Garuda King and Queen: A Cautionary Tale of Temptation and Betrayal

In this story, the Bodhisatta was born as a garuda king, a mighty bird with immense power and supernatural abilities. On one occasion, he took on the form of a handsome young man and joined a human king in a game of dice. The king’s beautiful queen was struck by his appearance, and soon the two locked eyes and fell deeply in love.

Using his magical powers, the garuda king stirred up a fierce storm that enveloped the city, allowing him to abduct the queen and take her to his remote island home. There, they lived happily together, separated from the world and the king who was left unaware of his queen’s fate.

The king, desperate to find his missing wife, sent one of his trusted minstrels on a journey to search for her. The minstrel traveled far and wide and eventually took a merchant ship across the sea. During the journey, the men asked him to play his lute for them, despite his warning that his music was so beautiful it might excite the sea creatures and cause disaster. They insisted, and as the minstrel played, a giant sea creature emerged from the water, smashing the ship in two.

The minstrel survived and was blown by the winds to the garuda king’s island. When he arrived, the queen recognized him, and they quickly rekindled their past affection. She took him into her home, and they became lovers, with the minstrel hiding whenever the garuda king was around.

After a month and a half, a group of merchants came to the island for water and firewood. The minstrel took the opportunity to return home with them. Back at the palace, the king and the garuda king were still playing dice, unaware of the minstrel’s return. The minstrel confessed his love for the queen by playing a song for the king, which revealed everything. The Bodhisatta, feeling great regret, now saw the queen’s true nature — that she had betrayed him for another man.

Realizing how easily temptation had led him astray, the garuda king returned the queen to the king and departed from the palace, never to return.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha
In the Buddha’s time, one of his disciples considered leaving the sangha after becoming infatuated with a woman. The Buddha saw this and explained how easily a person could be led astray by temptation, especially by the charms of a woman. He told this story as a cautionary tale, illustrating the danger of misplaced trust and the consequences of being seduced by worldly desires.

The king in the story was an earlier birth of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s top disciples, who was known for his devotion to the Buddha. The queen’s betrayal reflected the challenge of maintaining one’s focus and virtue in the face of temptations.

Moral:
The story highlights the importance of guarding one’s heart and mind against temptation. Even the wisest can be led astray if they let their passions govern their actions. The Bodhisatta’s regret and his choice to leave the palace represent the realization that once trust is broken, it can never be fully restored. This story teaches the value of discernment in relationships and emphasizes the dangers of putting blind trust in those who may not be worthy of it. It also illustrates the difficult yet important lesson of avoiding distractions and temptations that can pull one away from their higher path.