Lord Buddha
Buddha (Bodhisattva) is considered to be the incarnation of supreme power -Lord Mahavishnu. He was born to King Shuddhodhana as Prince Siddhartha Gautama, but renounced the worldly affairs in search of true knowledge. In other words, he sought the path of enlightenment.
It is said that before, he took birth as Bodhisatwa, Buddha took several births in various forms such as birds, animals like monkeys and other forms. The Jataka tales agglomerate the happenings from these previous births of Bodhisatwa.
The Jataka Tales
The Jataka tales is a vast collection of stories, folklore and mythic literature which date back between 300-400 BC. The tales were originally written in the ancient language Pali. They are also known as "Bodhisattva Stories" in Buddhist circles.
A collection of over 500 anecdotes, the Jataka Tales relate to previous births (jati) of Lord Buddha. These tales are believed to be have been told by Buddha himself to his disciples as indicative examples of righteous conduct. They are considered as pearls of wisdom and form a part of Buddhist canonical literature.
The tales are mostly set near the holy city of Benaras (now Varanasi) where Lord Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment (Jnana) under the Bodhi Tree in Sarnat. The city of Varanasi is one the oldest cities in the world. Set on the banks of River Ganges, the city was once known as Benares. It is one of the most sacred places for Hindus.
The Jataka tales provide an insight into the principles and laws of nature which govern the ways of human life. They are considered be a universe of wisdom within themselves.
The Jataka tales are considered to be the oldest form of story-narrating practice. These tales were used to spread the message of Bhuddha. The Jataka storytellers were known as Jataka bhanakas. They traveled far and wide to propagate the message of Buddhism such as kindness, compassion, generosity, nonviolence, self sacrifice, charity, modesty, harmony, contentedness; etc. The importance of karma, good deeds, birth cycles were illustrated via these tales.
As many as 547 Jataka tales are in existence today, though there are indications that their number may exceed the stated figure.
The Petlieik Pagoda located in Bagan, Myanmar Burma has an extensive representation of as many as 550 Jataka tales.
I am presenting popular Jataka Tales here for moral merits of young minds. I hope retelling these tales will help in instilling the inherit values in them. Read, learn and enjoy. Here are some of the popular Jataka Tales :
The Great Monkey
The Greedy Crow
The Hare And The Moon
Two Parrots
The Measure of Rice
The Merchant of Seri
The Banyan Deer
The Foolish Monkeys
The Sandy Road
Grannie's Blackie
The Quarrelling Quails
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