Buddha Who Was A Deer

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Here is a story from the Jataka tales, about the compassionate Gautama Buddha who was a deer in one of his past lives before reincarnating as Prince Siddharta of the Skhya dynasty.

There was a king named Brahmadatta who ruled Benaras. He had a huge deer park which was his hunting ground, with thousands of deer. In the deer park there were two different groups which had their own kings. The Banyan group and the Branch group. The deer which was supposed to be the Buddha in future was the king of the Banyan group while there was another king for the Branch group. Both the kings owing to Brahmadatta's mad pursuit to savour deer, came to a decision that they would draw lots,one day from the Banyan group and the next day from the Branch group and pick up a deer to send it for execution to satisfy the king.

The King was very pleased by the arrangement as he was not really fit enough to pursue with his hunting as he was growing old. The king however promised that neither of the king of the groups will be killed in the process. The plan was thus carried out and one deer from each group gave up its life.

It so happened that during the turn of the Branch group to send its deer to be killed, a doe was picked in the lot. The doe approached its king and said “Lord please spare me for now as I am about to give birth. Once my fawn is born, I will take my turn. I am sure that the lot would mean not to kill two at a time"

The Branch king however paid a deaf ear to the deer's plea and asked her head to the chopping block.
The doe instead made its way to the king of the Banyan group, the future Buddha and pleaded with him. As it would naturally be, the Banyan king felt an immediate pity for the doe and decided to lay its own life for the doe.

In the chopping block, the king's cook was startled to see the Banyan group king ready to lay its life . He reported the matter to king Brahmadatta. The king immediately rode on his charriot with the huge crowd following him.

On seeing the deer, he said, “King deer, I had given my word that I am not going to kill you. Why have you decided to give up your life?"

The Banyan deer king said, “O king, the doe whose turn to die today, approached me and said that it was about to give birth and requested me to substitute it with someone else. I could not help but feel compassion towards it that I decided to lay my life for it!"

A sudden surge of pity arose in King Brahmadatta. He not only called off the execution of the Banyan deer king but also commanded that no deer would be killed henceforth.

Thus the compassion of Bodi Sattva brought about an instant transformation in the king, saving the lives of all other deer. To this day the place is called the deer park to commemorate the compassion of the deer that saved the lives of its friends.

Though we may feel with an inflated ego that virtues like compassion and sacrifice can only be comprehended and practised by humans, the story highlights the truth that animals too were capable of surpassing compassion.