Monthly Archives: January 2014
36. The Bodhisatta – As A Deer
Once upon a time when the Kosal king was reigning over the Kosalas in Saketa (Oudh), the Bodhisatta was born as a deer; when he grew up he was named Nandiyamiga, and being excellent in character and conduct he supported his father and mother. The Kosala king was intent on the chase, and went every day to hunt with a great retinue, so that his people could not follow farming and their trades. The people gathered together and consulted, saying, “Airs, this king of ours is destroying our trades, our home-life is perishing; what if we were to enclose the Anjanavana park, providing a gate, digging a tank and sowing grass there, then go into the forest with sticks and clubs in our hands, beat the thickets, and so expelling the deer and driving them along force them into the park like cows into a pen? Then we would close the gate, send word to the king and go about our trades.” “That is the way,” they said, and so with one will they made the park ready, and then entering the wood enclosed a space of a league each way.
35. The Bodhisatta – As A Crow
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.”
34. The Bodhisatta – As A Blacksmith
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was king in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in the kingdom of Kasi in a family, and when hw grew up he became excellent in the craft. His parents were poor. Not far from their village was another smith’s village of a thousand houses. The principal smith of the thousand was a favourite of the king, rich and of great substance.
33. The Bodhisatta – As a Bird
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a bird and lived round a giant tree with branching boughs, at the head of a company of birds. Now one day, as the boughs of this tree were grinding one against the other, dust began to fall soon followed by smoke. When the Bodhisatta became aware of this, he thought to himself:- “If these two boughs go on grinding against one another like this, they will produce fire; and the fire will fall and catch hold of the old leaves, and so come to set fire to this tree as well. We cannot live on here; the proper thing to do is to hasten off elsewhere.”
