Cūḷaseṭṭhijātaka
“With humblest start.” This story was told by the Master about the Elder named Little Wayman, while in Jivaka’s Mango-grove near Rajagaha.
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral
1.1PTS 1.122“Appakenapi medhāvī,Even with a little capital11.2pābhatena vicakkhaṇo;the intelligent and clear-seeing man1.3Samuṭṭhāpeti attānaṁ,uplifts himself,1.4aṇuṁ aggiṁva sandhaman”ti.like a tiny flame when fanned.
2.1Cūḷaseṭṭhijātakaṁ catutthaṁ.
The prose story tells of an enterprising young man who started his business by trading a dead mouse for a penny as cat food. This concept can be taken as a precursor for the modern concept of microfinance.
