Porisada the Man-eater
Bhikkhu Pesala
The King of Benares
A very long time ago, or even before that,there was a king in India who ruled from the city of Benares, on the banks of the river Ganges, in the heart of India. The king was very fond of eating meat, and never had a meal without it. His chief cook became very skilled in preparing meat curries and always made sure that the king was given at least two or three kinds of meat dishes. In India at that time it was customary for people to observe the Uposatha on holy days, which means that they carefully observed the five precepts. Some people went to the monastery and observed eight precepts. This meant that on those days especially they were not allowed to kill any animals at all and so would usually eat vegetarian food. On one such Uposatha day the king’s chief cook was in a terrible panic. He had not been able to find any meat at all anywhere in the whole great city of Benares and the king’s meal time was fast approaching. There was no meat left over anywhere and the cook knew what a rage the king would be in if there was no meat on the dinner table. The king would probably have him executed, or, at least, banish him from the city. He would be lucky to escape with his life.
Porisada the Man-Eater
