Reading Notes: Inayat's Twenty Jataka Tales, Part A

I really liked reading Inayat's retellings of Jataka tales, and my two favorites from Part A of the reading assignment were "The Empty Lake" and "The Master's Test."

First, "The Empty Lake" is really interesting because the king fish is described as a star in a really cool way, that he is the star for the fish, their guiding light. Despite the tragedy of the lake drying up and fish getting eaten, the king remains calm and prays to the gods of rain and thunder, who oblige to send water down to fill the lake. The king fish prays a second time, and the gods come down to commend the king fish for his love for them and his devotion to prayer. This is interesting as a moral ending, which shows that the teller of the tale underscored the importance of prayer and devotion to the gods in the face of adversity.

Second, "The Master's Test" is the most interesting story among the Part A readings. It reminded me a lot of a story in the Bible (one which I cannot quite remember now, something like a loyal servant who invests the money given him, but maybe I'm mixing up my Bible stories). Also, the idea that the master sends his pupils to do something immoral with a poor justification at best, just that they deserve it more so they can steal, creates an interesting dilemma which allows the introspective student to shine. It is an interesting commentary both on what is moral and who checks that morality, as the self should be the most attentive police of one's own actions. Cool story!

The master and the smart pupil. Source.

Bibliography: Inayat, Noor. Twenty Jataka Tales. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.39000000078449&view=2up&seq=102