The Forest Pool

A prince leads his brothers into the Himalayas after court intrigue sends them into exile. In a forest clearing they find a lotus pool ruled by a cunning water spirit who claims any bather that cannot answer a single question. The riddle is not about stars or quarters of the sky, but about conduct, restraint, and the courage to refuse harm when it would be easy to look away.

What follows is a contest of patience and clarity. One brother vanishes beneath the surface, then another, until the eldest refuses the water itself and forces the spirit to speak. Hospitality is given, a definition is offered, and the cleverest test of all arrives when the prince must choose which brother to free first, proving that wisdom is only real when it guides action.

Framed in the monastery at Jetavana, the tale reveals how past lives knot into the present. The Buddha recounts the older story to correct a wealthy monk who has lost sight of modesty, then names each figure as someone the listeners already know. This book retells that Jataka in crisp, musical quatrains for adult readers who enjoy folklore that sets a riddle before the heart and lets the answer shine through choice.