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Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Reading Notes Jataka Banyan


                                         (Golden Deer: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Banyan by Noor Inayat (Khan)
In this story there are three kings, one human king and two deer kings. The two deer king reside in the forest, and they are a beautiful golden color that stands out from the others. The deer encounter a problem, the human king is to have a feast and has sent his soldiers out to kill the animals of the forest to bring back as food for his feast. However, the king as warned the soldiers that they must not king any of the golden deer and so the soldiers listened and followed orders and they never shot at one of the golden deer. The deer were being very badly injured and shot hundred of times before they would die and be taken from the soldiers. The two deer king could not stand to see their followers being so brutally injured and killed. They came up with a compromise, they would send one deer a day to the king to be sacrificed and they would alternate the days from which kingdom this deer would come from. One day it was the turn of a mother deer, her doe was very young and would not be able to survive alone. The mother went to her king to ask if she could go later when her baby was grown, the king denied her and told her she must go today. The mother was desperate so she went to the other king and asked if she could go later, the king told her yes and to raise her child and she could go when he was older. The mother was so happy and thankful, but the king thought someone must go today in her place, he thought it should he him. So, he went to the human king to be killed but the human king refused. The human king was so touched that he spared every animal in the forest and vowed not to kill another animal.
I think this story is a little unrealistic and not the best for children. There are some valuable lessons about nonviolence and compassion but not many about strength and courage. Yes, the king was willing to risk his life for his followers but why did they not fight back. Why did the deer and the other creatures living in the forest fight back? This story also does not show good leadership until later, the deer king willingly sacrifices their followers to keep the human king happy.      

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