Reading Notes: Jatakas

 Jatakas

Bibliography: Jatakas, Planchatantra, and Other Fables from India: Spend a Pound to Win a Penny

Tree

    This story is about a monkey sitting up in the trees. He was sitting in the tree when some people came to steam some peas in order to feed their horses. "Ooooh looks like I am having peas for dinner!" said the monkey. When the people walked away and weren't looking, the monkey swooped down and stuffed as many peas in his mouth as hands as he could and climbed back up the tree.When he reached his spot in the tree in the top, he sat happily and enjoyed his peas. As he was eating them, a single pea fell. This gave the monkey a lot of distress. Other peas began falling out of his mouth and out of his hand, but he did not seem to notice. He crawled down to the ground in search for his lost pea, but was unable to find it. Being on the ground made him noticeable, and the people came back under the tree, "shoo! shoo!" they said to the monkey. They monkey ran away back up the tree. "I guess it was just one pea" he thought. But by then he noticed all the other peas were gone as well. This lesson taught the monkey to not be greedy.