The Bhikṣuṇī Maṇimēkhalai

195 - Āputra’s Birth
Returning to his village, he gave the boy the education worthy of a
Brahman child, and, after he had attained to the age of receiving the
Brahmanical thread, he put him through the further course of
education [144] suitable to a Brahman youth.
At this stage another Brahman of the village celebrated a great
sacrifice. The boy, entering the sacrificial ground, discovered a cow,
ready decorated for the sacrifice, in distress. He made up his mind
immediately to steal the cow overnight and walk away with it
unobserved. He loitered about the place and when night had advanced,
he released the cow, and taking hold of it, walked away from the
locality.
The Brahmans discovered soon after that the cow was missing, and
came upon the young man with the cow in the course of their search.
Taking hold of the cow, they began beating the young fellow for
having stolen it. Seeing her saviour oppressed in this fashion, the cow
attacked the priest who was beating the boy, and ran into the woods
after severely wounding him.
Āputra accosted his oppressors, and requested them to listen to what
he had to say,
‘Feeding on the grass that grows on the village common, cows feed all
people the world over from birth onwards. With a creature so
kind-hearted, what cause could there be for anger?’