Reading Notes: Free Reading 15 More Jataka Tales Part B

Today I read about the little bowman. The little bowman was talented with the bow more than anyone in the land. He wanted to work for the king but he was too small and would be passed up because of his size. So he decided to find a big man that would be chosen and the little bowman could do all the work. So he searched until he found a big man digging. He explained his plan and the big man agreed. They were accepted by the king and agreed to split the money they earned. Their first job was to kill a tiger that had been roaming the forest. Once they completed that, the king was pleased and gave them all kinds of riches. Then there was a buffalo that was running up and down the roads. The little bowman once again shot and this time killed the buffalo. The king was pleased again and gave them more riches. The big man decided that he no longer needed the little bowman and said very mean things to him. The king received a letter from a far away kingdom threatening to take all the land in battle. The big man was made the leader of the army and was sent towards the camp of the intruding kingdom. Riding on an elephant, the big man approached the camp but he was unaware that the little bowman had slipped behind him on the elephant. The big man began shaking in fear once they got closer to the camp. The little bowman said not to fear because he would be with him. The big man slid down anyways and ran all the way back to his home. The little bowman pressed forward and pushed the other army all the way back to their kingdom. The little bowman lead his army back to the king and the king praised him for leading the army to victory. The little bowman was made the chief of the army! In the end, the little bowman should have had faith in himself because he had what it took to not only win with his bow but he was also a great leader!

Onward to victory!

Source:More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading 15 More Jataka Tales Part A

Today I read of the wise goat and the wolves! A family of goats lived in a cave in the side of a hill and not far from them lived a couple wolves. The wolves enjoyed the meat of goats so they decided to feast on the family of goats until there were no more. One by one they ate all the goats until one wise goat remained. They tried and tried but could not catch the wise goat. Finally one wolf said to the other they should trick the goat. He would lay down and pretend to be dead while the other wolf made the goat feel sorry and come to help bury the dead wolf. When the goat came near, the wolf would jump up and attack! So they tried their plan and the goat would not go. Finally the wolf convinced the goat to go but it had taken so long that as they neared, the “dead” wolf raised his head to see if they were coming. The goat saw this and ran away! They tried again but instead, the wolf said that they wanted to be friends because the goat made the other wolf better by walking near it! The goat got smarter and said that she would go but she was bringing her friends to celebrate with them. She would bring all the hounds she knew! The wolves got scared and were never seen again! I liked how the goat was wise enough to outwit the goats but I wondered why didn’t she save her friends? If she were that wise, I would imagine that she would have at least tried to save her friends!

Wise Goat!

Source:More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back