Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Religion
Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
Jataka stories, English
So they planted in the park grass for the deer to eat, and provided
water, and tied up the gate; and calling the citizens, they entered the
forest, with clubs and all kinds of weapons in their hands, to look for
the deer. And thinking, “We shall best catch the deer by surrounding
them,” they encircled a part of the forest about a league across. And
in so doing they surrounded the very place where the Banyan Deer and
the Monkey Deer were living.
Then striking the trees and bushes, and beating on the ground, with
their clubs, they drove the herd of deer out of the place where they
were; and making a great noise by rattling their swords and javelins
and bows, they made the herd enter the park, and shut the gate. And
then they went to the king, and said to him:
“O king! by your constant going to the chase, you put a stop to our
work. We have now brought deer from the forest, and filled your park
with them. Henceforth feed on _them_!” And so saying, they took their
leave, and departed.
When the king heard that, he went to the park; and seeing there two
golden-coloured deer, he granted them their lives. But thenceforth
he would sometimes go himself to shoot a deer, and bring it home;
sometimes his cook would go and shoot one. The deer, as soon as they
saw the bow, would quake with the fear of death, and take to their
heels; but when they had been hit once or twice, they became weary or
wounded, and were killed.
And the herd of deer told all this to the Bodisat. He sent for the
Monkey Deer, and said:
“Friend, almost all the deer are being destroyed. Now, though they
certainly must die, yet henceforth let them not be wounded with the
arrows. Let the deer take it by turns to go to the place of execution.
One day let the lot fall upon my herd, and the next day on yours. Let
the deer whose turn it is go to the place of execution, put his head on
the block, and lie down. If this be done, the deer will at least escape
laceration.”
He agreed: and thenceforth the deer whose turn it was used to go and
lie down, after placing his neck on the block of execution. And the
cook used to come and carry off the one he found lying there.
But one day the lot fell upon a roe in the herd of the Monkey Deer who
was with young. She went to the Monkey Deer, and said, “Lord! I am with
young. When I have brought forth my son, we will both take our turn.
Order the turn to pass me by.”
“I cannot make your lot,” said he, “fall upon the others. You know well
enough it has fallen upon you. Go away!”
Receiving no help from him, she went to the Bodisat, and told him the
matter. He listened to her, and said, “Be it so! Do you go back. I will
relieve you of your turn.” And he went _himself_, and put his neck
upon the block of execution, and lay down.
The cook, seeing him, exclaimed, “The King of the Deer, whose life was
promised to him, is lying in the place of execution. What does this
mean?” And he went hastily, and told the king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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