A child is born beneath a cloud of misfortune, abandoned with nothing but a broken shard for begging and left to survive on scraps. Years later, he becomes a monk, yet hunger follows him wherever he goes, turning every meal into a mystery and every kindness into a struggle.
His suffering reaches far beyond a single lifetime. A jealous act, a buried bowl of food, centuries of hunger, ruined villages, a cursed voyage, glittering palaces, demons, and one unforgettable goat all become part of a remarkable journey shaped by greed, stubbornness, and consequence.
At the heart of the tale lies a powerful question: can wisdom overcome the burden of past actions? Through compassion, discipline, and one final meal that refuses to vanish, this Jataka story reveals how even a life marked by hardship can end in peace and liberation.