Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales (Part A)

“The young parrot brings food to his parents.” Scene from “The Young Parent.”

Illustration by H. Willebeek Le Mair (1939).

The Monkey-Bridge

1. These monkeys live in a paradise. Given the nature of stories like this, it’s likely that this paradise will be destroyed due to one of the monkey’s carelessness.
2. Is the king greedy for the fruit or appreciative of its greatness?
3. The humans are soiling previously untouched nature.
4. The monkeys were careless and so are punished. However, their wise king will help them survive.
5. The humans and the monkeys are punished for intruding on nature and having allowed this intrusion, respectively.

The Guilty Dogs

1. Like the previous story, there is a wise king who wants to protect his subjects. In most of these stories, all of the problems could be solved if the subjects had only listened to the king.
2. However, in this story, one of the kings (the human one) is rash. It is only through wise arguments that he comes to the proper decision.

Banyan

1. Mercy will probably be rewarded.
2. The king also decides to spare the deer. As always, mercy proves more honorable than violence.

The Tortoise and the Geese

1. The tortoise was rash in his speaking.
2. He’s punished for speaking (or trying to speak) in anger at the children.

The Fairy and the Hare

1. Each of the animals is generous, but the hare is the most generous among them.
2. This is because he offers, not his property, but his life, in order to help other people.
3. Of course, there’s someone (a fairy) there with the power to test him and punish him or reward him.  

The Golden Feathers

1. Why did the husband not reveal his identity? That would have ensured that he wasn’t forcibly plucked of his feathers.
2. The mother is ungracious for fortune’s gifts and is punished for it. Are the daughters punished for not stopping her?

The Young Parrot

1. The other parrots might be punished for not helping the young parrot and for being cowardly.
2. What would happen if the field-owner needed help in the future? Doesn’t he deserve something in return for having let the young parrot go?

The Empty Lake

1. With a good enough king, it seems that the people will never suffer long.

The Swan Kingdom

1. It is good to be wary of too beautiful lakes.

The Master's Test

1. This was adapted in one of the Amar Chitra Katha comic books.
2. Although respect for and obedience to one’s elders is important, absolute obedience is not good.
3. This moral lesson isn’t surprising when one considers all of the unwise brahman and rash kings that pop up in Indian folktales and epics.

Bibliography

Noor Inayat (Khan). (1939). Twenty Jataka Tales.