Buddha (The concept) -- Juvenile literature; Buddhism -- Juvenile literature; Buddhist legends
And he made them bring a hoe and dig in that spot. And they dug sixty
cubits deep. And when they had got thus far, the spade of the diggers
struck on a rock, and as soon as it struck, they all gave up in despair.
But the Bodisat thought, “There must be water under that rock,” and,
stooping down, applied his ear to it and tested the sound of it. And he
heard the sound of water gurgling beneath. And he got out and called his
page. “My lad, if you give up now, we shall all be lost. Don’t you lose
heart. Take this iron hammer, and go down into the pit and give the rock
a good blow.”
The lad obeyed, and though they all stood by in despair, he went down
full of determination, and struck at the stone. And the rock split in
two and fell below, and no longer blocked up the stream. And water rose
till its brim was the height of a palm-tree in the well. And they all
drank of the water, and bathed in it. Then they split up their extra
yokes and axles, and cooked rice and ate it, and fed their oxen with it.
And when the sun set, they put up a flag by the well and went to the
place appointed. There they sold their merchandise at double and treble
profit, and returned to their own home, and lived to a good old age, and
then passed away according to their deeds. And the Bodisat gave gifts,
and did other virtuous acts, and passed away according to his deeds.
THE ELEPHANT THAT WAS HONORED IN OLD AGE
And the Buddha as Prime Minister served the King. Now there was a
certain She-Elephant endowed with great might which enabled her to go a
hundred leagues a day. She did the duties of messenger to the King, and
in battle she fought and crushed the enemy. The King said: “She is very
serviceable to me.”
He gave her ornaments, and caused all honor to be shown her. Then, when
she was weak from age, the King took away all the honor he had bestowed.
From that time she was unprotected, and lived by eating grass and leaves
in the forest.
And one day the chief Potter had not enough oxen to yoke to the carts
which carried the material for making clay. And the King said: “Where is
our She-Elephant?”
“O King! she is wandering at her will in the forest.”
And the King said: “Do thou yoke her to the cart.”
And the Potter said: “Good, O King!” And he did even as the King
commanded.
But when this insult was offered to the Elephant, she came to the Prime
Minister and said: “O Wise Being! I pray you listen to my tale. When I
was young, great strength was mine; and I did walk a hundred leagues to
bear the King’s messages, and, with weapons bound upon my body, I did
take part in battle, crushing the enemy beneath my feet. And now I am
old, and the King hath withdrawn all the honors he bestowed upon me, and
not content with allowing me to wander and feed on grass, unprotected in
my old age, he has _even caused me to be yoked to_ the Potter’s cart as
are the oxen.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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