The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka - Khamkoo

princesses, MaddI comes back to the hermitage early and when she dose not see the
children, she will ask Vessantara and find out that they have been given away to the old
Brahmin. She loves them so much that she will run after them and will fall into danger”.
So they instructed some divine beings in shape of a lion, a tiger, and a leopard to
obstruct MaddI’s way not to let her pass until sunset so that she might get back by
moonlight. In this way they were protecting her from the attacks of lions and other wild
beasts.
TamatthaM pakAsento satthA Aha : Explaining this to the monks, the Enlightened
One, the Teacher of men and gods, spoke thus: TasaM lAlappitaM sutvA tayo vALA vane
migA sIho byaggho ca dIpi ca idaM vacana mabhavum : “Hearing the children’ cries,
three wild animals in the forest, a lion, a tiger and a leopard, spoke thus: MAheva no :
“Let not the princesses, MaddI return from gathering food this evening but let no wild
beasts in the forest in our territory harass her. MigA : If the wild beast, Siho : a lion or a
tiger or a leopard were to attack the beautiful lady, Prince JAli will die and so will
KaBhA; ubhayeneva jIyetha- then the princesses would lose both her husband and her
two children.”
Atha te tayo devaputto : Then three deities agreed to carry out the instructions of
the god. They took the form of a lion, a tiger and a leopard. They went and laid down by
the side of the road along which she would come. Atha : Then MaddI was thinking
thus: “Last night I had a bad dream, so, I will collect fruit and roots and go back to the
hermitage in good time.” Trembling she searched for the fruits and roots. But her spade
fell from her hand, the basket slipped from her shoulder, and her right eye throbbed and
left eye saw no clear sight. And trees bearing fruit seemed bare and bare trees seemed to
be bearing fruit and she did not know the directions, which one was the east, the west,
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