The Baka Jataka: The Wise Crab and the Deceitful Crane

In a forest, the Bodhisatta was once a tree fairy living alongside a lush lotus pond. In another part of the forest, a smaller pond was home to a school of fish, but during the dry season, the water level had dropped significantly, making food scarce and the water hot. A cunning and wicked crane, seeing an opportunity to exploit the fish’s desperation, devised a plan to eat them all.The crane approached the fish and offered to carry them one by one to the larger, more abundant lotus pond. Despite their initial skepticism, knowing that cranes are natural predators of fish, the crane proposed a test: he would take one large fish to the lotus pond and then bring it back as proof of his good intentions. The fish, cautious but hopeful, sent a large fish as a scout.The crane took the large fish to the lotus pond, but instead of returning it, he dropped it into the fork of a tree, pecked it to death, and picked its bones clean. The fish, deceived by the crane’s initial return with the scout fish, agreed to be moved one by one. Each fish met the same fate as the first, their bones piling up at the base of the tree.The last resident of the small pond was a wise and cautious crab. He was eager to move to the lotus pond but did not trust the crane, suspecting that the fish had been eaten. When the crane offered to carry him, the crab expressed his fear of falling from the crane’s beak and suggested that he could hang onto the crane’s neck with his strong claws. The crane, confident in his plan, agreed.However, as the crane veered towards the tree, the crab protested and warned the crane that if he tried to trick him, he would squeeze the crane’s neck until it killed them both. Frightened by the crab’s determination and strength, the crane relented and agreed to take the crab to the lotus pond. Once they landed, the crab snipped off the crane’s head, ending the crane’s deceitful reign.The Bodhisatta, witnessing this event, praised the crab for his wisdom and cunning. He preached to the animals of the forest, “There is no reward for tricking people with deceit. See what the crane got in the end,” and the animals applauded his wisdom.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. One of the Buddha’s disciples was a skilled but devious tailor who made robes for many of his fellow disciples. However, he would take brand-new cloth from them and give them robes made from old, patched cloth, hiding the imperfections with a starch dressing that would only reveal itself after the robe was washed.When a simple village tailor, who also ran the same scam, heard about this cultured and urbane disciple, he decided to scam the scammer. The village tailor put on one of his sham robes and visited the monastery. The robe-making disciple, coveting the robe, exchanged some brand-new cloth for it. However, when he washed the robe and discovered he had been scammed, the news spread among all the disciples.The Buddha, hearing his disciples discuss this incident, shared the story of the crane and the crab to illustrate that the robe-making disciple had been equally dishonest in the past and had also been swindled by the village tailor. The crane and the crab were revealed to be earlier births of the robe-making disciple and the village tailor, respectively.

Moral

The Baka Jataka teaches us the consequences of deceit and the importance of honesty. The story highlights that trickery and dishonesty ultimately lead to harm and loss, while wisdom, caution, and integrity can protect one from such dangers. The Bodhisatta’s praise for the crab’s wisdom serves as a reminder that true strength lies not in deception but in honesty and cleverness. This tale underscores the Buddhist principle that actions have consequences and that living a life of integrity is essential for personal and communal well-being.