345. The Snake And The Garula
Once on a time, while Brahmadatta was king of Benares, a great multitude gathered together in Benares to celebrate the festival. Crowds of men and of gods, of serpents, and garulas, came together to see the meeting.
It so happened that in one spot a Serpent and a Garula were watching the proceedings together. The Serpent, not noticing that this was a Garula beside him, laid a hand on his shoulder. And when the Garula turned and looked round to see whose hand had been laid upon his shoulder, he saw the Serpent. The Serpent looked too, and saw that this was a Garula; and frightened to death, he flew off over the surface of a river.
344. The Sakka And The Greedy Son
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, there was a Treasurer, Illisa by name, who was worth eighty crores. He was lame and crook backed and had a squint; he was an unconverted infidel, and a miser, never giving of his store to others, nor enjoying it himself; his house was like a pool haunted by demons. Yet, for seven generations, his ancestors had been bountiful, giving freely of their best; but, when he became Treasurer, he broke through the traditions of his house. Burning down the almonry and driving the poor with blows from his gates, he hoarded his wealth.
343. The Royal Elephant and The Dog
Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta became his minister.
In those days, there was a dog which used to go to the stall of the Royal elephant and eat the rice spilled where the elephant was fed. Haunting the place for the food’s sake, the dog grew very friendly with the elephant, and at last would never eat except with him. And neither could get on without the other. The dog used to disport himself by swinging back wards and forwards on the elephant’s trunk. One day, a villager bought the dog from the mahout and took the dog home with him.
342. The Roc And The Snake
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a tree-spirit dwelling in the top of a cotton-tree. A king of the rocs caught the snake king and making the snake disgorge what he had seized in his mouth he flew along the tree tops towards the cotton-tree. The snake-king stuck his hood into a banyan-tree and wound himself round it firmly. In the process banyan-tree was uprooted. Now in that banyan there was a bird, who flew up when the banyan was thrown away, and perched in one of the boughs high on the cotton-tree.
