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Articles: Devotion | Hare mark on the Moon
- Prof. venkata ramanamurty mallajosyula
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Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the future Buddha was born as a hare and lived in a wood. He had three friends, a monkey, a jackal, and an otter; all these animals were very wise. The hare used to peach to the others, exhorting them to give alms and keep the fast days. On one of the fast-days the hare and his friends were seeking their food as usual; the otter found some fish, the jackal some meat, the monkey some mangoes. But the hare, as he lay in his form before going out to eat his grass, reflected that if anyone should ask him for gift of food, grass would be useless. As he had no grain or meat he made up his own body if anyone asked him for food.
Now when any wonderful thing such as this takes place on earth, the throne of Sakra in Heaven grows hot. Sakra looked down to see what was happening, and perceiving the hare, determined to test his virtue. He took the shape of a Brahmin, and went first to the otter and asked for food. The otter offered him fish. the jacall and the monkey offered him neat and fruit. Sakra declined all these offers and said that he would return next day.
Then he went to the hare, who was over joyed at the chance of giving himself in alms. ”Brahmin”, said he, “to- day. I will give such alms as I never gave before; gather wood and prepare a fire and tell me when it is ready. ”When Sakra heard this, he made a heep of live coals and told the hare that all was ready; then the hare, who would someday be a Buddha, came and sprang in to the fire, as happy as a royal flemingo alighting in a bed of water-lilies. But the fire did not burn-it seemed as cold as the air above the clouds. At once he inquired of the distinguished Sakra what this might mean. Sakra replied that he was indeed no Brahman, but had come down from heaven to test the hare’s generosity. The hare replied ”Sakra, your efforts are wasted; every creature alive might try me in turn and none could find in me any unwillingness to give.”
The Sakra answered: ”Wise hare, let your virtue be proclaimed to the end of this world-cycle ”Taking a mountain, he squeezed it, and holding the hare under his arm, he drew an outline picture of him on the moon, using the juice of the mountain for his ink. Then he put down the hare on some tender grass in the wood and departed to his own heaven. And that is why there is now a hare in the moon.
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