The Crocodile in the River
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| The Crocodile |
The Master was sitting at the grove, reminiscing on the days when Devadatta sought out to take his life. He declared, "Devadatta has tried many times to kill me, but has failed to succeed. He will not win the battle then, now and ever again." He then continued with the story.
Once when Brahmadatta ruled over Benares, the Bodhisatta rose to life and became a monkey. When he grew, he was bigger than a baby cow! He was unusually strong. He lived on an island, mostly isolated and barren, so he ate. He ate a lot. This happened to be his very life.
In the same river nearby the island, a crocodile couple did life together. They were expecting newborns very soon. The mother saw the Bodhisatta going back and forth and immediately wanted to feast on his heart. Seeing that the mother was hungry, the father crocodile went after it.
In the meantime, the Bodhisatta is pondering at life across the deep waters. He is wondering about the rock sticking up so high out of the water. When this happens, he strongly suspects crocodiles, for they are known to make this happening occur. He, in a manner of urgency and fear, calls out to the rock three times with a "Hi, Rock!". There are no words. No echo. "Why do you not answer me today?"
The crocodile smiles. He has a plan. He must be the rock's voice in order to allure the Bodhisatta. "Monkey, what must you say to me today?"
"Who goes there?" Bodhisatta says.
"I am a crocodile."
"Well, what are you sitting there for?"
"To eat you and bring your heart to my wife."
Outwitting was the Bodhisatta's game and this croc was no match. So suddenly the Bodhisatta yelled, "I must surrender! You are no match for me my crocodile. Have all of me!"
So the crocodile opened his mouth and ready to munch. Little did the crocodile know, when his mouth opens, his eyes shut, blocking him from seeing the Bodhisatta.
The monkey suddenly bounced off the crocodile's head and headed for the bank.
The monkey was obviously proud of this trickery towards the crocodile. He proclaimed, "This monkey has four great virtues that enable him to overcome his enemies and attackers! I think I bear each and every one."
And, so saying, he repeated this stanza:
Who can be so great?
None, I say. Courage, relentlessness, sovereignty and peace.
He shall examine the fleet of his foe
The crocodile then went back.
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The Master said, "Again, Devagatta tried to kill me multiple times before and after this incident." Seeing the Birth, the Master declared freedom over himself.
Bibliography:
1. The Crocodile in the River. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://sites.google.com/view/jatakas/crocodile
I really enjoyed this story when I read it the first time. I like how you added some detail to the Bodhisatta. The story really reflects the original, but has its own flare. I also like how you kept some of the dialogue. The specific dialogue is important to the out come of the story and I feel that it needs to be left in the story to properly close it.
ReplyDeleteHi Marla!
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of the Jataka Tales, each one has a hidden meaning behind it, and if we think a bit more about them we see that sometimes we still see some similar occurrences in our lives today. I appreciate how you followed closely to the original tale, since the meaning behind this story to me is very important. I interpreted it as, those who may not desire to do something bad, sometimes we are put in situations where if we do not try we may have a spouse, friend, or another person who may not realize that nothing can be done until they see a failed attempt.