Buddhist Fables

  1. The Story of Ruru Deer
  2. The Story of Two Swans
  3. The Hare on The Moon
  4. The Story of Chaddanta Elephant
  5. The Story of Great Monkey
  6. The Story of The Two Deer
  7. The Story of a Buffalo
  8. Silava Elephant
  9. The Wise Monkey
  10. The Story of the Golden Swan
  11. The Story of The Great Ape
  12. The Mighty Fish
  13. Story of the Monkey King
  14. Lion and Jackal
  15. Somdatta
  16. The Story of the Crows
  17. The Monkey Brothers
  18. The Story of Nigrodha Deer
  19. Kalbahu
  20. Nandivisala
  21. Coronation of Owl
  22. The Feast of the Dead
  23. The Heart of the Monkey
  24. The Story of a Rooster
  25. The Story of a Tigeress
  26. The Pigeon and The Crow
  27. The Story of Romaka Pigeon
  28. The Story of Khardiya Deer
  29. The Thankless Monkey
  30. Can A Fool Ever Act Good!
  31. The Story of a Tortoise
  32. Jackal –The Arbitrator
  33. The Story of a Snake Charmer
  34. The Leather Garment
  35. The Giant Crab
  36. Mahilaimukha Elephant
  37. The Story of Vinilaka

Buddhist Classics

  1. The Sacrifice of Vessantara
  2. The Wisdom of Vidhura Pandita
  3. Chullabodhi – The Conqueror of Anger
  4. The Story of Kushinagar
  5. The Virtue of Forbearance
  6. Matanga – The World’s First Crusader of Untouchability
  7. The Temptation of Isisanga
  8. The Flight of Sakka
  9. Mahajanaka’s Renunciation
  10. The Wine-Jar
  11. The Sacrifice of Sivi
  12. The Box of the Monster
  13. The Lotus Stalk
  14. Kandari – The Handsome Prince
  15. Ghat: The Virtuous King
  16. Supparaka – The Ancient Mariner
  17. Sankhapala: The Naga King
  18. Champeyya
  19. The Baveru Island
  20. The Great Gambler
  21. The Story of The Dumb Prince
  22. The Naive House-Holder
  23. The Jewelled Serpent
  24. The Mango-Thief
  25. The Foot-Print Reader
  26. The Story of Sutasoma
  27. The Story of Sudasa
  28. The Little Bowman
  29. The Envoy of Belly
  30. Story of a Drummer
  31. The King, Who Knew The Language Of Animals
  32. The Happy Man
  33. Sama: The Good Son

Life and Legends of Buddha

  1. Gotama Buddha
  2. Birth Story of Gotama
  3. Maha Maya’s Dream
  4. Sage Asita’s Visit
  5. The Four Sights
  6. Story of Renunciation
  7. The Buddha’s Victory over Mara
  8. The Personality of the Buddha
  9. Nalgiri Elephant
  10. Story of Kumara Kassapa
  11. Dhamma-Chakka-Pavattana-Katha
  12. The Buddha’s Teaching of Abhidhamma
  13. Buddha's Visit to Rahula Mata
  14. The Savatthi Miracles
  15. The Flying Buddha
  16. Story of Parinibbana
  17. Suddhodana
  18. Sujata
  19. Sariputta
  20. Moggallana
  21. Story of Mara
  22. Bimbisara
  23. Nanda
  24. Janapada Kalyani Nanda
  25. The Spiritual Journey of Janapada Kalyani
  26. Phussa Buddha
  27. Vipassi Buddha
  28. Sikhi Buddha
  29. Vessabhu Buddha
  30. Kakusandha Buddha
  31. Konagamana Buddha
  32. Kassapa Buddha
  33. Metteya

The Illustrated Jataka & Other Stories of the Buddha by C. B. Varma Introduction | Glossary | Bibliography

011 – The Story of the Great Ape

Story of Great Ape

Once, the Bodhisatta was born as an ape and lived alone like an ascetic in a Himalayan forest. Yet, unlike other monkeys he was kind and virtuous; and survived on leaves and fruits of the forest trees.

The great ape advises the man to safeguard him before going to sleep. The man holding a rock to kill the benefactor ape

One day, a shepherd in search of his stray cattle lost his way and reached that forest. Exhausted with hunger, thirst, heat and toil he sat on the foot of a tree. Soon, he noticed a tinduka tree (diosperos embryopteris) laden with fruits. The hungry shepherd then in no time climbed the tree. But he overlooked the roots of the tree, which had grown out of a sloping cliff over a water-fall. When he reached a branch laden with ripe tindukas to pluck them, the branch could not sustain his weight and broke off and he fell down into a pit. Luckily, his bones were not broken. Yet, it was impossible for him to find an exit.

As a matter of chance, the great ape saw the man in his distress. Feeling pity for him he rescued him by putting great exertions. To ease himself the exhausted monkey wanted to have some rest. So, he asked the man to guard him before he could take a nap. But the ungrateful man decided to kill the innocuous monkey in his sleep to obtain his meat for his survival in the lost forest. So he picked up a large piece of stone and dropped it on the head of the sleeping monkey. The stone somehow slipped and missed the target. Nonetheless, it hurt the monkey. When the ape opened his eyes in agony and read the guilt written in the face of the man, he uttered:

Brought back from the mouth of Death

When reaching the other world.

Saved from one precipice

Thou hast now fallen on the worse.

Fie upon ignorance that spurs one to such vice and cruelty

And leads one to miseries

As it is the infatuation

Which deludes one to fall on the false hope of prosperity.

The pain of this wound does not aggrieve me much

As the thought

That on account of me

You have plunged into such evil

From where I or else could ever rescue thee!

Nonetheless, the compassionate monkey escorted him to the fringe of the forest so that he could go back to his own fellow beings.

By and by, the man’s evil manifested in leprosy. His skin thawed and he was expelled from the society. Thus, excommunicated from the world of his own fellow beings he started living in a dense forest, where no man dared to tread.

One day, the king of Varanasi detected him on his hunting expedition in the forest and mistook him to be a ghost, because his body had deformed. When he came closer he discovered to his shock that the ghost-looking-being was none other than a man. Further, he was shocked when he heard the pathetic story of that man; who was still remorseful for his ungratefulness to the great ape. His miseries had no bound!!

Truly, he repented. But then it was too late. Indeed, no one can escape the fruit of his or her own karma!

Vevajatiyakapi Jataka Jataka Pali No. 516; Jataka Mala No.24