Prince Siddharth
Siddharth and Devdutt were cousins. Siddharth’s father was Shuddhodhan, the king. He was the ruler of the state of Kapilvastu and was a polite and considerate man. Devdutt was his nephew.
One day, they were having fun together in the garden. Like many princes, Devdutt was pompous, conceited, and short tempered while Siddharth was courteous, kind, and gentle.
Devdutt pointed his bow and arrow at a swan and shot an arrow at it. The injured bird fell to the ground. In an effort to save the bird’s life, Siddharth hurriedly grabbed the bird and said, “Oh poor creature.”
Devdutt sprinted to the scene, claiming, “I hit it with my arrow. Please return it to me, it’s the reward for my shooting skills.”
An argument erupted, and both rushed to King Shuddhodhan.
“Come to the court tomorrow; the council of ministers will take a decision,” he said.
Meanwhile Siddharth gave medicines and treated the bird. The court proceedings began the following day, and Devdutt declared, “I aimed at the bird. In all fairness, you should give it to me because it’s my bird.”
“The bird was hit, I took it under my wings and tried to save its life, so it belongs to me,” said Siddharth.
After hearing both sides, the council of ministers decided that it was Siddharth who could keep the bird because he had tried to save the bird’s life.
Saving one’s life and not murder is an honourable deed. The good-hearted prince later came to be known as Buddha.
