One day in a morning, while he went to see a king, he found a dead mouse on the road. He calculated and said to himself “Who sell this mouse would have a better life.”

A servant heard that, so he took the mouse and sold it to a cat breeder for a little money. Then, he used that money to buy sugar cane juice and served it to royal flower pickers on the street while they went home.

In the next morning, they gave him some flowers in return. He took those flowers and sold it to a florist. The servant bought sugar cane juice and carried it to the royal garden and served it to royal flower pickers again. He did this again and again.

One day there was a monsoon. After it was over, he saw that there are many branches are broken and dropped in the royal garden. He begged a garden keeper for the broken branches. Then, he bought sugar cane juice and served it to cowboys. He ask cowboys to move the broken branches away from the royal garden. After that, he offers the branches to a royal craftsman and make a lot of money.

He bought a big earthen jar and set it near the town gate. He served water and sugar cane to grass sellers.

The grass seller said “Thank you very much, how can I repay you ?”

The servant said “Don’t mention it. I will tell you when I need your help.”

Because of this, the servant could make friends with many grass sellers and merchants.

One day, a merchant told him that a horse seller would bring 500 horses to the town on the next day. Therefore, he asked each grass seller to give him a bunch of grass and not sell grass to other until he sold out.

In the next morning, when the horse seller arrived, he could not find any grass except from the servant. So, the grass servant could make a big profit on selling grass to the horse seller.

One day, another merchant told him that 500 barks would be arrived on the next day. He rent a wagon, hired many followers, go to the port and paid a deposit on all goods and all barks. Many merchants at the port was impressed by the appearance of the servant; so they asked him for being a partnership and each one gave him a hundred coins. He accepted and sell goods and did it over again and again.

Finally, he can made two hundred thousand coins, he feel that he should pay something back to the millionaire. So, he offer up a hundred thousands coins to the millionaire. The millionaire asked how the servant make a lot of money; so, the servant told all the story.

The millionaire realized that the servant is grateful and smart. Therefore, he offered his daughter to be his wife. After the millionaire passed away, the servant became a millionaire.

The servant finally reincarnated as a Buddhist saint. The millionaire finally reincarnated as the Buddha.

Moral: Smart persons usually establish themselves from little of money. Grateful persons finally succeed.

After a while, the fisherman brought the net and put it on the beach, began preparing fire.

Instead of worrying about itself, the big fish was much worried about it’s wife.

It repeatedly muttered to itself, “Being grilled or being impaled are not much suffering. I’m very suffered that my wife would think that I leave her and have a new wife.”

There was a Purohit (a priest of a royal family) walking passed and heard the muttering.

He thought “This pity big fish is much immersed in love and passion. If it die now, it surely will be in hell. I need to help it.” So he buy the fish from the fisherman and free it.

The big fish finally reincarnated as a monk who almost disrobe because thinking of his wife. The wife of the big fish finally reincarnated as the wife of the monk. The Purohit finally reincarnated as the Buddha.

Moral: The greatest suffering is being separated from love.

The peddler from western arrived first at the home of poor old woman, who lived with her granddaughter. The granddaughter wanted some jewelry; so the old woman brought out old rusty plate to exchange with some jewelry. To check the material quality, the peddler scratched the plate with a pin and found that the rusty plate is actually a golden plate. He realized that the plate worth hundred thousand coins. He had a plan to own the plate for free, so he told the old woman that the plate had no value. He thought that he would come back later and get it for free or paid with least money.

After a big while, the peddler from eastern had arrived. When the old woman brought the plate to exchange with jewelry, the peddler held the plate and noticed the unusual weight of the plate. He picked up a pin to scratch the plate and found that the plate was actually a golden plate. He told the truth to the old woman.

The old woman said “This may be your luck because previous peddler just told me that this plate has no value. You just give me some jewelry to exchange with this plate.”

The peddler said “All my jewelry worth only 500 coins. I’ll give all my jewelry and all my money to you.”

After exchanging, the peddler brought the plate and left the district.

When the tricky peddler came back and known the story, he shocked and fainted. After got consciousness, he hurriedly got up and pursued the honest peddler but the honest peddler was already in a river-crossing boat and almost arrived at the other side of the river. The tricky peddler shouted and called the honest merchant to come back, but he doesn’t.

With anger, the tricky peddler said that “May I hurt you in every next life.” And then he was dead.

The tricky peddler finally reincarnated as Devadatta and the honest peddler finally reincarnated as the Buddha.

Moral: Greediness and dishonesty are not good at all.

Note: This is the reason why Devadatta revenges the Buddha for many lives.

The Buddha is the one who can deeply realized the cycle and can get out of the cycle by put his mind in a state of nirvana. He tried to warn us and guide us to get away from the cycle.

Same as other people, the Buddha have ever been a man, a woman, a king, a merchant, a monkey, a cow, and many kinds of animal. He need to collect good deeds (Boon) for many lifetimes before he can get out of the cycle.

Jataka tales are stories about previous lifes of Buddha. There are about 500 stories told in Tipitaka.