Jataka Monkey King Bridge

tale:jataka_monkey_king_bridge

Hunters corner a troop of monkeys on a mango tree by a river. Their king, the Bodhisattva, stretches his own body from the tree to the far bank to make a living bridge, and the whole troop crosses to safety over his back. Crushed and dying, he is lifted down by the watching human king, to whom he teaches that a ruler's first duty is the welfare of his people, before his own life. Moral: true leadership spends itself for those it guards. — Jataka tale