Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t2.180

c4.t2.180

Before closing our discussion on succession and election, it would be interesting to notice a story which presents some illuminating details as regards election. We refer to the *Ulūka Jātaka*⁸ already mentioned above. The story runs, that once all birds in the Himalayas assembled upon a flat rock for electing a king from amongst themselves. They searched about for a worthy bird, and chose the Owl; "Here is the bird we like," said they. And a bird made proclamation three times to all that there would be a vote taken on this matter (*....sabbesam ajjhāsayagahaṇattham tikkhattum sāvesi*). After patiently hearing this announcement twice, on the third time up rose (*utthāya*) a crow and cried out to oppose the motion, "Stay now! If that is what he looks like when he is being consecrated king, what will he look like when he is angry? If he only looks at us in anger, we shall be scattered like seasame seeds thrown on a hot plate. I don't want to make this fellow king." And enlarging upon this he uttered: