Week 2 Story: The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart

    On this day a great many millennia ago the Bodhisattva lived as a monkey, but not as an ordinary money. No, here the Bodhisattva lived as the Great Monkey and was as a big as an ape that resided in the jungle. Because of this the Great Monkey had to feast on many fruits to satiate the hunger it always felt. However, one day the Bodhisattva realized that it had ate all the delicious fruits on its side of the Ganges and while she was looking for more nourishment the Bodhisattva spotted the abundant fruit trees on the opposite side of the Ganges, but there was just one problem: the Great Monkey did not know how to swim. 

    To get to the other side she needed help and decided to ask the male and female crocodiles who lived in the Ganges to help her get to the other side. When the pair of crocodiles heard her proposition the wife got greedy and very much wanted to eat the Great Monkey, so she told her husband to trick the Bodhisattva and bring her to the wife in the deepest part of the Ganges. At first, the husband did not like the plan as he had no desire to eat the Bodhisattva with which they had lived in harmony with up until now, but as he saw his wife's great desire to eat he yielded as he would do anything for his mate. 

    The husband crocodile carried the Great Monkey on his back through the Ganges, and as they traveled they talked about the mysteries of life and how content they were with their existence. Now, the crocodile started to feel guilty about tricking the Bodhisattva and explained to her the ploy that his wife concocted, but the Bodhisattva just laughed and said "Oh my friend greed is always in our hearts no matter how content we are with our existence. I know you want to keep your wife happy, but I know something that will quench your wife's desire for my heart." The Bodhisattva explained to the crocodile how she would give his wife something more delectable than monkey meat and all he had to do was take her to the mango tree across the bank. The crocodile relented because he knew the Bodhisattva never spoke lies and carried her on his back across the Ganges to the great mango tree. 

    When the wife saw this she immediately felt betrayed by her husband and quickly swam to the opposite bank; however, it was too late and the Great Monkey was already in the safety of the mango tree. The Bodhisattva spoke to the female crocodile saying "My friend I will give you something more delicious than me." She threw down a big juicy mango into the open maw of the female crocodile and as she chewed it the crocodile was in awe at how sweet and delectable the fruit was. She said to the Bodhisattva "I am sorry oh great one. Never in my life have I tasted anything so delicious from now on I only crave fruits like this." Now her husband crocodile was overjoyed at seeing this as his wife's greed had been curbed and he had made a new friend in the Great Monkey. Here the three friends lived their days by the abundant fruit trees which gave them rejuvenated life and reinforced their friendship.

Author's Note: This story is based off of "The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart" by Marie L. Shedlock. Originally, the monkey just tricks the crocodiles, but I changed it so that the ending is a little more happier and they all live in harmony. I also really wanted to incorporate mangoes into my re-telling as I have been really craving mangoes recently. 

Bibliography: "The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart", Jataka Tales, Marie L. Shedlock

The Great Monkey from Medium