297. The Bodhisatta, Owl And Crow
Once upon a time, the king of Benares, went to the battle field at an unseasonable time, set up a camp in his park. At that time an Owl entered a thicket of bamboos, and hid in it. There came a flock of Crows; thy said, “We will catch him when he comes out.” And they compassed it around. Without waiting for sunset, the owl came out.
296. The Bodhisatta As A Tree Sprite
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a Tree Sprite near the Himalayas. And in those days the king put his state elephant in the elephant trainers hands to train it. They tied the elephant tightly to a post, and with goads in their hands set about training the animal. Unable to bear the pain while he was being trained, the elephant broke the post down, tossed the trainers in the air and ran to the Himalayas. And the trainers, unable to catch it, had to come back empty handed. The elephant lived in the Himalayas in constant fear of death.
295. The Bodhisatta Preventing Sacrifice Of Animals
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in a brahmin family, in Kasi. And when he was of mature years, renouncing the pleasures of sense and embracing the ascetic life he developed the supernatural powers of mystic meditation, and enjoying the delights of Contemplation took up his abode in a pleasant grove in the Himalayas.
The king of Benares at this time was fearfully alarmed by hearing those four sounds uttered by four beings who lived in Hell. The brahmins warned that one of three dangers must befall him, he agreed to their proposal to put a stop to it by the fourfold sacrifice.
294. The Bodhisatta On Friendship
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as a brahmin’s son in Kasi. When he came of age, he renounced the world; he meditates to grow in him the Supernatural Faculties and the Attainments, and he lived in Himalayas with a band of disciples.
One of this band of ascetics disobeyed the voice of the Bodhisatta, and kept a young elephant which had lost its dam. This creature by and by grew big, then killed its master and made off into the forest. The ascetics did his obsequies; and then, coming about the Bodhisatta, they put this question to him.
