On the bank of a river lived a strong and clever monkey king. In the middle of the river rose a large flat rock, and beyond it lay a green island full of fruit trees. Every morning the monkey leapt from the bank onto the rock, and from the rock onto the island, where he feasted on mangoes and jackfruit. Every evening he returned home the same way: island to rock, rock to bank. Never once did he miss his footing.
In that river lived a crocodile, and his wife had seen the monkey leaping to and fro. "How strong that monkey is!" she sighed. "His heart must be full of strength and sweetness. Husband, I wish to eat the heart of that monkey." The crocodile did not know how to catch such a nimble creature, but at last he made a plan. "The monkey crosses by the rock," he thought. "This evening I will lie flat upon it, and when he lands on my back — snap!"
That evening, as the monkey finished his fruit and came to the shore of the island, he looked at the rock — and paused. Something was odd. "The river has not risen," he thought, "yet the rock looks taller than it did this morning." To test his guess, the wise monkey called out, "Hello, Rock! Hello-o, Rock!" Silence. He called a third time: "Rock, why don't you answer me today, as you always do?" The crocodile thought, "So the rock usually talks to him! I had better reply." And in his deepest, most rocky voice he answered, "Yes, monkey? Here I am!"
"Ah, friend crocodile," said the monkey pleasantly. "So it is you on my rock. And what do you want?" "Your heart!" said the crocodile. "Very well," said the monkey. "I cannot cross any other way, so open your mouth wide and catch me as I come." Now, when a crocodile opens his mouth wide, his eyes close tight. The crocodile opened his enormous jaws, his eyes squeezed shut — and the monkey leapt lightly onto the crocodile's head, sprang from it to the bank, and scampered up his tree. The crocodile slapped the water in amazement. "Monkey, you have won! One who keeps truth, thought, courage and wisdom together, as you do, can never be beaten." And he swam home empty-jawed.
When the Buddha finished this tale, he said, "In that life, the crocodile was Devadatta, and the monkey king was I myself."