This wonderful story is about why a rabbit shape be seen in the moon. Rabbit on the moon is the title of the story. In a forest on the banks of the Ganges, there lived a rabbit with three friends – a monkey, a jackal, and a Otter. All four friends aspired to become generous . One day, during their conversation, they decided to make the ultimate donation on the day of Uposatha, as it is believed that by sacrificing this day, all our sins are destroyed.
According to Buddhist traditions.On the day of Uposatha, all the friends set out in the morning in search of food. While exploring, Otter spotted seven red fish on the Ganges shore and brought them to his home. Simultaneously, the jackal managed to steal a pot of yogurt and a piece of meat, returning to his den.
The playful monkey also plucked a bunch of ripe mangoes from a garden and brought them home. All three friends resolved to donate these items but faced a challenge when the rabbit realized he wasn’t an ordinary creature.Contemplating the situation.
Rabbit thought that if he donated his usual food, grass and leaves, it might not bring much benefit to the recipient. Hence, with the intention of satisfying the seeker, Rabbit decided to donate himself on the occasion of Uposatha.His selfless decision resonated throughout the cosmos, even heating the seat of Sakra (Indra,King of Angles) in Vedic tradition. When Sakra heared of this extraordinary event, he decided to personally test the friends’ generosity by appearing as a wandering ascetic.
Otter, Jackal, and Monkey tried to donate fish, meat and yogurt, and ripe mangoes respectively, but Sakra did not accept their offerings. Finally, he approached Rabbit and requested a donation. Rabbit proposed to offer his entire body, carefully securing small creatures from his fur before immolating himself. Impressed by Rabbit’s sacrifice then Rabbit jumped into the blazing fire with great grace.
This selfless act by Rabbit not only tested the generosity of his friends but also left a profound impact on the divine realm. Sakka was stunned at his generosity. For a long time he had neither seen nor heard of such charity. Yes, surprise! The fire did not burn the rabbit because the fire was magical; The test conducted by Sakka was an illusion.
Indra was overwhelmed with his devotion and he sang praises of the rabbit and crushed a mountain on the moon with his hands, making a rabbit’s mark on the moon and said, “As long as there remains a rabbit’s mark on this moon, O rabbit! The world will remember your charity and bravery.”
Remark – Jataka or Jataka Pali or Jataka stories are the 10th part of Khuddakanikaya under Sutta Pitaka of Buddhist text Tripitaka. These stories contain stories of the previous births of Lord Buddha. Which is believed to have been told by Gautam Buddha himself, although some scholars believe that some Jataka stories were told by his disciples after the Nirvana of Gautam Buddha. There is a message of Mahatma Buddha hidden in every story. This proves that a person’s good deeds definitely make him a Buddha in some birth or the other. Every person can become a Buddha. These stories also tell how to channelize that potential. Buddha has emphasized on deeds. Therefore, it is also given in these stories which actions are worth doing and which should not be done. Thus, in the book presented, there are such stories told by Mahatma Buddha which give the message of morality, truth, religion, love and brotherhood to the person.These stories tell us what kind of moral values we should adopt in our life so that our life can be successful and become inspirational for others.