The Righteous King and the Goblin

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was born as a righteous king. His rule was just and fair, and he quickly established laws that would ensure the well-being of all creatures in his kingdom. One of his first acts as king was to ban animal sacrifice, a practice that angered many, including a group of goblins who thrived on the violence of such rituals. To retaliate, they sent a particularly vicious goblin to kill the Bodhisatta.

The goblin appeared one night, hovering over the Bodhisatta’s bed with a massive blazing mass of iron, large enough to destroy the king. But as the goblin prepared to strike, something unusual happened: the throne of Indra, king of the gods, grew warm. Indra, sensing the threat, grabbed his thunderbolt and appeared over the goblin, ready to protect the Bodhisatta. However, Indra remained invisible to the goblin.

The Bodhisatta awoke to see the goblin hovering above him and asked, “Are you here to protect me, or to kill me?” The goblin, sensing Indra’s presence and fearing his power, admitted that he had come to kill the king but had changed his mind after realizing that Indra was watching. The goblin then promised that from that moment on, all goblins would protect the Bodhisatta.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha
One day, some of the Buddha’s disciples were gathered, discussing the greatness of the Buddha—how he lived simply, was kind to all beings, including nagas and garudas, and always worked for the benefit of others. When the Buddha overheard their conversation, he shared this story with them, revealing that in his past lives, he had always acted with righteousness and compassion, just as he did in his present life.

In this story, Indra was revealed to be an earlier incarnation of Anuruddha, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples.

Moral:
A life led by righteousness and compassion attracts protection and support, even from forces that would otherwise seek to harm. True strength lies in living for the good of others.