Four harmonious animals

Lore & Background

After the story, it is revealed that the partridge was the Buddha in a previous life. The tale was told by the Buddha after some students failed to pay due respect to the senior disciple Śāriputra. Sometimes the tale also describes the animals upholding the five precepts and teaching them to others. One of the oldest extant forms is the Pāli version, called the Tittira Jataka.

Reader's Guide

The story's main moral is communal harmony and respect for seniority, contrasting with a pecking-order based on strength, size, or power: the partridge is most respected, not the elephant. Although the Buddha sometimes downplayed respecting older people merely for their age, in this story he illustrates that a senior person should be respected for their experience. The story led to rules of conduct regarding respect for seniority in monastic life, measured by years ordained as a monk. Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu explains that a hierarchy based on seniority is objective and less oppressive, discouraging pride and competition. The four animals represent different habitats—sky, trees, ground, and underground—and the image of them standing on each other's shoulders portrays social and environmental harmony: the bird plants a seed, the rabbit waters it, the monkey fertilizes it, and the elephant protects it, allowing the tree to grow and bear fruit.

Did You Know?

• The story is one of the Jātaka tales, part of Buddhist mythology.
• It is perhaps the most common theme in Bhutanese folk art.
• The bird is usually a partridge, but in Bhutan it is a hornbill.
• One of the oldest extant forms is the Pāli version called the Tittira Jataka.