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Not Listening to Divisive Speech
A jackal tries to divide a lion and a tiger by sowing dissension so he can eat their flesh. They remain friends and the jackal flees.
Reconciliation and Responsibility
A father and a younger brother argue along the road, and the Bodhisatta reproves them with these words.
Friendship is more Valuable than Wealth
A rich man gives half his wealth to one fallen on hard times; but when he is in need himself the other offers him only rice gruel. He accepts it so as not to rebuff the obligations of friendship. Later the King hears about it and restores his wealth.
Who to Keep Company With
The monk Channa is always abusing Sāriputta and Mahāmoggallāna. When the Buddha finds out he admonishes him thus.
True Friends
The Bodhisatta is an ascetic who is invited by the King to stay in his park. After some time the King plots to kill him, and he decides to leave. When questioned why he is going this is his reply.
Deeds not Words Measure a Friend
A King of the geese is invited by the King of men to stay with him, but he declines with these words.
The Consequences of Listening to Slander
A jackal using slander sets two friends fighting, a bull and a lion, and eventually they kill each other. The jackal then eats their flesh. The King of men, the Bodhisatta, reflects on it in these verses addressed to his charioteer.
Faithfulness in Friendship
Sakka, to try the contentment of a parrot, dries up the tree he lives on, all the other birds desert it but the parrot stays on. Sakka, taking the form of a goose, engaged in this dialogue.
Faithfulness in Friendship
Sakka, to try the contentment of a parrot, dries up the tree he lives on, all the other birds desert it but the parrot stays on. Sakka, taking the form of a goose, engaged in this dialogue.
Understanding Consequences
To rid his father of a mosquito that has landed on his head a son takes an axe and slaughters both the mosquito and his father with one blow.
Qualities Esteemed in the World
Sakka asks the Bodhisatta for a definition of the Good Person.
The Qualities of a Good Person
The Buddha explains that Sakka, the Lord of the Gods, received his position after undertaking seven vows, which are outlined here.
Greed brings Dire Consequences
A forester, lost in the forest, is saved by the Bodhisatta, a King of the Elephants. Later he returns and asks for the Bodhisatta’s tusks, which he readily gives. But not satisfied he returns again and demands the roots of the tusks. While leaving the earth opens up and swallows him.
The Power of Truth
The Bodhisatta saves a wicked prince who, when later he has ascended the throne, seeing him in the capital, has him flogged and taken out for execution. The Bodhisatta doesn’t get upset but repeats this verse. The people set him free, and kill the wicked King instead.
Unexpected Consequences
The Bodhisatta teaches a brahmin youth a spell for restoring life to the dead. Thoughtlessly the youth uses it on a tiger who then kills and eats him.
The Reward for Good Actions
A royalist treats with kindness a great horseman who has been defeated in battle, not knowing it is the King himself. The great horseman tells him if he comes to the city he will receive his reward. One day the man comes and the King gives him half his kingdom.
Deeds are Seeds
Three boys receive an education, two rich, one poor, whose fees are paid for by the first of the boys. Later the poor boy finds out how to become King, but bestows it on his benefactor, and the second boy becomes the Commander-in-Chief. Later the latter abuses and disowns him, but the King, the Bodhisatta, rebukes the Commander-in-Chief, and utters these verses.
The Reciprocity of Deeds
A merchant sends a caravan to Sāvatthī and is helped by Anāthapiṇḍika; later the latter sends a caravan back to the merchant, but they are rebuked; when they come again to Sāvatthī and are robbed they are left with no one to help them.
Remembering Service Rendered
An elephant renders great service to the King, but once grown old is neglected and scorned. The Bodhisatta admonishes the King with these verses.
Who to Follow
The Buddha explains to the monks the three types of person in the world and what their attitude should be towards them, and summarises the teaching with a verse.
Abandoning an Ingrate
A bird helps a lion by removing a bone stuck in its throat, but when asked to requite he haughtily refuses.
Discrimination in whom to Follow
A Father and Son are living as ascetics in the Himālayas when a woman tries to lure the Son away to the city. When he finds out the Father admonishes him with these verses, and he maintains his state.
Choosing Friends Carefully
An arrogant ascetic from the Indasamāna clan kept an elephant as a pet. His teacher, the Bodhisatta, warned him of the danger, but he would not listen. One day the elephant trampled him to death.
Intimacy with the Wicked and the Righteous
A brahmin ascetic feeds his sacred fire with ghee and milk-rice and it flares up and burns down his hut. Later he saw a black deer who was intimate with his traditional enemies the lion, the tiger and the panther and he spoke these verses.
Consorting with the Wicked
An iguana makes friends with a chameleon, who he is wont to embrace. The chameleon, fearing for his life, calls in a hunter and destroys the iguana family.
Association
The Buddha explains the three kinds of happiness people should wish for, and warns against bad reputation.
Appearance is not All
King Pasenadi interrupts his interview with the Buddha to pay respect to various kinds of ascetics who are passing nearby. The Buddha cautions that outward appearance is not trustworthy, and the King admits that these are his spies.
Deceitful Appearances
A crow pretends to be a holy ascetic who lives on air alone, but secretly eats the eggs and young of other birds when left alone. Eventually he is caught and put to death.
According to Upbringing
Two parrots who are brothers are brought up differently, one in a robber-village, and one in a hermitage of the wise. When a King loses his way the first wants to kill and rob him, while the second offers him a helping hand.
Seeing Noble Ones
When the Buddha lies ill Sakka, the King of the Gods, comes to minister to him. The monks wonder why, and the Buddha explains how he previously answered Sakka’s questions whereby he became a stream-enterer.
The Benefits of Associating with the Virtuous
Five gods approach the Buddha and speak one verse each on the benefits of associating with the wise, to which the Buddha adds the final verse below.
Wander with the Wise or Wander Alone
A King executes a neighbouring King. The latter’s son secretely becomes the King’s trusted confidant, and one day, still intent on revenge, has him alone. But rather than kill him he forgives him, and the two become close friends.
No Friendship with Fools
A faithless pupil of Ven. Mahākassapa tricks a supporter into giving him food and drinks which he says are needed by the elder. Being rebuked he burns down the Elder’s hut and runs away. The whole story is reported to the Buddha.
Faith at First Sight
A couple who were the Bodhisatta’s parents in many previous lives greet him as a son in this life, to the confusion of the monks. The Buddha explains their past relationship.
The Danger of Being too Trusting
A lion so scares the cows pasturing nearby that they don’t give milk. The herdsman covers with poison a hare-deer the lion is fond of, the lion licks her fondly and dies.
Do not Trust the Untrustworthy
A hawk preys on chickens until only the Bodhisatta is left. He tries to lure him out with kind words, but the Bodhisatta resists, not placing his trust in a natural enemy.
The Trustworthy One
A childless King adopts three birds as his children, which his courtiers scorn. To prove their worth he asks them for advice in ruling the Kingdom, and this is part of what his ‘daughter’ says.
Keeping a Secret
The Bodhisatta counsels the King not to reveal his secrets to anyone, but others hostile to him say that revealing to a wife, a friend, a brother, a son, or a mother is acceptable. Later the Bodhisatta reveals the secrets that they have told to such, showing their unreliablity. Then he repeats his wise advice.
The Result of Too Much Begging
A dragon falls in love with a hermit and embraces him to his distress. To frighten him away the hermit begs for the dragon’s jewel three times.
Begging brings Tears
A hermit is invited by a King to stay in his park. For twelve years he desires a pair of shoes and a leaf umbrella but is too ashamed to ask. Eventually he asks, receives, and goes on his way.
Silent Begging
The King, pleased with a sage, the Bodhisatta, offers him anything from his Kingdom down, but the sage remains silent. The following dialogue ensues.
Asking the Right Person at the Right Time
A student desiring to repay his teacher disregards others and waits until the King comes and asks him what he needs, as only the King has the power to solve his problem.
The Eight Worldly Things
The Buddha explains the eight worldly conditions to the monks and summarises them with a verse.
Blameworthy
The lay-disciple Atula goes to see Revata, who speaks not, Sāriputta, who speaks at length, and Ānanda who speaks moderately; but he is upset with them all. Finally he goes to the Buddha who explains it thus.
Unperturbed
The Elder Lakuṇṭaka Bhaddiya was a dwarf who attained arahantship. Novices and others used to tease him, but he remained unmoved. The Buddha explained why.
Unshaken by Pleasure and Pain
The monk Yasoja and 500 other monks who are visiting the Buddha are very noisy so he sends them away. They put forth extra effort during the Rains retreat and become Arahats, after which the Buddha sends for them again.
The Wise do not Tremble
The Buddha explains there are five things that cannot be obtained: for those having the nature of ageing, sickness, dying, wasting and destruction that there should be none of these things is impossible. The Noble disciple knows this and does not grieve.
Transient Wealth
The Bodhisatta is a King whose Capital is overrun by another King. He refuses to fight as it would involve maiming and killing. The conquering King wonders why he does not struggle, and the Bodhisatta speaks the following verses, after which the other departs.
Understanding Nature one Grieves Not
The Bodhisatta, along with his brother and sister, is exiled in the Himālayas. While there he learns that his father the King has died, yet understanding the way of nature he does not grieve.
