Jataka Tales 20: Nalapana

Nalapana Jataka Once on an alms-pilgrimage through various places in Kosala, the Buddha and His disciples came to the village of Nalapana.

They dwelt at Ketaka-vana near a pool adjacent to the village. After the monks had bathed in the pool, they made the novices gather some cane-sticks, after which the village was named, to make into needle cases. The novices returned to report that the cane-sticks were hollow throughout their lengths.

So the monks went to inform the Buddha about this and asked Him how this happened. The Buddha replied: "Such was My wish in the past."

Then He told them this story.

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Story from the past In times past, there was a thick forest at this spot. There was a lake here and a water-ogre dwelt in it. He would eat anyone who went into the water. At that time, the Bodhisatta had been born as king of a pack of monkeys. He was as big as the fawn of a red deer. He led no less than 80,000 monkeys who depended on him for their safety.

He had told them to beware of trees that were poisonous and lakes that were haunted by ogres. They had to wait and ask him first, for the sake of their well-being, about leaves and fruit they had not eaten before, or water from where they had never taken a drink. This they readily agreed to obey.

One day they came to a strange spot. While searching for water they came to the lake. They did not drink from it but waited for their leader.

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When he arrived he asked them why they did not take a drink. They replied they should wait for his arrival first. He was pleased they had done so.

Then he inspected the ground and noticed footprints going towards the lake but none returning from it. He knew immediately there was an ogre residing in the water.

The water-ogre waited but not a single monkey entered his domain. Without a second thought, he took a horrible form with a blue belly, a white face, and bright red hands and feet and came out of the water. He said to the monkeys: "Why are you waiting here; go down to the lake and drink." Then the Bohisatta asked him: "Aren't you the ogre that dwell in the lake." He would not lie, so he said: "Yes, I am".

He was asked again: "And you eat all those who go down into the water?" "Yes," he replied, "from small to big things. I never let them go. I will eat the lot of you, too." "But we shall not let you eat us."

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"Then just drink the water." "Yes, we'll drink it and yet you will not have us in your power."

"How are you going to do it, then?" "Ah, you think we have to go down to the water to drink, but all of us will not enter it. We'll use a cane to drink as easily as using the hollow stalk of a lotus. And you will not be able to capture and eat us." Said the king of the monkey: " I see footprints going down into the lake. But no footprints have come back. We will drink the water through hollow canes."

He had a cane brought to him. With mind steadfast in the Ten Perfections, he recited these words as a solemn Act of Truth and blew down the cane. Instantly the cane was hollow through its length. He did the same with several more; then he went round the lake and commanded: "Let all canes growing here become hollow throughout its length." Due to the great virtues of Bodhisattas, in whatever birth they chose to be, their commands always produced desired results.

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At that moment every cane that grew became hollow throughout its length. Then the Bodhisatta sat with a cane in his hands. All the monkeys took a cane each and followed his example. With one end in the water they drank it from the lake. The ogre could not get even one of them. In a rage it went off to its territory. The Bodhisatta, too, led his pack back into the forest.

End of story of the past After ending this lesson, the Blessed One repeated what He had said, that the hollowness of the canes was the result of a former rule He made then, and He showed the connection between the present and the past. He identified the births: "Devadatta was the water-ogre of those days; my disciples were the 80,000 monkeys; and I was the monkey-king, so fertile in resource ."

When a wise person acts with imagination, innumerable lives can be saved.

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