No. 28. — 1884.] first fifty jatakas. 



171 



" My good monkeys, water is a thing to be taken care of ; when 

 you are watering the young trees, pull up each in turn and look 

 at the root, and when the roots have gone deep pour plenty of 

 water on them, but when they have not gone deep, only a little ; 

 by and by you will have difficulty in getting water." They 

 applauded and agreed ; and did so. Just then a wise man seeing 

 these monkeys acting in that way in the royal grounds said thus : 

 " My good monkeys, why are you pulling up each tree in turn and 

 watering in proportion to the roots ?" They said : " Our chief 

 monkey told us to do so." Hearing that he thought : " Ah ! my 

 foolish friends, ignorant people, meaning to help, only harm and 

 he uttered this stanza : — 



" A blunderer's best efforts can bring about no good : 

 A fool spoils business,* like the monkey in the wood." 



Thus that wise man with this stanza rebuked the monkey-chief, 

 and having done so he and his retinue left the grounds. 



The teacher having related this religious discourse, after his 

 words, " This is not the first time, mendicants, that this village 

 lad has been a park-spoiler ; formerly also he was a park-spoiler," 

 joined the connection and summed up the birth-story thus : " At 

 that time the chief monkey was this village lad who spoilt the park, 

 and the wise man I myself." 



(End of the "Park-Spoiler" Birth-Story.) 



47.— V'ARUNI-JATAKA. 

 " Liquor" Birth-Story. 

 " A Blunderer's," fyc. 

 This the teacher told when residing in Jetavana on occasion of 

 a liquor-spoiler. A friend, they say, of Anathapindika was a 

 liquor merchant. He had made some strong spirits (liquor) and 

 was selling it for money (gold, &c), and a great many people had 

 assembled. He gave instructions to his apprentice : u My boy, 

 you take the money and give the spirits," and himself went to 

 bathe. The apprentice, as he supplied the spirits to a great many 

 people, saw people from time to time getting salt sweetmeats (or, 

 salt and jaggery) and eating ; so he thought : " The liquor must 

 want salt, I will put some salt into it," and he threw a measure 

 of salt into the (earthen) wine-jar, and so gave them the spirits. 

 The people every time they filled their mouth, threw it out ; and 

 asked " What have you done ?" " I saw that when you drank the 



* " Prevents profit," " destroys wealth," &c. It is impossible to keep pace 

 with the many meanings of Attho. 



