“When I was a monkey in a cleft on the riverbank, harassed by a crocodile I could not get across.
Where I used to land when jumping from the near shore to the far, there crouched my deadly foe, the baleful gharial.
Reassuring me, he said ‘Come!’ ‘I am coming,’ I said to him. Stepping on his head I made it to the far bank.
I spoke no lie to him, but acted according to my word. There is no one to equal my truthfulness: this is my perfection of truth.”
The Monkey King’s Conduct
Cp 27 · Kapirājacariya
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Collection & context
- CariyāpiṭakaThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.