The Little Bowman

A Jataka Tale

Retold and Adapted by Navin

Once upon a time, there was a skilled bowman. He was the best archer in the country, but nobody knew of his talent because of his appearance. He was very short, and had a hunchback. The archer’s greatest wish was to serve his country in the army, but knew that he would be rejected because of his stature.

One fine day, the bowman had an idea. He decided to find a tall and powerful looking man, and to enter the army as his page. After roaming the area for several days, he found a suitable candidate. This particular man was a ditch digger, and very tall. “If you enlist in the king’s army, with me as your page, I will complete any tasks that are given to you and we can share the reward! I wish to join the army but am not able to because of my size. They will accept you right away, and we will both be able to live comfortably,” said the bowman. The tall man readily accepted, and the two went to the king. The tall man offered his services and introduced the archer as his page. Impressed with the tall man’s figure, the king welcomed the pair.

A few days later, the king called the two to him. There was a man-eating tiger on the loose in the outskirts of a village, and the king wanted the tall man to kill it. The tall man and little archer found the tiger, and the archer killed the tiger easily. Thinking the tall man had killed the beast, the king paid him a bag of gold, and the tall man later split it with the little man.

Another time, a buffalo went mad, and ran around the city markets goring people with its sharp horns. The king summoned the tall man and gave him the order to hunt it down. The tall man and the little archer found the buffalo and the latter shot it. The king rewarded the tall man just like the first time.

Over several months, the tall man and the little bowman finished mission after mission. The tall man became more and more brave in the king’s eyes. Sadly, this went to the tall man’s head, and he began to feel dislike for the short bowman. He felt that he deserved all the praise he got and shouldn’t have to split rewards with his partner. He began to treat the little bowman as a real servant and was rude. This made the bowman sad.

One fateful day, the kingdom went to war with a neighboring kingdom. Since the tall man and the small “page” were an asset to him, the king gave them a war elephant and placed them on the front lines of the formation. As the army marched towards the battlefield, the tall man became more and more frightened, seeing the opposing force. When the enemies began firing flaming arrows and mortars, the tall man lost his wits, lept off the elephant, and ran away. Of course, the brave archer did not do the same. During the battle, he fought valiantly, slaying many of the enemy. In the end, the opposing army fled due to the little bowman’s skill.

Afterwards, the king and all the men understood that the little archer was the true hero all along. He was made the chief of the army and richly rewarded.