Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part B


In the story called “The Sarabha” a king, who is riding a horse, is mesmerized by a deer and takes off to try and kill it. He follows it until he reaches a chasm. The king does not see it and his horse stops short, throwing him into the chasm. He survives the fall, and the deer, who is divine, as many characters often are, climbs down and saves him by bringing him out of the chasm. The king, grateful to the divine creature, begs it to come back to the palace so that he may protect it. The creature declines and instead asks that people stop hunting in the forest. This feels quintessentially Buddhist, the anthropomorphized animals and the emphasis on non-violence /not hunting. Although this story has a core message that purports to be the moral choice, I find it a bit funny. The deer species common to India is the Chital, also known as the axis deer. This deer species is known for its smaller size and spotted coat. Currently the state of Hawaii is dealing with the axis deer as a major invasive species problem. The deer has no natural predators on the island and basically has free roam. It was recently eliminated from the big island through dogged pursuit and hunting. It was such a hated species that the qualifications for hunting them were the same as for hunting boar in Texas. You did not need a tag, all you needed was a legal gun, and to be on private property. I find it funny that I just happened to read this story which basically talks about how you should not hunt animals, and it uses an animal which is so reviled, at least in Hawaii, that it is as easy to hunt as boar or coyotes.  

Sarabha Carrying the King to Safety. Source
 Bibliography
Twenty Jataka Tales. Noor Inayat. Source

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