Reading Notes: Francis' Jataka Tales, Part B
The jataka tale that I enjoyed the most from this collection, from the set which was assigned for part A, was "The Value of a Brother." There are a few reasons I liked this story in particular. First, however, a quick summary: Three robbers plunder people living in a certain part of the forest near Kosala. The villagers then go to search them out, but find no one but three brothers ploughing a field. Frustrated, the villagers accuse the brothers of being the robbers (similar to some groundless accusations in the United States, as a community needs someone to hold responsible. I read Just Mercy in high school). The brothers are then unceremoniously arrested and imprisoned. A woman in the court of the king bewails their imprisonment, and the king allows her to demand one of them to be released to her after she tells him that they are her brother, husband, and son. The woman elects the brother, because he is the only irreplaceable one of the three. The king, impressed by