Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

Author(s): C H Tawney
Publisher: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation New Delhi

Page 72

When the couple of parrots heard this, they flew away and went to the mango-tree. Then the hen-parrot, having had her longing satisfied, laid a couple of eggs; and at the same time her rival, the other hen-parrot, laid an egg in her own nest. While she went to get grain, the first henparrot carried off her egg out of jealousy. When she returned and looked for her own egg, lo ! it was not to be seen. Then she fell unconscious on the earth. When the first hen-parrot saw her lamenting, she brought back the egg and laid it once more in the nest. After rolling on the earth, the second parrot returned once more to the nest, and saw her own egg, at which she was delighted. On account of this the former hen-parrot was doomed to suffer for her sins hereafter, but as in her repentance she returned the egg, she became liable to suffering in one birth only. From the two eggs sprang one cock and one hen-parrot; and the parent birds brought rice from that heap of rice that was placed for them by the king's orders, and so nourished their young ones. Now, one day there came to that temple of the Jina a wandering holy hermit, who possessed supernatural knowledge. The king went with a crowd of men and women to pay his respects to the hermit. Then, having done obeisance to the holy man, the king asked him the fruit of offering whole grain. Then the holy man said : * Men who offer worship to the mighty Jina with unbroken full dry
Obtain an unbroken series of pleasures.' Hearing this fruit of offering whole grain, all the people became eager about it, and kept offering whole grain. Then the parrots said: 'Let us also offer whole grain.' So both of them made that offering. One day they said to their young ones : 'Do you also place unbroken grain in front of the mighty Jina, that you may obtain unbroken felicity.' So all the four every day with great devotion offered whole grain to the mighty Jina, and when their allotted period came to an end, they died and went to the world of the gods. After enjoying the pleasures of the
w
grain,