Читать книгу Garland of the Buddha's Past Lives (Volume 2) - Aryashura - Страница 74

The lake surpassed Manasa

in its various fine abodes.

The geese’s minds became so attached to it,

they no longer lent a thought to Mind Lake.

On hearing the proclamation of immunity and seeing the ease with which flocks of birds enjoyed the lake, their hearts became gladdened by the glory of the place and they felt utter bliss there, as if enjoying a trip in a park.

Now the men in charge of the lake informed the king that the geese had arrived, saying:

“Divine lord, two fine geese have arrived at Your Majesty’s lake, bearing exactly the same features and appearance as the geese we have heard about. Their wings glisten with the purity of gold. Their glorious beaks and feet blaze brightly like molten gold. Their bodies are well-formed and larger than ordinary. Surrounded by several hundreds and thousands of geese, it is as if they have arrived to illuminate the waters.”

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The king then sought out a fowler who was widely renowned for his fowling skills and eagerly ordered him to capture the geese. The fowler consented and, after duly ascertaining the feeding ground and nesting area of the birds, he laid down various strong and concealed snares.

The geese had become so trusting that they had lost all fear of danger. And so it was that, one day, when the geese were roaming around, elated with joy, the king of the geese caught his foot in one of the traps.