The Ass in the Lion's Skin

From Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, with illustrations by John Batten (1912): story page.

Note: You may already know this story from the famous version in Aesop's fables.

The Ass in the Lion's Skin

At the same time, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the future Buddha was born one of a peasant family, and when he grew up, he gained his living by tilling the ground.

At that time a hawker used to go from place to place, trafficking in goods carried by an ass. Now at each place he came to, when he took the pack down from the ass's back, he used to clothe him in a lion's skin and turn him loose in the rice and barley fields. And when the watchmen in the fields saw the ass, they dared not go near him, taking him for a lion.

So one day the hawker stopped in a village, and whilst he was getting his own breakfast cooked, he dressed the ass in a lion's skin and turned him loose in a barley-field. The watchmen in the field dared not go up to him, but going home, they published the news. Then all the villagers came out with weapons in, their hands, and blowing chanks, and beating drums, they went near the field and shouted. Terrified with the fear of death, the ass uttered a cry — the bray of an ass!

And when he knew him then to be an ass, the future Buddha pronounced the First Verse:

This is not a lion's roaring,

Nor a tiger's, nor a panther's;

Dressed in a lion's skin,

'Tis a wretched ass that roars!

But when the villagers knew the creature to be an ass, they beat him till his bones broke and, carrying off the lion's skin, went away. Then the hawker came, and seeing the ass fallen into so bad a plight, pronounced the Second Verse:

Long might the ass,

Clad in a lion's skin,

Have fed on the barley green.

But he brayed!

And that moment he came to ruin.

And even whilst he was yet speaking the ass died on the spot!

How the Wicked Sons were Duped

From Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1912) (story page):

How the Wicked Sons were Duped

A VERY wealthy old man, imagining that he was on the point of death, sent for his sons and divided his property among them. However, he did not die for several years afterwards; and miserable years many of them were. Besides the weariness of old age, the old fellow had to bear with much abuse and cruelty from his sons. Wretched, selfish ingrates! Previously they vied with one another in trying to please their father, hoping thus to receive more money, but now they had received their patrimony, they cared not how soon he left them — nay, the sooner the better, because he was only a needless trouble and expense. And they let the poor old man know what they felt.

One day he met a friend and related to him all his troubles. The friend sympathized very much with him, and promised to think over the matter and call in a little while and tell him what to do. He did so; in a few days he visited the old man and put down four bags full of stones and gravel before him.

"Look here, friend," said he, "your sons will get to know of my coming here to-day, and will inquire about it. You must pretend that I came to discharge a long-standing debt with you and that you are several thousands of rupees richer than you thought you were. Keep these bags in your own hands, and on no account let your sons get to them as long as you are alive. You will soon find them change their conduct towards you. Salaam. I will come again soon to see how you are getting on."

When the young men got to hear of this further increase of wealth they began to be more attentive and pleasing to their father than ever before. And thus they continued to the day of the old man's demise when the bags were greedily opened, and found to contain only stones and gravel!

(stones)