Week 11: Reading Notes B (More Jatakas)

1.     The Noble Horse

-       This one is a happy story and it tell the story of a horse that is living a good life and sacrifices himself for the victory of his rider

-       The horse was beautiful and strong, it was the king’s favorite

-       He lived in a luxurious stable and groomed each day with oil and scents

-       One day, war broke out and a knight needed a horse to go kill the invaders and capture the opposing king

-       The knight mounted the mighty horse and rode into battle

-       The horse carried the knight and took 5 kings into captivity while killing the armies

-       On the 6^th king, they captured the last king, but the horse was wounded.

-       As he closed his eyes, he thought his knight had died, but the knight soon came to him and saw him bleeding

-       The knight promised to not ride any other horse, and the horse said that his wounds were worth the victory.

-       He sacrificed his life to protect his rider and protect the country, so Yama could say that he lived a righteous life and followed Dharma.

2.     The Goblin Town

-       A ship full of sailors has been sailing for a long time, and they anchored when they saw a small island

-       As they got off the ship and went to shore, beautiful women greeted them

-       The men were overwhelmed with lust and followed the women back to their village

-       The women said they would care for them and provide them with food and a place to sleep

-       During the first night, the captain awoke and heard strange voices

-       The next morning, only a few of his men believed him and others listened for it the next night

-       The men who also heard the voices woke up in chains the next morning and realized the women were goblins and they had been deceived

-       They prayed for help, and a large white and winged horse appeared to break their bondage

-       Only the ones that believed the captain about the goblins mounted the magic horse and rode away to safety, and they lived happily ever after

3.     The Great Elephant

-       In an oasis in the middle of the desert, a huge and beautiful elephant lived and lived a very happy life

-       The elephant was healthy and knew how to survive on the oasis with water and wonderful food.

-       One day, he heard cries coming from a small group of men, and the elephant went to investigate

-       When he reached them, he saw that they were starving and parched. For the first time in his life, he was filled with sympathy for the men and shed tears

-       He told the men that they can find water and food at the bottom of a hill, and he told them that there will be a body of a great elephant at the end of the trail

-       Then, the elephant hurried away before the men could see where he had gone, so they began the walk to the hill

-       While they were walking, the elephant went to the top of the hill and jumped off the hill and hit the ground and died.

-       When the weak and hungry men got there, they recognized the elephant and wept over his death.

-       The elephant died in order to feed/take care of the strangers, so he lived a very noble life

Image of the Great Elephant in the Oasis

Wikimedia

Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales. Noor Inayat (Khan). Babel.