Ja 270 The Birth Story about (the Sour-Looking) Owl (3s)

In the present the crows attack the owls by day, and the owls attack the crows by night. The Buddha tells a story of how their enmity came about in the first age of the world when an owl was chosen for king, and a crow objected.

The Bodhisatta = the goose consecrated over the kingdom (rajje abhisittahaṁsapoto).

Keywords: Enmity, Fighting, Animals, Birds.

“The owl is king.” This story the Teacher told while living at Jetavana, about a quarrel between crows and owls.

At the period in question, the crows used to eat owls during the day, and at night, the owls flew about, nipping off the heads of the crows as they slept, and thus killing them. There was a certain monk who lived in a cell on the outskirts of Jetavana. When the time came for sweeping, there used to be a quantity of crows’ heads to throw away, which had dropped from the tree, enough to fill seven or eight pots. He told this to the monks.

In the Dhamma Hall the monks began to talk about it. “Friend, monk So-and-so finds ever so many crows’ heads to throw away every day in the place where he lives!” {2.352} The Teacher came in, and asked what they were talking about as they sat together. They told him. They went on to ask how long it was since the crows and owls fell quarrelling. The Teacher replied, “Since the time of the first age of the world,” and then he told them a story.

In the past, the people who lived in the first cycle of the world gathered together, and took for their king a certain man, handsome, auspicious, commanding, altogether perfect. The quadrupeds also gathered, and chose for king the lion; and the fish in the ocean chose them a fish called Ānanda.

Then all the birds in the Himālayas assembled upon a flat rock, crying, “Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and the fish have one too; but amongst us birds king there is none. We should not live in anarchy; we too should choose a king. Fix on someone fit to be set in the king’s place!”

They searched about for such a bird, and chose the owl, “Here is the bird we like,” said they. And a bird made proclamation three times to all that there would be a vote taken on this matter.

After patiently hearing this announcement twice, on the third time up rose a crow, and cried out, “Stay now! If that is what he looks like when he is being consecrated king, what will he look like when he is angry? If he only looks at us in anger, we shall be scattered like sesame seeds thrown on a hot [2.243] plate. I don’t want to make this fellow king!” and enlarging upon this he uttered the first verse: {2.353}

This is the meaning: I speak after listening to you who made proclamation. Over all of my assembled relatives, it seems, this owl has been made king. But if I would have permission from my relatives, I would speak one word here, I would say something.

In this connection, speak, friend, you have permission, dear friend crow, you have the permission of all of us, whatever you would speak, please speak it.

All that is Dhamma and meaningful, speaking without letting go of reason and the words handed down by tradition, do speak.

They are endowed with wisdom and brilliance, the young birds are endowed with wisdom and bear radiant knowledge.

This is the meaning: may there be good luck to you, but three times with the words of proclamation is the anointing of the owl, it is not liked by me. For now look at his face when his mind is content and he is not angry, I do not know what it will be when made angry, though in every way it is not liked by me.

Then he flew up into the air, cawing out, “I don’t like it! I don’t like it!” The owl rose and pursued him. Thenceforward those two nursed enmity one towards another. And the birds chose a golden goose for their king, and dispersed. {2.354}