The Magic Mango Tree: A Lesson in Choosing Companions

Long ago, the Bodhisatta was a wise advisor to a king. Far away in the Himalayas, four brothers lived as ascetics, practicing self-discipline and devotion. When the eldest brother passed away, he was reborn as Indra, the king of the gods. Even from his heavenly realm, Indra did not forget his brothers. He often visited them and granted them special gifts to ease their lives.

One day, Indra asked each brother what they desired most. The first wanted fire, so Indra gave him an enchanted axe that would cut firewood and start a fire. The second brother, disliking the many elephants around their camp, received a magical drum. One side of the drum would make enemies flee, while the other would turn enemies into friends. The third brother wanted curds, so Indra gave him a bowl that, when turned over, poured out a river of curds.

Far from the Himalayas, in a ruined village, a wild boar found a magic jewel. The moment the boar picked it up, he began to fly. Soaring through the sky, the boar eventually came to a remote island in the ocean. There, a troublemaker who had been cast out by his parents was shipwrecked. Seeing the boar sleeping under a mango tree, the man stole the jewel, and, to his surprise, he began to fly. But he grew greedy and wanted to eat the boar before flying away. He dropped a twig on the boar’s head, and when the boar woke up, it became frantic. In his agitation, the boar ran headlong into a tree and died.

The wicked man then took the boar’s jewel and flew across the skies. When he reached the camp of the ascetics, he exchanged the magical gifts for the jewel, tricking each brother in turn. With his newfound powers, he forced the ascetics’ magic items to do his bidding—summoning armies, flooding cities with curds, and taking control of the kingdom.

Soon, the man crowned himself king and ruled the land with great power. One day, while fishing in the river, he caught a golden mango that had drifted down from a sacred Himalayan lake. The king planted the mango’s seed in his royal park, caring for the tree with great attention. He irrigated it with milk, perfumed it with scented oils, and kept a lamp burning next to it. Three years later, the tree bore fruit more delicious than any other.

The king sent the precious mangoes as gifts to other kings, but before doing so, he pricked the seeds to prevent them from being planted. One of the kings, upset by this, hired a new gardener to sabotage the royal mango tree. This rogue gardener secretly planted vines and neem trees around the mango tree, and their roots twisted together, making the fruit bitter.

When the king tasted the tainted mangoes, he was furious and sought the Bodhisatta’s wisdom. The Bodhisatta, understanding the cause, had the vines and neem trees uprooted and replaced the soil. In time, the mangoes grew sweet again, as before.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the time of the Buddha, the story of the magical mango tree was used to illustrate the dangers of bad company and the harm it can bring. The Buddha shared this tale to show that, just as the mango tree had been ruined by the poisonous influence of the vines and neem trees, one’s life can be spoiled by associating with the wrong people.

Moral of the Story

The tale reminds us that, just as good things can be spoiled by negative influences, so too can a person’s mind and actions be harmed by bad company. It is important to be mindful of the people we associate with, as their influence can either nurture us or lead us astray.

The Moral

Choose your companions wisely, for their influence can shape the sweetness of your life.