The Compassionate Son and the Goblin

In a time long ago, the Bodhisatta was born as a poor householder. He lived humbly and took great care of his widowed mother, ensuring she wanted for nothing. The king of the land was an avid hunter, and on one of his hunting trips, he shot at a clever deer. The deer, upon seeing the arrow coming, fell to the ground and feigned injury. When the king approached, the deer suddenly sprang to life and ran away, mocking the king for his failure.

Angered by the deer’s escape, the king decided to chase after it. After a long pursuit, the king finally caught the tired deer and, in his exhaustion, killed it with his sword. Seeking rest under a banyan tree, the king unknowingly entered the domain of a goblin, who had been granted permission by the goblin king to eat any living creature who came near his tree.

When the king awoke, the goblin grabbed him and declared that he would eat him. Desperate, the king begged for his life. He offered the goblin the deer meat he had just killed and promised to send a person to the tree every day with food, if only the goblin would spare his life. The goblin agreed, but with a condition: if the king failed to deliver someone on any day, he would come for the king himself.

Back at the palace, the king’s advisors hatched a plan. They began sending prisoners to the tree with rice and meals for the goblin, not informing them of their fate. The goblin, delighted by his daily meals, continued his grisly habit, until the jails were emptied, and no more prisoners were available. Faced with the lack of people to send, the king offered a reward of one thousand coins to anyone willing to deliver food to the goblin.

The Bodhisatta, though poor and struggling, saw an opportunity. He accepted the king’s offer, determined to use the money to care for his mother and give her a life of comfort, whether he succeeded in outwitting the goblin or met his end in the attempt.

When the Bodhisatta arrived at the banyan tree, he had a plan. He knew he must be cautious, as stepping into the goblin’s shadow would mean his death. He asked the king for four items: the king’s golden slippers, an umbrella, a sword, and a golden bowl. The slippers would allow him to avoid stepping on the ground, the umbrella would keep him from entering the shadow, the sword would make the goblin fearful, and the golden bowl would show the goblin respect.

Upon reaching the tree, the Bodhisatta carefully used the sword to push the bowl of rice into the shadow of the banyan tree, without stepping into it himself. The goblin, eager to feast, invited the Bodhisatta to come under the tree. The Bodhisatta, however, refused. He wisely told the goblin, “If you eat me, no one will ever come back with food again, and you will starve. It is better for both of us if you let me go.”

The goblin, realizing the truth in the Bodhisatta’s words, relented and allowed him to return home. The Bodhisatta had saved the king and ended the arrangement with the goblin.

The Bodhisatta then took the opportunity to rebuke the goblin’s evil ways. He advised the goblin to give up his murderous life and live a righteous existence instead. With the king’s support, the goblin agreed and moved to a home near the city gate, where he would receive the best food the king could provide. Grateful for the Bodhisatta’s wisdom, the king appointed him as commander-in-chief and followed his teachings, becoming a virtuous and generous ruler.

The Moral:

Compassion and wisdom are greater than brute force or cunning. A true hero is one who acts with care for others, even when faced with great personal risk. The Bodhisatta’s selflessness and resourcefulness in saving the king’s life showed that thoughtful actions, based on virtue and concern for others, lead to lasting change. His ability to recognize the power of kindness and wisdom helped not only the king but also the goblin, demonstrating that even the most wicked can be redeemed by good counsel.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the time of the Buddha, the Bodhisatta’s actions in this tale reflected a deep commitment to caring for others, a theme the Buddha often emphasized. One of the Buddha’s disciples had once been faced with a similar dilemma—his parents were in ruin, and despite his dedication to spiritual practice, he realized he had neglected his duty to care for them.

The Buddha, recognizing the disciple’s dilemma, shared this story to illustrate the importance of supporting one’s parents. He praised the disciple’s compassion, noting that, just as in past lives, caring for others was a virtuous and noble pursuit. The Buddha taught that both spiritual practice and caring for loved ones could coexist, as long as one maintained a righteous path.

The king in the story, whose compassion and wisdom were modeled after the Bodhisatta’s, was an earlier incarnation of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples. The goblin, on the other hand, was an earlier birth of Angulimala, the notorious bandit who would later be transformed through the Buddha’s teachings and achieve enlightenment.

Through this story, the Buddha reminded his disciples that true compassion involves both caring for others and helping those who have gone astray find a better way.