The Jealous King

Long, long ago, the Bodhisattva came to live on the earth as a member of the royal family of Benaras. He was a beautiful baby and was adored by all. The queen loved her seven-month-old son immensely and spent the entire day playing with him and cuddling him. Day by day, the queen became more and more attached to her baby and had little time for her husband, the king. One day, while the queen was playing with her son, the king entered her room. The queen, busy with her baby, did not notice the king. “How dare you ignore me? I’m the lord of mighty empire,” the king shouted in anger. He summoned the royal executioner and asked him to kill the baby. The queen pleaded for mercy but to no avail. Blinded with jealousy, the king refused to listen to his queen. But, seeing the sweet boy the royal executioner was overcome with love and instead of killing him, left him in a hermitage in the forest. The baby grew up to be a saintly scholar.

The author of this story is unknown and greatly appreciated!