407 Mahākapi Jātaka (JTA 153) The Great Monkey King Ashin Sarana:
Valentina’s drawing Some bhikkhus were talking about the good that Buddha did for his relatives, and when Buddha heard he told them that this was not the first time tathagata has done this. Long ago, there was a monkey who was a leader of a troop of eighty thousand monkeys and there was a mango tree. The king ordered the monkeys to pick up all the tiny fruit from the tree but there was one that was not found and once it ripened it fell into the river. At that time, King Brahmadatta bathed in the river and saw the mango floating around in the river, so he tried it and really enjoyed it, so he went to the tree which the mango came from and slept there with candles lit and guards set on each side. That night, the monkeys ate the mangoes from the tree and the king was awakened by this noise, so he ordered his archers to kill those monkeys. The king monkey however saved the other monkey’s lives but got seriously injured by a monkey who wanted to overthrow him for a long time. The king monkey was in much pain and when the king saw this, he thought that this monkey did not deserve to die and nursed it. He told the king, “If you wish to be a righteous ruler, the happiness of your kingdom, your cities, and your people must be dear to you.” After teaching the king, the monkey died and was honored. The king then ruled his kingdom righteously and became destined for heaven.Kids’ drawing
