jataka · Day 176 · Week 26
The Golden Deer Who Spoke for a Mother
A pregnant mother is already loved, already defended, by hearts she may never meet. Nigrodha's choice is the quiet protection that surrounds every unborn life.
Someone loved you before he ever saw you.
In a forest where the trees leaned close like old friends, there lived a deer the colour of soft gold. His coat shone like the first light of morning. His name was Nigrodha, and the other deer called him their king.
Beside Nigrodha's herd lived another herd, smaller and quieter, ruled by a gentle deer named Sakha. The two herds drank from the same river and slept under the same wide banyan tree.