will settle it.”
At that very time the Bodhisatta had reached that village in the way of trade, and was sitting in the carpenter’s shop.
In order to kill the mosquito, the carpenter’s son, raised a sharp axe and cleft his father’s head in twain. So the old man fell dead on the spot.
The Bodhisatta thought, who had been an eye – witness of the whole scene, “Sense–lacking friends are worse than foes with sense;
Witness the son that sought the gnat to slay,
But cleft, poor fool, his father’s skull in twain.”
So saying, the Bodhisatta rose up and departed, passing away in after days to fare according to his deserts. And as for the carpenter, his body was burned by his kinsfolk.
153. The Bodhisatta And The Brahmadatta
Once upon a time, the Bodhisatta reigned king in Takkasila, of the realm of Gandhara, and Brahmadatta in Benares. Brahmadatta decided to capture Takkasila. So with great army he invaded the city. He organised the army, and placed them in th respective places.
And he encircled the city with his army. When he saw the towers on the city gate, he asked whether was that the king’s dwelling. “That,” said they, “is the gate tower.”
Brahmadatta asked, “If the gate tower be such as this, of what sort will the king’s palace be?” And they replied, “Like to Vejayanta, the palace of Sakka!” On hearing it, the king said, “With such a glorious king we shall never be able to fight!” And having seen no more than the tower left the city gate, he turned and ran away, and came again to Benares.
