Tag Archives: The Bodhisatta and The Lamenting Fish
188. The Bodhisatta and The Lamenting Fish
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta became his family-priest.
In those days some fishermen had cast their net into the river. And a great big fish came along toying with his wife. She, scenting the net, swam ahead of him, made a circuit round it and escaped. But her husband, blinded by passion, sailed right into the meshes of the net. As soon as the fishermen felt him in their net, they caught it in and took the fish out and they did not kill him at once, but flung him alive on the sands. They said,“We’ll cook him for our meal.” and went to light a fire. The fish lamented, saying to himself, “It’s not the torture of the embers or the anguish of the spit or any other pain that grieves me; but only the distressing thought that my wife should be unhappy in the belief that I have gone off with another.”
