The Monkey Chief And The Demon
This is a popular Jataka Katha for kids. Once upon a time, a group of monkeys settle down on the outskirts of the forest. The forest had many poisonous trees and a lake that was a home to a demon. The monkey chief called a meeting to warn his subjects and said, “My dear monkeys, you have to be attentive here. Do not eat any fruit or drink any water without my permission.”
One day, a group of monkeys set out in search of firewood and wandered far into the forest. As they went along, they passed a lake. The monkeys were tired and thirsty. One of them decided to have a drink from the lake. But the others yelled, “No, don’t drink that water. Have you forgotten our chief’s warning?” “Oh dear!” replied the monkey, “I am so thirsty that I entirely forgot. Let’s wait here for the chief!” Also, read The Noble Monkey.
jataka katha
Image Source@ www.youtube.com. Soon, the chief came by and decided to check if the water was safe to drink. The chief investigated around the lake and found footsteps leading to the lake. “Hmmm… I am sorry dear monkeys, but this is the demon’s lake,” he said. The monkeys replied, “Oh, no! What do we do? We are very thirsty.” The chief said, “Let me think of the way to get water!”
All of a sudden, the demon jumped out of the lake and screamed, “This is my lake! If anyone enters it, I will eat him up.” The chief said, “Okay, demon! Then we will drink the water without entering the lake.” “Haha! How will you do that?” mocked the demon. The chief ordered, “Monkeys, get some bamboo reeds from that tree.” The monkeys obeyed and the chief joined all the reeds together and put one end into the lake.
He then stood up the other end and sucked through it with all its might. Soon, water began gushing out and the monkeys drank their fill. The chief then turned to the angry demon and said, “Oh, demon! You might be big and strong but strength is nothing when compared to brains!” You may also like to read, The Monkey And The Wedge.
Here is a short visual depiction ofJataka Katha “The Monkey Chief And The Demon“. See the video story below,