The Ox Who Won the Forfeit
Also known as Nandivisala Jataka
- 3 minute read
- Ages 6-10
- Jataka Tales
A brahmin was given a calf as a gift, and he raised it himself.
He called it Nandivisala. He fed it by hand, kept it out of the rain, talked to it while he worked and never once struck it or shouted at it. The calf grew into an ox of enormous size and strength, and it was devoted to him.
The wager
One day the ox spoke.
"You have looked after me since I was small," he said. "Let me repay you. Go to the richest merchant in this town and wager him a thousand coins that your ox can pull a hundred loaded carts in a single line. He will take the bet. He will not believe it."
The brahmin did exactly that, and the merchant laughed and accepted, and the whole town came out to watch.
A hundred carts were loaded with sand and gravel and linked together in a line down the road, and Nandivisala was harnessed to the front of it.
The word
The brahmin climbed up on the shaft, took the goad in his hand, and shouted.
"Pull, you wretch! Pull, you brute! Get on with it, you miserable animal!"
And Nandivisala did not move.
He stood exactly where he was with the harness on his shoulders and did not shift a hoof, and the brahmin shouted at him until he lost his voice, and the merchant collected the thousand coins, and the crowd went home.
Afterwards
The brahmin sat in his yard with his head in his hands.
The ox came over.
"Why did you do that to me?" said the brahmin. "It was your own plan. I am ruined."
"Have I ever broken anything of yours?" said the ox. "Have I trampled your field, or hurt anyone, or lain down in the road?"
"Never."
"Have I ever behaved like a wretch or a brute or a miserable animal?"
The brahmin did not answer.
"Then why did you call me one in front of the whole town?"
He let that sit.
"Go back," he said. "Wager him two thousand this time. And when you climb up on the shaft, use my name."
Moral of the story
Words land even on those who cannot answer back. How you speak to someone changes what they will do for you.
Questions and answers
- How did the brahmin raise the calf?
He fed it by hand, kept it dry, talked to it while he worked and never struck or shouted at it.
- What wager did the ox suggest?
That the brahmin bet a thousand coins he could pull a hundred loaded carts in a single line.
- Why did Nandivisala refuse to pull?
The brahmin shouted at him and called him a wretch, a brute and a miserable animal in front of the whole town.
- What did the ox say afterwards?
That he had never behaved like any of those things, and asked why he had been called them publicly.
- What did the ox tell the brahmin to do next?
To go back and wager two thousand, and to use his proper name this time.
Word meanings
- brahmin
- A member of the priestly class in traditional Indian society.
- wager
- A bet, or to make a bet.
- harnessed
- Fastened to a cart or plough with straps.
- goad
- A pointed stick used for driving cattle.
Questions about The Ox Who Won the Forfeit
What is the moral of The Ox Who Won the Forfeit?
That harsh words cost you more than they gain. The ox was willing and able, and the only thing that stopped him was how he was spoken to.
Does the brahmin win the second bet?
Yes. In the full tale he speaks to Nandivisala gently, using his name, and the ox pulls all hundred carts and wins double.
Why is this story unusual among Jataka tales?
The lesson is aimed at the human rather than the animal. The ox behaves perfectly throughout and does the teaching.
What is this tale called in the original?
The Nandivisala Jataka, named after the ox himself.