Jataka Tales - Reading Notes (Part B)

(Image Information: Painting representing the Jataka Tales; Source: Wiki)


The Two Pigs by Noor Inayat (Khan)
Near Benares
The old woman the two pigs encounter name them Mahatundila and Cullatundila
One night the townsmen get drunk and tell the old woman to give them the pigs so that they may                     feast more
The woman refuses until they get her drunk
That is when she calls on Cullatundila
Mahatundila automatically knows there is something wrong and his suspicions are confirmed when                Cullatundila comes to him scared
Mahatundila sings and it changes the nature of everything around him to a more subdued attitude due            to the sweetness of his voice and the message it carried
Mahatundila and Culltundila end up living with the King until he dies
Mahatundila being a peace-keeper for the King
After the King dies, they go to the forest

The Patient Buffalo by Noor Inayat (Khan)
A monkey and a buffalo are friends
The monkey torments the buffalo whenever he can
A fairy appears and asks why he doesn't use his strength the make him leave
The buffalo asks why he should make the monkey suffer so that the buffalo may find peace
The fairy is pleased with this answer and charms the buffalo to never suffer again

The Sarabha by Noor Inayat (Khan)
The Sarabha = a beautiful deer
The King chases after the deer and ends up falling head first into a chasm
The Sarabha goes back to see if he is okay and if he might be able to get the King out
The Sarabha gets the King out of the chasm and the King is filled with nothing but love
Therefore, the King promises the Sarabha's request, which is that no one shall hunt in the forest again

The Goblin Town by Noor Inayat (Khan)
500 men become shipwrecked
Women on the island help them
One night one of them wakes up and finds out they're goblins and at the same time realizes that they               are bound in chains
A white horse appears to help them and take them home
Some men stay because they do not believe that the women are goblins, but some do leave as well

The Great Elephant by Noor Inayat (Khan)
Sandy desert with palm-trees and flowers
The elephant was living happily among the trees and flowers in the desert, until one day he heard the             voices of men
Upon inspection, the men were on death's door
They needed food and water so the elephant told them to go to the base of a hill where they would                   find a dead elephant to feast on
The elephant ends up sacrificing himself so the men may live
The men live and never forget the elephant that sacrificed his life for them

The Quarrelsome Quails by Noor Inayat (Khan)
Six thousand quails in the forest crying
They quail were being captured by a villager
The King Quail gave them advice on how to not be captured and advised against fighting
Two quail end up fighting and those who stayed behind were caught and killed while the King and                   those who followed him were safe

The Forest Fire by Noor Inayat (Khan)
Seven little quail with their Mother and Father
Six of the quail ate worms and insects, but the seventh one ate grass seed
One night there was a forest fire and while the rest of the quail escaped, the one who ate grass seed                 could not
The little quail talked to the fire and it left the forest

The End of the World by Noor Inayat (Khan)
A little hare questioned what would happen to him when the world ended
Fruit fell off a tree behind him and he thought the Earth was breaking to pieces 
As word spread, many different species of animals joined the hare
A wise lion sorts out the confusion and every animals goes back to their original dwelling

The Golden Goose by Noor Inayat (Khan)
Benares
The King honors a golden goose among the flock of geese flying in the sky
The golden goose gives water and dust of sandalwood to the King
In the Mountains of Cittakutta, the geese lived
Two young geese wished to race the sun, but the golden goose advised against it
They go off and both could not race the sun so the golden goose took them upon his wing one at a            time to take them back to Cittakutta
The golden goose returns to the King of Benares 
The goose advises the King to rule with love 
The goose refuses to stay with the King, but says that they shall remain friends even when far away from each other  

The Noble Horse by Noor Inayat (Khan)
A knight wishes to ride the King's horse in order to go against the seven kings
The horse is injured during the sixth fight, but the horse tells the knight that if he fights on another                   horse, then Benares will be taken
After the last battle, the horse is gravely injured, but he gives the King advice to the let the seven                       kings go with the promise that they would never attack Benares again
The horse dies





Comments