Reading Notes Week 13: Inayat Twenty Jataka Tales

I think that this is an interesting example of how the human world interacts with the animal world in the Jataka Tales. So in this jataka, the swans all have their own kingdom in a lake while they can talk to humans. 

Image of Swan
Source: Wikimedia

I think it is interesting that this king wants to see this swan so badly, and then has no evil ulterior motive. I think that stories normally when brahmin are not involved, the king would then want to skin them or keep them caged, especially if he "thirsted" for the swan. 

If I rewrote this story, I would want to reverse who wants whom. I think that the swan would want to see a great human king so that he could rule over the earth the way humans do. I think the abduction scene could be really fun to write!

Inayat. The Swan Kingdom,Twenty Jataka Tales (1939)