Jataka Tales 19. The Quarrelsome Quails

Noorunissa Inayat-Khan's Biography • Noor Inayat-Khan Memorial Trust • Donate to Noor's Memorial Trust


Hark to those painful cries which pierce each day the silent forest! Alas, they are the cries of six thousand quails. Poor little birds! Each day a man comes from the village and casts a net over them as they land on the ground. After throwing the net, he pulls it together, catching hundreds of quails which he takes to the village to sell.

Now one day King Quail said: “Cry no more, my little ones. If you heed your King’s words you will never be caught. When the net is thrown over you, put your heads through the holes, and all together fly up, lifting the net through the air. If then you land o the top of a thorny hill, the prickles will hold the net above the ground and you can escape from under it before the villager reaches the hill. Do as I say, and you will all be saved. But if one day quarrels arise, and you should begin to fight one with another, alas! That day you will be caught and you will never see the woods again”.

The quails did as their King advised, and when the net was thrown over them they flew up to a hill with it and escaped. And the villager returned each day without a penny, and his wife was very, very angry.

“Do not worry”, said he one evening to his wife. “Those naughty quails will fight together one of these days and then they will be easily caught”. And it happened one day that a quail stepped on the head of another. “I will give you what you deserve!” cried the injured quail in anger, jumping at the other, and knocking his wing. “Away with you, away with you”, he cried
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King Quail, seeing the quarrel, said to the others: “Let us not stay here. These two unhappy birds will surely come to a bad end”. And he flew off with those who heeded his warning. And while the two quarrelsome quails went on fighting, a strange dark cloud came over their heads. It was the net!

Many others were caught with them and taken to the village to be killed. But the wise King Quail, and those who heeded his counsel, were never caught. And in the silent little forest they all lived happy ever after.

Jataka Tale 20. The Goblin Town

Noorunissa Inayat-Khan's Biography • Noor Inayat-Khan Memorial Trust • Donate to Noor's Memorial Trust


A great ship had been flung by the angry waves on the rocky shore of an island. Happily the crew and passengers, five hundred men in all, were not drowned. Their plight was wretched, however, but as they looked around they were cheered by their beautiful surroundings. “Our ship has sunk, alas!” they said, “but doubtless there are endless treasures in this island.”

After awhile the sound of voices came to their ears and they saw a crowd of women approaching. Soon the women came to the place where the men were gathered, and they spoke to them. “Wherefrom do you come, o travellers?” they asked, “has your ship been broken on the rocks? The men of this island left long ago in a ship, and have never returned. Come, then, with us to our homes, o travellers! We will care for you and make you happy.”

Such were the alluring words of the women, but even as they spoke they bound the men with magic chains, and, not knowing they were drawn by these chains, the men followed the women to their homes. And so they lived some time I the city and ate the rice which the women prepared for them on golden dishes.

But one night, when all the men were asleep, one of the five hundred awoke and heard strange voices. “Whose are those voices?” he thought, “Are they not the voices of goblins?” He silently arose from his bed and hid behind a large stone to watch. He was soon rewarded, for he saw that the women, changed into goblins, were walking through the town. “It is a goblin-town!” the man exclaimed in horror. “I must tell my companions. We must flee from here.” No sooner were his eyes thus opened than he saw that he was bound with chains.

When morning came he told his companions what he had seen. Some did not believe him, but the others asked, with trembling voices: “How can we escape?” “We cannot”, the man replied, “with magic chains we are bound.” As he said these words, there was a flash of light, and a white horse descended from the sky and landed before them. And they heard a gentle voice from the sea which said:
“A flying horse, with silver wings, has answered to your call,
Mount on his back, your chains will break, and he will save you all”.

And those who did not believe the story of their companion stayed with the women in the goblin-town, but the others flew away to their homes on the back of the silver horse and they all lived happy ever after.
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