Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part C

The Turtle who could not stop talking

• Turtle befriends geese who want the turtle to visit their home

• Geese offer to take the turtle if he can keep his mouth shut about going

• Kids saw the geese carrying the turtle as he kept his mouth closed on a stick so that he would be carried

• The turtle asked the children what business it was to judge him and the turtle fell to his death because he opened his mouth and let go of the stick

The Ox who won the forfeit

• Man makes bet of a thousand of pieces of silver on his ox

• Second man's ox would not even move and he lost his thousand pieces of silver

• Ox says that if they try again he will try for the second man as he has been a good master

• The ox pulled the cart winning the bet and the second man with his ox went home happy with their winnings

The quarrel of the quails

• wise quail was the leader of those living in the forest

• Man uses a quail call the lure the quails in and captures them

• wise quail comes up with a plan for the next time the man tries this scheme

• the quails enact the plan and fly the man's net off and drop it into the thorn bush

• quails started arguing and the man takes advantage of the situation and captures them and sells them for a nice price

The Measure of rice

• King had a dishonest man in his court who was the valuer

• King fires this valuer and hires a peasant to do the job

• peasant did not know values really, but everyone had to pay the price for items that he set

• man brings in 500 horses and valuer says they were worth a measure of rice.

• valuer tries to explain that the value of rice is the same as the value of the city

• the king ashamed kicks out the valuer

• the valuer fled the scene as he explains that he was only trying to get a good deal on the horses for the king