Jataka Tales

Stories of Buddhas past lives

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Definition of JATAKA
Any of some 550 birth stories or narratives of
former incarnations of Gautama Buddha
collected in Buddhist sacred writings
The word is Sanskrit. Jtaka is from the root
word jta meaning born (or as born under);
Also, Jataka is from the word janati meaning he
begets which is more at kin
The Jtakas refer to a voluminous body of
literature native to India concerning the previous births (jti) of the Bodhisattva. These are the
stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in both human and animal form. In whatever
form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates.
In Theravada Buddhism, the Jatakas are a textual division of the Pali Canon, included in the
Khuddaka Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka. The term Jataka may also refer to a traditional commentary on
this book.
The Jatakas are the precursors to the various legendary biographies of the Buddha, which were
composed at later dates. Although many Jatakas were written from an early period, which describe
previous lives of the Buddha, very little biographical material about Gautama's own life has been
recorded.
Use of the Jatakas
The stories were used for a variety of
purposes. In Sanskrit, the Panchatantra
(Indian fables composed around 3
rd

century BCE) used them to teach Law and
Economics, and the Katha Sarit Sagara
(11th-century collection of Indian legends,
fairy tales and folk tales) used them for the
development of knowledge, as well as just
for enjoyment. In the past, people have
been satisfied and fulfilled in many ways by
hearing them in forms ranging from lessons to fairy tales.
By reading these stories, children and adults can develop their knowledge and learn how to face the
difficult experiences of modern life. They can easily develop human values and good qualities like
Jatak Tales, Amar Chitra Katha
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patience, forbearance, tolerance and the four sublime states of mind - loving-kindness, compassion,
sympathetic joy and equanimity.
The major purpose of these stories is to develop the moral and ethical values of the readers.
Without them, people cannot be peaceful and happy in their hearts and minds. And the reader will
find that these values are very different from those of the wider, violently acquisitive, ego-based
society (comparing to the modern day stories found in movies and T.V. shows).
When you read or listen to these very old stories, if you wonder how much is really true, the Buddha
gave some advice that might help. He said that when you listen to what a monk says you should test
the meaning, weigh or consider it, and depend on your own insides to know the truth of it. Then
follow and practice what you know to be true.
Buddhas insights, Karma, the Four Noble Truths in the Jatakas
As of today, a total of 547 Jtakas are in existence. But there are indications that the actual number
of Jtakas could be more. A pagoda at Pagan (Myanmar) has representation of at least 550 Jatakas.
Some scholars believe that the latter figure could be due to the human tendency of rounding off
figures. But popular belief is that the actual number was indeed 550 and the remaining three have
been lost.
Jataka tales embody the ethical system of Buddhas
insights into the natural laws that govern all
existence. They form a cosmos of wisdom by
themselves. At the heart of these stories lies the law
of Karma which states, according to Buddhist
philosophy, that every being becomes what he
makes himself. Karma, here, does not stand just a
synonym for action. It includes all the causal connections between actions and their consequences.
The Buddha revealed the inner complexities of karmas workings, and pointed out that one can,
change the course of ones life, by understanding the nature of karma. He also taught that karma
does not unfold in a simple manner with a single cause giving rise directly to a specific effect. The
good do not always immediately prosper and the evil do not immediately pay for their sins. Yet, over
many lifetimes, everyone gets what he deserves. The Bodhisattva too achieved Buddha hood after
he had accumulated enough good karmas over a period of many births.
Another key to Buddhism are the four noble
truths. These are that there is suffering, that it
has a cause, that it can be suppressed and that
there is a way to accomplish this. These truths
find their place in various Jatakas. The Buddhist
doctrine of impermanence is shown in Garhita
Jataka, Dasratha Jataka and the Bhuridatta
Jataka among others.
The Jataka tales are a huge source of wisdom. They have had a profound influence over mankind
since time immemorial and they find reflection not just in Indian literature, but also the literature of
the whole world. The advent of the animal related stories as a significant genre in French literature
during the middle ages was supposed to be inspired by the Jatakas.
The Jataka Tales in Practice and Literature
Through the centuries these stories have been much more than fairy tales. They were, and are,
taken very seriously for their moral and spiritual teachings. Like all great myths, the stories are as
much about us as they are about the Buddha. As Joseph Campbell said, "Shakespeare said that art is
a mirror held up to nature. And that's what it is. The nature is your nature, and all of these
wonderful poetic images of mythology are referring to something in you." ["Joseph Campbell: The
Power of Myth, with Bill Moyers,"PBS ]
The Jataka Tales are portrayed in dramas and dance. The Ajanta Cave paintings of Maharashtra,
India (ca. 6th century CE) portray Jataka Tales in narrative order, so that people walking through the
caves would learn the stories.





The cave is carved out on the side of a cliff. Inside, it contains some of the finest Indian art.





Inside are paintings and sculptures described by as the finest surviving examples of Indian art,
particularly painting, which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha
and depictions of the Jataka tales.





Jataka Tales
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The Wicked Lady and the Buttermilk Wise Man (Seduction)

Once upon a time, a very rich man was living in Benares, in northern India. He had a daughter who
was one of the most beautiful women in the city. Her skin was as soft as rose petals, her complexion
was like lotus blossoms, and her hair was as black as midnight. But unfortunately her beauty was
only skin deep. For, on the inside, she was very cruel. She insulted her servants and even enjoyed
beating them. She became known as the 'Wicked Lady'.






Deserting the lady in the river
One day she went down to the river for her bath. While she bathed, her servant girls played and
splashed in the water. Suddenly it became dark and a heavy rainstorm came upon them. Most of the
attendants and guards ran away. The servant girls said to each other, "This would be a perfect time
to get rid of the Wicked Lady once and for all! So they deserted her there, still bathing in midstream.
The storm became more and more terrible as the sun set.

When the servant girls arrived home without the Wicked Lady, the rich man asked them, "Where is
my precious daughter?" They replied, "We saw her coming out of the river, but since then we
haven't seen her. We don't know where she went." The rich man sent out relatives to search for her,
but she was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile the Wicked Lady had been swept downstream by the
ferocious flooded river.






The Holy man saves the Lady
There just so happened to be a holy man living in the forest next to the river. In this peaceful area he
had been meditating for a long time, until he had come to enjoy the inner happiness of a high
mental state. Because of this happiness, he was quite sure he had left the ordinary desires of the
world behind.

At about midnight the Lady was carried past the holy man's hut by the raging river. She was crying
out and screaming for help. When he heard her, the holy man realized a woman was in danger. So
he took a torch down to the river and saw her being swept along. He dived in and saved her. He
comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll look after you."

He carried her into his hut and made a fire to dry her off and warm her up. He gave her fruits to eat.
When she had eaten her fill, he asked, "Where do you live? How did you fall in the river?" She told
him about the storm and how her servants deserted her. He took pity on her and let her sleep in his
hut for the next couple of nights. The Holy man, meanwhile, slept under the stars.

What obvious contradiction does the princess
has?
Define: Skin deep
Wicked
What mistakes were committed by the
attendants and guards? By the servant girls?
Were the actions of the servant girls
proper? Why?






The Lady seduces the Holy Man
When she had recovered her strength, he told her it was time to return home. But she knew that he
was the type of holy man who promised never to live with a woman, as husband and wife. That was
why he had slept outside while she slept in the hut.

Just to prove her own power and superiority over him, she decided to seduce him into breaking his
religious promise. She refused to leave until she had tricked him into falling in love with her.

The Lady used the poses and tricks and flatteries that women do to seduce men. The holy man was
not yet strong enough to resist her tempting ways. After a few days she succeeded in seducing him
into breaking his promise. They began living together in the quiet forest as if they were husband and
wife. He lost the inner happiness he had gained by years of meditating.






Moving into the city
The Lady grew bored with forest life. She missed the noise and excitement of crowded city life. So
she cooed and coaxed the Holy man until she got her way, and they moved to a nearby village.

In the beginning, the holy man supported her by selling buttermilk. Later on, the villagers came and
asked him for advice. They soon realized that listening to him brought good fortune. So they started
calling him 'the Buttermilk Wise Man', and gave him a hut to live in.

The bandit marries the lady
Then one day, a gang of bandits attacked the village. They robbed all the valuables and kidnapped
some of the villagers, including the Wicked Lady. When they got to their forest hide-out they divided
up the loot. When they began dividing up the prisoners, the bandit chief was attracted by the
Wicked Lady's great beauty. So he took her for himself as a wife.

All the other prisoners were soon released. When they returned to the village, the Buttermilk Wise
Man asked what happened to his wife. They told him she had been kept as wife by the bandit chief.
He thought, "She will never be able to live without me. She will find a way to escape and come back
to me." Deciding the village was now unlucky, all the others left it. But the Buttermilk Wise Man
remained in his hut, convinced that his wife would return.








What characteristics of the Holy man can we
infer from the stanzas?
What were the good things given to the
lady?
Why did the man break his promise of a
meditative life?
Why did lady seduce the man? Was it right
for her to this?
Did the butter milk man made the right
decision to wait? Why do you say so?
Why did the lady seduce the man? Was it
right for her to this?
From this even, what important idea
should be learned from the bandit?
The Lady tricks the Holy man
Surprisingly, the Wicked Lady enjoyed the exciting life of bandits. But she worried that her husband
would come and take her back. She thought, "Then I would lose all my newfound luxuries. I would
be safer if I got rid of him. Therefore, I will send him a letter, pretending to be deeply in love with
him. Just as before, I will use my power of seduction to cause his downfall. But this time he will meet
his death, and I will remain the bandit queen!"

When the Buttermilk Wise Man received the letter he believed every word. He rushed into the
forest and ran to the gang's hide-out. When he called out to her, the Wicked Lady came out and
said, "Oh my lord and master, I'm so happy to see you. I can hardly wait to escape with you. But now
is not a good time. The bandit chief could easily follow us and kill us both. So let us wait until
nightfall." She took him inside, fed him, and hid him in a closet.

The Bandit beats the Holy Man
When the chief returned in the evening he was drunk. The Wicked Lady asked him, "My lord and
chief, if you saw my former husband now, what would you do?" "I would beat him up and kick him
from one side of the room to the other!" he bragged, "Where is he now?" "He is much closer than
you think," she said, "In fact, he is right here in this closet!"

He opened the door and dragged out the Buttermilk Wise Man. He proceeded to beat him up and
kick him around the room, just as he had boasted. His poor victim did not cry out. He only muttered -

"Ungrateful hater, Lying traitor."

That was all he said. It seemed he was finally learning a lesson - but so painfully!

Eventually the drunken bandit got tired of beating him. He tied him up, ate dinner, and passed out
into drunken sleep.

The Bandit connects with the Holy Man
The next morning, after sleeping off his drunkenness, the bandit chief woke up sober. He began
beating and kicking his tied up victim again. Still the Buttermilk Wise Man did not cry out, but kept
on muttering -

"Ungrateful hater, Lying traitor."

The bandit thought, "While I keep punishing this man,
why does he keep saying the same thing over and
over?" Seeing that his wife was still fast asleep, he
asked him what he meant.

The Buttermilk Wise Man replied, "Listen and I will tell.
I was a forest holy man, peacefully enjoying a high state
of mind. One night I heard this woman crying out as she
was being swept down river in a storm. I saved her life
and brought her back to health. Meanwhile she
seduced me and I lost all my inner calm and happiness. We went to live in a village and I led a very
ordinary life. Then you kidnapped her. She sent me a letter saying she suffered living with you, and
begged me to rescue her. So you see - she enticed me into this disaster. She put me at your mercy.
That is why I say -

"Ungrateful hater, Lying traitor.'"

The bandit chief was not stupid. He thought, "This man was such a good provider, and yet she has
put him in this plight. What would she be capable of doing to me? It would be better to finish her
off!"

Judgment for the Wicked Lady and the Holy Man
He untied the Buttermilk Wise Man and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I'll look after you." He
awakened the Wicked Lady and said, "My darling, let us kill this man right next to his own village."
He took them to the boundary of the deserted village. He told her to hold her former husband. Then
he raised his mighty sword and came down with it. But at the last instant he sliced the Wicked Lady
in half!

Even someone as wicked as this murderous bandit can change his ways. He began by nursing his
former rival back to health. After a few days of rest he asked,
"What are you going to do now?"

The wise man replied, "I don't want to live as householder
anymore. I want to return to my old forest and meditate."

The bandit said, "I too would like to be ordained and learn to
meditate in the forest." After giving up all his stolen goods, he
went and lived in the forest with the Buttermilk Wise Man as
his teacher. After much effort, they both attained a high state
of inner happiness.

Nimi, the noble King
Once there lived a king named Makhadeva, who upon
spying his first gray hair told his barber to pluck it out
and put it in his hand. When the barber asked him why,
he replied solemnly, "This gray hair is a messenger
from the heavens. Four and eighty thousand years I
have passed as a youth. Four and eighty thousand
years I have been king. The time has come for me to
renounce my throne and the worldly life, and to live
the life of an ascetic eighty-four thousand more years."
True to his word, King Makhadeva handed his kingdom
over to his son, charging him to be alert to his first gray
hair so that he too could take up the hermit's life and
give the kingdom to his own son. And so it happened.
Son after son after son of the line of King Makhadeva
reigned until the sign of the first gray hair, then exchanged kingship for asceticism and, like their
forefathers, upon death entered the heaven of pure intellect, Brahma's heaven.

Eighty-four thousand generations minus two passed, and King Makhadeva, from his place in
Brahma's heaven, was pleased that all his descendants had followed his example. Then he pondered,
"Will any of us attain Nirvana now?" He perceived that the state of nonbeing was not within the
reach of any of his line. This being the case, Makhadeva resolved to round off his family line by
coming to earth again as the son of his descendant the present king of Mithila. In this way he would
be reborn as a king, bear one more son to whom he would give his throne, and become an ascetic
once again. Then, after his death, he would watch his childless son turn to the holy life and finally
end the cycle of Makhadeva's family.

When Makhadeva descended from Brahma's heaven, he was born as a Bodhisatta, and the
soothsayers correctly foresaw that he was meant to round off his family. Hearing this, the king
named his newborn son after the hoop of a chariot wheel. The Bodhisatta was called Nilni-Kumara,
or Prince Hoop. According to tradition, when his father caught sight of his first gray hair young Prince
Nimi became king.

As king, Nimi was faultless, ruling by example, giving alms, caring for the poor as if they were his
own kinsmen, and observing in earnest the holy days. Indeed, he inspired many of his people to lead
such good lives that upon death they reached the realm of Sakka's heaven.

Now King Nimi, like all truly good men, was not satisfied with himself and yearned to know the
answer to one great question: which is more fruitful, the holy life or faithful almsgiving? So strong
was his desire to learn the truth that Sakka's throne became warm and the king of the gods sped in
person to Nimi's chamber. The palace became like a fiery light as Sakka entered and explained :
"Good King Nimi, I have come to help answer your question. The holy life, in which a man lives as an
ascetic, is by far the more fruitful, for by meditating he can go beyond my heaven, where we gods
still have senses and feelings, to Brahma's heaven, where only the intellect remains, and sometimes
beyond that, to Nirvana. Nevertheless, almsgiving to all, regardless of caste, is right and befits a
great man and a king such as you, King Nimi." Without further delay Sakka departed, leaving Nimi
pondering his words.

When Sakka reached his home, Tavatimsa heaven, he described at length the good and pious King
Nimi to the deities. They were overjoyed to hear of him, for some of them were former subjects of
his, and they cried, "Let us see him ! We wish to look upon him again, for at one time from his very
own lips we received his teachings, and through his example we attained Godhood." They persuaded
the great Sakka to agree.
And so he ordered the divine chariot to appear and be readied for a journey to earth. Matali the
charioteer was called upon to guide the chariot, pulled by one thousand thoroughbred steeds, to
earth to bring King Nimi back to heaven to stand before the gods.

On the festival of the full moon, after
traveling earthward for many days, the
chariot appeared over the city of Mithila in
the kingdom of Videha, whose people
were still celebrating though it was late at
night. Catching sight of the celestial
chariot as it shone above their heads in
the sky, they marveled at it and wondered
what it might be. A second moon? A sign
from heaven on this festival day? When
they saw that it was a chariot, they
realized that it must be Sakka's own
vehicle come to their king, whose
righteousness had caught the eye of the gods.

Matali guided the chariot to the eastern window of the palace, where King Nimi was seated
contemplating; and as the moon rose in the east, Matali called out, "King Nimi! The deities of Sakka's
heaven are well pleased with you and are longing to see you. I am sent by the King of the Gods
himself to escort you to his realm."

King Nimi accepted graciously, but before entering the chariot, he told his people that he would not
be gone long. As they rose into the sky, Matali asked him which road he would like to take first, the
one to heaven or the one to hell. Nimi, knowing that whatever befell him, he would always be able
to see heaven, chose the road to hell, saying, "Take me first to the bowels of the universe, to hell,
where the condemned dwell."

Matali plunged the chariot into the
blackness of the various worlds of hell.
Fires blazed, and soon they saw below
them the burning River Vetarani, covered
with brine that erodes the flesh, emitting
the most fetid odors, and filled with
struggling sinners. Nimi wept to see such
suffering and cried out to Matali, "0 Matali,
what did those men do to be cast into such
a river?" Matali told him in what ways they
had been cruel and how their wrongdoing
had begotten other evils.

Then Matali made this river disappear and summoned the next hell to appear, where misers and
men who had been selfish with ascetics and Brahmins were being torn by black dogs, crows, and
vultures. Nimi shook and shuddered to see still another hell where those who had tormented other
people were being pounded with hot lumps of coal, and another where perjurers and debtors
struggled to climb out of a fiery pit. At the sight of the hell where animal haters struggled head-down
in iron caldrons filled with boiling water or fire, Nimi was filled with fear and horror.

But Matali was unrelenting. He was determined to show
Nimi all the hells : the one where dishonest grain sellers lay
prostrate with heat, having been given water which
instantly turned to chaff as they drank ; the one where
spears and arrows were plunged into the sides of men who
had stolen and cheated others; the one where animal
slayers were torn to shreds. Farther on, Nimi had to witness
malicious men being forced to eat filth and garbage and
those who had committed patricide and matricide drinking
from a river of blood. Still farther on, greedy hagglers
struggled like fish on hooks which pierced their tongues.
Adulterous women wailed and waved their arms
hopelessly, their upper halves in flames, their lower halves
buried in mud. Still others strained endlessly to climb out of
hell's windows, only to fall again and again. And Nimi
grieved for them all that their evil deeds had brought them
to this.

Meanwhile, the deities in Sakka's heaven wondered why Nimi was so long in coming. "Matali is
wasting Nimi's lifetime visiting all the hells," they cried. "Tell him to hurry." Sakka sent a speedy
messenger down to hell. When he finally reached them, he called out to Matali, "Show the king all
the hells at once, that this visit be ended straightaway. The gods are impatient and are afraid you are
using up Nimi's lifetime." Thus Matali opened all the worlds of hell to Nimi's sight, then turned the
chariot heavenward and rushed the shocked Nimi away, his mind dazed by the horrors he had
witnessed.

Swiftly the vehicle rose, passing heavenly mansions
of great beauty, allowing Nimi to catch brief
fragrances of gardens which perfumed the air, to
glimpse crystal palaces which sparkled like gems,
and to hear strains of cool celestial music sung by
sweet nymphs and birds. To Nimi, each heavenly
abode seemed more beautiful than the last, and at
each he engaged Matali in conversation, asking,
"What good did this mortal do in his earthly
existence? Who was he that he attained such a
celestial state?" Matali explained that the man who
lived in seven mansions with his wives had in his lifetime given seven hermitages to seven hermits,
that the women who dwelt in palaces of crystal with hundreds of columns, bells and banners,
flowers and lakes, had been women who had always kept the holy days. He described how still
others, who lived in mansions of gems filled with heavenly musicians playing lutes and singing, had
fed holy men and provided their cities with parks and wells.

Once again, Matali's thoroughness in answering Nimi's questions annoyed the deities in heaven until
they pressed Sakka into sending yet another swift messenger to hurry them along. "No more delay,"
cried the messenger. "Show Nimi all the heavenly mansions at once." After Matali opened up the
heavens to Nimi's vision, he urged the horses on faster and faster.Upward the carriage rose, past the
seven hills surrounding Mount Sineru, past the heaven of the Four Great Kings, until at last, within
sight of the huge statues of Sakka himself that framed the Cittakuta gateway to his heaven, Matali
slowed the chariot with its one thousand steeds to a halt.

As he led the chariot to a side platform on which he could land, Matali pointed out the eight-sided
columns made of rare gems that supported the palace and announced to Nimi, "This is Tavatimsa,
the heaven of the thirty-three ; here the gods assemble, all thirty three of them, with their master
Sakka, the king, who looks after men and gods alike, permitting some to enter his heaven, others to
remain, sending still others to hell. It is a beautyful and most sensual place, 0 King, as you shall see."

As they alighted, the deities ran to the gateway
to greet Nimi with flowers and perfumes. The
mighty Sakka begged him to be seated on his
own throne and to stay to enjoy the delights of
his heaven. Nimi, however, replied that he
came not for unearned pleasures but for
discussion of the moral precepts. For seven
days Nimi charmed the company of heaven
with his discourse, and at the end of that time,
he again refused Sakka's invitation to remain.
He felt that his people needed him. "Now I
must depart," he said. "My subjects await me."

Once again the chariot was prepared and Matali summoned. Nimi bade the gods a friendly farewell
and began his journey back to Mithila. When the chariot came in view of the city, the people again
looked up wonderingly. Then, recognizing their king within it, they cried out with joy. Matali drove
the chariot around the city once, put Nimi
down at the eastern window of the palace,
and departed for Sakka's realm. As King Nimi
the Bodhisatta alighted, his subjects
surrounded him and questioned him. Nimi
told them of the wonders he had seen and of
the peaceful existence of all who dwell in
heaven. He also told them of the horrors he
had witnessed in the underworld.

"Do good," he advised them. "Be charitable and of a pure heart, and you shall be reborn someday to
such a heaven. Some of this kingdom's own people did I see there who, having done good in this
city, have become deities in Sakka's heaven. All of you can attain that. But beware of evildoing, for I
have seen in the worlds of hell more suffering and torture than my tongue can describe."

Years later, when the king's barber showed Nimi his first gray hair, Nimi knew it was time to give his
kingdom to his son. From then on, he lived as an ascetic in a mango grove at Mithila and upon his
death surpassed Sakka's heaven to enter the Brahma heaven, where all is mind and wisdom. Thus it
was that Nimi, as the Bodhisatta, rounded off King Makhadeva's line and with the death of his son
ended the cycle in the four and eighty thousandth generation.


"Learn thou from him."

Once on a time at Takkasil in the kingdom of Gandhra the Bodhisatta was a teacher of world-wide
fame, with 500 young brahmins as pupils. One day these pupils set out for the forest to gather
firewood for their master, and busied themselves in gathering sticks. Amongst them was a lazy
fellow who came on a huge forest tree, which he imagined to be dry and rotten. So he thought that
he could safely indulge in a nap first, and at the last moment climb up and break some branches off
to carry home. Accordingly, he spread out his outer robe and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

All the other young brahmins were on their way home with their wood tied up in bundles, when
they came upon the sleeper. Having kicked him in the back till he awoke, they left him and went
their way. He sprang to his feet, and rubbed his eyes for a time. Then, still half asleep, he began to
climb the tree. But one branch, which he was tugging at, snapped off short; and, as it sprang up, the
end struck him in the eye. Clapping one hand over his wounded eye, he gathered green boughs with
the other. Then climbing down, he corded his sticks, and after hurrying away home with it, flung his
green wood on the top of the others' bundles of sticks.

That same day it chanced that a country family invited the master to visit them, in order that they
might give him a brahmin-feast. And so the master called his pupils together, and, telling them of the
journey they would have to make to the village the next day, and said they could not go fasting. "So
have some rice-gruel made early in the morning," the master said; "and eat it before starting. There
you will have food given to you for yourselves and a portion for me. Bring it all home with you."

So they got up early next morning and roused a maid to prepare their breakfast. And off she went
for wood to light the fire. The green wood lay on the top of the stack, and she laid her fire with it.
And she blew and blew, but could not get her fire to burn, and at last the sun got up. "It's broad
daylight now," the Brahmins said, "and it's too late to start." And they went off to their master.

"What, not yet on your way, my sons?" he said. "No, sir; we have not started." "Why, pray?"
"Because that lazy so-and-so, when he went wood-gathering with us, lay down to sleep under a
forest-tree; and, to make up for lost time, he climbed up the tree in such a hurry that he hurt his eye
and brought home a lot of green wood, which he threw on the top of our sticks. So, when the maid
who was to cook our rice-gruel went to the stack, she took his wood, thinking it would of course be
dry; and she could start any fire before the sun was up. And this is what stopped us from going."

Hearing what the young brahmin had done, the master exclaimed that a fool's doings had caused all
the mischief, and repeated this stanza:--

Learn thou from him who tore green branches down,
That tasks deferred are wrought in tears at last.
Such was the Bodhisatta's comment on the matter to his pupils; and at the close of a life of charity
and other good works he passed away to fare according to his deserts.


Said the Master, "This is not the first time, Brethren, that this man has thwarted you; he did the like
in the past also." His lesson ended, he shewed the connexion and identified the Birth by saying, "The
Brother who has broken his thigh was the young brahmin of those days who hurt his eye; the
Buddha's followers were the rest of the young brahmins; and I myself was the brahmin their
master."

Sources:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jataka
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Jataka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jataka_tales
http://www.buddhanet.net/bt1_intro.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j1/j1074.htm
http://buddhism.about.com/od/sacredbuddhisttexts/a/The-Jataka-Tales.htm
http://archives.dailynews.lk/2008/07/30/fea10.asp
http://ignca.nic.in/jatakint.htm#Number
http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_12.htm
http://www.buddha-images.com/nimi-jataka.asp
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/jatakas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves


Prepared and edited by:
Dani Tindungan Jr.