A king planning to conquer a distant land observes a monkey drop all its peas to chase a single lost one. Realizing the futility of greed, the king reflects on the monkey’s mistake and decides to abandon his conquest. Choosing contentment over ambition, he and his army return home, valuing what they already possess over risking it for uncertain gains.
Source:
More Jataka Tales
by Ellen C. Babbit
The Century Co., New York, 1922
► Themes of the story
Moral Lessons: The monkey’s loss due to greed teaches the value of contentment and the pitfalls of unnecessary ambition.
Cunning and Deception: The monkey’s attempt to gather more peas reflects a cunning nature, though it ultimately leads to his downfall.
Transformation through Love: The king’s observation of the monkey leads to a transformation in his own perspective, choosing peace over conquest out of a newfound appreciation for his own kingdom.
► From the same Region or People
Once upon a time the king of a large and rich country gathered together his army to take a faraway little country. The king and his soldiers marched all morning long and then went into camp in the forest.
When they fed the horses they gave them some peas to eat. One of the Monkeys living in the forest saw the peas and jumped down to get some of them. He filled his mouth and hands with them, and up into the tree he went again, and sat down to eat the peas.
► Continue reading…
As he sat there eating the peas, one pea fell from his hand to the ground. At once the greedy Monkey dropped all the peas he had in his hands, and ran down to hunt for the lost pea. But he could not find that one pea. He climbed up into his tree again, and sat still looking very glum. “To get more, I threw away what I had,” he said to himself.
The king had watched the Monkey, and he said to himself: “I will not be like this foolish Monkey, who lost much to gain a little. I will go back to my own country and enjoy what I now have.”
So he and his men marched back home.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 