BoomerSooner359: Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

The Jataka tales are very interesting! I loved reading the stories and seeing how they ended. There were some that were all about trickery and deception, and there were some that did not need trickery or deception to make a fool of one of the characters. The monkey and the crocodile was interesting because it made sure to note several times that the crocodile was stupid. It wasn’t that the monkey was smart, the crocodile was just stupid and couldn’t keep up with the monkey’s thinking. In the story of The Sandy Road, the leader of the drivers almost made a fool of himself by telling everyone to throw out their water and supplies because they would reach the city by the break of day and be off the sand. He fell asleep and lost the way which meant they were still on the sand by day break. He searched frantically until he spotted a tuft of grass, which meant there was water underneath. He ordered a hole to be dug there and when they hit a rock, he ordered a boy to strike the rock until water came forth. They drank the water and went on to the town, but it almost turned into a disaster. Some of the stories were about learning life lessons rather than having a character that was made a fool of. The story of The Ox Who Envied the Pig showed that it is better to be content with little and live longer with family rather than be given the “choice food” of death and enjoy it only for a time that will quickly come to an end. These stories were short but held many values and lessons in them. It was great to see all the cunning and witty characters come out on top!