The Monkey King's Bridge
Jataka Tales · 1 min read
A great troop of monkeys lived in a mango tree overhanging a river, ruled by a wise and powerful monkey king. When the king of a nearby land discovered the tree's delicious fruit and sent hunters to surround it, the troop found itself trapped between the river and the closing net of soldiers below.
The monkey king, seeing no other way, stretched his own body across the gap between the tree and a bamboo grove on the far bank, gripping one side with his hands and the other with his feet, forming a living bridge. One by one, his entire troop scrambled safely across his back to freedom.
By the time the last monkey crossed, the king's body was exhausted beyond bearing, and he could not hold on any longer. The human king, watching the whole rescue in astonishment, ordered his soldiers to catch the monkey king gently as he fell and had him cared for with great honor for the rest of his days, moved beyond words by a ruler who bore his people's whole weight to save them.
Moral of the story
A true leader bears the weight of their people's crossing, even when it costs them everything.