Reading Notes: Jataka Tales

Image Information: Author: Unknown, Date: 1100 AD, Description: Buddha's sacrifice, Link

Reading Information: Author: Ellen Babbitt, Date: Unknown, Link

"The Monkey and the Crocodile"

    The story starts out with a crocodile whose mother wants him to get a monkey so she can eat its heart. The crocodile tries to trick the monkey to get into the water. The crocodile takes the monkey under the water, but the monkey outsmarts the crocodile. The crocodile tries to trick the monkey again, but once again is fooled by the monkey. The crocodile decides that it is too much trouble to eat the monkey, so he decides to leave it alone.

"How the Turtle Saved His Own Life"\

    There was a king who had a manmade lake. He asked people to put some fishes in the lake. The king's sons saw a turtle and got scared. They told the king that there was a demon in the lake. The turtle is caught and the king is deciding how to kill it. The turtle tricks them and is released back into the water. 

"The Merchant of Seri"

    There were two men in the business. One nice and one greedy. The greedy man encounters this family who has a really expensive golden bowl. The greedy merchant tries to trick the family by throwing the bowl on the ground. He leaves and the nice merchant comes. He sees the bowls and gives all his wares to buy it. He leaves the greedy merchant behind.

"The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking"

    There is a turtle who is talking to two geese. the geese offer to take the turtle to a faraway land where they live. They tell him that he cannot speak because he must hold on to the geese. The turtle doesn't obey and tries to talk. He falls down and dies. 

"The Ox Who Won the Forfeit"

    A man had an ox that was very strong. He goes into a village and tries to make a wager. He tries to get the ox to move, but the ox doesn't want to move. The man loses the bet. The man talks to the ox and the ox ask him why he abused him and whipped him. The man goes back to the village and makes the wager again. He wins this time because the ox actually moves.

"The Sandy Road"

    A merchant is traveling in a desert. The men cook rice and keep traveling. The men get overconfident and end up in the same spot they were the night before. The men refuse to give up and try to find some water. They end up finding a piece of grass and find a lot of water underneath it. They make it to the town.

"The Quarrel of the Quails"

    A man-made his living by selling quails who lived in the forest. The leader of the quails decides that they need to do something about the man. The birds who get caught fly into a thorn bush that rips apart the net. The quails get into a big fight and the man throws the net over the quails again. 

"The Measure of Rice"

    A greedy king tries to get a valuer to be dishonest. He tries to replace him with a peasant. The peasant sells the prices for goods sold to the king. He tells a man that his 500 horses are worth a grain of rice. The peasant tells the king that the rice is worth the entire city. The king gets ashamed and drives the peasant away. 

"The Foolish, Timid Rabbit"

    A rabbit lived beneath a palm tree. Every now and then, a coconut would fall down and startle the rabbit. He freaked out and thought that the world was ending. He starts going to all the animals and spreading a rumor that the earth is ending. eventually, all the rumors reach the lion and the lion goes with the rabbit to the source of the rumor. The lion finds out that the rabbit is just dumb and stops the rumors.