**Vanarinda Jataka**
**The Wise Monkey King**
In the time when the Bodhisattva was born as the Monkey King, he had a strong body with great strength, as big as a colt, living in a vast forest and feeding on an island in the middle of the river, which was abundant with various fruits. Every morning, the Monkey King would leap from one bank to a rock in the middle of the river, then from the rock to the island to feed on fruits during the day, and in the evening, he would jump back in the same manner daily.
In the river, there lived a couple of crocodiles. They often saw the monkey leaping back and forth. When the female crocodile became pregnant, she craved the heart of the monkey and asked her husband to fetch the monkey's heart for her. The male crocodile promised his wife that he would get it. In the evening, as the Monkey King was about to jump back, he noticed something unusual in the middle of the river on the rock. He pretended and called out to the rock, "O Rock, O Rock!" The rock did not respond, so he questioned further, "O Rock! Why do you remain silent today and not speak to me?"
The crocodile, thinking that the rock usually responded to the monkey on other days, answered, "What is it, monkey?"
Monkey King: "Who are you?"
Crocodile: "I am a crocodile."
Monkey King: "Why are you lying here?"
Crocodile: "Because I want your heart."
Monkey King: "What will you do with it?"
Crocodile: "My wife is pregnant and wants to eat your heart."
Thinking to deceive the crocodile, the Monkey King then said, "Friend! I agree to give you my heart, for the sake of your little one. Open your mouth wide, and I will jump right in." The nature of crocodiles is such that when they open their mouths, their eyes close on both sides. The crocodile, without thinking, opened his mouth to wait. The Monkey King then safely jumped across to the other side by stepping on the crocodile’s head.
Once the crocodile realized that he had been deceived by the Monkey King, he exclaimed loudly, "O Monkey King! One who possesses the four virtues: truth, righteousness, justice, and forbearance, like you, can certainly overcome any enemy encountered."
This Jataka tale teaches,
"One who is wise will always manage to escape danger."
The Buddhist proverb for this story teaches,
"Wisdom is the tool for self-governance."
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