Topic Research: Jatakas

A Painting of the Jataka Tales [source]

1. How an Ungrateful Son Planned to Murder His Old Father [link]
This jataka was surprising to me, because the son (a child) ends up advising his father on the right path and how he shouldn't kill his father. He also gives his father marriage advice in regards to his mother.
2. How a Parrot Told Tales of His Mistress and Had His Neck Wrung [link]
The moral of the story was something different than I expected - the parrot who told his mother about her wrong doing was murdered, and then the other parrot was praised for remaining silent.
3. How a Vain Woman Was Reborn As a Dung-Worm [link]
This story didn't reflect the title - it was more about how the king should stop mourning for his dead wife and move on, rather than about the woman herself.

These jatakas were all less predictable than the fables I grew up reading. After reading the jatakas in Week 2, I had expected them to be more like the fables.