(Image: Life Lessons From the Jataka Tales Source: Madras Courier)
The Jataka Tales remind me of the stories that we read in the first week of class. I enjoy reading folk tales from other cultures and seeing how they overlap with folk tales that I read growing up. I'm pretty sure I've read some variation of "How the Turtle Saved His Own Life" when I was in grade school (I think it had something to do with a wolf and a rabbit though??). I enjoy the irony of the story, but I never really understood the lesson to be learned from it. Is it don't listen to your prey when it comes to punishing it? The "Merchant of Seri" story's lesson is a little more apparent, although I don't see much moral foundation behind it. I believe the story is trying to teach the lesson– don't be greedy and overlook those less fortunate than you, but the other merchant wasn't charitable, he simply paid what the bowl was worth (less if the merchant is to be believed). I suppose the merchant could have taken advantage of them though, so there is some morality to him. I found the Valuer story the most interesting of the first set of folk tales! It demonstrates the value of subtle tactics when dealing with dishonest people. The subtle message of these folk tales differentiates them from many that I read when I was younger.
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