Once upon a time, in India, there was a cowherd.
One day, while tending his cattle in the mountains, he discovered a large cave. Wondering how deep it might be, he entered it.
As he went farther and farther inside, he saw a faint light in the distance. Curious, he continued toward it. After walking about four or five ri (approximately 16–20 kilometers), he finally reached the source of the light.
There he found a vast open land. Flowers bloomed in abundance, and various fruits grew everywhere. Looking around, he saw many cows grazing peacefully.
The cowherd thought to himself, “Since there are cattle here, there must also be people.” He searched about and soon came upon a house.
An old man emerged from within and asked, “Who are you, and where have you come from?”
The cowherd replied, “I am a cowherd from the human world. While tending cattle in the mountains, I found a cave. Following it inward, I came here.”
The old man said, “You should not have come. This is not a place for people from your world. Leave at once.”
The cowherd answered, “I have come a very long way. At least allow me to rest for a while before I return.”
The old man reluctantly agreed and let him stay.
After remaining there for several days, the cowherd prepared to depart. The old man warned him:
“When you return, do not speak to anyone for three days. If you keep silent for three days, you will suffer no harm. But if you speak even a single word, you will become stone.”
The cowherd promised to obey and set out.
Retracing his path through the cave, he eventually emerged into the human world. His family and acquaintances were overjoyed to see him and gathered around him, asking where he had been.
Remembering the old man’s warning, he remained silent.
But the people around him pressed him with question after question. Unable to endure it any longer, he finally spoke a single word.
The moment he did, his body turned into stone.
The people who witnessed this were astonished and frightened.
Even now, it is said that the stone remained there as proof of the event.
[Translation]
Yukiko Nishimura / Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using chatGPT and Gemini to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Commentary]
Yukiko Nishimura / Siro Inuzuka
Since Konjaku Monogatarishū is a collection of Buddhist tales, its stories are often tied to a moral or religious lesson.
This tale, however, contains virtually no such element. Instead, it is presented purely as a story of wonder and mystery. The interior of the cave is clearly an otherworldly realm, yet the text offers no explanation whatsoever as to why such a world exists. Nor does it explain the true nature of the fruit that transforms people, the demonic beings that dwell there, or the reason why the cattle become so magnificent. The narrative leaves all of these mysteries unresolved, providing no satisfactory answers at all.
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano
●Japanese
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