Truth in the Air: Jataka Tale Rhymes

By Samuel DenHartog

A prince hovers above a royal court, seated calm in the open air while a thousand hands reach up. His mother has thrown him aloft to let truth decide what pride will not. In that breathless pause the boy speaks, a single stanza that claims his place and tests a king's courage to admit what he already knows.

This retelling follows the path from a grove where a firewood gatherer sings, to a palace where reputation trembles, to a reign remembered for clean judgment. A signet ring becomes a promise, a taunt in a playground sparks a journey, and a vow before witnesses brings the court face to face with what cannot be denied. Power, shame, and duty collide, then settle into order under the weight of a clear mind.

Framed at Jetavana with the Buddha's teaching to a troubled monarch, the tale shows how old lives answer new mistakes. Readers who love folklore with backbone will find measured drama, plainspoken insight, and the quiet thrill of justice landing where it belongs. The story closes with the Buddha naming each figure and revealing how a kingdom was saved when truth was allowed to hold the body of a child in mid-air.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G1BP7Y2G
• ISBN13: 9798273425378
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"