Gautama was born a prince, over 2500 years ago in Lumbini, in the northern part of India. He left the comfortable life of the palace, his young wife and infant son, to go in search of true knowledge. After a life of wandering, austerities and meditation, he became Buddha ('the Enlightened one'). Buddha taught compassion, non-violence and the need for right conduct in life. His teachings spread far and wide even outside India, in China and Southeast Asia. The 'Jataka' (Birth-cycle) tales narrate the stories related to the 'seekers of truth' - those who wish to follow the path of Buddha. The 550 Jatakas that form the canon, many are about both animals and humans. The stories were originally were compiled in the Pali language. In one of the stories in this collection, a young man takes the advise of a man to be enterprising. He starts a business with a dead mouse, and makes his first profit by selling it to a cat-owner. With the sale money he buys raw sugar which he then he sells as sugar-water and so on till he becomes a millionaire. He calls on the adviser to express his gratitude for the advice.. and wins over his daughter as a bride. In another story, a water carrier earns just a coin more than the usual. He hides it in the city-wall. When he returns to retrieve his money in a hurry, the king catches him running in hot sun. The King is curious about the poor mans secret. The poor man values his treasure so much that only the offer of half the kingdom stops him from running for his hidden 'treasure'.

Jataka Tales the Mouse Merchant (Amar Chitra Katha) PDF

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