A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A crow on a withered tree asks the traveller Daṇḍin to consult King Ādarśamukha about its inability to enjoy healthier green trees. The king explains that it buried treasure there when it was a village headman and advises giving it away before leaving. At the end the crow turns its treasure over to Daṇḍin. Its attachment comes from an earlier human life rather than a permanent curse on the tree; the account gives no plumage colour, power to curse others or return to human form.
Origins & earliest records
Indian Buddhist narrative preserved in Tibetan translation
Records & interpretation
Whole chapter and its footnotes directly read in the digitized1906 edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources
III, Ādarśamukha, pp. 29–36, crow episodes pp. 32–33, 35–36; note cites Kah-gyur book ii. pp. 198–201
- 02
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — III Ādarśamukha
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. CompleteIII29–36 and source/comparative note independently read, including royal succession tests, Daṇḍin suits and all animal petitions; source-language originals not collated.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Schiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources (London, 1906)
III, Ādarśamukha. III, Ādarśamukha, pp. 29–36, crow episodes pp. 32–33, 35–36; note cites Kah-gyur book ii. pp. 198–201
Complete chapter and all notes read. Translation’s canonical locator retained; original Tibetan not independently inspected. Actual endings, explicit identities and comparative material kept separate, with no death/kinship/anatomy inferred beyond the telling.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. CompleteIII29–36 and source/comparative note independently read, including royal succession tests, Daṇḍin suits and all animal petitions; source-language originals not collated.
- A crow on a withered tree asks why it cannot enjoy healthier trees. Ādarśamukha interprets its attachment through an earlier human life: as village headman it buried treasure beneath that tree. He advises giving the treasure away and leaving. The closing account expressly says that the crow transfers its treasure to Daṇḍin, alongside the snake-and-ichneumon pair.
German-mediated English translation; Tibetan originals and listed comparative recensions not independently collated. Rebirth explanations are narrative speech, not external historical evidence. Page labels from transcription. Historical coercive legal threats not endorsed; no verse, ritual or devotional formula copied.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translation of Buddhist narrativeSchiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales (1906), III, Ādarśamukha, pp. 29–36, crow episodes pp. 32–33, 35–36; note cites Kah-gyur book ii. pp. 198–201Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.