The Jataka tales are one of the greatest instances of folk literature that India has produced. Hough used as vehicles of Buddhist ethical teaching; these stories are mostly of secular origin and highlight the moral pitfalls that can befall an individual in everyday life. The stories are purported to be told by the Buddha in various incarnations in human and animal form as the Bodhisattva. At the end of each story he identifies the role that he himself played, as well as those of others, particularly his disciples. A great way of not only learning about Indian culture, but also how to keep to that straight and narrow ethical path!
The Jataka as we possess it occurs in the second of the three great divisions of the Pali Buddhist scriptures. It consists of 547 Jatakas each containing the life of Buddha during some incarnation in one of his previous existences as a Bodhisatta. Some of the tales occur more than once in a different setting or in a variant version and occasionally several stories are included in one birth. Each separate story is embedded in a framework, which forms the story of the present. This is generally an account of some incident in the life of the historic Buddha, such as an act of disobedience or folly among the brethren of the order, the discussion of a question of ethics, or an instance of eminent virtue. Buddha then tells a story of the past, an event in one of his previous existences, which explains the present incident as a repetition of the former one, or as a parallel case and shows the moral consequences.
All stories contain the Bodhisatta (one being destined to enlightenment) as well as verses occur in all the births. It is these verses which are canonical, the prose being a commentary explaining how the verses came to be spoken.
Although much of the Jataka is merely moral instruction to the unconverted it also expounds teaching which leads to enlightenment, such as the doctrine of impermanence, belief in the Buddha, the rejection of superstitious rites, freedom from lust, hatred and delusion and other bonds which the disciple must break as he advances on the noble path.
The present selection has been made with the purpose of brining together the Jataka stories of the most widespread interest.
| 1. The Little Gild Master | 1 | |
| 2. The King and the Stick-Gatherer | 3 | |
| 3. King Makhadeva’s Grey Hairs | 4 | |
| 4. The Cold Half of the Month | 6 | |
| 5. The Feast for the Dead | 6 | |
| 6. The Monkeys and the Ogre | 8 | |
| 7. The Guilty Dogs | 11 | |
| 8. The Discontented Ox | 14 | |
| 9. The Peacock’s Wooing | 15 | |
| 10. The Fowler and the Quails | 16 | |
| 11. The Oldest of the Animals | 17 | |
| 12. The Crane and the Crab | 19 | |
| 13. The Haughty slave | 21 | |
| 14. The Pigeon and the Crow | 23 | |
| 15. The Foolish Friend | 25 | |
| 16. The Stupid Monkeys | 26 | |
| 17. The Robbers and the Treasure | 28 | |
| 18. Great King Goodness | 31 | |
| 19. Prince Five-Weapons | 38 | |
| 20. The Brahmin’s Spell | 41 | |
| 21. The Value of a Brother | 46 | |
| 22. The Grateful Animals | 48 | |
| 23. The Great Dreams | 52 | |
| 24. The Converted Miser | 64 | |
| 25. The Valiant Dwarf | 69 | |
| 26. The Stolen Jewels | 73 | |
| 27. The Too-Clever Merchant | 76 | |
| 28. The Loguacious Brahmin | 77 | |
| 29. The Three Fishes | 79 | |
| 30. The Lucky Sneeze | 80 | |
| 31. The Hypocritical Jackal | 82 | |
| 32. The Golden Goose | 84 | |
| 33. The Grateful Mouse | 85 | |
| 34. The Treacherous Chameleon | 87 | |
| 35. The Cunning Jackal | 88 | |
| 36. The Fool Hardy Jackal | 89 | |
| 37. The Foolish Crows | 91 | |
| 38. The Greedy Jackal Caught | 92 | |
| 39. The Rash Magician | 93 | |
| 40. The Two Good Kings | 95 | |
| 41. The Grateful Elephant | 97 | |
| 42. The Pet Elephant | 102 | |
| 43. The Mongoose and the Snake | 103 | |
| 44. The Jackal Betrayed by His Howl | 104 | |
| 45. The Penny-Wise Monkey | 105 | |
| 46. The Incomparable Archer | 106 | |
| 47. The Magic Treasures | 110 | |
| 48. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin | 115 | |
| 49. The Priest in Horse-Trappings | 116 | |
| 50. Ingratitude Punished | 117 | |
| 51. The Goblin City | 122 | |
| 52. The Tell-Tale Parrot | 124 | |
| 53. The Choice of a Husband | 126 | |
| 54. The Foolhardy Crow | 127 | |
| 55. The Woodpecker, Tortoise, and Antelope | 128 | |
| 56. The crocodile and the Monkey | 130 | |
| 57. The Brahmin and the Acrobat | 133 | |
| 58. The Tortoise and the Geese | 134 | |
| 59. The Stolen Ploughshares | 136 | |
| 60. The Hero’s Tasks | 138 | |
| 61. Defeating the King of Death | 145 | |
| 62. The Jackals Spell | 147 | |
| 63. The Judas-Tree | 150 | |
| 64. The Judgments of King Mirror-Face | 151 | |
| 65. The Crab and the Elephant | 163 | |
| 66. The Owl As King | 166 | |
| 67. The Elephant-Trainer’s Luck | 167 | |
| 68. The Wishing-Cup | 169 | |
| 69. The Jackal and the Crow | 170 | |
| 70. The Wolf’s Sabbath | 171 | |
| 71. The King and the Fruit-Girl | 171 | |
| 72. The Woodpecker and the Lion | 173 | |
| 73. The Hare’s Self-Sacrifice | 174 | |
| 74. Unasked-for Advice | 178 | |
| 75. The Flight of the Beasts | 179 | |
| 76. The Conceited Mendicant | 181 | |
| 77. The Impermanence of Worldly Joys | 182 | |
| 78. The Testing of Virtue | 185 | |
| 79. A King’s Life Saved by Spells | 187 | |
| 80. The Heron’s Revenge | 189 | |
| 81. The Lion and the Bull | 191 | |
| 82. The Quail’s Friends | 193 | |
| 83. Queen Sussondi | 195 | |
| 84. The Betrayer Betrayed | 198 | |
| 85. The Cat and the Cock | 202 | |
| 86. The Language of Animals | 203 | |
| 87. The Theft of a Smell | 206 | |
| 88. The Lion in bad Company | 208 | |
| 89. The Otters And the Jackal | 209 | |
| 90. The Brahmin and the Snake | 211 | |
| 91. The Brahmin’s Revenge on the Monkeys | 217 | |
| 92. The Monkey’s Heroic Self-Sacrifice | 219 | |
| 93. The Adventures of the Prince and his Brother | 222 | |
| 94. The Panther and the Goat | 226 | |
| 95. The Grateful Parrot | 228 | |
| 96. The Goblin’s Gift | 231 | |
| 97. The Wise Goat and the Jackal | 240 | |
| 98. The Ungrateful Son | 243 | |
| 99. The ten Slave-Brethren | 247 | |
| 100. Rama and Sita | 256 | |
| 101. The Wicked Step-Mother | 260 | |
| 102. The Lost C harm | 265 | |
| 103. The Price’s Wooing and the Throne of the Buddhas | 271 | |
| 104. The Folly of Garrulity | 275 | |
| 105. The Hawks and Their Friends | 282 | |
| 106. The Prince Who Could Not Laugh | 287 | |
| 107. A Lost Friend Found by a Song | 295 | |
| 108. King Sivi | 303 | |
| 109. The Evils of Strong Drink | 310 | |
| 110. The White Six – Tusked Elephant | 315 | |
| 111. The Three Wise Birds | 327 | |
| 112. A King Finds His Friend Through a Song | 335 | |
| 113. The Ugly Bridegroom | 345 | |
| 114. The Nineteen Problems | 372 |
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The Jataka tales are one of the greatest instances of folk literature that India has produced. Hough used as vehicles of Buddhist ethical teaching; these stories are mostly of secular origin and highlight the moral pitfalls that can befall an individual in everyday life. The stories are purported to be told by the Buddha in various incarnations in human and animal form as the Bodhisattva. At the end of each story he identifies the role that he himself played, as well as those of others, particularly his disciples. A great way of not only learning about Indian culture, but also how to keep to that straight and narrow ethical path!
The Jataka as we possess it occurs in the second of the three great divisions of the Pali Buddhist scriptures. It consists of 547 Jatakas each containing the life of Buddha during some incarnation in one of his previous existences as a Bodhisatta. Some of the tales occur more than once in a different setting or in a variant version and occasionally several stories are included in one birth. Each separate story is embedded in a framework, which forms the story of the present. This is generally an account of some incident in the life of the historic Buddha, such as an act of disobedience or folly among the brethren of the order, the discussion of a question of ethics, or an instance of eminent virtue. Buddha then tells a story of the past, an event in one of his previous existences, which explains the present incident as a repetition of the former one, or as a parallel case and shows the moral consequences.
All stories contain the Bodhisatta (one being destined to enlightenment) as well as verses occur in all the births. It is these verses which are canonical, the prose being a commentary explaining how the verses came to be spoken.
Although much of the Jataka is merely moral instruction to the unconverted it also expounds teaching which leads to enlightenment, such as the doctrine of impermanence, belief in the Buddha, the rejection of superstitious rites, freedom from lust, hatred and delusion and other bonds which the disciple must break as he advances on the noble path.
The present selection has been made with the purpose of brining together the Jataka stories of the most widespread interest.
| 1. The Little Gild Master | 1 | |
| 2. The King and the Stick-Gatherer | 3 | |
| 3. King Makhadeva’s Grey Hairs | 4 | |
| 4. The Cold Half of the Month | 6 | |
| 5. The Feast for the Dead | 6 | |
| 6. The Monkeys and the Ogre | 8 | |
| 7. The Guilty Dogs | 11 | |
| 8. The Discontented Ox | 14 | |
| 9. The Peacock’s Wooing | 15 | |
| 10. The Fowler and the Quails | 16 | |
| 11. The Oldest of the Animals | 17 | |
| 12. The Crane and the Crab | 19 | |
| 13. The Haughty slave | 21 | |
| 14. The Pigeon and the Crow | 23 | |
| 15. The Foolish Friend | 25 | |
| 16. The Stupid Monkeys | 26 | |
| 17. The Robbers and the Treasure | 28 | |
| 18. Great King Goodness | 31 | |
| 19. Prince Five-Weapons | 38 | |
| 20. The Brahmin’s Spell | 41 | |
| 21. The Value of a Brother | 46 | |
| 22. The Grateful Animals | 48 | |
| 23. The Great Dreams | 52 | |
| 24. The Converted Miser | 64 | |
| 25. The Valiant Dwarf | 69 | |
| 26. The Stolen Jewels | 73 | |
| 27. The Too-Clever Merchant | 76 | |
| 28. The Loguacious Brahmin | 77 | |
| 29. The Three Fishes | 79 | |
| 30. The Lucky Sneeze | 80 | |
| 31. The Hypocritical Jackal | 82 | |
| 32. The Golden Goose | 84 | |
| 33. The Grateful Mouse | 85 | |
| 34. The Treacherous Chameleon | 87 | |
| 35. The Cunning Jackal | 88 | |
| 36. The Fool Hardy Jackal | 89 | |
| 37. The Foolish Crows | 91 | |
| 38. The Greedy Jackal Caught | 92 | |
| 39. The Rash Magician | 93 | |
| 40. The Two Good Kings | 95 | |
| 41. The Grateful Elephant | 97 | |
| 42. The Pet Elephant | 102 | |
| 43. The Mongoose and the Snake | 103 | |
| 44. The Jackal Betrayed by His Howl | 104 | |
| 45. The Penny-Wise Monkey | 105 | |
| 46. The Incomparable Archer | 106 | |
| 47. The Magic Treasures | 110 | |
| 48. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin | 115 | |
| 49. The Priest in Horse-Trappings | 116 | |
| 50. Ingratitude Punished | 117 | |
| 51. The Goblin City | 122 | |
| 52. The Tell-Tale Parrot | 124 | |
| 53. The Choice of a Husband | 126 | |
| 54. The Foolhardy Crow | 127 | |
| 55. The Woodpecker, Tortoise, and Antelope | 128 | |
| 56. The crocodile and the Monkey | 130 | |
| 57. The Brahmin and the Acrobat | 133 | |
| 58. The Tortoise and the Geese | 134 | |
| 59. The Stolen Ploughshares | 136 | |
| 60. The Hero’s Tasks | 138 | |
| 61. Defeating the King of Death | 145 | |
| 62. The Jackals Spell | 147 | |
| 63. The Judas-Tree | 150 | |
| 64. The Judgments of King Mirror-Face | 151 | |
| 65. The Crab and the Elephant | 163 | |
| 66. The Owl As King | 166 | |
| 67. The Elephant-Trainer’s Luck | 167 | |
| 68. The Wishing-Cup | 169 | |
| 69. The Jackal and the Crow | 170 | |
| 70. The Wolf’s Sabbath | 171 | |
| 71. The King and the Fruit-Girl | 171 | |
| 72. The Woodpecker and the Lion | 173 | |
| 73. The Hare’s Self-Sacrifice | 174 | |
| 74. Unasked-for Advice | 178 | |
| 75. The Flight of the Beasts | 179 | |
| 76. The Conceited Mendicant | 181 | |
| 77. The Impermanence of Worldly Joys | 182 | |
| 78. The Testing of Virtue | 185 | |
| 79. A King’s Life Saved by Spells | 187 | |
| 80. The Heron’s Revenge | 189 | |
| 81. The Lion and the Bull | 191 | |
| 82. The Quail’s Friends | 193 | |
| 83. Queen Sussondi | 195 | |
| 84. The Betrayer Betrayed | 198 | |
| 85. The Cat and the Cock | 202 | |
| 86. The Language of Animals | 203 | |
| 87. The Theft of a Smell | 206 | |
| 88. The Lion in bad Company | 208 | |
| 89. The Otters And the Jackal | 209 | |
| 90. The Brahmin and the Snake | 211 | |
| 91. The Brahmin’s Revenge on the Monkeys | 217 | |
| 92. The Monkey’s Heroic Self-Sacrifice | 219 | |
| 93. The Adventures of the Prince and his Brother | 222 | |
| 94. The Panther and the Goat | 226 | |
| 95. The Grateful Parrot | 228 | |
| 96. The Goblin’s Gift | 231 | |
| 97. The Wise Goat and the Jackal | 240 | |
| 98. The Ungrateful Son | 243 | |
| 99. The ten Slave-Brethren | 247 | |
| 100. Rama and Sita | 256 | |
| 101. The Wicked Step-Mother | 260 | |
| 102. The Lost C harm | 265 | |
| 103. The Price’s Wooing and the Throne of the Buddhas | 271 | |
| 104. The Folly of Garrulity | 275 | |
| 105. The Hawks and Their Friends | 282 | |
| 106. The Prince Who Could Not Laugh | 287 | |
| 107. A Lost Friend Found by a Song | 295 | |
| 108. King Sivi | 303 | |
| 109. The Evils of Strong Drink | 310 | |
| 110. The White Six – Tusked Elephant | 315 | |
| 111. The Three Wise Birds | 327 | |
| 112. A King Finds His Friend Through a Song | 335 | |
| 113. The Ugly Bridegroom | 345 | |
| 114. The Nineteen Problems | 372 |
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