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Reading Notes: Jataka Part C

In The Hawk and the Osprey, I found it interesting that they described all the animals as living in distinct directions relative to the lake. I didn't really understand why that was relevant to the story, but the meaning could have just been lost in translation. I liked the fact that all of the main characters were working together toward the good, because in many of these stories there is one evil and one good character, and it was refreshing to see everyone unified toward a common cause.

In Grandmother's Golden Dish, I was surprised that the Bodisat did not do some great deed other than be honest. In so many of the other stories, his actions go above and beyond all expectations of generosity and kindness. He was still good and righteous in this one, but I was expecting him to come back to that family with more riches, or be merciful and give something to that other merchant after a lesson was learned or something like that.

In The Elephant that Spared Life, the theme of elephants having more wisdom than other animals in stories that only have humans as sentient beings comes back. It honors the sensibilities of the elephant and their ability to determine virtuous people.

How the Antelope was Caught is one of the few of these Shedlock stories that has not been about an incarnation of the Bodisat, which I thought was interesting. Even more of note, the story's moral was taught by a character who at first seemed more secondary. I liked that they just made it about someone apparently from history.

Here is a meme I made with the story from How the Antelope was Caught, with an image from here. 


The Banyan Deer was a good bit longer than some of the other stories, but I liked it a lot. It made me wonder if that was the myth that people used to explain why some religious groups in India choose to live as vegetarians as part of their culture.

I also read The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher - I didn't find much that was different or stood out from this story, but it did make me think about how centered all of these myths are on good deeds. I think it's a good thing and works as a motivator to live a virtuous life, but in this case it says that if you live completely virtuously that you won't die young and you don't have to worry about your children dying young. I just wonder how many heartbroken and confused parents there were who placed their hope in this myth.

Finally, I read The Man Who Told a Lie: This one was my favorite of this round of Jataka tales. It had a lot of detail, and I liked the lesson it told. Notably, it was another story that wasn't about the Bodisat.




Bibliography:

  • Grandmother's Golden Dish: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). Grandmother's Golden Dish. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=grandmother
  • How the Antelope was Caught: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). How the Antelope Was Caught. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=antelope
  • The Banyan Deer: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). The Banyan Deer. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=banyan
  • The Elephant that Spared Life: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). The Elephant That Spared Life. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=spared
  • The Hawk and the Osprey: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). The Hawk and the Osprey. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=hawk
  • The Man Who Told a Lie: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). The Man Who Told a Lie. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=lie
  • The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher: Shedlock, M. L. (n.d.). The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/browse/display.php?author=shedlock&book=eastern&story=pupil
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