From the Jatakas, stories that tell of the past lives of the Bodhisattva, the enlightened one whom we know as the Buddha...
Our story begins at a time when Bodhisattva was born in the Himalayan region as a golden-hued deer by the name of Rohanta. He was glorious to behold and was a king with a herd of eighty thousand deer. He had a brother and a sister — Citta miga and Sutana. Together, they lived beside Lake Rahanta which provided them fresh and sweet water to drink. Their parents were old and blind but Rohanta was a devoted son, and tended to them lovingly.
A hunter from a village near Benares once chanced upon a vision of the golden deer while on a hunting trip to the mountains. On his deathbed, years later, he told his son, “I once saw a golden deer on the hunting ground at the Himalayas. If the king should ever ask, you may tell him of it.”
One night Khema, the Queen of Benares, had a dream. She dreamed that a golden stag seated on a gold throne was giving her a discourse on law. His voice was gentle and honey- toned. But before the discourse could end he got up and walked away. Disappointed, the queen woke up shouting “That golden stag! I want to catch that stag. Someone find him for me!” Her husband, King Brahmadutt thought she was being unreasonable. “There is no such thing as a golden stag, dear queen, and that too, one that gives a discourse!”
“But I want to hear the discourse of the golden stag or else I will die!” she declared. “Please! Do not say no, it’s a craving of mine that you must fulfil!”
The king had no choice but call his ministers, pundits and courtiers. He ordered them to them to look for such a creature.
“If indeed such a stag exists, bring it to me and whosoever does so, will receive fortunes for a lifetime!” he announced.
Someone mentioned that he had heard such talk among the hunters and soon the son of the hunter who was told about it sought audience with the king. “There is such a golden stag, Your Majesty! My father once saw it in the Himalayas,’’ he told the king.
“Go at once, my man! Find that golden deer and bring it! You will be rewarded greatly.”
And so went the young hunter to the mountains where his father had seen the golden stag. He set his snare near the water front for he knew the deer would come to drink at the lake.
A while later came Rohanta with his herd of eighty thousand, all tired and thirsty. As the deer king neared the water, the noose tightened on his leg. If I cry out, my herd will panic and will flee without drinking, he thought and waited for all his fellow deer to finish.
When all eighty thousand of them had had their fill, he tried to shake free of the noose around his leg. But it only tightened further, cutting his skin and injuring him. He gave an alarm call alerting his herd and everyone fled in terror.
Citta miga and Sutana too fled but on reaching safety were dismayed to find their brother missing. They made their way back to the lake shore, looking for him.
There they found Rohanta lying ensnared with his leg bleeding profusely. As soon as he caught sight of them, Rohanta bade them not to approach any further.
“Flee, dear Cittaka! Danger lurks here... and you little Sutana, what are you doing here, following Cittaka like this? Go away! Do not put yourselves in danger too, go go go!” he cried.
But silently the siblings approached Rohanta and stood beside their brother, their large, limpid eyes welling with tears.