Kukkuṭa Jātaka

In ancient times, when King Brahmadatta reigned in Varanasi, the Bodhisatta was reborn in the forest as a wise, beautiful wild rooster, dwelling with a small flock of jungle fowl amidst a bamboo grove. In a nearby copse lived a sleek and deceitful she-cat who made a living by stalking roosting birds. One by one, through cunning ambushes and hypocritical trickery, the cat caught and devoured all the roosters and hens in the vicinity, until only the Bodhisatta remained alive.

Knowing the cat's murderous reputation, the Bodhisatta roosted high upon an inaccessible bamboo culm, never descending to the earth except in broad daylight and after vigilant scouting. Frustrated by his caution, the cunning cat resolved to employ seductive flattery to entice him down. Approaching the foot of the bamboo, she purred melodiously, looked up with wide, admiring eyes, and said:

'Hail, O radiant monarch of the grove! Thy crimson comb shames the morning sun, thy feathers gleam like molten gold, and thy proud voice stirs the dawn! Why roostest thou alone in the cold wind on that rough bamboo? Behold, I am a maiden of gentle breeding; I offer thee my maiden heart. Come down, my beloved husband! I shall gather plump grubs and golden corn for thee, groom thy splendid plumage, and protect thee night and day in a cozy hollow nest!'

The Bodhisatta listened with cold, amused detachment. Leaning down from his high perch, he delivered six sharp, unforgettable verses: 'Thou foul, bloodthirsty huntress, four-footed prowler of the dark! Never has a carnivore taken a winged fowl to husband except to pick his bones and drink his marrow! Thy soft purring is the sharpening of claws; thy wedding song is the death rattle of the slaughtered. Go flatter the rats of the ditch, for thy sweet words are poisoned daggers!'

Realizing that her lethal deceit had been totally uncovered, the humiliated she-cat snarled in fury, turned tail, and vanished into the dense undergrowth, never daring to approach the Bodhisatta again.