Category Archives: JATAKA TALES
92. The Bodhisatta – As Snake Charmer
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into a family of doctors skilled in the cure of snake bites, and when he grew up, he practiced for a livelihood.
Now that a countryman was bitten by a snake; and without delay his relatives quickly fetched the doctor. Said the Bodhisatta, “Shall I extract the venom with the usual antidotes, or have the snake caught and make it suck its own poison out of the wound?” They said,”Have the snake caught and make it suck the poison out.” So he had the snake caught, and asked the creature, saying “Did you bite this man?”
91. The Bodhisatta – As Serpant Prince
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning at Benares, the Daddara Nagas lived at the foot of Mount Daddara in the Himalayas and the Bodhisatta came to life as Mahadaddara, the son of Suradaddara, the king of that country, with a younger brother named Culladaddara. The latter was passionate and cruel, and went about abusing and striking the Naga maidens. The Naga king, on hearing of his cruelty, gave orders for his expulsion from the Naga world, but Mahadaddara got his father to forgive him and saved his brother from expulsion; the same thing repeated the second time and again he was induced to forgive him. But on the third occasion the king said, “You have prevented me from expelling this good-for-nothing fellow; now both of you get out from this Naga world, and live for three years at Benares on a dunghill.”
90. The Bodhisatta – As Sakka
The king of Benares had two sons. And of these two sons the elder went to Benares, and became king; the younger one became the viceroy. He that was king was given over to the desire of riches, and the lust of the flesh, and greedy of gain.
At the time, the Bodhisatta was Sakka, king of the gods. And as he looked out upon India, and observed that the king of it was given over to these lusts, he said to himself, “I will chastise that king, and make him ashamed.” So taking the form of a young Brahmin, he went to the king and looked at him.
89. The Bodhisatta – As Sakka, King Of The Gods
Once upon a time, when king Brahmadatta reigned in Benares, the Bodhisatta became Sakka, king of the gods.
Brahmadatta could not endure to look upon anything old or decrepit, whether elephant, horse, ox, or what not. He was full of pranks, and whenever he saw any such, he would chase them away; he destroyed old carts; any old women that he saw he sent for, and beat upon the belly, then stood them up again and gave them a scare; he made old men roll about and play on the ground like tumblers. If he saw none, but only heard that there was a greybeard in a town, he sent for him and took his sport with him.
