Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock
The Bull That Demanded Fair Treatment by Shedlock
The Bodisat was born as a bull
He was called Nandi Visala in his bull form by the Brahmin who received him
Since the Brahmin treated him so well, Nandi Visala told the Brahmin to have a contest against
others based in strength since he was the strongest in all of India
The first attempt at this contest, the Brahmin called the oxen a wench and so he did not move
The second attempt at the contest, the Brahmin called Nandi Visala a beauty and so he moved
The Brahmin was showered in riches
The Bull That Proved His Gratitude by Shedlock
The Bodisat comes back as a bull
This time, he belongs to an old lady
He decides to start working so he can support the old woman
A young caravan owner came into town and needed his carts pulled b/c his own could not do it
He promised the bull a thousand pieces
The caravan owner only gave him 500, but the Bodisat knew so he did not let him leave
Afterwards, the bull goes home to the old lady to give her the money
She is surprised and then treats him still well until her death
The Horse That Held Out To The End by Shedlock
The Buddha is born into the form of a horse and he belonged to the King
Seven Kings give the King two options: wage war or give up your kingdom
They wish to go to war and so the King sends one of his best knights
The Knight would only go if he could use the King's special horse
Six Kings had been made prisoner when the King's special horse became wounded
The horse goes on to battle the Seventh King with the Knight b/c he knew the Knight would not win without him
As they returned with the Seventh King, the horse said to the King to not kill the Kings, but to bind them
With that, the horse passed away and the King ruled as the horse said
The Monkey That Saved The Herd by Shedlock
The Buddha was reborn as King of the monkeys
The Buddha and his monkey subjects (80,000) lived near a lake that housed an ogre
This ogre would eat whatever came to the water's surface
The King of the monkeys decreed that any food and water that has been untouched by them before should be looked over beforehand by the King to make sure it is safe
One such lake they came across housed an ogre who was angry with them when they wouldn't drink
The solution: a natural straw
The Golden Mallard by Shedlock
The Buddha was born a Brahmin and had a wife and three daughters
When he died, he was reborn into a golden mallard
He would award one feather everyday to his family in order to keep them cared for
He would give them a feather and then leave everyday
The mother started telling her children that he may not come back one day
She proposes to pluck them all and when her children refuse, she does it herself
As she plucks, the feathers go from golden to plain
The mallard flies away after that and never comes back
The Merchant Who Overcame All Obstacles by Shedlock
The Buddha was born into a merchant family
The Buddha came upon a sandy desert that was too dangerous to travel through during the day
The sand would become too hot and so those who traveled across would travel at night
When on their last night of travel, the pilot fell asleep and so the oxen turned around
The men all ended back up at their old camp and they had not water or wood
The Bodisat saw grass growing and knew that it could not grow without water
There was a well that was under that plant and they broke through to it
They marked it off the next night and went on their way
All the men lived until old age and then died accordingly
The Elephant That Was Honored In Old Age by Shedlock
The Buddha was Prime Minister to the King
There was a She-Elephant who was mighty and very useful to the King
When she became weak due to age, the King stopped protecting her and let her roam
He stripped her of her honors
One day a potter needed a strong animal to yoke to his cart and the King chose her
She pleaded her case to the Prime Minister who spoke on her behalf to the King
When the point was made that the King only gave the honors and stripped them was in expectation of more service, the people realized and so did the King
The King restored the She-Elephant to full honors
The Faithful Friend by Shedlock
A dog and an elephant become best friends
The dog was attracted to the elephant's stable due to food
A poor villager paid the elephant-keeper for the dog
When the dog was taken away, the elephant stopped drinking and bathing
The Bodisat went to check on the elephant and noticed that he must miss someone
It came to be found out that he missed the dog and so a fine was placed on whoever had the dog
The dog was let loose and ran back to the elephant who wept, but began eating again
(Image Information: Lotus, a symbol of rebirth; Source: Pexels by it's me neosiam)
The Bull That Demanded Fair Treatment by Shedlock
The Bodisat was born as a bull
He was called Nandi Visala in his bull form by the Brahmin who received him
Since the Brahmin treated him so well, Nandi Visala told the Brahmin to have a contest against
others based in strength since he was the strongest in all of India
The first attempt at this contest, the Brahmin called the oxen a wench and so he did not move
The second attempt at the contest, the Brahmin called Nandi Visala a beauty and so he moved
The Brahmin was showered in riches
The Bull That Proved His Gratitude by Shedlock
The Bodisat comes back as a bull
This time, he belongs to an old lady
He decides to start working so he can support the old woman
A young caravan owner came into town and needed his carts pulled b/c his own could not do it
He promised the bull a thousand pieces
The caravan owner only gave him 500, but the Bodisat knew so he did not let him leave
Afterwards, the bull goes home to the old lady to give her the money
She is surprised and then treats him still well until her death
The Horse That Held Out To The End by Shedlock
The Buddha is born into the form of a horse and he belonged to the King
Seven Kings give the King two options: wage war or give up your kingdom
They wish to go to war and so the King sends one of his best knights
The Knight would only go if he could use the King's special horse
Six Kings had been made prisoner when the King's special horse became wounded
The horse goes on to battle the Seventh King with the Knight b/c he knew the Knight would not win without him
As they returned with the Seventh King, the horse said to the King to not kill the Kings, but to bind them
With that, the horse passed away and the King ruled as the horse said
The Monkey That Saved The Herd by Shedlock
The Buddha was reborn as King of the monkeys
The Buddha and his monkey subjects (80,000) lived near a lake that housed an ogre
This ogre would eat whatever came to the water's surface
The King of the monkeys decreed that any food and water that has been untouched by them before should be looked over beforehand by the King to make sure it is safe
One such lake they came across housed an ogre who was angry with them when they wouldn't drink
The solution: a natural straw
The Golden Mallard by Shedlock
The Buddha was born a Brahmin and had a wife and three daughters
When he died, he was reborn into a golden mallard
He would award one feather everyday to his family in order to keep them cared for
He would give them a feather and then leave everyday
The mother started telling her children that he may not come back one day
She proposes to pluck them all and when her children refuse, she does it herself
As she plucks, the feathers go from golden to plain
The mallard flies away after that and never comes back
The Merchant Who Overcame All Obstacles by Shedlock
The Buddha was born into a merchant family
The Buddha came upon a sandy desert that was too dangerous to travel through during the day
The sand would become too hot and so those who traveled across would travel at night
When on their last night of travel, the pilot fell asleep and so the oxen turned around
The men all ended back up at their old camp and they had not water or wood
The Bodisat saw grass growing and knew that it could not grow without water
There was a well that was under that plant and they broke through to it
They marked it off the next night and went on their way
All the men lived until old age and then died accordingly
The Elephant That Was Honored In Old Age by Shedlock
The Buddha was Prime Minister to the King
There was a She-Elephant who was mighty and very useful to the King
When she became weak due to age, the King stopped protecting her and let her roam
He stripped her of her honors
One day a potter needed a strong animal to yoke to his cart and the King chose her
She pleaded her case to the Prime Minister who spoke on her behalf to the King
When the point was made that the King only gave the honors and stripped them was in expectation of more service, the people realized and so did the King
The King restored the She-Elephant to full honors
The Faithful Friend by Shedlock
A dog and an elephant become best friends
The dog was attracted to the elephant's stable due to food
A poor villager paid the elephant-keeper for the dog
When the dog was taken away, the elephant stopped drinking and bathing
The Bodisat went to check on the elephant and noticed that he must miss someone
It came to be found out that he missed the dog and so a fine was placed on whoever had the dog
The dog was let loose and ran back to the elephant who wept, but began eating again
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