The Jataka, Vol. V

¹"I wandered, searching far," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling at Jetavana, about two ancient Elders.

²Maha-Kosala, they say, in giving his daughter to King Bimbisara , allotted her a village of Kasi for bath-money. [343] After Ajatasattu had murdered his father :, King Pasenadi destroyed that village. In the battles betwixt them for it, victory at the first lay with Ajatasattu. And the King of Kosala, having the worst, asked his councillors, "What can we devise to take Ajatasattu?" They answered, "Great king, the Brethren have great skill of magical charms. Send messengers to them, and get the opinion of the Brethren at the monastery." This pleased the king. Accordingly, he caused men to be sent, bidding them go thither, and hiding themselves, overhear what the Brethren should say. Now at Jetavana are many king's officers who have renounced the world. Two among these, a pair of old Elders, dwelt in a leaf hut on the outskirts of the monastery: the name of one of them was Elder Dnanuggaha-tissa, of the other the Elder Mantidatta. These had slept all the night through, and awoke at peep of day. The Elder Dnanuggaha-tissa said, as he kindled the fire, "Elder Datta, Sir" "Well, Sir?" "Are you asleep?" "No, Iam not asleep: what's to do now?" "A born fool that King of Kosala is; all he knows is how to eat a mess of food." "What do you mean, Sir?" "He lets himself be beaten by Ajatasattu, who is no better than a worm in his own belly." "What should he do, then?" "Why, Elder Datta, you know the order of battle is of three kinds: Waggon Battle, Wheel Battle, and Lotus Battle .. It is the Waggon Battle

³he ought to use in order to catch Ajatasattu. Let him post valiant men on his two flanks on the hill-top, and then show his main battle in front: once he gets in between, out with a shout and a leap, and they have him like a fish

⁴in a lobster-pot. That is the way to catch him." Now all this the messengers heard; and then went back and told the king. He immediately set out with a great host, and took Ajatasattu prisoner, and bound him in chains. After punishing him thus for some days, he released him, advising him not to do it again, and by way of consolation gave him his own daughter, the Princess Vajira, in marriage, and finally dismissed him with great pomp.

⁵There was much gossip about it among the Brethren indoors: "Ajatasattu was caught by the King of Kosala, through following the directions of Elder Dnhanuggaha-tissa!" They talked of the same in the Hall of Truth, and the Master entering, asked them what the talk was. They told him. Then he said, "This is not the first time, Brethren, that Dhanuggaha-tissa has shown himself expert in strategy." And he told them a story of the past.

⁶[344] Once upon atime, a carpenter, who dwelt in a village hard by the city gate of Benares, went into the forest to cut wood. He found a young Boar fallen into a pit, which he brought home and reared, naming him Carpenter's Boar. The Boar became his servant: trees he turned over with his snout, and brought to him: he hitched the measuring-line around his tusk and pulled it along, fetched and carried adze, chisel, and mallet in his teeth.

⁷When he grew up, he was a monstrous burly beast. The carpenter, who loved him as his own son, and feared lest some one might do him a mischief there, let him go free in the forest. The Boar thought, "I cannot live alone by myself in this forest: what if I search out my kindred, and live in their midst?" So he sought all through that multitude of trees for Boars, until seeing a herd of them, he was glad, and recited three stanzas:—

⁸"I wandered, searching far and wide the woods and hills around:

⁹I wandered, searching for my kin: and lo, my kin are found!

¹⁰"Here are abundant roots and fruits, with plenteous store of food; What lovely hills and pleasant rills! to dwell here will be good.

¹¹"Here will I dwell with all my kin, not anxious, at my ease, Having no trouble, fearing nought from any enemies :."

¹²The Boars on hearing this verse responded with the fourth stanza:—

¹³"A foe is here! some otherwhere take refuge, go thy ways: Ever the choicest of the herd, O Carpenter 2, he slays!"

¹⁴"Who is that foe? Come tell me true, my kindred, so well met, Who is't destroys you? though he has not quite destroyed you yet."

¹⁵[345] "A king of beasts! striped up and down he is, with teeth to bite: Ever the choicest of the herd he slays—a beast of might!"

¹⁶"And have our bodies lost their strength? have we no tusks to show? We shall o’ercome him if we work together: only so."

¹⁷"Sweet words to hear, O Carpenter, of which my heart is fain: Let no Boar flee! or he shall be after the battle slain!"

¹⁸Carpenter's Boar now having made them all of one mind asked, "At what time will the tiger come?" "To-day he came early in the morning and took one, to-morrow he will come early in the morning." The Boar was skilled in warfare, and knew the place of advantage to take, so that victory might be won. He searched about for a place, and made them take food while it was yet night; then very early in the morning, he explained to them how the order of battle is of three kinds, the Waggon Battle, and so forth; after which he arranged the Lotus ; Battle in this manner. In the midst he placed the sucking pigs, and around them their mothers, next to these the barren sows, next a circle of young porkers, next the young ones with tusks just a-budding, next the big tuskers, and the old Boars outside all. Then he posted smaller squads of ten, twenty, thirty apiece here and there. He made them dig a pit for himself, and for the tiger to fall into a hole of the shape of a winnowing basket: between the two holes was left a spit of ground for himself to stand on. Then he with the stout fighting-boars went around everywhere encouraging the Boars.

¹⁹[346] As he was thus engaged the sun rose. The Tiger, coming forth from the hermitage of a sham ascetic, appeared upon the hill-top. The Boars cried, "Our enemy is come, Sir!" "Fear not," said he, "whatever he does, you do the same." The Tiger gave himself a shake, and as though about to depart, made water; the Boars did the same. The Tiger looked at the Boars and roared a great roar; they did the same. Observing what they were at, he thought, "They have changed somehow; to-day they face me out as enemies, in orderly bands: some warrior has been mustering them; I must not go near them to-day." In fear of death he turned tail, and fled to the sham ascetic; and he, seeing the Tiger empty-handed, recited the ninth stanza:—

²⁰"Hast thou abjured all killing? hast thou sworn Safety for every living creature born 2? Surely thy teeth their wonted virtue lack.

²¹You find a herd, and come a beggar back!" The Tiger thereupon repeated three stanzas:—

²²"My teeth no longer bite, My strength exhausted quite: Brother by brother all together stood:

²³Therefore I wander lonely in the wood.

²⁴"Once they would hurry-scurry all about To find their holes, a panic-stricken rout. But now they grunt in serried ranks compact: Invincible, they stand and face me out. 1

²⁵[347]"They all agree together now, a leader they have got; When all agree they may hurt me: therefore I want them not."

²⁶To this the sham ascetic replied with the following stanza:—

²⁷"Alone the hawk subdues the birds, alone The Titans are by Indra overthrown: And when a herd of beasts the mighty tiger sees,

²⁸Ever the best he picks, and kills them at his ease." Then the Tiger recited one:—

²⁹"No hawk, no tiger lord of beasts, not Indra can command

³⁰A kindred host that tiger-like 2 combine to make a stand."

³¹Thereat the sham ascetic, to egg him on, recited two stanzas:—

³²"The little tiny feathered fowl in flocks and coveys fly, In heaps together up they rise, together skim the sky.

³³"Down stoops the hawk, and all alone, down on them as they play, Harries and kills them at his will: that is your tiger's way."

³⁴[348] This said, he further encouraged him: "Royal Tiger, you know not your own power. One roar only, and a spring—there will not be two of them left together, I dare swear!" The Tiger did SO.

³⁵To explain this, the Master said a stanza:—

³⁶"Then he with cruel greedy eye, deeming these words were true,

³⁷Took heart, and with his fangs all bare leaped on the tuskéd crew."

³⁸Well, the Tiger went back and stood there awhile on the hill. The Boars told Carpenter's Boar that he was come again. "Fear not," said he, comforting them, and then took his stand upon the ridge between the two pits. The Tiger with all soeed sprang towards the Boar, but the Boar rolled tail over snout in the first hole. The Tiger could not check his onset, and fell all of a heap into the pit shaped like to a winnowing fan. Up jumped the Boar in a trice, buried his tusks in the Tiger's thigh, pierced him to the heart, devoured the flesh, bit at him, bundled him over into the further pit, crying, "There, take the varlet!" [349] They who came first got one chance apiece of nozzling a mouthful, those who came later went about asking, "How does tiger's-meat taste?"

³⁹Carpenter's Boar came out of the pit, and, looking round upon the others, said, "Well, don't you like it?" But they answered, "My lord, you have done for the Tiger, and that's one; but there is another left worse than ten tigers." "Who is that, pray?" "A sham ascetic, who eats the meat which the Tiger brings him from time to time." "Come along then, and we will catch him." So they quickly sprang off together.

⁴⁰Now the sham ascetic was watching the road, and expecting the Tiger to come every minute. And what should he see coming but the Boars! "They have killed the Tiger, methinks, and now they are come to kill me!" Away he ran, and climbed up a wild fig-tree. "He has climbed a tree?" said the Boars to their leader. "What tree?" "A fig-tree." "All right, we shall have him directly." He made the young Boars grub away the earth from its roots, and the sows bring each as much water as their mouths would hold, till there the tree stood upright bare down to the roots. Then he sent the others out of the way, and, going down on his knees, struck at the roots with his tusk: clean through the root he cut, as with an axe, down came the tree, but the man never got as far as the ground: he was torn to pieces and eaten on the way. Observing this marvel, the tree-spirit recited a stanza:-

⁴¹"United friends, like forest trees—it is a pleasant sight:

⁴²The Boars united, at one charge the Tiger killed outright."

⁴³And the Master recited another stanza, how that both of them were destroyed:—

⁴⁴"The brahmin and the tiger both thus did the Boars destroy,

⁴⁵And roared a loud and echoing roar in their exceeding joy."

⁴⁶[350] Again the Boar asked, "And have you another foe?" "No, my lord," they replied. Then they proposed to sprinkle him for their King. Water was fetched. Espying the shell which the sham ascetic used for his drinking, which was a precious conch with the spiral turned right-wise ,, they filled it with water, and consecrated Carpenter's Boar there on the root of the fig-tree, there the water of consecration was poured upon him. A young sow they made his consort. Hence arose the custom which still prevails, that in consecrating a king they seat him upon a chair of fig-wood, and sprinkle him from a conch with spirals that run to the right.

⁴⁷This also the Master explained by reciting the last stanza:—

⁴⁸"The Boars beneath the wild fig-tree the holy water poured,

⁴⁹Upon the Carpenter, and cried, Thou art our King and Lord!"

⁵⁰When he had ended this discourse, the Master said, "No, Brethren, this is not the first time that Dnanuggaha-tissa has shown himself clever in strategy, but he was the same before." With these words, he identified the Birth: "At that time Devadatta was the sham ascetic, Dnanuggaha-tissa Carpenter's Boar, and I myself was the tree-sprite."

⁵¹216:1 Compare No. 283 (trans. Vol. ii. 275).

⁵²216:2 See Vol. ii. pp. 164, 275.

⁵³216:3 Pasenadi was Maha-Kosala's son, Aj. killed his father Bimbisara.

⁵⁴216:4 See ii. 275, note 2.

⁵⁵217:1 One line occurs on p. 71, line 21, of the text (last couplet on p. 45, above).

⁵⁶21722 Sic. 218:1 Note that this disagrees with the Introduction.

⁵⁷218:2 These two lines are the same as the first half of a stanza on p. 337.

⁵⁸219:1 The same stanza occurs in ii. 407 (trans. p. 277).

⁵⁹219:2 The text is uncertain. Doubtless it means the host is a match for the tiger.

⁶⁰220:1 A rarity, much prized, and used for consecration of a king.

¹"Merchants from many," etc. This story the Master told while dwelling at Jetavana, about some traders who lived in Savatthi. These, we hear, when going away on business bent, came with gifts to the Master, sheltering themselves in the Refuges and the Virtues. "Sir," they said, "if we return safe and sound, we will kiss your feet." With five hundred cartloads of merchandise they set out, and came soon to a wild forest, where they could see no road. Astray, waterless and sans food, they traversed the forest until, seeing a huge banyan tree which was haunted by dragons, they unyoked the carts and sat down beneath it. Looking upon its leaves, they saw them all glossy as though wet with water, and the branches seemed to be full of water, which made them think thus: "It appears as though water were running through this tree. What if we cut a branch of it facing the east? we shall find something to drink." [351] On this one climbed up the tree and cut off a branch: out gushed a stream of water thick as a palm-trunk, and in this they washed, of this they drank. Next they cut a branch on the southern side: out from it came all manner of choice food, and they ate of it. They then cut a branch on the west side of the tree: out sprang women fair and beauteously adorned, with whom they took their pleasure. Lastly, they cut one of the northern branches: from it fell the seven things of price, and they took them and filled the five hundred carts, and returned to Savatthi. There they caused the treasure to be carefully guarded. Bearing in their hands garlands and perfumes and the like, they repaired to Jetavana and saluted the Master and paid worship to him, and then sat on one side.

²That day they listened to the preaching of the Law; and the next, they brought a munificent present, and renounced the merit of the whole, saying, "The merit of this gift, Sir we renounce in favour of a tree-deity who gave us the whole treasure." The meal finished, the Master asked them, "What tree-deity do you give this merit to?" The merchants told the Tathagata the manner how they had received the treasure by a banyan tree. Said the Master, "This treasure you have received for your moderation, and because you have not given yourselves into the power of desire; but in former days men were immoderate, and were in the power of desire, and thereby they lost treasure and life both." Then at their request he told them a story of the past.

³Once upon a time hard by : Benares was this same wild forest and this same banyan tree. The merchants strayed from the way and saw the banyan tree.

⁴The Master, in his perfect wisdom, explained the matter in these verses:—

⁵"Merchants from many a kingdom came, and all together met,

⁶Chose them a chief, and straight set out a treasure for to get.

⁷"To this parched forest, poor in food, their way the travellers made, And spied a mighty banyan tree with cool and pleasant shade.

⁸"There underneath that shady tree those merchants all did sit, And reasoned thus, with folly clothed and poverty of wit:

⁹"Full moist the tree is, and it seems as water there did flow: One of the branches let us cut which to the eastwards grow."

¹⁰"The branch was cut; then pure and clear the trickling waters flow: The merchants washed, the merchants drank till they had drunk enow.

¹¹"Again in poverty of wit, with folly clothed, they say, "One of the branches on the south come let us cut away."

¹²[352] "This branch being cut, both rice and meat out in a stream it brings, Thick porridge, ginger, lentil soup and many other things.

¹³"The merchants ate, the merchants drank, they took their fill of it, Then said again, with folly clothed, in poverty of wit:

¹⁴"Come, fellow-merchants, let us cut a western branch away." Out came a bevy of fair girls all pranked in brave array.

¹⁵"And O the robes of many hues, jewels and rings in plenty! Each merchant had a pretty maid, each of the five and twenty.

¹⁶"These all together stood around beneath the leafy shade: These and the merchants in the midst, much merriment they made.

¹⁷"Again in poverty of wit, with folly clothed, they say, "One of the branches on the north come let us cut away."

¹⁸"But when the northern branch was cut, out came a stream of gold, Silver in handfuls, precious rugs, and jewels manifold;

¹⁹"And robes of fine Benares cloth, and blankets thick and thin. The merchants then to roll them up in bundles did begin.

²⁰"Again they said in witlessness and folly, as before: "Come let us cut it by the root, and then we may get more."

²¹"O then uprose their chief, and said, with a respectful bow, "What mischief does the banyan do, good sirs? God bless you now!

²²"The eastern branch gave water-streams, the southern gave us food, The western gave us pretty maids, the northern all things good: What mischief does the banyan do, good sirs? God bless you now!

²³"The tree that gives you pleasant shade, to sit or lie at need, You should not tear its branches down, a cruel wanton deed."

²⁴"But they were many, he was one whose voice forbade them do'’t: They struck the whetted axes in to fell it by the root."

²⁵[353] Then the Serpent King, who saw them draw near to the root that they might fell the tree, thought to himself: "I gave these fellows water to drink when they were thirsty, then I gave them food divine, then beds to lie on and maidens to attend them, then treasures to fill five hundred waggons, and now they say, Let us cut down the tree from the root! Greedy they are beyond bounds, and except the chief of the caravan they shall all die." Then he mustered an army: "So many armed in mail stand forth, so many archers, So many with sword and shield."

²⁶To explain this the Master repeated a stanza:

²⁷"Then five and twenty mail-clad snakes stood forth and took the field,

²⁸Three hundred bowmen, and six thousand armed with sword and shield."

²⁹[354] The following stanza is said by the Serpent King:

³⁰"Strike down the men, and bind them fast, spare not the life of one,

³¹Burn them to cinders save the chief, and then your task is done."

³²And so did the serpents. Then they loaded the rugs from the northern branch and all the rest of it upon the five hundred waggons, and conveyed the waggons and the chief of the caravan to Benares, and put up the goods in his house, and taking leave of him returned to their own place of abode.

³³When the Master had seen this, he repeated two stanzas of admonition:

³⁴"So let the wise his own good see, and let him never go A slave to greed, that he disarm the purpose of his foe.

³⁵"So let him, seeing this evil thing, pain rooted in desire, Shake off desire and fetters, and to holy life aspire."

³⁶Having ended this discourse, he said, "Thus, Brethren, in days of yore merchants possessed with greed came to dire destruction, therefore you must not give place to greed." Then having declared the Truths (now at the conclusion of the Truths those merchants became established in the fruit of the First Path)—he identified the Birth: "At that time Sariputta was the King of the Serpents, and I was the caravan chief."

³⁷222:1 Reading nissdya, as Fausbg@ll suggests.

¹[355] "A wonder in the world," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about lay Brethren who took on the fast-day vows. On that occasion the Master said: "Lay Brethren, wise men of old, by virtue of their keeping the fast-day vows, went in the body to heaven, and there dwelt for a long time." Then at their request, he told a story of the past.

²Once upon a time, there was a King Sadhina in Mithila, who reigned in righteousness. At the four city gates, and in the midst of it, and at his own palace door he caused to be made six alms- halls, and with his almsgiving made a great stir through all India. Daily six hundred thousand pieces were spent in alms: he kept the Five Virtues, he observed the fast-day vows; and they of the city also, following his admonitions, gave alms and did good, and as they died, came to life at once in the city of the gods.

³The princes of heaven, sitting in full conclave in Sakka's justice hall, praised Sadhina's virtuous life and goodness. The report of him made all the other gods desirous to see him. Sakka, king of the gods, perceiving their mind, asked, "Do you wish to see King Sadhina?" They replied, yes they did. Then he commanded Matali, "Go to my palace Vejayanta, yoke my chariot, and bring Sadhina hither. "He obeyed the command and yoked the chariot, and went to the kingdom of Videha.

⁴It was then the day of full moon. At the time when people had partaken of their evening meal, and were sitting by their doors at their ease, Matali drove his chariot side by side with the moon's disk. All the people called out, "See, two moons are in the sky!" But when they saw the chariot pass by the moon, and come towards them, then they cried, "Tis no moon, but a chariot; a son of the gods, it would seem. For whom is he bringing this divine car, with his team of thorobreds, creatures of the imagination? Will it not be for our king? Yes, our king is a righteous and good king!" In their delight they joined hands with reverence, and standing repeated the first stanza:

⁵"A wonder in the world was seen, that made the hair uprise:

⁶For great Videha's king is sent a chariot from the skies!"

⁷[356] Matali brought the car close, and then whilst the people worshipt with flowers and perfumes, he drove it thrice round the city right-wise. Then he proceeded to the king's door, and there stayed the chariot, and stood still before the western window, making a sign that he should ascend. Now that day the king himself had inspected his alms-halls, and had given directions how they were to distribute; which done, he took on him the fast-day vows, and thus spent the day. Just then he was seated on a gorgeous dais, facing the eastern window, with his courtiers all around, discoursing to them on right and justice. At that moment Matali invited him to enter the chariot, and having done this went away with him.

⁸To explain this, the Master repeated the following stanzas:

⁹"The god most mighty, Matali, the charioteer, did bring

¹⁰A summons to Vedeha, who in Mithila was king.

¹¹"O mighty monarch, noble king, mount in this car with me: Indra would see thee, and the gods, the glorious Thirty-three,

¹²And now they sit in conclave all, bethinking them of thee."

¹³"Then King Sadhina turned his face, and mounted in the car: Which with its thousand steeds then bore him to the gods afar.

¹⁴"The gods beheld the king arrive: and then, their guest to greet Cried, "Welcome mighty monarch, whom we are so glad to meet! O King! beside the king of gods we pray you take a Seat."

¹⁵"And Sakka welcomed Vedeha, the king of Mithila town, Ay, Vasava 1 offered him all joys, and prayed him to sit down.

¹⁶"Amid the rulers of the world O welcome to our land: Dwell with the gods, O king! who have all wishes at command, Enjoy immortal pleasures, where the Three-and-thirty stand."

¹⁷[357] Sakka king of the gods gave him the half of the city of the gods, ten thousand leagues in extent, and of twenty-five millions of nymphs, and of the palace Vejayanta. And there he dwelt for seven hundred years by man's reckoning, enjoying felicity. But then his merit was exhausted in that character in heaven; dissatisfaction arose in him, and so he spoke to Sakka in these words, repeating a stanza:

¹⁸"I joyed, when erst to heaven I came, In dances, song and music clear: Now I no longer feel the same. Is my life done, does death draw near,

¹⁹Or is it folly, king, that I must fear?"

²⁰Then Sakka said to him:

²¹"Thy life's not done, and death is far, Nor art thou foolish, mighty one: But thy good deeds exhausted are

²²And now thy merit is all done.

²³"Still here abide, O mighty king, by my divine command;

²⁴Enjoy immortal pleasures, where the Three-and-thirty stand 2." [358] But the Great Being refused, and said to him:

²⁵"As when a chariot, or when goods are given on demand,

²⁶So is it to enjoy a bliss given by another's hand.

²⁷"I care not blessings to receive given by another's hand, My goods are mine and mine alone when on my deeds I stand.

²⁸"T'll go and do much good to men, give alms throughout the land, Will follow virtue, exercise control and self-command: He that so acts is happy, and fears no remorse at hand."

²⁹On hearing this, Sakka then gave orders to Matali: "Go now, convey King Sadhina to Mithila, and set him down in his own park." He did so. The king walked to and fro in his park; the park- keeper espied

³⁰him, and, after asking him who he was, went to King Narada with the news. When he learnt of the king's arrival, he sent on the keeper with these words: "You go on before, and prepare two seats, one for him and one for me." He did so. Then the king asked him, "For whom do you prepare these two seats?" He replied, "One for you, and one for our king. Then the king said, "What other being shall sit down in my presence?" He sat upon one seat, and put his feet on the other. King Narada came up,

³¹and having saluted his feet, sat down on one side: now it is said he was the seventh in direct descent from the king, and at that time the age of man was fivescore years. So long was the time which the Great Being had spent, by the might of his goodness. He took Narada by the hands, and, going up and down in the pleasaunce, recited three stanzas:

³²"Here are the lands, the conduit round through which the waters go,

³³The green grass clothing it about, the rivulets that flow,

³⁴[359] "The lovely lakes, that listen when the ruddy geese give call, Where lotus white and lotus blue and trees like coral 1 grow, —But those who loved this place with me, O say, where are they all?"

³⁵"These are the acres, this the place,

³⁶The pleasaunce and the fields are here: But seeing no familiar face,

³⁷To me it seems a desert drear."

³⁸Hereupon Narada said to him: "My lord, since you departed to the world of the gods seven hundred years have gone by; Iam the seventh in line from you, your attendants have all gone down into the jaws of death. But this is your own rightful realm, and I beg you receive it." The king answered, "My dear Narada, I came not here to be king, but to do good I came hither, and good I will do." He then said as follows:

³⁹"Celestial mansions I have seen, shining in every place,

⁴⁰The Thirty-three archangels, and their monarch, face to face.

⁴¹"Joys more than human I have felt, a heavenly home was mine, With all that heart could wish, among the Thirty-three divine.

⁴²"This I have seen, and to do deeds of virtue I came down: And I will live a holy life: I want no royal crown.

⁴³[360] "The Path that never leads to woe, the Path the Buddhas show, Upon that Path I enter now by which the holy go."

⁴⁴So spake the Great Being, by his omniscience compressing all into these stanzas. Then Narada again said to him, "Take the rule of the kingdom upon you;" and he replied, "My dear son, I want no kingdom; but for seven days I wish to distribute again the alms given during these seven hundred years." Narada was willing, and doing as he was

⁴⁵requested, prepared a vast largess for distribution. For seven days the king gave alms; and on the seventh day he died, and was born in the heaven of the Thirty-three.

⁴⁶When the Master had ended this discourse, he said, "Such is the performance of the holy-day vows which it is duty to keep," and declared the Truths: (now at the conclusion of the Truths, some of the lay Brethren entered on the fruition of the First Path, and some of the Second:) and he identified the Birth: "At that time Ananda was King Narada, Anuruddha was Sakka, and I myself was the King Sadhina."

⁴⁷225:1 Another name of Indra.

⁴⁸225:2 The scholiast explains:"I will give you the half of my merit, SO remain here by my power."

⁴⁹226:1 Erythrina indica.

¹"The righteous king," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about a gift incomparable. This has been explained in the Sucira 2 Birth of the Eighth Book. We learn that the king, while making this distribution of gifts, examined five hundred Brethren with the Master their chief, and gave to the most holy saints among them. Then they sat talking in the Hall of Truth, and telling of his goodness thus: "Brother, the king, in giving the incomparable gift, gave it in a case of much merit." The Master, entering, would know what they talked of sitting there: and they told him. Said he: '"’Tis no wonder, Brethren, [361] that the King of Kosala, being the follower of such as I am, gives with discrimination. Wise men of old, ere yet the Buddha had arisen, even they gave with discrimination." With these words, he told them a story of the past.

²Once upon atime, in the kingdom of Kuru and the city called Indapatta, was reigning a king Koravya, of the stock of Yuddhitthila. His adviser in things temporal and spiritual was a minister named Vidhdra. The king, with his great almsgiving, set all India in a commotion; but amongst all those who received and enjoyed these gifts, not one there was who kept so much as the Five Virtues: all were wicked to a man, and the king's giving brought him no satisfaction. The king thought, "Great is the fruit of discriminate giving;" and, being desirous to give unto the virtuous, he determined to take counsel with the wise Vidhra.

³When, therefore, Vidhtra came to wait on him, the king bade him be seated, and put the question to him.

⁴Explaining this, the Master recited half the first stanza. All the rest are question and answer of the king and Vidhdra.

⁵"The righteous King Yudhitthila once asked VidhUra wise ::

⁶"Vidhtra, seek me brahmins good, in whom much wisdom lies:

⁷"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So I would give, my friend, that I may reap a crop of good."

⁸"Tis hard to find such holy men, such brahmins, wise and good, Who keep them spotless from all lust, that they may eat your food.

⁹"Of brahmins, O most mighty king, ten several kinds are there: Listen, while I distinguish them, and all these kinds declare.

¹⁰"Some carry sacks upon their backs, root-filled and fastened tight; They gather healing herbs, they bathe, and magic spells recite.

¹¹"These are physician-like, O king, and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

¹²[362] Quoth King Koravya:

¹³"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

¹⁴Vidhdra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

¹⁵"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

¹⁶"Some carry bells and go before, and as they go they ring, A chariot they can drive with skill, and messages can bring:

¹⁷"These are like servants, mighty king, and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

¹⁸Quoth King Koravya: "These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood: Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

¹⁹"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

²⁰"With waterpot and crooked staff some run to meet the king, Through all the towns and villages, and as they follow, sing— "In wood or town we never budge, until a gift you bring"!

²¹"Like tax-men these importunate, and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

²²Quoth King Koravya: "These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

²³Vidhtira, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

²⁴"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

²⁵"Some with long nails and hairy limbs, foul teeth, and matted hair, Covered with dust and dirt-begrimed as beggar-men they fare:

²⁶"Hewers of wood, O mighty king! and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

²⁷[363] Quoth King Koravya:

²⁸"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

²⁹Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

³⁰"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

³¹"Myrobolan and vilva fruit, rose-apple, mangoes ripe 1, The labuj-fruit and planks of wood, tooth-brush and smoking-pipe,

³²"Sugar-cane baskets, honey sweet, and ointment too, O king, All these they make their traffick in, and many another thing.

³³"These are like merchants, O great king, and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

³⁴Quoth King Koravya:

³⁵"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

³⁶Vidhira, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

³⁷"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

³⁸"Some follow trade and husbandry, keep flocks of goats in fold, They give and take in marriage, and their daughters sell for gold 2.

³⁹"Like Vessa and Ambattha 3 these; and brahmins they too hight: Such Brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

⁴⁰Quoth King Koravya:

⁴¹"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

⁴²Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

⁴³"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

⁴⁴[364] "Some chaplains fortunes tell, or geld and mark a beast for pay: With proffered food the village folk invite them oft to stay. There kine and bullocks, swine and goats are slaughtered many a day.

⁴⁵"Like butchers base are these, O king, and brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

⁴⁶Quoth King Koravya:

⁴⁷"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

⁴⁸Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

⁴⁹"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

⁵⁰"Some brahmins, armed with sword and shield, with battle-axe in hand, Ready to guide a caravan before the merchants stand.

⁵¹"Like herdmen these, or bandits bold, yet brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

⁵²Quoth King Koravya:

⁵³"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

⁵⁴Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

⁵⁵"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

⁵⁶"Some build them huts and lay them traps in any woodland place, Catch fish and tortoises, the hare, wild-cat and lizard chase.

⁵⁷"Hunters are these, O mighty king, and brahmins they too hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

⁵⁸Quoth King Koravya: "These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

⁵⁹Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

⁶⁰[365] "Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

⁶¹"Others for love of gold lie down beneath the royal bed, At soma-sacrifice: the kings bathing above their head :.

⁶²"These are like barbers? O great king, but brahmins too they hight: Such brahmins shall we seek for, now you know this kind aright?"

⁶³Quoth King Koravya:

⁶⁴"These have no right to such a name: lost is their brahminhood:

⁶⁵Vidhtra, find me other men who shall be wise and good,

⁶⁶"Men free from deeds of evil lust, that they may eat my food: So would I give, that I myself may reap a crop of good."

⁶⁷[367] Thus having described those who are brahmins in name only, he went on to describe the brahmins in the highest sense in the following two stanzas:

⁶⁸"But there are brahmins, too, my lord, men very wise and good, Free from the deeds of evil lust, to eat your offered food.

⁶⁹"One only meal of rice they eat: strong drink they never touch: And now you know this kind aright, say shall we look for such?"

⁷⁰When the king heard his words, he asked "Where, friend Vidhtra, where dwell these brahmins, worthy of the best things?" "In the further Himalaya, O king, in a cave of Mount Nanda." "Then, wise sir, bring me those brahmins hither, by your power." Then in great joy the king recited this stanza:

⁷¹"Vidhtra, bring those brahmins here, so holy and so wise,

⁷²Invite them, O Vidhura, here, let no delay arise!"

⁷³The Great Being agreed to do as he was requested, adding this: "Now, O king! send the drum beating about the city, to proclaim that the city must be gloriously adorned, and all the people of it must give alms, and undertake the holy-day vows, and pledge themselves to virtue; and you with all your court must take the holy-day vows upon you." Himself at early dawn, having taken his meal, and taken the holy-day vows, at eventide he sent for a basket of the colour of jasmine, and together with the monarch made a salutation with the full prostration :, [368] and he called to memory the virtues of the Pacceka Buddhas, uttering these words: "Let the five hundred Pacceka Buddhas who dwell in

⁷⁴Northern Himalaya, in the cave of Mount Nanda, to-morrow partake of our food!" he cast eight handfuls of flowers into the air. At once these flowers fell upon the five hundred Pacceka Buddhas, in the place where they dwelt. They pondered, and understood the fact, and accepted the invitation, saying, "Reverend Sirs, we are invited by the wise Vidhtra, and no mean creature is he: he has the seed of a Buddha within him, and in this very cycle a Buddha he will be. Let us show him favour." The Great Being understood that they would comply, by token that the flowers did not return. Then he said, "O great king! to- morrow the Pacceka Buddhas will come; do them honour and worship." Next day the king did them great honour, preparing precious seats for them upon a great dais. The Pacceka Buddhas, in Lake Anotatta, having waited for the time when their bodily needs were seen to, travelled through the air and descended in the royal courtyard. The king and the Bodhisatta, faith in their hearts, received the bowls from their hands, and caused them to come up on the terrace, seated them, gave them the gift-water » into their hands, and served them with food hard and soft most delightful.

⁷⁵After the meal, he invited them for the next day, and so on for seven days following, presenting them with many gifts, and on the seventh day he gave them all the requisites. Then they gave him thanks, and passing through the air returned to the same place, and the requisites also went with them.

⁷⁶The Master, after finishing this discourse, said: "No wonder, Brethren, that the king of Kosala being my follower, has given me the gift incomparable, for wise men of old when as yet there was no Buddha, did the same." Then he identified the Birth: "At

⁷⁷that time Ananda was the king, and the wise Vidhira was I myself."

⁷⁸227:1 See Sick, Sociale Gliederung, p. 140.

⁷⁹227:2 No such title appears. The incomparable gift is referred to in No. 424, Aditta jataka, but the reader is referred to Mahagovinda Sutta.

⁸⁰228:1 This line occurs in iii. 401 (p. 202 of the translation).

⁸¹229:1 The fruits and trees named are: myrobolan (terminalia chebula), emblic myrobolan (emblica officinalis), mango, rose- apple (Eugenia jambu), beleric myrobolan, artocarpus lacucha, vilva (aegle marmelos), rajayatana wood (? Buchanania latifolia). Brahmins were forbidden to sell fruits or healing herbs, honey and ointment, not to say other things.

⁸²229:2 Ie. arrange a marriage in which the man pays them a price.

⁸³229:3 A mixt caste, sprung from a brahmin father and a Vaicya woman.

⁸⁴230:1 After a soma offering, the custom was for a king to bathe on a gorgeous couch. A brahmin lay beneath, and the holy water, washing off the king's sins, washed them on to the brahmin, who received the bed and all its ornaments as recompense for playing scapegoat. Sick, Sociale Gliederung, p. 143, note, quoting Oldenberg, Religion des Veda, pp. 407ff.

⁸⁵231:1 Lit. prostration of "the five rests," so as to touch the ground with forehead both elbows, waist, knees, and feet.

⁸⁶231:2 Water poured into the right-hand in ratifying some promise made or gift bestowed.

¹[369] "I saw one sitting," etc.—This story the Master told, whilst dwelling in Jetavana, about a certain landowner. He was a true and faithful believer, and showed honour continually to the Tathagata and the Order. One day these thoughts came to him. "I show honour constantly to the Buddha, that precious jewel, and the Order, that precious jewel, by bestowing upon them delicate food and soft raiment. Now I should like to do honour to that precious jewel the Law: but how is one to show honour to that?" So he took plenty of perfumed garlands and such like things, and proceeded to Jetavana, and greeting the Master, asked him this question: "My desire is, Sir, to show honour to the jewel of the Law: how is a man to set about it?" The Master replied, "If your desire is to honour the jewel of the Law, then show honour to Ananda, the Treasurer of the Law." "It is well," he said, and promised to do so. He invited the Elder to visit him, and brought him next day to his house in great pomp and splendour; he placed the Elder upon a magnificent seat, and worshipt him with perfumed garlands and so forth, gave him choice food of many kinds, presented cloth of great price sufficient for the three robes. Thought the Elder, "This honour is done to the jewel of the Law; it befits not me, but it befits the chief Commander of the Faith." So the food placed in the bowl, and the cloths, he took to the monastery, and gave it to Elder Sariputta. He thought likewise, "This honour is done to the jewel of the Law; it befits simply and solely the Supreme Buddha, lord of the Law," and he

²gave it to the Dasabala. The Master, seeing no one above himself, partook of the food, accepted the cloth for robes. And the Brethren chatted about it in the Hall of Truth: "Brethren, so and so the landowner, meaning to show honour to the Law, made a gift to Elder Ananda, Treasurer of the Law; he thought himself unworthy of it, and gave it to the Commander of the Faith; and he, thinking himself not worthy, to the Tathagata. But the Tathagata, seeing no one above himself, knew that he was worthy of it as Lord of the Law, and ate of the food, and took that cloth for robes. Thus the gift of food has found its master, by going to him whose right it was." The Master entering, asked them what they talked of as they sat there. They told him. "Brethren," said he, "this is not the first time that food given has fallen to the lot of the worthy by successive steps; so it did long ago, before the Buddha's day." With these words, he told them a Story of the past.

³[370] Once upon a time Brahmadatta ruled righteously in Benares, having renounced the ways of sin, and he kept the Ten Royal Virtues. This being so, his court of justice became so to say empty. The king, by way of searching out his own faults, questioned every one, beginning with those who dwelt about him; but not in the women's apartments, nor in the city, nor in the near villages, could he find any one who had a fault to tell of him :. Then he made up his mind to try the country

⁴folk. So handing over the government to his courtiers, and taking the chaplain with him, he traversed the kingdom of Kasi in disguise; yet he found no one with a fault to tell of him.

⁵At last he came to a village on the frontier, and sat down in a hall without the gate. At that time, a landowner of that village, a rich man worth eighty crores, in going down with a great following to the bathing place, saw the king seated in the hall, with his dainty body and skin of a golden colour. He took a fancy to him, and entering the hall, said, "Stay here awhile." Then he went to his house, and had got ready all manner of dainty food, and returned with his grand retinue carrying vessels of food. At the same time, an ascetic from Himalaya came in and sat down there, aman who had the Five Transcendent Faculties. And a Pacceka Buddha also, from a cave on Mount Nanda, came and sat there. The landowner gave the king water to wash his hands, and prepared a dish of food with all manner of fine sauces and condiments, and set before the king. He received it and gave it to the brahmin chaplain. The chaplain took it and gave to the ascetic. The ascetic walked up to the Pacceka Buddha, in his left hand holding the vessel of food, and in his right the waterpot, first offered the water of gift :, and then placed the food in the bowl. He proceeded to eat, without inviting any to share, or asking leave. When the meal was done, the landowner thought: "I gave this food to the king, and he to his chaplain and the chaplain to the ascetic, and the ascetic to the Pacceka Buddha; the Pacceka Buddha has eaten it without leave asked. What means this manner of giving? [371] Why did the last eat without with your leave or by your leave? I will ask them one by one." Then he approached each in turn, and saluting them, asked his question, while they made answer:

⁶"I saw one worthy of a throne, who from a kingdom came To deserts bare from palaces, most delicate of frame.

⁷"On him in kindness I bestowed picked paddy-grains to eat, A mess of rice all cooked so nice such as men pour on meat.

⁸"You took the food, and gave it to the brahmin, eating none: With all due deference I ask, what is it you have done?"

⁹"My teacher, pastor, zealous he for duties great and small, I ought to give the food to him, for he deserves it all."

¹⁰"Brahmin, whom even kings respect, say why did you not eat 2 The mess of rice, all cooked so nice, which men pour over meat.

¹¹"You knew not the gift's scope, but to the sage you past it on: With all due deference I ask, what is it you have done?"

¹²"I keep a wife and family, in houses too I dwell,

¹³I rule the passions of a king, my own indulge as well.

¹⁴"Unto a wise ascetic man long dwelling in the wood, Old, practised in religious lore, I ought to give the food.

¹⁵"Now the thin sage I ask, whose skin shows all the veins beneath, With nails grown long, and shaggy hair, and dirty head and teeth:

¹⁶"Have you no care for life, O lonely dweller in the wood? How is this monk a better man to whom you gave the food?"

¹⁷"Wild bulbs and radishes I dig, catmint and herbs seek I, Wild rice, black mustard shake or pick, and spread them out to dry,

¹⁸"Jujubes, herbs, honey, lotus-threads, myrobolan, scraps of meat, This is my wealth, and these I take and make them fit to eat.

¹⁹[372] "I cook, he cooks not: I have wealth, he nothing: I'm bound tight To worldly things, but he is free: the food is his by right."

²⁰"I ask the Brother, sitting there, with cravings all subdued; —This mess of rice, all cooked and nice, which men pour on their food,

²¹"You took it, and with appetite eat it, and share with none; With all due deference I ask, what is it you have done?"

²²"I cook not, nor I cause to cook, destroy nor have destroyed; He knew that I possess no wealth, all sins I do avoid.

²³"The pot he carried in his right, and in his left the food, Gave me the broth men pour on meat, the mess of rice so good;

²⁴"They have possessions, they have wealth, to give their duty is: Who asks a giver to partake, he is a foe, y-wis."

²⁵[373] On hearing these words, the landowner in high delight repeated the last two stanzas:

²⁶"It was a happy chance for me to-day that brought the king: I never knew before how gifts abundant fruit would bring.

²⁷"Kings in their kingdoms, brahmins in their work, are full of greed, Sages in picking fruits and roots: Brethren from sin are freed."

²⁸The Pacceka Buddha having discoursed to him, then departed to his own place, and the ascetic likewise. And the king, after remaining a few days with him, went away to Benares.

²⁹[374] When the Master had ended this discourse, he said: "It is not the first time, Brethren, that food went to him who deserved it, for the same thing has happened before." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time, the landowner who did honour to the Law was the landowner in the story, Ananda was the king, Sariputta the chaplain, and I myself was the ascetic who lived in Himalaya."

³⁰232:1 Compare vol. ii. no. 151, p. 1.

³¹233:1 See p. 231, note 2.

³²233:2 Gotama is here only the clan-name of the brahmin, vaddham is the right reading, boiled rice.

³³BOOK XV. VISATI-NIPATA.

¹[375] "Whence comest thou," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about the hereditary king Udena. At that time, the reverend Pindola-bharadvaja passing from Jetavana through the air, used generally to pass the heat of the day in king Udena's park at Kosambi. The Elder, we are told, had in a former existence been king, and for a long time had enjoyed glory in that very park with his retinue. By virtue of the good then by him performed, he used to sit there in the heat of the day, enjoying the bliss of Attainment which was its fruit.

²One day he was in that place, and sitting under a sal-tree in full flower, when Udena came into the park with a large number of followers. For seven days he had been drinking deep, and he wished to take his pleasure in the park. He lay down on the royal seat in the arms of one of his women, and being foxed soon fell asleep. Then the women who sat singing around threw down their instruments of music, and wandered about the pleasance gathering flowers and fruit. By and by they saw the Elder, and came up, and saluting him sat down. The Elder sat where he was and discoursed to them. The other woman by shifting her arms awoke the king, who said, "Where are those drabs gone?" She replied, "They are sitting in a ring round an ascetic." The king grew angry, and went to the Elder, abusing and reviling: "Out on

³it, I'll have the fellow devoured by red ants!" So in rage he caused a basket full of red ants to be broken over the Elder's body. But the Elder rose up in the air, and admonished the king; then to Jetavana he went, and alighted at the gateway of the Perfumed Chamber. "Whence have you come?" asked the Tathagata: and he told him the fact. "Bharadvaja," quoth he, "this is not the first time Udena has done despite to a religious man, but he did the same before." Then at the Elder's request, he told a story of the past.

⁴[376] Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Great Being was born outside the city, as a Candala's son, and they gave him the name of Matanga, the Elephant :. Afterwards he attained wisdom, and his fame was blown abroad as the Wise Matanga. Now at that time one Dittha-mangalika :, daughter of a Benares merchant, every month or

⁵two used to come and disport her in the park with a crowd of companions. One day, the Great Being had gone to town on some business, and as he was entering the gate met Dittha- mangalika. He stept aside, and stood quite still, From behind her curtain Dittha-mangalika spied him, and asked, "Who is that?" "A Candala, my lady." "Bah," says she, "I have seen something that brings bad luck," and washing her eyes with scented water she turned back. The people with her cried out, "Ah, vile outcast, you have lost us free food and liquor to-day!" In rage they pummelled Matanga the wise with hands and feet, and made him senseless, and went away. After a while he recovered consciousness, and thought, "The crowd around Dittha-

⁶mangalika beat me for no reason, an innocent man. I will not budge till I get her, not a moment before." With this resolve, he went and lay down at the door of her father's house. When they asked him why he lay there, his reply was, "All I want is Dittha- mangalika." One day passed, then a second, a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The resolve of the Buddhas is immovable; therefore on the seventh day they brought out the girl and gave her to him. Then she said, "Rise up, master, and let us go to your house." But he said, "Lady, I have been well pummelled by your people, Iam weak, take me up on your back and carry me." So she did, and in full view of the citizens went forth from the city to the Candala settlement.

⁷There for a few days the Great Being kept her, without transgressing in any way the rules of caste. Then he thought, "Only by renouncing the world, and in no other way, shall I be able to show this lady the highest honour and give her the best gifts." [377] So he said to her, "Lady, if I fetch nothing out of the forest, we cannot live. I will go into the forest; wait till I return, but do not worry." He laid injunctions upon the household not to neglect her, and went into the forest, and embraced the life of a religious ascetic, with all diligence; so that in seven days he developed the Eight Attainments and the Five Supernatural Faculties. Then he thought, "Now I shall be able to protect Dittha-mangalika." By his supernatural power he went back, and alighted at the gate of the Candala village, wnence he proceeded to the door of Dittha-mangalika's house. She, when she heard of his return, came out, and began to weep, saying, "Why have you deserted me, master, and become an ascetic?" He said, "Never mind, lady, now I will make you more glorious than your former glory. Will you be able to say in the midst of the people just this: "My husband is not Matanga, but the Great Brahma?" "Yes,

⁸master, I can say it." "Very well, when they ask you where is your husband, you must reply, He is gone to Brahma's heaven. If they ask, when he will come back, you must say, In seven days he will come, breaking the moon's disk when she is at the full." With these words, he went away to Himalaya.

⁹Now Dittha-mangalika said what she had been told here and there in Benares, amidst a great crowd. The people believed, saying, "Ah, he is Great Brahma, and therefore does not visit Dittha-mangalika, but thus and thus it will be." On the night of full moon, at the time when the moon stands still in mid-course, the Bodhisatta assumed the appearance of Brahma, and amidst a blaze of light which filled all the kingdom of Kasi, and the city of Benares twelve leagues in extent, broke through the moon and came down: thrice he made circuit above the city of Benares, and received the worship of the great crowd with perfumed garlands and such like, and then turned his face towards the Candala village. The devotees of Brahma gathered together, and went to the Candala village. They covered Dittha-mangalika's house with white cloths, swept the ground with four manner of sweet smelling things, scattered flowers, [378] burnt incense, Spread an awning, prepared a splendid seat, lit a lamp of scented oil, laid at the door sand white and smooth as a silver plate, scattered flowers, put up banners. Before the house thus decorated the Great Being came down, and entered, and sat a little while on the seat. At that time Dittha-mangalika was in her monthly terms. His : thumb touched her navel, and she conceived. Then the Great Being said to her, "Lady, you are with child, and you shall bring forth a son; you and your son shall receive the highest honour and tribute; the water that washes

¹⁰your feet shall be used by kings for the ceremonial sprinkling throughout all India, the water you bathe in shall be an elixir of immortality, those who sprinkle it on their heads shall be set free from all disease and shall not know ill luck, they who lay the head on your feet and salute you shall give a thousand pieces of money, they who stand within your hearing and salute you shall give a hundred, they who stand in your sight and salute you shall give one rupee each. Be vigilant!" With this admonition, in view of the crowd, he rose up and re-entered the moon.

¹¹The devotees of Brahma collected, and stood there through the whole night; in the morning they caused her to enter a golden palanquin, and taking it upon their heads, bore her into the city. A great concourse came to her, crying aloud, "The wife of Great Brahma!" and did worship with scented garlands and other such things; those who were allowed to lay the head on her feet and salute her gave a purse of a thousand pieces, those who might salute her within hearing gave a hundred, those who might salute her standing within her sight gave one rupee each. Thus they included in their progress the whole city of Benares, twelve leagues in extent, and received a sum of eighteen crores.

¹²Having thus made the circuit of that city, they brought her to the centre of it, and there built a great pavilion, and set curtains about it,

¹³and caused her to dwell there amidst much glory and prosperity. Before the pavilion, they began to build seven great entrance gates, and a palace with seven storeys: much new merit was set to their account.

¹⁴In that same pavilion, Dittha-mangalika brought forth a son. On his name-day, [379] the brahmins gathered together, and named him Mandavya-kumara, the Prince of the Pavilion, because he was born there. In ten months the palace was finished: from that time she ; dwelt in it, highly honoured. And Prince Mandavya grew up amid great magnificence. When he was seven or eight years old, the best teachers in the length and breadth of India gathered together, and they taught him the three Vedas. From the age of sixteen he provided food for the brahmins, and sixteen thousand brahmins were fed continually; at the fourth embattled gateway the alms were distributed to the brahmins.

¹⁵Now on one great day of festival they prepared a quantity of rice porridge, and sixteen thousand brahmins sat by the fourth embattled gateway and partook of this food, accompanied with fresh ghee of a golden yellow, a decoction of honey and lump sugar; and the prince himself, brilliantly adorned with jewels, with golden slippers upon his feet, and a staff of fine gold in his hand, was walking about and giving directions, "Ghee here, honey here." At that time, the wise Matanga seated in his hermitage in the Himalayas, turned his thoughts to see what news there was of Dittha-mangalika's son. Perceiving that he was going in the wrong way, he thought, "To-day I will go, and convert the young man, and I will teach him how to give so that the gift shall bring much fruit." He went through the air to Lake Anotatta, and there washed his mouth, and so forth; standing in the district of Manosila 2, he donned the pair of coloured garments, girt his girdle about him, put on the ragged robe, took his earthen bowl, and went through the air to the fourth gateway, where he alighted just by the alms-hall, and stood on one side. Mandavya, looking this way and that, espied him. "Where do you come from," cried he, "you ascetic, you

¹⁶misbegotten outcast, a goblin and no man?" and he repeated the first stanza:

¹⁷[380]

¹⁸"Whence comest thou, in filthy garments drest, A creature vile and goblin-like, I vow, A robe of refuse-rags across thy breast,

¹⁹Unworthy of a gift—say, who art thou?"

²⁰The Great Being listened, then with gentle heart addressed him in the words of the second stanza:

²¹"The food, O noble sir! is ready set, The people taste, and eat, and drink of it: You know we live on what we chance to get;

²²Rise! let the low-caste churl enjoy a bit."

²³Then Mandavya recited the third stanza:

²⁴"For brahmins, for my blessing, by my hand This food is got, the gift of faithful heart. Away! what boots it in my sight to stand?

²⁵‘Tis not for such as thou: vile wretch, depart!" [381] Thereupon the Great Being repeated a stanza:

²⁶"They sow the seed on high ground and on low, Hoping for fruit, and on the marshy plain: In such a faith as this thy gifts bestow;

²⁷Worthy recipients so thou shalt obtain."

²⁸Then Mandavya repeated a stanza:

²⁹"I know the lands wherein I mean to sow, The proper places in this world for seed, Brahmins highborn, that holy scriptures know:

³⁰These are good ground and fertile fields indeed Then the Great Being repeated two stanzas:

³¹"The pride of birth, o’erweening self-conceit, Drunkenness, hatred, ignorance, and greed,— Those in whose hearts these vices find their seat,—

³²They all are bad and barren fields for seed.

³³"The pride of birth o’erweening, self-conceit, Drunkenness, hatred, ignorance, and greed,—

³⁴[382] Those in whose hearts these vices find no seat, They all are good and fertile fields for seed."

³⁵These words the Great Being repeated again and again; but the other grew angry, and cried—"The fellow prates overmuch. Where are my porters gone, that they do not cast out the churl?" Then he repeated a stanza:

³⁶"Ho Bhandakucchi, Upajjhaya ho! And where is Upajotiya, I say? Punish the fellow, kill the fellow, go—

³⁷And by the throat hale the vile churl away!"

³⁸The men hearing his call, came up at a run, and saluting him, asked, "What are we to do, my lord?" "Did you ever see this base outcast?" "No, Sire, we did not know he had come in at all: some juggler he is doubtless, or cunning rogue."—"Well, why do you stand there?"—"What are we to do, my lord?"—"Why, strike the

³⁹fellow's mouth, break his jaw, tear his back with rods and cudgels, punish him, take the wretch by the throat, knock him down, away with him out of this place!" But the Great Being, ere they could come at him, rose up in the air, and there poised, repeated a stanza:

⁴⁰[383]

⁴¹"Revile a sage! to swallow blazing fire as much avails,

⁴²Or bite hard iron, or dig down a mountain with your nails."

⁴³Having uttered these words, the Great Being rose high in the air, while the youth and the brahmins gazed at the sight.

⁴⁴Explaining this, the Master recited a stanza:

⁴⁵"So spake the sage Matanga, champion of truth and right,

⁴⁶Then in the air he rose aloft before the brahmins' sight."

⁴⁷He turned his face to the eastwards, and coming down ina certain street, with intent that his footsteps might be visible, he begged alms near the eastern gate; then, having collected a quantity of mixt victuals, he sat him down in a certain hall and began to eat. But the deities of the city came up, finding it intolerable that this king should so speak as to annoy their sage. So the eldest goblin among them seized hold of Mandavya by the neck, and twisted it, and the others seized the other brahmins and twisted their necks. But through pity for the Bodhisatta, they did not kill Mandavya: "he is his son," they said, and only tormented him. Mandavya's head was twisted so that it

⁴⁸looked backwards over his shoulders; hands and feet were stiff and stark; his eyes were turned up, as though he were a dead man: there he lay stark. The other brahmins turned round and round, drabbling spittle at the mouth. People went and told Dittha-mangalika, "Something has happened to your son, my lady!" She made all haste thither, and seeing him cried, "Oh, what is this!" and recited a stanza:

⁴⁹"Over the shoulder twisted stands his head; See how he stretches out a helpless arm! White are his eyes as though he were quite dead:

⁵⁰O who is it has wrought my son this harm?" [384] Then the bystanders repeated a stanza, telling her about it:

⁵¹"A hermit came, in filthy garments drest, A creature vile and goblin-like to see, With robe of refuse-rags across his breast:

⁵²The man who treated thus thy son, is he."

⁵³On hearing this, she thought: "No other has the power, the wise Matanga without doubt it must be! But one who is stedfast, and full of goodwill to all creatures, will never go away and leave all these folk to torment. Now in what direction can he have gone?" which question she put in the following stanza:

⁵⁴"In what direction went the wise one hence? O noble youths, pray answer me this thing! Come let us make atonement for the offence,

⁵⁵Our son to life again that we may bring."

⁵⁶The young men answered her in this manner:

⁵⁷"That wise one, up into the air rose he, Like moon in mid-career the fifteenth day: The sage, truth-consecrated, fair to see,

⁵⁸Towards the east moreover bent his way."

⁵⁹This answer given, she said, "I will seek my husband!" and bidding take with her pitchers of gold and cups of gold, Surrounded with a company of waiting women, she went and found the place where his footsteps had touched the ground; these she followed, until she came to him sitting upon a seat, and eating his meal. [385] Approaching she saluted him, and stood still. On seeing her he placed some boiled rice in his bowl. Dittha mangalika poured water for him from a golden pitcher; he at once washed his hands and rinsed out his mouth. Then she said, "Who has done this cruel thing to my son?" repeating this stanza:

⁶⁰"Over the shoulder twisted stands his head; See how he stretches out a helpless arm! White are his eyes, as though he were quite dead:

⁶¹O who is it has wrought my son this harm?" The stanzas which follow are said by the two alternately:

⁶²"Goblins there are, whose might and power is great, Who follow sages, beautiful to see: They saw thy son ill-minded, passionate,

⁶³And they have treated thus thy son for thee."

⁶⁴"Then it is goblins who this thing have done: Do not be wroth, O holy man, with me!

⁶⁵O Brother! full of love towards my son Hither for refuge to thy feet I flee!"

⁶⁶"Then let me tell thee that my mind doth hide Nor then nor now a thought of enmity:

⁶⁷Thy son, through fancied knowledge, drunk with pride, Knows not the meaning of the Vedas three."

⁶⁸"O Brother! verily a man may find

⁶⁹Allin a trice his sense quite gone blind. Forgive me my one error, O wise sage!

⁷⁰They who are wise are never fierce in rage :."

⁷¹[386] The Great Being, thus pacified by her, replied, "Well, I will give you the elixir of immortal life, to make the goblins depart"; and he recited this stanza:

⁷²"This fragment of my leavings take with thee, Let the poor fool Mandavya eat a piece: Thy son shall be made whole, restored to thee,

⁷³And so the goblins shall their prey release."

⁷⁴When she heard the words of the Great Being, she held out a golden bowl, saying, "Give me the elixir of immortality, my lord!" The Great Being dropt in it some of his rice gruel, and said, "First put the half of this into your son's mouth; the rest mix with water in a vessel, and put it in the mouths of the other brahmins: they Shall all be made whole." Then he arose and departed to Himalaya. She carried off the pitcher upon her head, crying, "I have the elixir of immortality!" Arrived at the house, she first put some of it in her son's mouth. The Goblin fled away; the king got up, and brushed off the dust, asking, "What is this, mother?"—"You know well enough what you have done; now see the miserable plight of your dolesmen!" When he looked at

⁷⁵them, he was filled with remorse. [387] Then his mother said, "Mandavya, my dear son, you are a fool, and you do not know how to give so that the gift may bear fruit. Such as these are not fit for your bounty, but only such as are like the wise Matanga. Henceforward give nothing to evil men like these, but give to the virtuous." Then she said:—

⁷⁶"Thou art a fool, Mandavya, small of wit, Not knowing when to do good deeds is fit: Thou givest to those whose sinfulness is great, To evildoers and intemperate. "Garments of skin, a mass of shaggy hair, Mouth like an ancient well with grass o’ergrown,

⁷⁷And see what ragged clouts the creatures wear! But fools are saved not by such things alone.

⁷⁸"When passion, hate, and ignorance, afar from men are driven, Give to such calm and holy men: much fruit for this is given."

⁷⁹"Therefore from this time forward give not to wicked men like this; but whoso in this world has reached the eight Attainments, righteous ascetics and brahmins who have gained the Five Transcendent Faculties, Pacceka Buddhas, to these give your gifts. Come my son, let me give these our servants the elixir of immortality, [388] and make them whole." So saying, she had the leavings of the rice gruel taken, and put in a pitcher of water, and sprinkled over the mouths of the sixteen thousand brahmins. Each one got up, and brushed off the dust.

⁸⁰Then these brahmins, having been made to taste the leavings of a Candala, were put out of caste by the other brahmins. In shame they departed from Benares, and went to the kingdom of Mejjha, where they lived with the king of that country. But Mandavya remained where he was.

⁸¹At that time there was a brahmin named Jatimanta, one of the religious, who lived hard by the city of Vettavatt on the banks of the river of that name; and he was a man mightily proud of his birth. The Great Being went thither, resolved to humble the man's pride; and he

⁸²made his abode near him, but further up stream. One day, having nibbled at a tooth-stick ;, he let it fall into the river, resolving that it should get entangled in Jatimanta's knot of hair. Accordingly, as he was washing in the water, the stick became entangled in his hair. "Curse the brute!" said he, when he saw it, "where has this come from, with a pest! I will enquire." He proceeded up stream, and finding the Great Being, asked him, "What caste are you of?"—"I am a Candala."—"Did you drop a tooth-stick into the river?"—"Yes, I did."—"You brute! curse you, vile outcast, a murrain on you, don't stay here, but go further down stream." But even when he went to live down stream, the tooth-sticks he dropt floated against the current, and stuck in Jatimanta's hair. "Curse you!" quoth he, "if you stay here, in seven days your head shall burst into seven pieces!" The Great Being thought, "If I allow myself to be angry with the man, I shall not be keeping my virtue; but I will find a way to break down his pride." On the seventh day, he prevented the sunrise. All the world was put out: they came to the ascetic Jatimanta, and asked, "Is it you, Sir, who prevent the sun from rising?" He said, "That is no doing of mine; but there is a Candala living by the riverside, and his doing it must be." Then the people came to the Great Being, and asked him, "Is it you, Sir, who keep the sun from rising?" [389] "Yes, friends," said he. "Why?" they asked. "The ascetic who is your favourite reviles me, an innocent man;

⁸³when he comes and falls at my feet to ask for mercy, then I will let the sun go." They went and dragged him along, and cast him down before the Great Being's feet, and tried to appease him, saying, "Sir, pray let the sun go." But he said, "I cannot let him go; if I do so, this man's head will burst into seven pieces." They said, "Then, Sir, what are we to do?" "Bring me a lump of clay." They brought it. "Now place it upon the head of this ascetic, and let the ascetic down into the water." After making these arrangements, he let the sun rise. No sooner was the sun set free 2, the lump of clay split in seven, and the ascetic plunged under the water. Having thus humbled him, the Great Being pondered: "Where now are those sixteen thousand brahmins?" He perceived they were with the king of Mejjha, and resolved to humble them; by his supernatural power he alighted in the neighbourhood of the city, and bowl in hand tramped the city seeking alms. When the brahmins descried him, they said, "Let him stay here but a couple of days, and he will leave us without a refuge!" In all haste they went to the king, crying, "O mighty king, here is a juggler and mountebank come: take him prisoner!" The king was ready enough. The Great Being, with his mess of mixt victuals, was sitting beside a wall, ona

⁸⁴bench, and eating. There, as he was busy partaking of the food, the king's messengers found him, and striking him with a sword, killed him. After his death, he was born in the Brahma world. It is said that in this birth the Bodhisatta was a :mongoose-tamer, and in this servile occupation was put to death. The deities were angry, and poured down upon the whole kingdom of Mejjha a torrent of hot ashes, and wiped it out from among kingdoms. Therefore it is said:

⁸⁵"So the whole nation was destroyed of Mejjha, as they say,

⁸⁶For glorious Matanga's death, the kingdom swept away."

⁸⁷[390] When the Master had ended this discourse, he said: "It is not now the first time that Udena has abused religious men, but he did the same before." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time, Udena was Mandavya, and I myself was the wise Matanga."

⁸⁸235:1 Also a name of a man of the Candala caste, which was the lowest.

⁸⁹235:2 Lit. "one who has seen good omens."

⁹⁰237:1 Reading assa.

⁹¹238:1 Adding sd, with one MS.

⁹²238:2 Part of the Himalaya region.

⁹³239:1 The last two lines occur on p. 205 (above, p. 128).

⁹⁴241:1 These two lines occur above, p. 313 (p. 197 of this volume). 243:1 The Indians use a fibrous stick for cleansing the teeth.

⁹⁵243:2 Taking pahata- as used for pahina-.

¹"Every good deed," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about two fellow-priests of the reverend Maha- kassapa, who lived happily together. This pair, we are told, were most friendly, and had share for share in all things with the utmost fairness: even when they walked for alms, together they went out and together came in, nor could they endure to be apart. In the Hall of Truth sat the Brethren, praising their friendship, when the Master came in, and asked what they talked of as they sat there. They told him; and he replied, "Their friendship in one existence, Brethren, is nothing to wonder at; for wise men of old kept friendliness unbroken throughout three or four different existences." So saying, he told them a story of the past.

²Once upon atime, in the realm of Avanti, and the city of Ujjeni, reigned a great king named King Avanti. At that time, a Candala village lay outside Ujjent, and there the Great Being was born. Another person was born the son of his mother's sister. The one of these two was named Citta, and the other Sambhiata.

³These two when they grew up, having learnt what is called the art of sweeping in the Candala breed, thought one day they would go and show off this art at the city gate. So one of them showed off at the north gate, and one at the east. Now in this city were two women wise in the omens

⁴of sight, the one a merchant's daughter and the other a chaplain's. These went forth to make merry in the park, having ordered food to be brought hard and soft, garlands and perfumes; and it so happened that one went out by the northern gate and one the eastern. Seeing the two young Candalas showing their art, the girls asked "Who are these?" Candalas, they were informed. "This is an evil omen to see!" they said, [391] and after washing their eyes with perfumed water, they returned back. Then the multitude cried, "O vile outcasts, you have made us lose food and strong drink which would have cost us nothing!" They belaboured the two kinsmen, and did them much misery and mischief. When they recovered their senses, up they got and joined company, and told each the other what woe had befallen him, weeping and wailing, and wondering what to do now. "All this misery has come upon us," they thought, because of our birth. We shall never be able to play the part of Candalas; let us conceal our birth, and go to Takkasila in the disguise of young brahmins, and study there." Having made this decision, they went thither, and followed their studies in the law under a far-famed master. A rumour was blown abroad over India, that two young Candalas were students, and had concealed their birth. The wise Citta was successful in his studies, but Sambhuta not so.

⁵One day a villager invited the teacher, intending to offer food to the brahmins. Now it happened that rain fell in the night, and flooded all the hollows in the road. Early in the morning the teacher summoned wise Citta, and said, "My lad, I cannot go, do you go with the young men, and pronounce a blessing, eat what you get for yourself and bring home what there is for me." Accordingly he took the young brahmins, and went. While the young men bathed, and rinsed their mouths, the people

⁶prepared rice porridge, which they set ready for them, saying, "Let it cool." Before it was cool, the young men came and sat down. The people gave them the water of offering, and set the bowls in front of them. SambhUta's wits were somewhat muddled, and imagining it to be cool, took up a ball of the rice and put it in his mouth, but it burnt him like a red-hot ball of metal. In his pain he forgot his part altogether, and glancing at wise Citta, he said, in the Candala dialect; "Hot, aint it?" [392] The other forgot himself too, and answered in their manner of speech, "Spit it out, spit it out." At this the young men looked at each other, and said, "What kind of language is this?" Wise Citta pronounced a blessing.

⁷When the young men came home, they gathered in little knots and sat here and there discussing the words used. Finding that it was the dialect of the Candalas, they cried out on them, "O vile outcasts! you have been tricking us all this while, and pretending to be brahmins!" And they beat them both. One good man drove them out, saying, "Away! the blot's in

⁸the blood. Be off! Go somewhere and become ascetics." The young brahmins told their teacher that these two were Candalas.

⁹The pair went out into the woods, and there took up the ascetic life, and after no long time died, and were born again as the young of a doe on the banks of the Nerafijara. From the time of their birth they always went about together. One day, when they had fed, a hunter espied them under a tree ruminating and cuddling together, very happy, head to head, nozzle to nozzle, horn to horn. He cast a javelin at them, and killed them both by one blow.

¹⁰After this they were born as the young of an osprey, on the bank of Nerbudda. There too, when they grew up, after feeding they would cuddle together, head to head and beak to beak. A bird Snarer saw them, caught them together, and killed them both.

¹¹Next the wise Citta was born at KosambI, as a chaplain's son; the wise Sambhita was born as the son of the king of Uttarapaficala. From their name-days they could remember their former births. But SambhOta was not able to remember all without breaks, and all he could remember was the fourth or Candadla birth; Citta however remembered all four in due order. When Citta was sixteen years old, he went away and became an ascetic in Himalaya, [393] and developed the Faculty of the religious ecstasy, and dwelt in the bliss of ecstatic trance. Wise Sambhuta after his father's death had the Umbrella spread over him, and on the very day of the umbrella ceremony, in the midst of a great concourse, made a ceremonial hymn, and uttered two stanzas in aspiration. When they heard this, the royal wives and the musicians all chanted then, saying, "Our king's own coronation hymn!" and in course of time all the citizens sang it, as the hymn which their king loved. Wise Citta, in his dwelling place in Himalaya, wondered whether his brother Sambhtta had assumed the Umbrella, or not. Perceiving that he had, he thought, "I shall never be able to instruct a young ruler; but when he is old, I will visit him, and persuade him to be an ascetic." For fifty years he went not, and by that time the king was increased with sons and daughters; then by his supernatural power, he went, and alighted in the park, and sat down on the seat of ceremony like an image of gold. Just then a lad was picking up sticks, and as he did so he sang that hymn. Wise Citta called him to approach; he came up with an obeisance, and waited. Citta said to him, "Since early morning you have been

¹²singing that hymn; do you know no other?"—"Oh yes, sir, I know many more, but these are the verses the king loves, that is why I sing no others."—"Is there any one who can sing a refrain to the king's hymn?"—"No, Sir."—"Could you?"—"Yes, if lam taught one."—"Well, when the king chants these two verses, you sing this by way of a third," and he recited a hymn. "Now," said he, "go and sing this before the king, and the king will be pleased with

¹³you, and make much of you for it." The lad went to his mother quickly, and got himself drest up spick and span; then to the king's door, and sent in word that a lad would sing him a refrain to his hymn. The king said, "Let him approach." When the lad had come in, and saluted him, quoth the king, "They say you will sing me an answering refrain to my hymn?" [394] "Yes, my lord," said he, "bring in the whole court to hear." As soon as the court had assembled, the lad said, "Sing your hymn, my lord, and I will answer with mine." The king repeated a pair of stanzas:

¹⁴"Every good deed bears fruit or soon or late, No deed without result, and nothing vain:

¹⁵Isee Sambhtta mighty grown and great, Thus do his virtues bear him fruit again.

¹⁶"Every good deed bears fruit or soon or late, No deed without result, and nothing vain.

¹⁷Who knows if Citta also may be great, And like myself, his heart have brought him gain?"

¹⁸At the end of this hymn, the lad chanted the third stanza:

¹⁹"Every good deed bears fruit or soon or late,

²⁰No deed without result, and nothing vain. Behold, my lord, see Citta at thy gate,

²¹And like thyself, his heart has brought him gain."

²²On hearing this the king repeated the fourth stanza:

²³"Then art thou Citta, or the tale didst hear From him, or did some other make thee know? Thy hymn is very sweet: I have no fear;

²⁴A village and a bounty : I bestow." [395] Then the lad repeated the fifth stanza:

²⁵"Tam not Citta, but I heard the thing. It was a Sage laid on me this command— Go and recite an answer to the king,

²⁶And be rewarded by his grateful hand."

²⁷Hearing this, the king thought, "It must be my brother Citta; now I'll go and see him"; then he laid his bidding upon his men in the words of these two stanzas:

²⁸"Come, yoke the royal chariots, so finely wrought and made:

²⁹Gird up with girths the elephants, in necklets bright arrayed.

³⁰"Beat drums for joy, and let the conchs be blown, Prepare the swiftest chariots I own:

³¹For to that hermitage I will away,

³²To see the sage that sits within, this day."

³³So he spoke; then mounting his fine chariot, he went swiftly to the park gate. There he checked his chariot, and approached wise Citta with

³⁴an obeisance, and sat down on one side; greatly pleased, he recited the eighth stanza:

³⁵"A precious hymn it was I sang so sweet While thronging multitudes around me pressed; For now this holy sage I come to greet

³⁶And all is joy and gladness in my breast."

³⁷[396] Happy from the instant he saw wise Citta, he gave all necessary directions, bidding prepare a seat for his brother, and repeated the ninth

³⁸stanza:

³⁹"Accept a seat, and for your feet fresh water: it is right

⁴⁰To offer gifts of food to guests: accept, as we invite."

⁴¹After this sweet invitation, the king repeated another stanza, offering him the half of his kingdom:

⁴²"Let them make glad the place where thou shalt dwell, Let throngs of waiting women wait on thee; O let me show thee that I love thee well,

⁴³And let us both kings here together be."

⁴⁴When he had heard these words, wise Citta discoursed to him in six stanzas:

⁴⁵"Seeing the fruit of evil deeds, O king, Seeing what profit deeds of goodness bring, I fain would exercise stern self-control,

⁴⁶Sons, wealth, and cattle cannot charm my soul.

⁴⁷"Ten decades has this mortal life, which each to each succeed: This limit reached, man withers fast like to a broken reed.

⁴⁸"Then what is pleasure, what is love, wealth-hunting what to me? What sons and daughters? know, O king, from fetters I am free.

⁴⁹"For this is true, I know it well—death will not pass me by: And what is love, or what is wealth, when you must come to die?

⁵⁰[397] "The lowest race that go upon two feet Are the Candalas, meanest men on earth,

⁵¹When all our deeds were ripe, as guerdon meet We both as young Candalas had our birth.

⁵²"Candalas in Avanti land, deer by Nerafjara, Ospreys by the Nerbudda, now brahmin and Khattiya."

⁵³[398] Having thus made clear his mean births in time past, here also in this birth he declared the impermanency of things created, and recited four stanzas to arouse an effort:

⁵⁴"Life is but short, and death the end must be: The aged have no hiding where to flee.

⁵⁵Then, O Paficala, what I bid thee, do:

⁵⁶All deeds which grow to misery, eschew.

⁵⁷"Life is but short, and death the end must be: The aged have no hiding where to flee.

⁵⁸Then, O Paficala, what I bid thee, do: All deeds whose fruit is misery, eschew.

⁵⁹"Life is but short, and death the end must be: The aged have no hiding where to flee.

⁶⁰Then, O Paficala, what I bid thee, do:

⁶¹All deeds that are with passion stained, eschew.

⁶²"Life is but short, and death the end must be: Old age will sap our strength, we cannot flee.

⁶³Then, O Paficala, what I bid thee, do: All deeds that lead to lowest hell, eschew."

⁶⁴[399] The king rejoiced as the Great Being spoke and repeated three stanzas:

⁶⁵"True is that word, O Brother! which you say, You like a holy saint your words dictate: But my desires are hard to cast away,

⁶⁶By such as I am; they are very great.

⁶⁷"As elephants deep sunken in the mire

⁶⁸Cannot climb out, although they see the land: So, sunken in the slough of strong desire

⁶⁹Upon the Brethren's Path I cannot stand.

⁷⁰"As father or as mother would their son Admonish, good and happy how to grow: Admonish me how happiness is won, And tell me by which way I ought to go."

⁷¹Then the Great Being said to him:

⁷²"O lord of men! thou canst not cast away These passions which are common to mankind: Let not thy people unjust taxes pay,

⁷³Equal and righteous ruling let them find.

⁷⁴"Send messengers to north, south, east, and west The brahmins and ascetics to invite:

⁷⁵Provide them food and drink, a place to rest, Clothes, and all else that may be requisite.

⁷⁶[400] "Give thou the food and drink which satisfies Sages and holy brahmins, full of faith:

⁷⁷Who gives and rules as well as in him lies Will go to heaven all blameless after death.

⁷⁸"But if, surrounded by thy womankind Thou feel thy passion and desire too strong,

⁷⁹This verse of poetry then bear in mind And sing it in the midst of all the throng:

⁸⁰"No roof to shelter from the sky, amid the dogs he lay, His mother nursed him as she walked: but he's a king to-day."

⁸¹Such was the Great Being's advice. Then he said, "I have given you my counsel. And now do you become an ascetic or not, as you think fit; but I will follow up the result of my own deeds." Then he rose up in the air, and shook off the dust of his feet over him, and departed to Himalaya. [401] And the king saw it, and was greatly moved; and relinquishing his kingdom to his eldest son, he called out his army, and set his face in the direction of Himalaya. When the Great Being heard of his coming, he

⁸²went with his attendant sages and received him, and ordained him to the holy life, and taught him the means of inducing mystic ecstasy. He developed the Faculty of mystical meditation. Thus these two together became destined for Brahma's world.

⁸³When the Master had ended his discourse, he said: "Thus, Brethren, wise men of old continued firm friends through the course of three or four existences." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time Ananda was the wise SambhGta, and I myself was the wise Citta."

⁸⁴244:1 Taking konda- to be the same as kunda-.

⁸⁵247:1 Lit. a hundred (pieces of money): or (with the scholiast) "A hundred villages I do bestow."

¹"If there be any human," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling at Jetavana, about the gift incomparable. The circumstances have been fully told in Book VIII. under the Sovira Birth 2. But here the king, on the seventh day, gave all the requisites and asked for thanks; but the Master went away without thanking him. After breakfast the king went to the monastery, and said, "Why did you return no thanks, Sir?" The Master said, "The people were unpurified, your majesty." He went on to declare the Law, reciting the stanza that begins "To heaven the avaricious shall not go :." The king, pleased at heart, did reverence to the Tathagata by presenting an outer robe of the Sivi country, worth a thousand pieces of money; then he returned to the city.

²Next day they were talking of it in the Hall of Truth: "Sirs, the king of Kosala gave the gift incomparable: and, not content with that, when the Dasabala had discoursed to him, the king gave him a Sivi garment worth a thousand pieces! How insatiate the king is in giving, sure enough!" The Master came in, and asked what they talked of as they sat there: they told him. He said, "Brothers, things external are acceptable, true: but wise men of old, who gave gifts till all India rang again with the fame of it, each day distributing as much as six hundred thousand pieces, were unsatisfied with external gifts; and, remembering the proverb, Give what you prize and love will arise, they even pulled out their eyes and gave to those that asked." With these words, he told a story of the past.

³Once upon a time, when the mighty King Sivi reigned in the city of Aritthapura in the kingdom of Sivi, the Great Being was born as his son. They called his name Prince Sivi. When he grew up, he went

⁴to Takkasila and studied there; [402] then returning, he proved his knowledge to his father the king, and by him was made viceroy. At his father's death he became king himself, and, forsaking the ways of evil, he kept the Ten Royal Virtues and ruled in righteousness. He caused six alms-halls to be builded, at the four gates, in the midst of the city, and at his own door. He was munificent in distributing each day six hundred thousand pieces of money. On the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days he never missed visiting the alms-halls to see the distribution made.

⁵Once on the day of the full moon, the state umbrella had been uplifted early in the morning, and he sat on the royal throne thinking over the gifts he had given. Thought he to himself, "Of all outside things there is nothing I have not given; but this kind of giving does not content me. I want to give something which is a part of myself. Well, this day when I go to the alms-hall, I vow that if any one ask not something outside me, but name what is part of myself,—if he should mention my very heart, I will cut open my breast with a spear, and as though I were drawing up a water-lily, stalk and all, from a calm lake, I will pull forth my heart dripping with blood-clots and give it him: if he should name the flesh of my body, I will cut the flesh off my body and give it, as though I were graving with a graving tool: let him name my

⁶blood, I will give him my blood, dropping it in his mouth or filling a bowl with it: or again, if one say, I can't get my household work done, come and do me a Slave's part at home, then I will leave my royal dress and stand without, proclaiming myself a slave, and slave's work I will do: should any men demand my eyes, I will tear out my eyes and give them, as one might take out the pith of a palm-tree." Thus he thought within him:

⁷"If there be any human gift that I have never made,

⁸Be it my eyes, I'll give it now, all firm and unafraid."

⁹Then he bathed himself with sixteen pitchers of perfumed water, and adorned him in all his magnificence, and after a meal of choice food he mounted upon an elephant richly caparisoned [403] and went to the alms-hall.

¹⁰Sakka, perceiving his resolution, thought, "King Sivi has determined to give his eyes to any chance comer who may ask. Will you be able to do it, or no?" He determined to try him; and, in the form of a brahmin old and blind, he posted himself ona high place, and when the king came to his alms-hall he stretched out his hand and stood crying, "Long live the king!" Then the king drove his elephant towards him, and said, "What do you Say, brahmin?" Sakka said to him, "O great king! in all the inhabited world there is no spot where the fame of

¹¹your munificent heart has not sounded. I am blind, and you have two eyes." Then he repeated the first stanza, asking for an eye:

¹²"To ask an eye the old man comes from far, for I have none:

¹³O give me one of yours, I pray, then we shall each have one."

¹⁴When the Great Being heard this, thought he, "Why that is just what I was thinking in my palace before I came! What a fine chance! My heart's desire will be fulfilled to-day; I shall give a gift which no man ever gave yet." And he recited the second stanza:

¹⁵"Who taught thee hitherward to wend thy way, O mendicant, and for an eye to pray? The chiefest portion of a man is this,

¹⁶And hard for men to part with, so they say."

¹⁷(The succeeding stanzas are to be read two and two, as may easily be seen.)

¹⁸"Sujampati among the gods, the same Here among men called Maghava by name, [404] He taught me hitherward to wend my way,

¹⁹Begging, and for an eye to urge my claim.

²⁰"Tis the all-chiefest gift for which I pray :. Give me an eye! O do not say me nay!

²¹Give me an eye, that chiefest gift of gifts, So hard for men to part with, as they say!"

²²"The wish that brought thee hitherward, the wish that did arise Within thee, be that wish fulfilled. Here, brahmin, take my eyes.

²³"One eye thou didst request of me: behold, I give thee two! Go with good sight, in all the people's view; So be thy wish fulfilled and now come true."

²⁴So much the king said. But, thinking it not meet that he should root out his eyes and bestow them there and then, he brought the brahmin indoors with him, and sitting on the royal throne, sent for a surgeon named Sivaka. "Take out my eye, "he then said.

²⁵Now all the city rang with the news, that the king wished to tear out his eyes and give them to a brahmin. Then the commander- in-chief, and all the other officials, and those beloved of the king, gathered together from city and harem, and recited three stanzas, that they might turn the king from his purpose:

²⁶"O do not give thine eye, my lord; desert us not, O king!

²⁷Give money, pearls and coral give, and many a precious thing:

²⁸"Give thorobreds caparisoned, forth be the chariots rolled, O king, drive up the elephants all fine with cloth of gold:

²⁹[405] "These give, O king! that we may all preserve thee safe and sound, Thy faithful people, with our cars and chariots ranged around."

³⁰Hereupon the king recited three stanzas:

³¹"The soul which, having sworn to give, is then unfaithful found, Puts his own neck within a snare low hidden on the ground.

³²"The soul which, having sworn to give, is then unfaithful found, More sinful is than sin, and he to Yama's house : is bound.

³³"Unasked give nothing; neither give the thing he asketh not, This therefore which the brahmin asks, I give it on the spot."

³⁴Then the courtiers asked, "What do you desire in giving your eyes?" repeating a stanza:

³⁵"Life, beauty, joy, or strength—what is the prize, O king, which motive for your deed supplies? Why should the king of Sivi-land supreme

³⁶For the next world's sake thus give up his eyes?"

³⁷[406] The king answered them in a stanza:

³⁸"In giving thus, not glory is my goal,

³⁹Not sons, not wealth, or kingdoms to control: This is the good old way of holy men;

⁴⁰Of giving gifts enamoured is my soul."

⁴¹To the Great Being's words the courtiers answered nothing; so the Great Being addressed Sivaka the surgeon in a stanza:

⁴²"A friend and comrade, Sivaka, art thou: Do as I bid thee—thou hast skill enow— Take 3 out my eyes, for this is my desire,

⁴³And in the beggar's hands bestow them now."

⁴⁴But Sivaka said, "Bethink you, my lord! to give one's eyes is no light thing."—"Sivaka, I have considered; [407] don't delay, nor talk too much in my presence." Then he thought, "It is not fitting that a skilful surgeon like me should pierce a king's eyes with the lancet," so he pounded a number of simples, rubbed a blue lotus with the powder, and brushed it over the right eye: round rolled the eye, and there was great pain. "Reflect, my king, I can make it all right."—"Go on, friend, no delay, please." Again he rubbed in the powder, and brushed it over the eye: the eye started from the socket, the pain was worse than before. "Reflect, my king, I can still restore it."—"Be quick with the job!" A third time he Smeared a sharper powder, and applied it: by the drug's power round went the eye, out it came from the socket, and hung dangling at the end of the tendon. "Reflect, my king, I can yet restore it again."—"Be quick." The pain was extreme, blood was trickling, the king's

⁴⁵garments were stained with the blood. The king's women and the courtiers fell at his feet, crying, "My lord, do not sacrifice your eyes!" loudly they wept and wailed. The king endured the pain, and said, "My friend, be quick." "Very well, my lord," said the physician; and with his left hand grasping the eyeball took a knife in his right, and severing the tendon, laid the eye in the Great Being's hand :. He, gazing with his left eye at the right and enduring the pain, said, "Brahmin, come here." When the brahmin came near, he went on—"The eye of omniscience is dearer than this eye a hundred fold, aye a thousand fold: there you have my reason for this action," and he gave it to the brahmin, who raised it and placed it in his own eye socket. There it remained fixt by his power like a blue lotus in bloom. When the Great Being with his left eye saw that eye in his head, he cried —"Ah, how good is this my gift of an eye!" [408] and thrilled Straightway with the joy that had arisen within him, he gave the other eye also. Sakka placed this also in the place of his own eye, and departed from the king's palace, and then from the city, with the gaze of the multitude upon him, and went away to the world of gods.

⁴⁶The Master, explaining this, repeated a stanza and a half:

⁴⁷"So Sivi spurred on Sivaka, and he fulfilled his mind. He drew the king's eyes out, and to the brahmin these consigned:

⁴⁸And now the brahmin had the eyes, and now the king was blind."

⁴⁹In a short while the king's eyes began to grow; as they grew, and before they reached the top of the holes, a lump of flesh rose up inside like a ball of wool, filling the cavity; they were like a doll's eyes, but the pain ceased. The Great Being remained in the

⁵⁰palace a few days. Then he thought, "What has a blind man to do with ruling? I will hand over my kingdom to the courtiers, and go into my park, and become an ascetic, and live as a holy man." He summoned his courtiers, and told them what he intended to do. "One man," said he, "shall be with me, to wash my face, and so forth, and to do all that is proper, and you must fasten a cord to guide me to the retiring places." Then calling for his charioteer, he bade him prepare the chariot. But the courtiers would not allow him to go in the chariot; they brought him out in a golden litter, and set him down by the lake side, and then, guarding him all around, returned. The king sat in the litter thinking of his gift.

⁵¹At that moment Sakka's throne became hot; and he pondering perceived the reason. "I will offer the king a boon," thought he, "and make his eye well again." So to that place he came; and not far off from the Great Being, he walked up and down, up and down.

⁵²To explain this the Master recited these stanzas: "A few days past; the eyes began to heal, and sound to appear:

⁵³The fostering king of Sivi then sent for his charioteer.

⁵⁴[409] "Prepare the chariot, charioteer; to me then make it known: I go to park and wood and lake with lilies overgrown."

⁵⁵"He sat him in a litter by the waterside, and here Sujampati, the king of gods, great Sakka, did appear."

⁵⁶"Who is that?"cried the Great Being, when he heard the sound of the footsteps. Sakka repeated a stanza:

⁵⁷"Sakka, the king of gods, am I; to visit thee I came:

⁵⁸Choose thou a boon, O royal sage! whate’er thy wish may name." The king replied with another stanza:

⁵⁹"Wealth, strength, and treasure without end, these I have left behind:

⁶⁰O Sakka, death and nothing more I want: for Iam blind."

⁶¹Then Sakka said, "Do you ask death, King Sivi, because you wish to die, or because you are blind?"—"Because I am blind, my lord."—"The gift is not everything in itself, your majesty, it is given with an eye to the future. Yet there is a motive relating to this visible world. Now you were asked for one eye, and gave two; make an Act of Truth about it." Then he began a stanza:

⁶²"O warrior, lord of biped kind, declare the thing that's true:

⁶³If you the truth declare, your eye shall be restored to you."

⁶⁴On hearing this, the Great Being replied, "If you wish to give me an eye, Sakka, do not try any other means, but let my eye be restored as a consequence of my gift." Sakka said, "Though they call me Sakka, king of the gods, your majesty, yet I cannot give an eye to any one else; but by the fruit of the gift by thee given, and by nothing else, your eye shall be restored to you." Then the other repeated a stanza, maintaining that his gift was well given:

⁶⁵[410]

⁶⁶"Whatever sort, whatever kind of suitor shall draw near, Whoever comes to ask of me, he to my heart is dear:

⁶⁷If these my solemn words be true, now let my eye appear!"

⁶⁸Even as he uttered the words, one of his eyes grew up in the socket. Then he repeated a couple of stanzas to restore the

⁶⁹other:

⁷⁰"A brahmin came to visit me, one of my eyes to crave: Unto that brahmin mendicant the pair of them I gave.

⁷¹"A greater joy and more delight that action did afford. If these my solemn words be true, be the other eye restored!"

⁷²On the instant appeared his second eye. But these eyes of his were neither natural nor divine. An eye given by Sakka as the brahmin, cannot be natural, we know; on the other hand, a divine eye cannot be produced in anything that is injured. [411] But these eyes are called the

⁷³eyes of Truth Absolute and Perfect. At the time when they came into existence, the whole royal retinue by Sakka's power was assembled; and Sakka standing in the midst of the throng, uttered praise in a couple of stanzas:

⁷⁴"O fostering King of Sivi land, these holy hymns of thine Have gained for thee as bounty free this pair of eyes divine.

⁷⁵"Through rock and wall, o’er hill and dale, whatever bar may be, A hundred leagues on every side those eyes of thine shall see."

⁷⁶Having uttered these stanzas, poised in the air before the multitude, with a last counsel to the Great Being that he should be vigilant, Sakka returned to the world of gods. And the Great Being, surrounded by his retinue, went back in great pomp to the city, and entered the palace called Candaka, the Peacock's Eye. The news that he had got his eyes again spread abroad all through the Kingdom of Sivi. All the people gathered together to see him, with gifts in their hands. "Now all this multitude is come

⁷⁷together," thought the Great Being, "I shall praise my gift that I gave." He caused a great pavilion to be put up at the palace gate, where he seated himself upon the royal throne, with the white umbrella spread above him. Then the drum was sent beating about the city, to collect all the trade guilds :. Then he said, "O people of Sivi! now you have beheld these divine eyes, never eat food without giving something away!" and he repeated four stanzas, declaring the Law:

⁷⁸"Who, if he's asked to give, would answer no, Although it be his best and choicest prize? People of Sivi thronged in concourse, ho!

⁷⁹Come hither, see the gift of God, my eyes!

⁸⁰[412] "Through rock and wall, o’er hill and dale, whatever bar may be, A hundred leagues on every side these eyes of mine can see.

⁸¹"Self-sacrifice in all men mortal living, Of all things is most fine:

⁸²I sacrificed a mortal eye; and giving, Received an eye divine.

⁸³"See, people! see, give ere ye eat, let others have a share. This done with your best will and care, Blameless to heaven you shall repair."

⁸⁴In these four verses he declared the Law; and after that, every fortnight, on the holy day, even every fifteenth day, he declared the Law in these same verses without cessation to a great gathering of people. Hearing which, the people gave alms and did good deeds, and went to swell the hosts of heaven.

⁸⁵When the Master had ended this discourse, he said, "Thus Brethren, wise men of old gave to any chance comer, who was not content with outside gifts, even their own eyes, taken out of

⁸⁶their head." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time Ananda was Sivaka the physician, Anaruddha was Sakka, the Buddha's followers were the people, and I myself was King Sivi."

⁸⁷250:1 See Avadana Cataka, iv. 4 (34), and the note on p. 127 of Seer's translation (Musée Guimet): /ataka Mala no. 2, Cibi Jataka: Cariyd-pitaka no. 8, Sivirdja-C. Milinda-pafiha, iv. i. 42 (p. 179 of the translation).

⁸⁸250:2 This is the Aditta jataka, No. 424 (iii. 280 of this translation). 250:3 Dhammapada, 177.

⁸⁹252:1 Vanibbako in line 3 seems to be written by dittography. Some genitive would be looked for, and Fausball's vanibbino may be right; the form occurs in iii. 312.4 (Pali).

⁹⁰253:1 The scholiast explains this to mean Hell.

⁹¹253:2 The scholiast adds: "The supreme Buddha, while explaining the Cariyd-pitaka to Sariputta, Captain of the Faith, to make clear the saying that omniscience was dearer even than both eyes," quoted two lines from the Cariyd-pitaka, p. 78, 16-17, beginning na me dessa...

⁹²253:3 Reading laddha tvam as two words.

⁹³254:1 This scene appears to be represented on the Stupa of Bharhut: see Cunningham, Plate XLVIII. 2.

⁹⁴256:1 This should strictly be -seniyo: perhaps all the officers or soldiers, compare ii. 12. 8, 52. 21.

¹"Of wisdom full," etc.—This Problem of Sirimanda will be given at large in the Maha-ummagga :.

¹[413] "In fear of death," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, about the reverend Ananda, who made renunciation of his life. This renunciation will be described in Book XXI., under the Culla-hamsa Birth 2, the Subduing of Dhanapala. When this reverend man had renounced his life for the Master's sake, they gossiped about it in the Hall of Truth: "Sirs, the reverend Ananda, having attained to the detailed knowledge of the course of religious training, renounced his life for the Dasabala." The Master came in, asking what they spoke of as they sat there. They told him. Said he, "Brothers, this is not the first time he has laid down his life for my sake; he has done it before." Then he told them a story of the past.

²Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king in Benares, his chief consort's name was Khema. At that time the Bodhisatta was born in the Himalaya region, as a stag: golden-hued he was and beautiful, and his younger brother, named Citta-miga, or Dapple Deer, was also of the colour of gold, and so also his younger sister Sutana. Now the Great Being's name was Rohanta, and he was king of the deer. Traversing two ranges of the mountains, in the third he lived beside a lake called Lake Rohanta, and surrounded by a herd of eighty thousand deer. He used to support his parents, who were old and blind.

³Now a hunter, who lived in a village of hunters near Benares, came to the Himalayas, and saw the Great Being. He returned to

⁴his

⁵village, and on his death-bed told his son, "My boy, in such a part of our hunting-ground there is a golden deer; if the king should ask, you may tell him of it."

⁶One day Queen Khema, in the dawning, saw a dream, and this was the manner of that dream. A gold-coloured stag sat ona golden seat, and he discoursed to the queen on the Law with a honey-sweet voice, like the sound of a golden bell tinkling. She listened with great delight to this discoursing, but before the discourse was ended the deer rose and went away; and she awoke, crying out—"Catch me the stag!" The attendants, hearing her cry, burst out a-laughing. "Here's the house shut close, door and window; not even a breath of air can get in, and at sucha time my lady calls out to catch her the stag!" [414] By this time she understood that it was a dream. But she said to herself, "If I say, it is a dream, the king will make no account of it; but if I say, it is my woman's craving, he will attend to it with all care. I will hear the discourse of the golden stag!" Then she lay down as though sick. The king came in: "What is wrong with my queen?" said he. "Oh, my lord, only my natural craving."—"What do you wish?"—"I wish to hear the discourse of a righteous golden stag."—"Why, my lady, what you crave does not exist: there is no such thing as a golden stag." She said, "If I don't get it, die I must on the spot." She turned her back on the king, and lay still. "If there is one, it shall be caught," said the king. Then he questioned his courtiers and brahmins, just as in the Peacock Birth :, whether there were such things as golden deer. Finding that there were, he summoned the huntsmen, and asked,

⁷"Which of you has seen or heard of such a creature?" The son of the hunter we spoke of told the story as he heard it. "My man," said the king, "when you bring me this deer I will reward you richly; go and bring it here." He gave the money for his expenses, and dismissed him. The man said, "Never fear: if I cannot bring the stag I will bring his skin; if I can't get that I will bring his hair." Then the man returned home, and gave the king's money to his family. Then he went out and saw the royal stag. "Where shall I lay my snare," he mused, "So as to catch him?" He saw his chance at the drinking-place. He twisted a stout cord of leather thongs, and set it with a pole at the place where the Great Being went down to drink water.

⁸Next day, the Great Being with the eighty thousand deer during his search for food came thither to drink water at the usual ford. Just as he was going down, he was caught in the noose. Then he thought, "If I cry out the cry of capture ;, all my troop will flee in

⁹terror without drinking." [415] Although he was fast at the end of the pole, he stood pretending to drink, as if he were free. When the eighty thousand deer had drunk, and now stood clear of the water, he thrice jerked at the noose, to break it if possible. The first time he cut his skin, the second time cut into his flesh, and the third time he strained a tendon, so that the snare touched the bone. Then, unable to break it, he uttered the cry of capture: all the herd of deer fled terrified in three troops. Citta-miga could not see the Great Being in any of the three troops: "This danger," thought he, "which has come upon us, has fallen on my brother." Then returning, he saw him there fast caught. The Great Being caught sight of him, and cried, "Don't stand there, brother, there

¹⁰is danger here!" Then, urging him to flee, he repeated the first stanza:

¹¹"In fear of death, O Cittaka, those herds of creatures flee:

¹²Go thou with them, and linger not, for they shall live with thee." The three stanzas which follow are said by the two alternately:

¹³"No, no, Rohanta, I'll not go; my heart has drawn me near; I'm ready to lay down my life, I will not leave thee here."

¹⁴"Then blind, with none to care for them, our parents : both must die: O go, and let them live with thee: O do not linger nigh!"

¹⁵"No, no, Rohanta, I'll not go; my heart has drawn me near; I'm ready to lay down my life, I will not leave thee here."

¹⁶[416] He took his stand, supporting the Bodhisatta on the right side, and cheering him.

¹⁷Sutana also, the young doe, ran about among the deer, but could not find her brothers anywhere. "This danger," she thought, "must have fallen upon my brothers." She turned back and came to them; and the Great Being, as he saw her come, repeated the fifth stanza:

¹⁸"Go, timid doe, and run away; an iron snare holds me:

¹⁹Go with the rest, and linger not, and they shall live with thee." The three next stanzas are said alternately as before:

²⁰"No, no, Rohanta, I'll not go; my heart has drawn me near;

²¹I'm ready to lay down my life, I will not leave thee here."

²²"Then blind, with none to care for them, our parents both must die: O go, and let them live with thee: O do not linger nigh!"

²³"No, no, Rohanta, I'll not go; my heart has drawn me near; I'll lose my life, but never leave thee snared and captured here."

²⁴Thus she also refused to obey; and stood by his left side consoling him.

²⁵Now the huntsman saw the deer scampering off, and heard the cry of capture. "It must be the king of the herd is caught!" he said; and, tightening his girdle, he grasped the spear to give him the death,

²⁶and ran quickly up. The Great Being repeated the ninth stanza as he saw him coming:

²⁷"The furious hunter, arms in hand, see him approaching near!

²⁸And he will slay us here to-day with arrow or with spear."

²⁹[417] Citta did not flee, though he saw the man. But Sutana, not being strong enough to stand still, ran a little way for fear of death. Then with the thought—"Where shall I flee if I desert my two brothers?" she returned again, renouncing her own life ,, with death on her brow, and stood by the left side of her brother.

³⁰To explain this, the Master recited the tenth stanza: "The tender doe in panic fear a little way did fly,

³¹Then did a thing most hard to do, for she returned to die."

³²When the hunter came up, he saw these three creatures standing together. A pitiful thought arose in his heart, as he guessed they were brothers and sister born of one womb. "Only

³³the king of the herd," thought he, "is caught in the snare; the other two are bound with the ties of honour. What kin can they be to him?" which question he asked thus:

³⁴"What are these deer that wait upon the prisoner, though free,

³⁵Nor for the sake of very life will leave him here, and flee?" Then the Bodhisatta answered:

³⁶"My brother and my sister these, of one same mother born:

³⁷Nor for the sake of very life will leave me here forlorn."

³⁸These words made his heart more exceedingly soft. Citta, that royal stag, perceiving that his heart grew soft, said, "Friend hunter, do not imagine that this creature is a deer and no more. He is king of fourscore thousand deer, one of virtuous life, tenderhearted to all creatures, of great wisdom; he supports his sire and dam, now blind and old. If you slay a righteous being like this, in slaying him you slay dam and sire, my sister and me, all five; but if you grant my brother his life, you bestow life on the five of us." [418] Then he repeated a stanza:

³⁹"Grown blind, with none to care for them, they both will perish so:

⁴⁰O grant thou life to all the five, and let my brother go!"

⁴¹When the hunter heard this pious discourse, he was glad at heart. "Fear not, my lord," said he, and repeated the next stanza:

⁴²"So be it: see I now set free the parent-fostering deer:

⁴³His parents when they find him safe shall make a merry cheer."

⁴⁴As he said this, he thought: "What do I want with the king and his honours? If I hurt this royal deer, either the earth will gape and swallow me up, or a thunderbolt will fall and strike me. I will let him go." So approaching the Great Being, he pulled down the pole, and cut the leather thong; then he embraced the deer, and laid him close to the water, tenderly and gently loosed him out of the noose, joined the ends of the tendon, and the lips of the flesh-wound, and the edges of the skin, washed off the blood with water, pitifully chafed him again and again. By the power of his love and the Great Being's perfection all grew whole again, sinews, flesh, and skin: hide and hair covered the foot: no one could have guessed where he had been wounded. The Great Being stood there, full of happiness. Citta looked on him and rejoiced, and rendered thanks to the hunter in this stanza:

⁴⁵"Hunter, be happy now, and may thy kindred happy be, As Iam happy to behold the mighty stag set free."

⁴⁶Now the Great Being thought, "Is it of his own doing this hunter Snared me, or at the bidding of another?" and he asked the cause of his capture. The huntsman said: "My lord, I have nothing to do with you; but the king's consort, Khema, desires to hear you discourse of righteousness; therefore I snared you at the king's bidding."—"That being so, my good friend, you did a bold thing to set me free. [419] Come, bring me to the king, and I will discourse before the queen."—"Indeed, my lord, kings are cruel. Who knows what may come of it? I don't care for any honour the king might show me: go where you will." But again the Great Being thought it was a bold thing to set him free; he must give him a chance of winning the promised honour. So he said, "Friend, chafe my back with your hand." He did so; his hand became covered with golden hairs. "What shall I do with these

⁴⁷hairs, my lord?"—"Take them, my friend, show them to the king and queen, tell them here are hairs from that golden stag; take my place, and discourse to them in the words of these verses I Shall repeat: when she hears you, that will alone be sufficient to satisfy her craving." "Recite the Law, O king!" said the man; and the other taught him ten stanzas of the holy life, and described the Five Virtues, and dismissed him with a warning to be vigilant. The hunter treated the Great Being as one would treat a teacher: thrice he walked round him right-wise, did the four obeisances, and wrapping the hairs in a lotus leaf went away. The three animals accompanied him for a little way, then after feeding and drinking, returned to their parents.

⁴⁸Father and mother questioned him: "Rohanta, my son, we heard you were caught, and how came you free?" They put the question in a stanza:

⁴⁹"How didst thou win thy liberty when life was nearly done:

⁵⁰How did the hunter set thee free from treacherous trap, my son?"

⁵¹In answer to which the Bodhisatta repeated three stanzas: "Cittaka won me liberty with words that charmed the ear,

⁵²That touched the heart, that pierced the heart, words uttered sweet and clear.

⁵³"Sutana won me liberty with words that charmed the ear, That touched the heart, that pierced the heart, words uttered sweet and clear.

⁵⁴[420] "The hunter gave me liberty, these charming words to hear, That touched the heart, that pierced the heart, words uttered sweet and clear."

⁵⁵His parents expressed their gratitude, saying:

⁵⁶"He with his wife and family, O happy may they be,

⁵⁷As we are happy to behold Rohanta now set free!"

⁵⁸Now the huntsman came out of the wood, and went to the king; then saluting him stood on one side. The king when he saw him said:

⁵⁹"Come tell me, hunter: dost thou say, "See the deer's hide I bring":

⁶⁰Or hast thou no deer's hide to show because of any thing?" The hunter replied: "Into my hands the creature came, into my privy snare,

⁶¹And was fast caught: but others, free, attended on him there.

⁶²"Then pity made my flesh to creep, a pity strange and new. If I should slay this deer (thought I) then I shall perish too."

⁶³"What were these deer, O hunter, what their nature and their ways, What colour theirs, what quality, to merit such high praise?"

⁶⁴The king put this question several times over, as one much astonished. The hunter replied in this stanza:

⁶⁵[421]

⁶⁶"With silvery horns and graceful shape, with hide and fell most bright, Red slot, and shining brilliant eyes all lovely to the sight."

⁶⁷As he repeated this stanza, the huntsman placed in the king's hand those golden hairs of the Great Being, and in another verse Summed up the description of the character of these deer:

⁶⁸"Such is their nature and their ways, my lord, and such these deer:

⁶⁹They used to find their parents food: I could not fetch them here."

⁷⁰In these words he described the qualities of the Great Being, and of the stag Citta, and of Sutana the doe; adding this, "The royal Stag, O king, showed me his hairs, commanding me to take his place, and to declare the Law before the queen in ten stanzas of a holy life :."[422] Then sitting upon a golden throne, he declared the Law in those stanzas.

⁷¹The queen's craving was Satisfied. The king was pleased, and repeated these stanzas, as he rewarded the huntsman with great honour ,

⁷²"A jewelled earring give I thee, a hundred drachms of gold,

⁷³A lovely throne like flower of flax, with cushions laid fourfold :,

⁷⁴"Two wives of equal rank and worth, a bull and kine five score, r My benefactor! and I'll rule with justice evermore.

⁷⁵"Trade, farming, gleaning 2, usury, whate’er thy calling be, p See that thou sin not, but by these support thy family." h

⁷⁶[423] When he heard these words of the king's, he answered, "No house or home for me; grant me, my lord, to become an ascetic." The king's consent given, he handed over the king's rich gifts to his wife and family, and went away to Himalaya, where he embraced the ascetic life, and cultivated the Eight Attainments, and became destined for Brahma's world. And the king clave to the Great One's teaching, and went to swell the hosts of heaven. The teaching endured for a thousand yéars.

⁷⁷] This discourse ended, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, long ago as now Ananda renounced life for my sake." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time, Channa was the huntsman and Sariputta

⁷⁸the king, a sister was Queen Khema; some of the king's family were the father and mother, Uppalavanna was Sutana, Ananda was Citta, the Sakiya clan were the eighty thousand deer, and I was myself the royal stag Rohanta."

⁷⁹"To friends and courtiers, warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸⁰"In war and travel, warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸¹"In town and village, warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸²"In every land and realm, O king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸³"To brahmins and ascetics all, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸⁴"To beasts and birds, O warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸⁵"Do righteously, O warrior king; from this all blessings flow: By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁸⁶"With watchful vigilance, O king, on paths of goodness go: The brahmins, Indra, and the gods have won their godhead so.

⁸⁷"These are the maxims told of old: and following wisdom's ways The goddess of all happiness herself to heaven did raise."

⁸⁸In this manner did the huntsman declare the Law, as the Great Being had shown him, with a Buddha's skill, as though he were bringing down to earth the heavenly Ganges. The crowd with a thousand voices cried approval. The queen's longing was satisfied when she heard the discourse.

⁸⁹257:1 No. 546, vol. vi. 329 (Pali). 257:2 No. 533, vol. v. 333 (Pali). 258:1 Mora jataka: No. 129, Vol. ii. p. 53.

⁹⁰258:2 Correct vol. ii. 153 (trans. p. 109) and iii. 184 (p. 122), where it is translated (with Childers) "loud and long," "a succession of cries."

⁹¹259:1 The word "parents" is supplied by the scholiast: it is "those" in the text.

⁹²260:1 i.e. accepting death as her fate (written on the forehead).

⁹³262:1 The Burmese recension reads: Then the king seated him on his royal throne inlaid with seven kinds of jewels; and sitting himself with his queen on a lowly seat, placed to one side, with a reverential obeisance, he begged him to speak. The hunter spoke thus, declaring the Law:

⁹⁴"Unto thy parents, warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁹⁵"To wife and child, O warrior king, do righteously; and so By following a righteous life to heaven the king shall go.

⁹⁶263:1 catussado is so explained by the scholiast. On p. 309. 26 (=p. 195 note 2 above) he paraphrases it as "rich in four different things" there specified. The word ussado is derived by Childers from Skt. utsad and rendered "protuberance." It also may mean "sprinkled" or "covered" (Skt. utsddita), iii. 512. 10, iv. 60. 6.

⁹⁷263:2 The MS. ufichdcariydya gives a syllable too many, and should perhaps be ufichdcariyd, then the sentence is anacoluthic.

¹"There go the birds," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, about Elder Ananda's renunciation of life. Then also the Brethren were talking in the Hall of Truth about the Elder's good qualities, when the Master came in and asked them what they sat talking of there. He said, "This is not the first time, Brethren, that Ananda has renounced his life for my sake, but he did the same before." And then he told them a story of the past.

²Once upon atime, there reigned in Benares a king named Bahuputtaka, or the Father of Many Sons, and his Queen Consort was Khema. At that time the Great Being dwelt on Mount Cittakdta, and he was the chief of ninety thousand wild geese, having come to life as a golden goose. [424] And at that time, as already recounted, the queen saw a dream, and told the king she had conceived a woman's craving to hear a Golden Goose discourse of the Law. When the king enquired, were there any such creatures as golden geese, he was told yes, there were on Mount CittakUta. Then he had made a lake which he called Khema, and caused to be planted all manner of food-corn, and daily in the four quarters made proclamation of immunity to be cried, and sent forth a hunter to catch geese. How this man was sent forth, and his watching of the birds, and how news was told the king when the golden geese came, and in what manner the

³Snare was Set and the Great Being was caught in the snare, how Sumukha chief captain of the geese saw him not in the three divisions of the geese, and returned, all this will be set forth in the Mahahamsa Birth :. Now as then the Great Being was caught in the noose and stick; and even as he hung in the noose at the end of the stick, he stretched forth his neck looking along the way that the geese had gone, and espying Sumukha as he came, thought, "When he comes I will put him to the test." So when he came, the Great Being repeated three stanzas:

⁴"There go the birds, the ruddy geese, all overcome with fear: O golden-yellow Sumukha, depart! what want you here?

⁵"My kith and kin deserted me, away they all have flown, Without a thought they fly away: why are you left alone?

⁶"Fly, noble bird! with prisoners no fellowship can be: Sumukha, fly! nor lose the chance while you may yet be free."

⁷[425] To which Sumukha replied, sitting on the mud—

⁸"No, I'll not leave you, Royal Goose, when trouble draweth nigh:

⁹But stay I will, and by your side will either live or die."

¹⁰Thus Sumukha, with a lion's note; and Dhatarattha answered with this stanza:

¹¹"A noble heart, brave words are these, Sumukha, which you say:

¹²‘Twas but to put you to the test I bade you fly away."

¹³As they were thus conversing together, up comes the huntsman, Staff in hand, at the top of his speed. Sumukha encouraged Dhatarattha, and flew to meet the man, respectfully declaring

¹⁴the virtues of the royal bird. Immediately the hunter's heart was softened; which Sumukha perceiving, went back, and stood encouraging the king of the geese. And the hunter approaching the king of the geese, recited the sixth stanza:

¹⁵"They foot it by unfooted ways, birds flying in the sky:

¹⁶And did you not, O noble Goose, afar the snare espy?" The Great Being said:

¹⁷"When life is coming to an end, and death's hour draws anigh,

¹⁸Though you may close upon it come nor trap nor snare you spy :."

¹⁹[426] The hunter, pleased with the bird's remark, then addressed three stanzas to Sumukha.

²⁰"There go the birds, the ruddy geese, all overcome with fear: And you, O golden-yellow fowl, are still left waiting here.

²¹"They ate and drank, the ruddy geese: uncaring, they are flown; Away they scurry through the air, and you are left alone.

²²"What is this fowl, that when the rest deserting him have flown, Though free, you join the prisoner—why are you left alone?"

²³Sumukha replied:

²⁴"He is my comrade, friend, and king, dear as my life is he:

²⁵Forsake him—no, I never will, until death calls for me."

²⁶On hearing this the hunter was much pleased, and thought within him—"If I should harm virtuous creatures like these, the earth would gape open and swallow me up. What care I for the king's reward? I will set them free." And he repeated a stanza:

²⁷"Now seeing that for friendship's sake you are prepared to die,

²⁸I set your king and comrade free, to follow where you fly."

²⁹This said, he drew down Dhatarattha from the stick, and loosed the noose, and took him to the bank, and pitifully washed the blood from him, [427] and set the dislocated muscles and tendons. And by reason of his

³⁰kindness of heart, and by the might of the Great Being's Perfections :, on the instant his foot became whole again, and not a mark showed where he had been caught. Sumukha beheld the Great Being with joy, and gave thanks in these words:

³¹"With all your kindred and your friends, O hunter, happy be 2, As Iam happy to behold the King of birds set free."

³²When the hunter heard this, he said, "Now you may depart, friend." Then the Great Being said to him, "Did you capture me for your own purposes, my good sir, or at the bidding of another?" He told him the facts. The other wondered whether it were better to return to CittakUta, or go to the town. "If I go to the town," he thought, "the hunter will be rewarded, the queen's craving will be appeased, Sumukha's friendship will be made known, then also by virtue of my wisdom I shall receive the lake Khema, as a free gift. It is better therefore to go to the city." This determined, he said, "Huntsman, take us on your carrying-pole to the king, and he shall set me free if he will."—"My lord, kings are hard; go your ways."—"What! I have softened a hunter like thee, and shall I not find favour with a king? Leave that to me; your part, friend, is to convey us to him." The man did so.

³³When the king set eyes on the geese, he was delighted. He placed both the geese on a golden perch, gave them honey and fried grain to eat and sweetened water to drink, and holding his hands out in supplication prayed them to speak of the Law. The king of the geese seeing how eager he was to hear first addressed him in pleasant words. These are the stanzas expressing the converse of king and goose one with another.

³⁴Now has his honor health and wealth, and is the kingdom full

³⁵Of welfare and prosperity, and does he justly rule?"

³⁶[428] "O here is health and wealth, O Goose, and here's a kingdom full Of welfare and prosperity, with just and righteous rule."

³⁷"Is there no blemish seen amid your court, and are your foes Far off; and like the shadow on the south, which never grows 3?"

³⁸"There is no blemish seen amid my courtiers, and my foes Far off are like the shadow on the south, which never grows 3."

³⁹"And is your queen of equal birth, obedient, sweet of speech, Fruitful, fair, famous, waiting on your wishes, doing each?"

⁴⁰"O yes, my queen's of equal birth, obedient, sweet of speech, Fruitful, fair, famous, waiting on my wishes, doing each."

⁴¹"O fostering ruler! have you sons a many, nobly bred, Quickwitted, easy men to please whatever thing be sped?"

⁴²"O Dhatarattha! sons I have of fame, five score and one:

⁴³Tell them their duty: they'll not leave your good advice undone."

⁴⁴On hearing this, the Great Being gave them admonition in five stanzas:

⁴⁵"He that puts off until too late the effort to do good, Though nobly bred, with virtue dowered, yet sinks beneath the flood.

⁴⁶[429] "His knowledge fades, great loss is his; as one moonblind at night 1 Sees all things swollen twice their size with his imperfect sight.

⁴⁷"Who sees the truth in falsity no wisdom gains at all, As on a rugged mountain-path the deer will often fall.

⁴⁸"If any strong courageous man loves virtue, follows right, Though but a low-born churl, he burns like bonfires in the night.

⁴⁹"By using this similitude all wisdom's truths explain, Cherish your sons till wise they grow, like seedlings in the rain."

⁵⁰[430] Thus did the Great Being discourse to the king the livelong night. The queen's craving was appeased. By sunrise he established him in the virtues of kings, and exhorted him to be vigilant, then with Sumukha flew out of the northern window and to Cittakita away.

⁵¹After this discourse, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, this man offered his life for me before," and then he identified the Birth: "At that time Channa was the huntsman, Sdriputta the king, a sister was Queen Khema, the Sakiya tribe was the flock of geese, Ananda was Sumukha, and I was the Goose King myself."

⁵²264:1 No. 534, where the king of the geese is named Dhatarattha.

⁵³265:1 This couplet occurs in ii. 52 (p. 35 of translation), and iii. 331 (p. 204,"When ruin...").

⁵⁴266:1 The Ten Perfections of the Bodhisatta are given in Childers’ Dictionary, p. 335 a.

⁵⁵266:2 This line occurs in iii. 331 (p. 204 of translation, "O hunter..").

⁵⁶266:3 The last three words come from the scholiast's note.

¹"With, a great host," etc.—This story the Master told while sojourning in the deer-park Maddakucchi, about Devadatta. When Devadatta threw the stone ;, and a fragment pierced the Blessed One's foot, there was great pain in it. Numbers of the Brethren gathered to see the Tathagata. Now when the Blessed One saw the people gathered together, he said to them, "Brethren, this place is crowded: there will be a great gathering. Come now, carry me in

²a litter to Maddakucchi." So then the Brethren did. Jivaka made the Tathagata's foot well. The Brethren sitting before the Master talked of it: "Sirs, a sinner is Devadatta and sinners are all his people; the sinner keeps company with the sinful." The Master asked, "What do ye talk of, Brethren?" They told him. Said he, "It has been so before, and this is not the first time Devadatta the sinner has kept sinful company." Then he told them a story of the past.

³Once upon atime, a king named Paficala reigned in the city of Uttara-Paficala. The Great Being was born as the son of the king of the Parrots, in a grove of silk-cotton trees which grew ona high table-land in the heart of a forest: there were two brothers. Up wind from this hill was a robber village, where five hundred robbers dwelt: under its lee was a hermitage with five hundred sages.

⁴About the time when the parrots were moulting came a whirlwind that carried off one of the parrots, [431] and he fell in the robber village among the robbers' weapons: and because he fell there, they called him Sattigumba, or Bristling Spears. The other parrot fell in the hermitage, among the flowers which grew on a sandy spot, from which cause he was named Pupphaka, the Flower-bird. Sattigumba grew up amongst the robbers, Pupphaka with the sages.

⁵One day the king in brave array, at the head of a great company, drove out in his splendid chariot to hunt the deer. Not far from the city, he entered a grove beautiful with a rich crop of flowers and fruit. He said, "If any one lets a deer go by him, he shall answer it!" Then he descended from the chariot, and took cover, Standing, bow in hand in the hut assigned him. The beaters beat the bushes to put up the game. An antelope rose and looked for a way; he saw a gap by the king, got through it, and away. Everyone asked who had let the deer go past. It was the king! Hearing this they went and made fun of him. The king in his self- conceit could not stomach the sport. "Now I'll catch that deer!" cried he, and up into his chariot. "Full speed!" he said to the charioteer, and away he went after the deer. So quick went the king, that the others could not keep up with him: king and charioteer, these two alone, went on till midday, but saw no deer. The king then turned back; and seeing near the robber village a delightful glen, he alighted, bathed and drank, and came up from the water. Then the charioteer brought out a rug from the chariot, and spread it beneath the shade of a tree; the king lay on it, the charioteer sat at his feet chafing them: the king now dozed, now awoke. The people of the robber village, all the robbers even, had gone forth into the woods to attend the king: thus in the village no one was left but Sattigumba and the cook,

⁶aman named Patikolamba. At that moment Sattigumba coming out of

⁷the village, and seeing the king, thought, "What if we kill yon fellow as he sleeps, and take his ornaments!" So he returned to Patikolamba, and told him all about it.

⁸[432] To explain this the Master recited five stanzas:

⁹"With a great host Paficala's king went out to hunt the deer;

¹⁰Deep in the woods the monarch strayed, and not a soul was near.

¹¹"Lo, he beholds within the wood a shelter thieves had made, Out came a Parrot and forthwith these cruel words he said:—

¹²"A young man riding in a car, with jewels many a one, And on his brow a golden crown shines ruddy like the sun!

¹³"Both king and driver lie asleep there in the high midday: Come, let us spoil them of their wealth and take it quick away!

¹⁴"Tis quiet as the deep midnight: both king and driver sleep: Their wealth and jewels let us take and keep, Kill them, and pile boughs on them in a heap."

¹⁵Thus addressed, the man went out and looked, and seeing that it was a king, he was frightened, and recited this stanza:

¹⁶"Why, Sattigumba, art thou mad? what words are these I hear?

¹⁷Kings are like blazing bonfires, and most perilous to come near."

¹⁸The bird answered in another stanza:

¹⁹"Fool's talk, Patikolamba, this; and thou art mad, not I:

²⁰My mother's naked; why contemn the calling we live by 1?"

²¹[433] Now the king awoke, and hearing them talk together in the language of men, perceiving the danger, he recited the following stanza to arouse his charioteer:

²²"Up with you quick, friend charioteer, and yoke the chariot:

²³Seek we another shelter, since this parrot I like not." He rose quickly, and put to the team, then recited a stanza:

²⁴"The car is yoked, O mighty King, is yoked and ready there:

²⁵Step in, O King! and let us go seek shelter otherwhere."

²⁶No sooner was he inside, than away flew the thoroughbreds swift as the wind. When Sattigumba saw the chariot departing, overwhelmed with excitement he repeated two stanzas:

²⁷"Now where are all the fellows gone that used to haunt this spot? Away Paficala flies, let go because they saw him not.

²⁸"Shall he get clear away with life? Take javelin, spear, and bow: Away Paficala flies, behold! O do not let him go!"

²⁹So he raved, fluttering to and fro: meanwhile in due course the king came to the hermitage of the sages. At that time the sages were all gone gathering fruits and roots, [434] and only the Parrot Puppha.: was left in the hermitage. When he saw the king, he went to meet him, and addressed him courteously.

³⁰Then the Master recited four stanzas to explain:

³¹The parrot with his ruddy beak right courteously did say, "Welcome, O King! a happy chance directed thee this way!

³²Mighty thou art and glorious: what errand brings thee, pray?

³³"The tindook and the piyal leaves, and kasumari sweet 2, Though few and little, take the best we have, O King, and eat.

³⁴"And this cool water, from a cave high hidden on a hill, O mighty monarch, take of it, drink if it be thy will.

³⁵"All gleaning in the wood are they who here are wont to live: Arise, O King, thyself and take: I have no hands to give."

³⁶The king pleased at this courteous address, answered with a couple of stanzas:

³⁷"No better fowl was ever hatched; a very righteous bird: But the other parrot over there said many a cruel word.

³⁸"O let him not go hence alive, O come and slay or bind! He cried: I sought this hermitage, and safety here I find."

³⁹Thus addressed by the king, Pupphaka uttered two stanzas: "Brothers we are, O mighty King, of one self mother bred,

⁴⁰Reared both together in one tree, in different pastures fed.

⁴¹"For Sattigumba to the thieves, I to the sages came; Those bad, these good, and hence it comes our ways are not the same."

⁴²[435] He then explained the differences in detail, repeating a pair of stanzas:

⁴³"There wounds and bonds and trickery, cheating and shabby turns, Raiding, and deeds of violence: such is the lore he learns.

⁴⁴"Here self-control, sobriety, kindness, the right and true, Shelter and drink for strangers: these were round me as I grew."

⁴⁵Next he declared the Law to the king in the following stanzas:

⁴⁶"To whomsoever, good or bad, a man shall honour pay,

⁴⁷Vicious or virtuous, that man holds him beneath his sway.

⁴⁸"Like as the comrade one admires, like as the chosen friend, Such will become the man who keeps beside him, in the end.

⁴⁹"Friendship makes like, and touch by touch infects, you'll find it true: Poison the arrow, and ere long the quiver's poisoned too.

⁵⁰"The wise eschews bad company, for fear of staining touch: Wrap rotten fish in grass, you'll find the grass stinks just as much.

⁵¹And they who keep fool's company themselves will soon be such.

⁵²[436] "Sweet frankincense wrap in a leaf, the leaf will smell as sweet. So they themselves will soon grow wise, that sit at wise men's feet.

⁵³"By this similitude the wise should his own profit know, Let him eschew bad company and with the righteous go: Heaven waits the righteous, but the bad are doomed to hell below."

⁵⁴The king was pleased with this exposition. Then the sages returned also. The king greeted the sages, saying, "Be gracious, sirs, Come and take up your abode in my grounds," and prevailed on them to accept the invitation. When he got home again, he proclaimed immunity for all parrots. The sages came thither too and visited him. And the king gave them his park to live in, and took care of them so long as he lived. When he went to swell the hosts of heaven, his son had the royal umbrella raised over him, and he also took care of the sages, and so it went on from father to son through seven generations of kings all bounteous in alms. And the Great Being dwelt in the woods, until he passed away according to his deeds.

⁵⁵When this lesson was ended, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, you see that Devadatta kept bad company before, as he now does." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time, Devadatta was Sattigumba, [437] his followers were the robbers, Ananda was the king, the Buddha's followers were the sages, and I myself was Parrot Pupphaka."

⁵⁶267:1 Nyctalops. 267:2 Comp. no. 513 (Jayaddisa) in vol. v. 267:3 Hardy, Manual, p. 320.

⁵⁷269:1 "He means the robber chief's wife, who went about clad in a garment of branches. "My mother is naked": why do you despise the robber's trade?"—Scholiast. The Juangs or Patuas in Orissa, or "leaf-wearers," wear only a bunch of leaves tied before and behind.

⁵⁸270:1 Sic.

⁵⁹270:2 Diospyros embryopteris and Buchanania latifolia are named.

¹"Was a king Bhallatiya," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling at Jetavana about Mallika, the Jessamine Bride :. One day we are told there was a quarrel between her and the king about conjugal rights. The king was angry and would not look at her. "I suppose," she thought, "the Tathagata does not know that the king is wroth with me." When the Master learnt of it, next day, he sought alms in Benares, accompanied by the Brethren, and then repaired to the gate of the king's palace. The king came to meet him, and relieved him of his bowl, took him up on the terrace, set the Brethren

²down in due order, gave them the water of welcome, offered them excellent food; after the meal he sat down on one side. "Why," asked the Master, "why does not Mallika appear?" He said, "Tis her own foolish pride in her prosperity." The Master said, "O great king! long, long ago when you were a fairy, you kept apart for one night from your mate, and then went mourning for seven hundred years." Then at his request, he told a Story of the past.

³Once upon atime, a king named Bhallatiya reigned in Benares. Seized with a desire to eat venison broiled on charcoal, he gave the kingdom in charge to his courtiers, girt himself with the five weapons, and with a well-trained pack of clever pedigree hounds he issued forth from the city and went to Himalaya. He travelled

⁴along the Ganges until he could get no higher, then followed a tributary stream for some distance, killing deer and pig, and eating the flesh broiled, until he had climbed to a great height. There when the pleasant stream ran full, the water was breast- high, but at other times, it was no more than knee-deep. At that time there were fish and tortoises of all sorts gambolling, sand at the water's edge like silver, trees on both banks bending beneath a load of flowers and fruit, many a bird and bee well drunken with the juice of fruit and honey of flowers flitted about in the shade, whither herds of all manner of deer did frequent. Now on the bank of this beautiful mountain stream [438] two fairies fondly embraced and kissed one another, then fell a weeping and wailing most pitifully.

⁵As the king climbed Mount Gandhamadana by way of this river bank, he espied these two fairies. "What can they be weeping about in this manner?" thought he. "I will question them." A glance to his hounds, a snap of the fingers, and at this sign the thoroughbred dogs, which knew their work well, crept into the underwood and crouched down on their bellies. As soon as he saw they were out of the way, he laid down his bow and quiver and other weapons by a tree that stood near, and without letting his footsteps be heard stole gently up to the fairies, and asked them, "Why do you weep?"

⁶To explain this, the Master repeated three stanzas:

⁷"Was a king Bhallatiyo And out a-hunting he would go; Climbs the Fragrant Mount, and finds it

⁸Full of sprites and flowers that blow.

⁹"Straight he quiets every hound, Lays bow and quiver on the ground, Forward steps, to ask a question

¹⁰Where a pair of says were found.

¹¹“Winter's gone: then why return To talk and talk beside the burn?

¹²O you human-seeming creatures, What men call you I would learn."

¹³To the king's question, the male fairy said nothing; but his mate answered as follows:

¹⁴"Malla, Three-peak, Yellow Hill + We traverse, following each cool rill. [439] Human-like the wild things deem us:

¹⁵Huntsmen call us 2 goblins still." Then the king recited three stanzas:

¹⁶"Though like lovers you caress You weep as full of deep distress. O you human-seeming creatures,

¹⁷Why this weeping? come, confess!

¹⁸"Though like lovers you caress You weep as full of deep distress.

¹⁹O you human-seeming creatures, Why this sorrowing? come, confess!

²⁰"Though like lovers you caress You weep as full of deep distress.

²¹O you human-seeming creatures, Why this mourning? come, confess!"

²²The stanzas which follow were said by each in course of address and answer:

²³"We apart one night had lain, Both loveless, full of bitter pain, Thinking each of each: but never

²⁴Will that night come back again."

²⁵"Why then spend that night alone Which cost you many a sigh and groan, [440] O you human-seeing creatures— Money lost? a father gone?"

²⁶"Shaded thick yon river flows

²⁷Between the rocks: a storm arose: Then with anxious care to find me

²⁸Right across my loved one goes.

²⁹"All the while with busy feet

³⁰I gathered thyme and meadowsweet 3 All to make my love a garland

³¹And myself, when we should meet.

³²"Clustering harebell, violet blue,

³³And white narcissus fresh with dew, All to make my love a garland

³⁴And myself, when we should meet.

³⁵"Then I plucked a bunch of rose, That is the fairest flower that grows, All to make my love a garland

³⁶And myself, when we should meet.

³⁷"Flowers next and leaves I found,

³⁸And strewed them thickly on the ground, Where the livelong night together

³⁹We might slumber soft and sound.

⁴⁰"Sandal and sweet woods anon

⁴¹I pounded small upon a stone, Perfume for my love's limbs making,

⁴²Sweetest perfume for my own.

⁴³"By the river flowing fast

⁴⁴I gathered lilies 1 to the last:

⁴⁵[441] Evening came—the river swelling Made it hopeless to get past.

⁴⁶"There we stood on either shore, Each on other gazing o’er.

⁴⁷How we laughed and cried together! Ah! that night we suffered sore.

⁴⁸"Morning came, the sun was high And soon we saw the river dry.

⁴⁹Then we crossed, and close embracing Both at once we laugh and cry.

⁵⁰"Seven hundred years but three Since we were parted, I and he.

⁵¹When two loving hearts are severed Seems a whole long life to be."

⁵²"What the limit of your years?

⁵³If this by rumour old appears. Or the teaching of the elders,

⁵⁴Tell it me, and have no fears."

⁵⁵"A thousand summers, strong and hale, Never deadly pains assail,

⁵⁶Little sorrow, bliss abundant, To the end love's joys prevail."

⁵⁷[442] The king thought as he listened, "These creatures, who are less than human, go weeping for seven hundred years for one night's parting: and here am I, lord of a realm of three hundred leagues, leaving all my magnificence and wandering about the forest. It is a great mistake." He returned immediately. Arrived at Benares, the courtiers asked him whether he had seen any

⁵⁸marvellous thing in the Himalayas. [443] He told them the whole story, and thenceforward gave alms and enjoyed his wealth.

⁵⁹Explaining this matter, the Master repeated this stanza:

⁶⁰"Thus instructed by the says

⁶¹The King returned upon his ways, Ceased to hunt, and fed the needy,

⁶²And enjoyed the fleeting days."

⁶³Two more stanzas he added:

⁶⁴"Take a lesson from the says: And quarrel not, but mend your ways. Lest you suffer, like the fairy,

⁶⁵Your own error all your days.

⁶⁶"Take a lesson from the says:

⁶⁷And bicker not, but mend your ways. Lest you suffer, like the fairy,

⁶⁸Your own error all your days."

⁶⁹Now rose the Lady Mallika from her couch, when she heard the Tathagata's admonition, and joining hands she made reverent obeisance, while she repeated the last stanza:

⁷⁰"Holy man, with willing mind I hear thy words so good and kind. Blessings on thee! thou hast spoken,

⁷¹All my sorrow's left behind."

⁷²[444] Ever afterwards the King of Kosala lived with her in harmony.

⁷³This discourse ended, the Master identified the Birth: "At that time the King of Kosala was the fairy, Lady Mallika was his mate, and I myself was King Bhallatiya."

⁷⁴271:1 The pretty story of King Pasenadi and this "beggar-maid" is told in Hardy's Manual, p. 285. For this introduction cf. no. 306 in vol. iii.

⁷⁵273:1 The names given are Mallamgiri, TikGta, Pandaraka. 273:2 Reading ti for va with one MS.

⁷⁶273:3 The flowers given in the translation are not the same as those named in the text, which proudly defy English verse. Amongst them are: Alangium Hexapetalum, Gaertnera Racemosa, Cassia Fistula, Bignonia Suaveolens, Vitex Nigundo, Shorea Robusta.

⁷⁷274:1 Pterospermum Acerifolium.

¹"Who does thee harm, etc."—This story the Master told while dwelling at Jetavana, how Devadatta went about to slay him. Then the Master said, "This is not the first time, Brethren, that Devadatta has sought to slay me, but he did the same thing before." Then he told them a story of the past.

²Once upon atime, in the kingdom of Kuru and the city of Uttarapafcala, a king reigned whose name was Renu. At that time there was an ascetic Maharakkhita, who dwelt in Himalaya with a company of five hundred other ascetics. While visiting the country to get salt and

³seasoning, he came to Uttarapaficala, and then abode in the royal park. Seeking alms with his people, he came to the king's door, and the king beholding the sages and being pleased with their manners, invited them to be seated upon a magnificent dais, and gave them good food to eat. He then asked them to remain in his park for the rain-season. He accompanied them into the park, and provided places to dwell in, gave them the things necessary for the religious life, and took leave of them. After that they all received their meals in the palace. Now the king was childless, and desired sons, but no sons were born to him.

⁴When the season of rains was over, Maharakkhita said, "Now the Himalaya region is pleasant; let us return thither." Then he took leave of the king, who showed them all honour and bounty, and departed. On the journey at noontide he left the high road, and with his people sat down on the soft grass beneath a shady tree. The ascetics began to talk. "There is no son," they said, "in the palace to keep up the royal line. It would be a blessing if the king could get a son, and continue the succession." Maharakkhita hearing their talk, pondered: [445] "Will the king have a son, or no?" He perceived that the king would have a son, and said, "Do not be anxious, sirs; this night at dawn a son of the gods will come down, and will be conceived by the queen consort." A sham ascetic heard it, and thought—"Now I will become a confidant of the royal house." When the time came for the ascetics to leave, he lay down and made as though he were sick. "Come, let us go," they said. "I cannot," said he. Maharakkhita learnt why the man lay still. "Follow us when you can," he said, and with the rest of the sages went on to Himalaya.

⁵Now the cheat ran back as fast as he could, and standing at the palace door, sent in a message that one of Maharakkhita's attendants was come. He was summoned at once by the king, and going up to the terrace, sat in a seat which they showed him. The king greeted him, and sitting on one side, asked after the health of the sages. "You have come back very soon," he said; "what is the cause of your so speedy return?" "O mighty king," he replied, "as the sages were all sitting comfortably together, they began to say how great a blessing it would be if the king could have a son to keep up his line. When I heard it, I pondered whether the king should get a son or no; and by divine vision I beheld a mighty son of the gods, and saw that he was about to descend, that he might be conceived by your queen

⁶consort Sudhamma. Then I thought, If they know not, they may perchance destroy the life conceived, so I must tell them; and to tell you the news, O king, Iam come. Now I have told it, let me depart again." "No, no, friend," quoth the king, "that must not be"; and highly delighted he brought the cheat into his park, and assigned him a place to dwell in. Thenceforward he lived in the king's household, and got his food there, and his name was Dibbacakkhuka, the man of Divine Vision.

⁷Then the Bodhisatta came down from the heaven of the Thirty- three, and was conceived there; and when he was born they gave him the name of Somanassa Kumara, Prince Delight, and he was reared after the manner of princes.

⁸Now the false ascetic in a corner of the park used to plant vegetables and pot-herbs and runners, and by selling these to the market gardeners he amassed much wealth. When the Bodhisatta was seven years old, [446] there was a rebellion on the frontier. The king went out to quell it, giving the ascetic Dibbacakkhuka into the prince's charge, with orders not to neglect him. One day the prince went out to see the ascetic. He found him with both yellow robes, upper and under, knotted up, holding a water jar in each hand, and watering his plants. "This false ascetic," thought he, "instead of doing the ascetic's duty, does the work of a gardener." Then he asked—"What are you doing, gardener, worldling?" So he put him to shame, and left him without salute. "Now I have made an enemy of this fellow," thought the man. "Who knows what he will do? I must make an end of him at once."

⁹About the time when the king was to return, the man threw his stone bench on one side, broke his waterpot to bits, scattered grass about in his hut, smeared all his body with oil, went into the hut and lay down on his pallet, wrapped up head and all, making as though he were in much pain. The king returned, and made a circuit about the city right-wise. But before he would enter his own house, he went to see his friend Dibbacakkhuka. Standing by the door of the hut, he saw all in disorder, and entered wondering what was the matter. There was the man lying down. The king chafed his feet, repeating the first stanza:

¹⁰"Who does thee harm or scorn? Why dost thou sorrow sore? Whose parents now must mourn?

¹¹Who lies here on the floor?"

¹²At this the impostor rose up groaning, and said the second stanza:

¹³"Thee I rejoice to see O King, though absent long! [447] Your son, who came to me,

¹⁴Wrought unprovoked this wrong."

¹⁵The connexion of the following verses is clear; they are arranged in due succession.

¹⁶"Executioners, what ho!

¹⁷Servants, take your swords and go, Strike Prince Somanassa dead, Hither bring his noble head!'

¹⁸"The royal messengers went forth, and to the prince they cry— "His majesty has cast thee off; and thou O prince must die!"

¹⁹"There the prince lamenting stands, Craving grace with folded hands: "Spare me yet awhile, and bring

²⁰Me alive to see the King!"

²¹"They heard his prayer, and to the King his son the servants led. He saw his father from afar, and thus to him he said:

²²"Let thy men take sword and slay, Only hear me first, I pray!

²³O great monarch! tell me this— What is it I've done amiss?"

²⁴[448] The king answered, "High estate is fallen very low: your error is very great," and explained it in this stanza:

²⁵"Water morn and eve he draws, Tends the fire without a pause. Dare you call this holy man

²⁶Worldling? answer if you can!"

²⁷"My lord," said the prince, "if I call a worldling a worldling, what harm is done!" and he repeated a stanza:

²⁸"He possesses trees and fruits, And, my lord, all kinds of roots, Tends them with incessant care:

²⁹Then he's worldly, I declare."

³⁰"And that is the reason," he went on, "why I called hima worldling. If you do not believe me, enquire of the market gardeners at the four gates." The king made enquiry. [449] They said, "Yes, we buy from him vegetables and all sorts of fruit." When he found out this greengrocery business, he made it

³¹known. The prince's people went into the man's hut, and ferreted out a bundle of rupees and small coins, the price of the green food, which they showed to the king. Then the king knew the Great Being was guiltless, and said a stanza:

³²"True it was that trees and roots He possessed, with many fruits, Tending with incessant care,

³³Worldly, as thou didst declare."

³⁴Then the Great Being thought, "While an ignorant fool like this is of the king's household, the best thing to do is to go to Himalaya and embrace the religious life. First I will proclaim his sin before the company here assembled, and then this very day I will go and become a religious." So with a bow to the company, he cried,

³⁵"Hear ye people as I call, Country folk and townsmen all: By this fool's advice the King

³⁶Guiltless men to death would bring."

³⁷This said, he asked leave to do it in the next stanza:

³⁸"Thou a strong wide spreading tree, IT an offshoot fixt in thee, Here beseech thee, bending low,

³⁹Leave to quit the world and go!"

⁴⁰[450] The following stanzas give the conversation of the king with his son.

⁴¹"Prince, enjoy the wealth you own, And ascend the Kuru throne. Do not leave the world, to bring

⁴²Sorrow on yourself—be King!"

⁴³"What of joy can this world give?

⁴⁴When in heaven I used to live

⁴⁵There were sights and sounds and smell, Taste and touch :, the heart loves well!

⁴⁶"Joys of heaven, and nymphs divine, I renounced, that once were mine. With a King so weak as thou

⁴⁷I will stay no longer now."

⁴⁸"If Iam foolish-weak, my son,

⁴⁹This once forgive me what I've done. And if Ido the same again,

⁵⁰Do what thou wilt, I'll not complain."

⁵¹The Great Being then repeated eight stanzas, admonishing the king.

⁵²[451]

⁵³"A thoughtless act, or done without premeditation had,

⁵⁴Like the miscarriage of a drug, the issue must be bad.

⁵⁵"A thoughtful act, wherein is careful policy pursued, Like a successful medicine, the issue must be good.

⁵⁶"The idle sensual layman I detest,

⁵⁷The false ascetic is a rogue contest;

⁵⁸A bad King will a case unheard decide; Wrath in a sage can ne’er be justified 2.

⁵⁹"The warrior prince takes careful thought, and well-weighed judgement gives: When Kings their judgement ponder well, their fame for ever lives 2.

⁶⁰"Kings should give punishment with careful measure: Things done in haste they will repent at leisure.

⁶¹Are there good resolutions in the heart, No late repentance brings her bitter smart.

⁶²"They who do deeds which no repentance bring, Carefully weighing every single thing,

⁶³Gain what is good, and do what satisfies

⁶⁴The holy, win the approval of the wise.

⁶⁵"What ho, my executioners!" you cried,

⁶⁶"Go seek my son, and where you find him, slay!" Where I was sitting by my mother's side

⁶⁷They found me, dragged me cruelly away.

⁶⁸"A tender nursling, treated in this way, I felt their cruel handling very sore. Delivered from a cruel doom to-day

⁶⁹I'll leave the world, and live in it no more."

⁷⁰[452] When the Great Being had thus discoursed, the king said to his queen,

⁷¹"So my young son, Sudhamma, says me nay, Prince Somanassa, delicate and kind. Now since I cannot gain my end to-day,

⁷²Thyself must see if thou canst turn his mind." But she urged him to renounce the world in this stanza:

⁷³"O be the holy life thy pleasure, son! Renounce the world, to righteousness stick fast: Who of all creatures cruel is to none,

⁷⁴Blameless to Brahma's world will come at last."

⁷⁵Then the king repeated a stanza:

⁷⁶"This is a marvel which I hear from thee, Sorrow to sorrow heaping up on me. [453] I asked thee to persuade our son to Stay,

⁷⁷Thou dost but urge him more to haste away." Again the queen repeated a stanza:

⁷⁸"There are who live from sin and sorrow free, Blameless, and who Nirvana's height attain: If of their noble path the prince would be

⁷⁹A partner, to withhold him is in vain." In reply the king recited the last stanza:

⁸⁰"Surely ‘tis good to venerate the wise, In whom deep wisdom and high thoughts arise 1. The queen has heard their words and learned their lore,

⁸¹She feels no pain and has no longing more."

⁸²The Great Being then saluted his parents, asking them to pardon him if he did amiss, and with a reverent obeisance to the company set his face towards Himalaya. When the people had returned, he, with the deities who had come thither in human shape, traversed the seven ranges of hills and arrived at Himalaya. In a leaf-hut made by the heavenly architect Vissakamma he entered upon the religious life, and there he was waited upon by deities in the shape of a princely retinue until his sixteenth year. But the deceitful ascetic was set upon by the crowd and beaten to death. The Great Being cultivated the Faculty of Ecstasy, and became destined to Brahma's heaven.

⁸³[454] This discourse ended, the Master said, "Thus Brethren, he went about to slay me in former days, as now," and then he identified the Birth: "At that time Devadatta was the impostor, Mahamaya was the mother, Sariputta was Rakkhita, and I myself was Prince Somanassa."

⁸⁴279:1 passehi is probably for phassehi (objects of touch): rapa corresponds to the eye.

⁸⁵279:2 These stanzas occur in Vol. iii. pp. 105 and 154 (translation, pp. 70, 103).

⁸⁶280:1 These two lines occur in iii. 306 (translation, p. 191).

¹"Who is it like," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about the fast-day vows. The Master said, "It is well done, lay Brethren, that ye have taken upon you the fast-day vows. Wise men of old likewise even renounced the glory of being a Serpent King, and lived under these vows." Then at their request he told a story of the past.

²Once upon atime, when Anga was king in the kingdom of Anga, and Magadha king in Magadha, betwixt the realms of Anga and Magadha was a river Campa, where was a place where serpents dwelt, and here a serpent king Campeyya held sway.

³Sometimes King Magadha took the Anga country, sometimes King Anga took Magadha. One day King Magadha, having fought a battle with Anga and got the worse, mounted his charger and took to flight, pursued by Anga's warriors. When he came to the Campa river, it was in flood. But he said, "Better death drowned in this river than death at the hands of my enemies!" Then man and horse plunged in the stream.

⁴Now the serpent king Campeyya had built him under the water a jewelled pavilion; and there at this moment in the midst of his court he was carousing deep. But the king and his horse plunged into the river just in front of the Serpent King. The serpent, beholding this magnificent monarch, conceived a liking for him.

⁵Rising from his seat, he made the king sit down upon his own throne, bidding him fear nought, and asked why he came plunging into the water. The king told him all as it was. Then said the serpent, "Fear nothing, O great king! I will make you master of both kingdoms." Thus he consoled him, and for seven days he showed him high honour. On the seventh day he with King Magadha left the serpent palace. Then by the Serpent King's power, King Magadha got possession of King Anga, and slew him, and ruled over the two realms together. From that time there was firm affiance between him and the Serpent King. [455] Year by year he caused a jewelled pavilion to be built on the bank of the river Campa, and offered tribute to the Serpent King at great cost: the Serpent King would come forth with a large retinue from his palace to receive the tribute, and all the people beheld the glory of the Serpent King.

⁶At that time the Bodhisatta was one of a poor family, and he used to go down with the king's people to the riverside. There seeing the Serpent King's glory, he became covetous of it; and in this desire : he died, and seven days after the death of the serpent king Campeyya, the Bodhisatta, having given alms and lived a virtuous life, came into being in his palace on his royal couch: his body was like a great festoon of jessamine. When he saw it, he was filled with remorse. "As a consequence of my good deeds," quoth he, "I have power laid up in the six chief worlds of sense 2, as corn is laid up in a granary. But see, here am I born in this reptile shape; what care I for life!" And so he had thoughts of putting an end to himself. But a young female serpent, named Sumana, seeing him, gave the lead to the rest, "This must be Sakka, mighty in power, born here to us!" Then they all came and

⁷made offering to him, with all manner of musical instruments in their hands. That serpent's palace of his became as it were the palace of Sakka, the thought of death left him: he put off his serpent shape, and sat on the couch in magnificence of dress and adornment. From that time great was his glory, and he ruled over the serpents. Another time again he repented, thinking, "What care I for this reptile shape? I will live under the fasting vows, and from this place I will shake myself free, amongst men I will go, and learn the Truths, and I will make an end of pain." But afterwards he still remained in that same palace, fulfilling the fasting vows, and when the young female serpents came about him all gaily adorned, he generally violated his rule of virtue. After that he went forth from the palace into the park, but they followed him thither, and his vow was broken as before. Then he thought: "I must leave this palace, and go into the world of men, and there must I live under the fasting vows." [456] So then on the fast-days he went forth from the palace, and lay on the top of an antheap by the high road, not far from a frontier village. Said he, "Those who desire my skin or any part of me, let them take it; or if any would have me a dancing snake, let them make me so." Thus did he yield his body as a gift, and contracting his hood he lay there observing the fast-day vows.

⁸Those who went to and fro on the highway espying him, did him worship with scents and perfumes. And the dwellers in that frontier village, holding him to be a serpent king of great power, set up a pavilion over him, spread sand before it, did worship with perfumes and scented things. Now people began to crave sons by his aid, having faith in the Great Being and doing him worship. The Great Being kept there the fasting vows on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the half-moon, lying upon the

⁹antheap; and on the first day of the lunar half he would return to his palace; and as he thus fulfilled his vows, time went by.

¹⁰One day his consort Sumana spoke to him thus: "My lord, you are wont to go among men to keep your fast-vows. The world of men is dangerous, full of fear. Suppose some danger should come upon you, tell me now by what sign I shall learn of it." Then the Great Being led her to the side of a lucky pond, and said, "If any one strike me or do me hurt, the water in this pond will become turbid. If a roc bird carry me off, the water will disappear. If a snake-charmer seize me, the water will turn to the colour of blood." These three signs explained to her, he went forth from his palace to keep the fast of the fourteenth day, went and lay down on the antheap, illuminating the antheap with the sheen of his body. White was his body as a coil of pure silver, like a ball of red wool was his head: now in this Birth the Bodhisatta's body was thick as a plough-head, in the Bhuridatta Birth ; thick as a thigh, in the Sankhapala Birth 2 as big round as a trough- canoe with an outrigger.

¹¹In those days there was a young brahmin of Benares come to Takkasila to study at the feet of a world-renowned teacher, from whom [457] he had learned the charm which commands all things of sense. Going home along that road, what should he see but the Great Being."This snake I will catch," thinks he, "and I will travel through town and village and royal city, making him dance and amassing great profits." Then he procured magical herbs, and repeating the magic charm he approached the snake. No sooner he heard the sound of this charm, than the Great Being felt his ears as it were pierced by burning splinters, his

¹²head was as though broken by the blow of a sword. "What have we here!" thought he; putting forth his head from the hood, he beheld the snake-charmer. Then he thought, "My poison is powerful, and if lam angry and send forth the breath of my nostrils ; his body will be shattered and scattered like a fist-full of chaff; then my virtue will be broken. I will not look upon him. "Closing his eyes he drew his head within the hood. The brahmin Snake-charmer ate a herb, repeated his charm, spat upon him: by virtue of herb and charm, wherever the spittle touched him, blains arose. Then the man seized him by the tail, dragged him, laid him out at full length: with a goat's-foot staff he squeezed him till he was weak, then catching tight hold on his head, crushed him hard. The Great Being opened his mouth wide; the man dropt spittle in it, and by the herb and charm broke his teeth; the mouth was full of blood. But the Great Being so feared lest he break his virtue, that he bore all this torment and never SO much as opened an eye to glance at him. Then the man said, "T'll weaken this royal snake!" From tail to head he squeezed the snake's body as though he would crush his very bones to powder. Then he wrapt him in

¹³what they call the cloth-wrap, gave him what they call the rope- rubbing, caught him by the tail and gave him the cotton blow, as they call it :. The Great Being's body was all smeared with blood, and he was in great pain. Seeing that the serpent was now weak, [458] the man made an osier basket in which he laid the snake. Then he carried him to the village, and made him perform to the crowd. Black or blue or what not, round figure and square figure, little or large—whatever the brahmin desires, that the Great Being will do, dancing, spreading his hood as if by hundreds or

¹⁴by thousands 2. The people were so pleased that they gave much money: in one day he would take a thousand rupees, and things worth another thousand. At the first the man had intended to let him go free when he should gain a thousand pieces of money; but when he got it, he thought, "In a small frontier village I have gained all this: from kings and courtiers how much wealth may I look to win!" So he bought a cart and a pleasure-car, and in the cart loaded his goods, while he sat in the carriage. Thus with an attendant throng he traversed town and village, making the Great Being perform, and went on with the intent to show him off before King Uggasena in Benares; and then he would let him

¹⁵go.

¹⁶He used to kill frogs and give them to the royal snake. But the snake each time refused to eat, that none might be killed for his sake. Then the man gave him honey and fried corn. But the Great Being refused to eat these also; for he thought, "If I take food, I shall be in this basket till I die."

¹⁷In a month's time the brahmin was come to Benares. There he got much money by making the snake perform in the villages beyond the gates. The king also sent for him, and commanded a performance: the man promised this for the morrow, which was the last day of the half-month. Then the king sent a drum beating about the city, with proclamation, that on the morrow a royal snake would dance in the palace court; let the people then gather to see it in their multitudes. Next day the courtyard of the palace was adorned, and the brahmin summoned. He brought in the Great Being in a jewelled basket on a gay rug, which he set down, and himself took a seat. "The king came down from the upper storey, and sat on his royal seat in the midst of a great concourse of people. The brahmin took out the Great Being, and

¹⁸made him dance. The people could not keep still: thousands of kerchiefs waved in the air; a shower of jewels in all seven kinds fell about the Bodhisatta.

¹⁹It was now the full month since the Serpent was caught; and for all that time he had taken no food. [459] Now Sumana began to think—

²⁰"My dear husband tarries long. It is now a month since he has not returned; what can the matter be?" So she went and looked at the pond: lo, the water was red as blood! Then she knew that he must have been caught by a snake-charmer. Forth.from the palace she came, and to the antheap; she saw the place where he had been caught, and the place where he had been tormented, and she wept. Then she went to the frontier village, and enquired; and learning all the fact, she went on to Benares, and in the midst of the people, above the palace court in the air she stood now lamenting. The Great Being as he daneéed looked up in the air, and saw. her, and being ashamed crept into his basket, and there he lay. When he crept into the basket, the king cried out, "What is the matter now?" Looking this way. and that way, he saw her poised in the air, and recited the first:stanza:

²¹"Who is it like the lightning shines, or like a blazing star?

²²Goddess or Titaness? methinks no human thing you are."

²³Their conversation is given in the stanzas following:

²⁴"No Goddess I, nor Titaness, nor human, mighty king }

²⁵A female of the serpent kind, come for a certain thing."

²⁶"Full of wrath and rage you show, From your eyes the teardrops flow: Say what wrong or what desire

²⁷Brings you, lady? I would know."

²⁸"Crawling serpent, fierce as flame!

²⁹So they called him: one there came, Seized him for his profit, sire:

³⁰Freedom for my lord I claim!"

³¹How could such a starveling wight

³²Catch a creature full of might? Daughter of the serpents, say,

³³How to discern the snake aright?"

³⁴[460] "Such his might, that e’en this town He could burn to cinders down.

³⁵But he loves the holy way, And seeks austerity's renown."

³⁶Then the king asked how the man had caught him. She replied in the following stanza:

³⁷"On holy days : the royal snake At the four-ways used to take Holy vows: a juggler caught him.

³⁸Free my husband for my sake!"

³⁹After these words she added yet these other two stanzas, begging his release:

⁴⁰"Lo sixteen thousand women gay with jewel and with ring,

⁴¹Beneath the waters counted him their refuge and their king.

⁴²"Justly, gently set him free, Buy the Serpent liberty,

⁴³With gold, a hundred kine, a village:

⁴⁴That will merit win for thee." [461] Then the king recited three stanzas:

⁴⁵"Justly now and gently see I buy the Serpent liberty With gold, a hundred kine, a village,

⁴⁶That will merit win for me."

⁴⁷"A jewelled earring give I thee, a hundred drachms of gold, A lovely throne like flower of flax with cushions laid fourfold! 1

⁴⁸"A bull, a hundred kine, two wives of equal birth with thee: Release the holy Snake: the deed will meritorious be."

⁴⁹To this the hunter made reply:

⁵⁰"IT want no gifts, your majesty, But let the Serpent now go free. Thus I now release the Serpent:

⁵¹The deed will meritorious be."

⁵²After this speech he took the Great Being out of his basket. The Serpent King came forth and crept into a flower, where he put off his shape and reappeared in the form of a young man magnificently arrayed: there he stood, as though he had cleft the earth and come through. And down from the sky came Sumana, and stood beside him. The Serpent King stood reverently joining his hands in respect to the king.

⁵³[462] To make all clear, the Master recited two stanzas:

⁵⁴"The Serpent King Campeyyaka addressed the King, now free: "O King of Kasi, fostering lord, all honour now to thee!

⁵⁵I do thee reverence, ere I go again my home to see."

⁵⁶"Superhuman beings may Hardly win belief, they say.

⁵⁷If you speak the truth, O Serpent, Where's your palace? Show the way."

⁵⁸But the Great Being, to make him believe, swore an oath as follows in these two stanzas:

⁵⁹"Should the wind move mountains high, Moon and sun fall from the sky, Flow upstream the running rivers,

⁶⁰I, O King! could never lie.

⁶¹"Split the sky, the sea run dry, Bounteous mother earth awry

⁶²Crumpling 2 roll, uproot Mount Meru, Yet, O King, I could not lie!"

⁶³But notwithstanding this assurance, he still disbelieved the Great Being, and said—

⁶⁴"Superhuman beings may Hardly win belief, they say. [463] If you speak the truth, O Serpent!

⁶⁵Where's your palace? Show the way."

⁶⁶Again he repeated the same stanza, adding, "You must be grateful for the good deeds wrought by me: whether I should

⁶⁷believe you to be right or not, however, that is for me to decide." This he made clear in the next stanza:

⁶⁸"Deadly envenomed, full of might, Quick in quarrel, shining bright, You are freed by me from prison:

⁶⁹Then is gratitude my right." The Great Being made oath thus to win his belief:

⁷⁰"He that will no thanks return, Happiness should never learn: He should die in basket-prison,

⁷¹He in horrid hell should burn!" Now the king believed him, and thanked him thus:

⁷²"As that vow of thine is true, Anger flee and hate eschew: As we flee the fire in summer,

⁷³May the roc-birds flee from you!" 1

⁷⁴The Great Being too on his part said another stanza meaning to thank the king:

⁷⁵"As a mother would have done To an only well-loved son, You are kind to all the serpents:

⁷⁶We will serve you, every one."

⁷⁷[464] Now the king eager to visit the serpent's world, gave command that his army should be made ready to go in the following stanza:

⁷⁸"Yoke the royal cars, and stand Trained Cambodian mules at hand, Elephants in golden trappings:

⁷⁹We will visit serpent-land!"

⁸⁰The next is a stanza of the Perfect Wisdom:

⁸¹"Bounce the tabors, thump the drums, Conch and cymbal sounds and thrums, Glorious mid a host of women

⁸²See King Uggasena comes."

⁸³At the moment he left the city, the Great Being by his power made visible in the serpent world an enclosing wall of seven precious things, and gate-towers, and all the road of approach to the abode of the serpents he made to be gloriously adorned. By this road the king with his following entered the palace, and saw a delightful spot with mansions in it.

⁸⁴Explaining this, the Master said: "The lord of Kasi saw the ground sprinkled with golden sand, Fair flowers of coral 1 strewn around, gold towers on every hand.

⁸⁵"So then the King did enter in Campeyya's halls divine, Which like the brazen thunderbolt 2 or ruddy sun did shine.

⁸⁶"Into Campeyya's halls divine the King his entrance made: A thousand perfumes scent the air, a thousand trees give shade.

⁸⁷"Within Campeyya's palace once the King his step advanced, Celestial harps made melody, fair serpent-maidens danced."

⁸⁸[465] "He is shown a golden seat

⁸⁹Cushioned and with sandal sweet, Where the bevy of fair maidens

⁹⁰Tread the halls with thronging feet."

⁹¹No sooner was he there seated, than they set before him food divine of choice flavour, and they gave it also to the sixteen thousand women and to the rest of the company. For seven days he with his retinue partook of the divine food and drink, and enjoyed all manner of pleasure. Sitting in his fair seat he praised the glory of the Great Being. "O King of the serpents," said he, "why did you leave all this magnificence, to lie on an ant-heap, in the world of men, and to keep the fast-day vows?" The other told him.

⁹²To explain this, the Master said:

⁹³"There the King in pleasure stayed. To Campeyya then he said: "Glorious mansions these of thine! Ruddy like the sun they shine. Such on earth are none to see:

⁹⁴Why wouldst thou a hermit be?

⁹⁵"Fair and fine these damsels stand, Who with taper-fingers hold Drink in either red-stained hand, Breast and body girt with gold. Such on earth are none to see: Why wouldst thou a hermit be?

⁹⁶[466]

⁹⁷"River, fishpond, glassy-fair, Each with well-built landing-stair, Such on earth are none to see:

⁹⁸Why wouldst thou a hermit be?

⁹⁹"Heron, peacock, heavenly geese, Charms of cuckoo like to these, Such on earth are none to see: Why wouldst thou a hermit be?

¹⁰⁰™Mango, sal, and tilak grown, Cassia 1, trumpet-flower 2 full-blown, Such on earth are none to see:

¹⁰¹Why wouldst thou a hermit be?

¹⁰²"See the lakes! and wafted o’er Scents divine on every shore: Such on earth are none to see: Why wouldst thou a hermit be?"

¹⁰³"Not for life or sons or pelf Do I wrestle with myself; ‘Tis my craving, if I can,

¹⁰⁴To be born again as Man."

¹⁰⁵To this answer the king replied:

¹⁰⁶"Bravely drest, eyes red and bleared,

¹⁰⁷Broad-shouldered, shaven head, and beard, Like an angel-King addressing

¹⁰⁸All the world, with sandal smeared.

¹⁰⁹"Great in might, in power divine,

¹¹⁰Lord of all desires, incline,

¹¹¹Serpent-King, to rede my question— How our world surpasses thine?"

¹¹²[467] This was answered by the Serpent-King as follows:

¹¹³"Comes control and cleansing when One is in the world of men, Only there: once man, I'll never

¹¹⁴See nor birth nor death again." The, king listened, and thus replied:

¹¹⁵"Surely ‘tis good to venerate the wise In whom deep wisdom and high thoughts arise s. When thee and all these maids I behold,

¹¹⁶I will do virtuous actions manifold." To him the Serpent-King said:

¹¹⁷"Surely ‘tis good to venerate the wise In whom deep wisdom and high thoughts arise. When me and all these maids thou dost behold,

¹¹⁸Then do thou virtuous actions manifold."

¹¹⁹After this soeech, Uggasena wished to go, and he took leave, saying, "Serpent King, I have stayed long here, and I must go." The Great Being pointed to his treasure, and offered him whatever he wished to take, saying this,

¹²⁰"I renounce it, gold untold, Tree-high silver-heaps, behold! Take and make you walls of silver,

¹²¹Take and houses make of gold.

¹²²[468] "Pearls, five thousand loads, I ween, Coral blushing in between,

¹²³Take and spread them in thy palace Till nor earth nor dirt be seen.

¹²⁴"Such a mansion as I tell

¹²⁵Build, and there, O monarch! dwell: Rich will be Benares city:

¹²⁶Rule it wisely, rule it well."

¹²⁷The king agreed to this suggestion. Then the Great Being sent proclamation about the city by beat of drum: "Let all the attendants of the king take what they will of my wealth, gold and fine gold!" And he sent the treasure to the king loaded in several hundred carts. After this the king left the serpent world with great pomp, and returned to Benares. From that time, they say, the ground was all golden throughout India.

¹²⁸This discourse ended, the Master said, "Thus wise men of old left the glories of the serpent world, to keep the fast-day vows." Then he identified the Birth: "At that time, Devadatta was the snake-charmer, Rahula's mother was Sumana, Sariputta was Uggasena, and I was myself Campezya King of the Snakes."

¹²⁹282:1 Reading with two MS., patthayamdano. 282:2 The six devalokd. 283:1 No. 543 (vi. 157 Pali). 283:2 No. 524 (v. 161 Pali).

¹³⁰283:3 Reputed to be poisonous. Compare ii. 55 and 206 of this translation.

¹³¹284:1 These appear to be technical terms.

¹³²284:2 That is, by his swift motion giving the appearance of thousands of hoods.

¹³³285:1 Fourteenth and fifteenth are named.

¹³⁴286:1 This couplet, and half the next, occur above, p. 422. 286:2 Reading samvattaye, as Fausball suggests.

¹³⁵287:1 "The serpent tribe" is the literal translation.

¹³⁶288:1 See Schol. p. 142.

¹³⁷288:2 Bronze thunderbolts, shaped somewhat like those which Zeus grasps in Greek vase paintings, are still used in North India as charms.

¹³⁸289:1 Cassia Fistula. 289:2 Bignonia Suaveolens.

¹³⁹289:3 See above, p. 280; and iii. 306 (translation, p. 190).

¹"From Brahma's heaven," etc.—This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about the defilement of the sanctified. The circumstances have already been given. Here again said the Master, "Women cause defilement even in sanctified souls," and then told this story of the past.

²[469] Once upon a time in Benares—here the story of the past is to be expanded as in the Culla-palobhana Birth :. Now once again the Great Being came down from Brahma's world as the King of Kasi's son, and his name was Prince Anitthi-gandha, the Woman-hater. In the hands of a woman he would not be; they must needs dress as men to give him the breast; he dwelt ina closet of meditation, and never a woman he saw. 2

³To explain this, the Master repeated four stanzas.

⁴"From Brahma's heaven a god came down, and here upon this earth

⁵As a King's son whose every wish was law, he had his birth.

⁶"To Brahma's heaven no deed of lust, no mention, ever came: So born into this world, the prince now loathed its very name.

⁷"Within the palace he had made a closet all his own, Where deep in meditation plunged he passed his days alone.

⁸"The King, grown anxious for his son, laments to know him there: One only son I have, and he for pleasures will not care."

⁹The fifth stanza describes the king's lamentation:

¹⁰"O who can tell me what to do! O is there no device?

¹¹Who'll teach him joys of love to crave, and who can him entice?"

¹²The next stanza and half a stanza, are those of perfect wisdom:

¹³"A girl there was, of graceful shape, of fair and lovely skin: She knew a world of pretty songs, and well could dance and spin.

¹⁴This maiden sought his majesty, and thus she did begin."

¹⁵[470] The other line is spoken by the young girl:

¹⁶"T will entice him, if thou wilt in marriage grant him me."

¹⁷The king made answer to the maid, and thus and thus said he: "Do but succeed in tempting him, thy husband he shall be."

¹⁸The king now gave orders that all opportunity should be afforded her, and sent her to attend upon the prince. In the morning, taking her lute she went and stood just without the prince's sleeping chamber, and touching the lute with her finger- tips tried to tempt him by singing in a sweet voice.

¹⁹To explain this, the Master said:

²⁰"The maiden went within the house, and where she stood apart,

²¹Sang ditties sweet and languishing, to pierce a lover's heart.

²²"There as the maiden stood and sang, the prince, who heard the sound, Straight fell in fancy, and he asked the servants waiting round—

²³"What is that sound of melody that comes to me so clear, Piercing the heart with thoughts of love, delightful to my ear?"

²⁴"A maid, your highness, fair to see, of dalliance infinite: Wouldst thou enjoy the sweets of love, yield, yield to this delight."

²⁵"Ho, hither, nearer let her come, and let her sing yet more, Here let her sing before my face within my closet door!

²⁶"She who had sung without the wall stood in the chamber there: She caught him, as an elephant is caught in woodland snare.

²⁷"He felt the joy of love, and lo! see jealousy full-grown: "No other man shall love!" cries he, "but I will love alone!"

²⁸"No other man, but I alone!" he cries; and then away— Seizes a sword, and runs amuck all other men to slay!

²⁹[471] "The people shouting in alarm all to the palace fly: "Thy son is slaying every one all unprovoked!" they cry.

³⁰"Him did the warrior King arrest, and banish from his face: "Within the boundaries of my realm thou shalt not find a place."

³¹"He took his wife and travelled on till by the sea he stood There built a hut of leaves, and lived on gleanings from the wood.

³²"A holy hermit flying came over the ocean high, Entered the hut what time the meal was standing ready by.

³³"The woman tempted him:— now see how vile a thing was done! He fell from chastity, and all his magic power was gone!

³⁴"The evening came; the prince returns, and from his gleaning brings Hung to his pole a plenteous store of roots and wild-wood things.

³⁵"The hermit sees the prince approach: down to the shore goes he, Thinking to travel through the air, but sinks into the sea!

³⁶"But when the prince beheld the sage down-sinking in the sea, Pity sprang up within him, and these verses then said he:—

³⁷"Hither not sailing on the sea, by magic power you came, But now you sink; an evil wife has brought you to this shame 1.

³⁸"Seducing traitresses, they tempt the holiest to his fall: Down—down they sink: who women know should flee afar from all 2.

³⁹"Soft-speaking, hard to satisfy, as rivers hard to fill; Down—down they sink: who women know should flee far from them still 2.

⁴⁰"And whomsoever they may serve for gold or for desire, They burn him up, as fuel burns cast in a blazing fire." 2

⁴¹"The hermit heard the prince's word; he loathed the world so vain: Turned to his former Path 3, and rose up in the air again.

⁴²"No sooner had the prince beheld how in the air he rose,

⁴³He grieved and with a purpose firm the holy life he chose;

⁴⁴"Then, turned religious, wholly quelled his lust and hot desire; And passion quelled, to Brahma's world henceforth he did aspire."

⁴⁵[473] This discourse ended, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, for woman's sake even sanctified souls do sin;" then he declared the Truths: (now at the conclusion of the Truths, the backsliding Brother achieved sainthood:) after which he identified the Birth, saying, "At that time I myself was Prince Anitthigandha."

⁴⁶291:1 No. 263, vol. ii. p. 227 of this translation. 291:2 Reading, as Fausball suggests, agacchat’ orena.

⁴⁷292:1 These are the same as the first two stanza, ii. 228 (translation).

⁴⁸292:2 These are the same as the first six lines, ii. 226 (translation).

⁴⁹292:3 That is, he returned to the Path of holiness.

¹The Birth of the Five Wise Men will be given in the Maha- ummagga..

¹"At last we see," etc.—This story the Master told, while dwelling at Jetavana, about the Renunciation. Then with these words,—"It is not the first time, Brethren, that the Tathagata made the Renunciation, but it was so before,"—the Master told them a Story of the past.

²Once upon atime there reigned in Benares a king named Esukari. His chaplain had been from the days of his youth his favourite companion. They were both childless. As the two were sitting together one day in a friendly manner, they thought, "We have great glory, but never a

³son or a daughter: now what is to be done?" Then the king said to the chaplain, "Friend, if a son is born in your house, he shall be lord of my kingdom; but if I have a son, he shall be master of your wealth." The two made a bargain of it on these terms.

⁴One day, as the chaplain approached his revenue-village, and entered by the southern gate, outside the gate he sawa wretched woman who had many sons: [474] seven sons she had, all hale and hearty; one held pot and plate for cooking, one mat and bedding, one went on before and one followed behind, one held a finger of her, one sat on her hip and one on her shoulder. "Where," asked the chaplain, "is the father of these lads?” "Sir," she replied, "the lads have no father at all for certain." "Why

⁵then," said he," how did you get seven fine sons like that?" : Disregarding the rest of the jungle, she points out a banyan tree that stood by the city gate, and quoth she, "I offered prayer, Sir, to the deity which inhabits this tree, and he answered me by giving these lads." "You may go, then, "said the chaplain; and descending from his chariot, he went up to the tree and taking hold of a branch shook it, saying, "O divinity, what has the king failed to give thee? Year by year he offers thee tribute of a thousand pieces of money, and thou givest him no son. What has this beggar wife done for thee, that thou givest her seven? Thou shalt grant the king a son within seven days, or I will have thee cut down by the roots and chopt up piecemeal." Thus upbraiding the deity of the banyan tree, he went away. Day after day for six days he did the same, and on the sixth, grasping the branch he said—"Only one night is left, tree-god; if you do not grant ason to my king, down you come!"

⁶The deity of the tree reflected, till she knew exactly what was the matter. "Yon brahmin," thought she, "will destroy my home if he gets no son: well, by what means can I get him a son?" Then she went before the four great kings 2, and told them. "Well," said they, "we cannot give the man a son." To the eight-and-twenty war-lords of the Goblins she went next, and all they said was the same. To Sakka king of the gods she came, and told him. He pondered within himself: "Shall the king get sons worthy of him, or no?" [475] Then he looked about and saw four meritorious sons of the gods. These, it is said, had been in a former existence weavers of Benares; and all their winnings by that trade they would divide into five heaps; of these four were their own Shares, but the fifth they gave away in common. When born anew from that place they came to the Heaven of the Thirty- three, thence

⁷again they were born into the Yama world, thence in due succession they past up and down through the six celestial worlds and enjoyed much glory. Just then the time was when they were due to go from the Heaven of the Thirty-three to the Yama Heaven. Sakka went to seek them, and summoned them, and said, "Holy sirs, you must go to the world of men, to be conceived in the womb of King Esukar''s chief consort." "Good, my lord," said they to these words, "we will go. But we do not want anything to do with a royal house: we will be born in the chaplain's family, and while yet young we will renounce the world." Then Sakka approved them for their promise, and returned, and told all to the deity that lived in the tree. Much pleased, the tree-god took leave of Sakka, and went to her dwelling place.

⁸But next day up came the chaplain, and with him strong men whom he had gathered, having each a razor-adze or the like. The chaplain approached the tree, and seizing a branch, cried out —"What ho, god of the tree! This is now the seventh day. since I begged a favour of you: the time of thy destruction is come!" The tree-deity by her great power cleft the tree-trunk and came forth, and in a sweet voice addressed him thus: "One son, brahmin? pooh! I will give you four." Said he, "I want no sons; give one to my king." "No," she said, "I will give only to you." "Then give two to the king and two to me." "No, the king shall have none, you Shall have all four; but they shall be only given to you, for they will not live in a worldly household: in the days of their youth they will renounce the world." "Just give me the sons, and I will see to it they do not renounce the world," said he. Thus the deity

⁹granted his prayer for children, and returned to her dwelling place. Ever afterwards that deity was held in high honour.

¹⁰Now the eldest god came down, [476] and was conceived by the brahmin's wife. On his name day they called him Hatthipala, the Elephant Driver; and to hinder him from renouncing the world, they entrusted him to the care of some keepers of elephants, amongst whom he grew up. When he was old enough to walk on his feet, the second was born of the same woman. At his birth they named him Assapala, or Groom, and he grew up amongst those who kept horses. The third at his birth was called Gopala, the Cowherd, and he grew up amongst the cattle-breeders. Ajapala, or Goatherd, was the name given to the fourth, when he also was born; and he grew up among the goat-herds. When they grew older they were lads of auspicious omen.

¹¹Now for fear of their renouncing the world, all the ascetics who had so done were banished from the kingdom: in the whole realm of Kasi not one was left. The lads were rough: in what way soever they

¹²went, they plundered those gifts of ceremony which were sent here or there.

¹³When Hatthipala was sixteen years old, the king and the chaplain seeing his bodily perfection, thought thus within them. "The lads are grown big. When the umbrella of royalty is uplifted, what shall be done with them?—As soon as the ceremony of sprinkling is done upon them, they will grow very masterful: ascetics will come, they will see them and will become ascetics also; once they have done this, the whole country will be in

¹⁴confusion. First let us test them, and afterwards have the ceremonial sprinkling." So they both dressed themselves up like ascetics, and went about seeking alms until they came to the door of the house where Hatthipala lived. The lad was pleased and delighted to see them; approaching, he greeted them with respect, and recited three stanzas:

¹⁵"At last we see a brahmin like a god, with top-knot great,

¹⁶With teeth uncleansed, and foul with dust, and burdened with a weight :.

¹⁷"At last we see a Sage, who takes delight in righteousness, With robes of bark to cover him, and with the yellow dress.

¹⁸"Accept a seat, and for your feet fresh water; it is right To offer gifts of food to guests—accept, as we invite."

¹⁹[477] Thus he addressed them one after the other. Then the chaplain said to him: "Hatthipala my son, you say this because you do not know us. You think we are sages from the Himalayas, but such we are not, my son. This is King Esukar, and I am your father the chaplain." "Then," said the lad, "why are you dressed like sages?" "To try you," said he. "Why try me?" he asked. "Because, if you see us without renouncing the world, we are ready to perform the ceremony of sprinkling, and make you king." "Oh, my father," quoth he, "I want no royalty; I will renounce the world." Then his father replied, "Son Hatthipala, this is not a time for renouncing the world;" and he explained his intent in the fourth stanza:

²⁰"First learn the Vedas, get you wealth and wife And sons, enjoy the pleasant things of life, Smell, taste, and every sense: sweet is the wood

²¹To live in then, and then the sage is good."

²²Hatthipala replied with a stanza:

²³"Truth comes not by the Vedas nor by gold; Nor getting sons will keep from getting old; [478] From sense there is release, as wise men know;

²⁴In the next birth we reap as now we sow."

²⁵In answer to the young man, the king now recited a stanza:

²⁶"Most true the words that from thy lips do go: In the next birth we reap as now we sow, Thy parents now are old: but may they see

²⁷A hundred years of health in store for thee."

²⁸"What do you mean, my lord?" asked the prince, and repeated two stanzas:

²⁹"He who in death, O King, a friend can find, And with old age a covenant hath signed; For him that will not die be this thy prayer,

³⁰A hundred years of life to be his share.

³¹"As one who on a river ferries o’er

³²A boat, and journeys to the other shore,

³³So mortals do inevitably tend

³⁴To sickness and old age, and death's the end."

³⁵[479] In this manner he showed these persons how transient are the conditions of mortal life, adding this advice: "As you stand there, O great king, and as I speak with you, even now sickness, old age, and death are drawing nearer to me. Then be vigilant!" So saluting the king and his father, he took with him his own attendants, and forsook the kingdom of Benares, and departed

³⁶with the intent to embrace the religious life. And a great company of people went with the young man Hatthipala; "for," said they, "this religious life must be a noble thing." The company extended a league long. He with this company proceeded until he came to the Ganges bank. There he induced the mystic trance by gazing at the water of the Ganges. "There will be a great concourse here," thought he. "My three younger brothers will come, my parents, king, queen, and all, they with their attendants will embrace the religious life. Benares will be empty. Until they come I will remain here." So he sat there, exhorting the crowd assembled.

³⁷Next day the king and his chaplain thought, "And so Prince Hatthipala has really renounced his claim on the kingdom, and is Sitting on the Ganges bank, whither he went to follow the religious life, and took a great multitude with him. But let us try Assapala, and sprinkle him to be king." So as before in the dress of ascetics they went to his door. Pleased he was when he saw them, and went up to them, and repeating the lines "At last," and so forth, he did as the other had done. The others did as before, and told him the cause of their coming. He said, "Why is the White Umbrella offered first to me, seeing I have a brother Prince Hatthipala?" They answered, "Your brother has gone away, my son, to embrace the religious life; he would have nothing to do with royalty." "Where is he now?" [480] asked the lad. "Sitting on the bank of the Ganges." "Dear ones," he said, "I care not for that which my brother has spewed out of his mouth. Fools and they who are

³⁸scant of wisdom cannot renounce this sin, but I will renounce it." Then he declared the Law to father and king in two stanzas which he recited:

³⁹"Pleasures of sense are but morass and mire 1;

⁴⁰The heart's delight brings death, and troubles sore. Who sink in these morasses come no nigher

⁴¹In witless madness to the further shore 2. "Here's one who once inflicted grief and pain:

⁴²Now he is caught, and no release is found.

⁴³That he may never do such things again I'll build impenetrable walls around."

⁴⁴"There you stand, and even as I speak with you, sickness, old age, and death are approaching nearer." With this admonition, [481] and followed by a company of people a league long, he went to his brother Prince Hatthipala. Who declared the Law to him, being poised in the air, and said, "Brother, there will be a great concourse to this place; let us both stay here together." The other agreed to stay there.

⁴⁵Next day king and chaplain went in the same manner to the house of Prince Gopala: and by him being greeted with the same gladness, they explained the cause of their coming. He like Assapala refused their offer. "For a long time," said he, "I have desired to embrace the religious life; like a cow gone astray in the forest, Ihave been wandering about in search of this life. I have seen the path by which my brothers have gone, like the track of a lost cow; and by that same path I will go." Then he repeated a stanza:

⁴⁶"Like one who seeks a cow has lost her way,

⁴⁷Who all perplext about the wood doth stray.

⁴⁸So is my welfare lost; then why hang back,

⁴⁹King Esukar, to pursue the track?"

⁵⁰"But," they replied, "come with us for a day, son Gopalaka, for two or three days come with us; make us happy and then you Shall renounce the world." He said, "O great king! never put off till the morrow what ought to be done to-day; if you want luck, take to-day by the forelock." Then he recited another stanza:

⁵¹"To-morrow! cries the fool; next day! he cries. No freehold in the future! says the wise;

⁵²The good within his reach he'll ne’er despise."

⁵³[482] Thus spake Gopala, declaring the Law in the two stanzas; and added, "There you stand, and even as I talk with you, are approaching disease, old age, and death." Then followed by a company of people a league in length, he made his way to his two brothers. And Hatthipala poised in the air declared the Law to him also.

⁵⁴Next day in the same manner king and chaplain repaired to the house of Prince Ajapala, who greeted them with joy as the others had done. They told the cause of their coming, and proposed to upraise the umbrella of royalty. The prince said: "Where are my brothers?" They answered, "Your brothers will have nothing to do with the kingdom; they have renounced the White Umbrella, and with a company that covers three leagues they are sitting upon the Ganges bank." "I will not put upon my head that which my brothers have spewed out of their mouths, and so live; but I too will undertake the religious life." They said, "My son, you are very young; your welfare is our care; grow older, and you shall

⁵⁵embrace the religious life." But the lad said, "What is this you say? Surely death comes in youth as in age! No one has a mark in hand or foot to show whether he will die young or die old. I know not the time of my death, and therefore I will now renounce the world altogether." He then recited two stanzas:

⁵⁶"Oft have I seen a maiden young and fair, Bright-eyed :, intoxicate with life, her share Of joy untasted yet, in youth's first spring:

⁵⁷Death came and carried off the tender thing.

⁵⁸"So noble, handsome lads, well-made and young, Round whose dark chins the beard 2 in clusters clung— I leave the world and all its lusts, to be

⁵⁹A hermit: go thou home, and pardon me."

⁶⁰[483] Then he went on, "There you stand, and even as I talk with you disease, old age, and death are approaching me." He saluted them both, and at the head of a league-long company he repaired to the Ganges bank. Hatthipala poised in the air declared the Law to him also, and sat down to wait for the great gathering which he expected.

⁶¹Next day the chaplain began to meditate as he sat upon his couch. "My sons," thought he; "have embraced the religious life; and now I am alone the withered stump of a man. I will follow the religious life also." Then he addressed this stanza to his wife:

⁶²"That which has branching boughs a tree they call: Disbranched, it is a trunk, no tree at all. So is a sonless man, my high-born wife:

⁶³‘Tis time for me to embrace the holy life."

⁶⁴This said, he summoned the brahmins before him: sixty thousand of them came. Then he asked them what they meant to do. [484] "You are our teacher," they said. "Well," quoth he, "I Shall seek out my son and embrace the religious life." They answered, "Hell is not hot for you alone; we will do likewise." He handed over his treasure, eighty crores,

⁶⁵to his wife, and at the head of a league-long train of brahmins departed to the place where his sons were. And unto this company as before Hatthipala declared the Law, poised on high in the air.

⁶⁶Next day thought the wife to herself, "My four sons have refused the White Umbrella to follow the life of the religious; my husband has left his fortune of eighty thousand, and his position of royal chaplain to boot, and gone to join his sons:—what am I to do all by myself? By the way my son has gone I will go also." And quoting an ancient saw she recited this stanza of aspiration:

⁶⁷"The rain-months past, the geese break net and snare, With a free flight like herons through the air; 1 So by the path of husband and of son

⁶⁸I'll seek for knowledge as they two have done."

⁶⁹"Since this I knew," she said to herself, "why should I not renounce the world?" With this purpose she summoned the brahmin women, and said to them: [485] "What do you mean to do with yourselves?" They asked, "What do you?"—"As for me, I Shall renounce the world."—"Then we will do the same." So leaving all her splendour, she went after her sons, taking with

⁷⁰her a league-long company of women. To this company also Hatthipala declared the Law, sitting poised in the air.

⁷¹Next day the king asked, "Where is my chaplain?" "My lord," they replied, "the chaplain and his wife have left all their wealth behind, and have gone after their sons with a company that covers two or three leagues." Said the king, "Masterless money comes to me," and sent to fetch it from the chaplain's house. The chief queen now wanted to know what the king was doing. He is fetching the treasure," she was told, "from the chaplain's house." "And where is the chaplain?" she asked. "Gone to be a religious, wife and all." "Why," thought she, "here is the king fetching into his own house the dung and the spittle dropt by this brahmin and his wife and his four sons! Infatuate fool! I will teach him by a parable." She got some dog's-flesh, and made a heap of it in the palace courtyard. Then she set a snare round it, leaving the way open straight upwards. The vultures seeing it from afar swooped down. But the wise among them noticed that a snare had been set around it; and feeling they were too heavy to rise up straight, they disgorged what they had eaten, and without being caught in the snare rose up and flew away. Others blind with folly devoured the vomit of the first, and being heavy could not get clear away but were caught in the snare. They brought

⁷²one of the vultures to the queen, and she carried it to the king.

⁷³"See, O king!" said she, "there is a sight for us in the courtyard." Then opening a window, "Look at those vultures, your majesty!" Then she repeated two stanzas:

⁷⁴"The birds that ate and vomited in the air are flying free:

⁷⁵But those which ate and kept it down are captured now by me.

⁷⁶[486] "A brahmin vomits out his lusts, and wilt thou eat the same Aman who eats a vomit, sire, deserves the deepest blame."

⁷⁷At these words the king repented; the three states of existence: seemed as blazing fires; and he said, "This very day I must leave my kingdom and embrace the religious life." Full of grief, he lauded his queen in a stanza:

⁷⁸"Like as a strong man lends a helping hand To weaker, sunk in mire or in quicksand: So, Queen Paficatl, thou hast saved me here,

⁷⁹With verses sung so sweetly in mine ear."

⁸⁰No sooner had he thus said, than on the instant he sent for his courtiers, eager to undertake the religious life, and said to them, "And what will you do?" They answered, "What will you?" He said," I will seek Hatthipala and become a religious." "Then," said they, "we, my lord, will do the same." The king left his sovranty over Benares, that great city, twelve leagues in extent, and said, "Let who will upraise the White Umbrella." Then surrounded by his courtiers, at the head of a column three leagues in length, he went to the presence of the young man. To this body also Hatthipala declared the Law, sitting high in the air.

⁸¹The Master repeated a stanza which told how the king renounced this world. "Thus Esukarl, mighty king, the lord of many lands,

⁸²From King turned hermit, like an elephant that bursts his bands."

⁸³[487] Next day the people who were left in the city gathered before the palace door, and sent in word to the queen. They

⁸⁴entered, and saluting the queen, stood on one side, repeating a stanza:

⁸⁵"It is the pleasure of our noble king To be a hermit, leaving everything. So in the king's place now we pray thee stand;

⁸⁶Cherish the realm, protected by our hand."

⁸⁷She listened to what the crowd said, and then repeated the remaining stanzas:

⁸⁸"It is the pleasure of the noble king To be a hermit, leaving everything. Now know that I will walk the world alone,

⁸⁹Renouncing lusts and pleasures every one.

⁹⁰"It is the pleasure of the noble king To be a hermit, leaving everything. Now know that I will walk the world alone,

⁹¹Where'er they be, renouncing lusts each one.

⁹²"Time passes on, night after night goes by :, Youth's beauties one by one must fade and die: Now know that I will walk the world alone, Renouncing lusts and pleasures every one.

⁹³"Time passes on, night after night goes by, Youth's beauties one by one must fade and die: Now know that I will walk the world alone, Where'er they be, renouncing lusts each one.

⁹⁴"Time passes on, night after night goes by, Youth's beauties one by one must fade and die: Now know that I will walk the world alone,

⁹⁵Each bond thrown off, nor passion's power I own."

⁹⁶[488] In these stanzas she declared the Law to the great crowd; then summoning the courtier's wives said to them, "And what will you do?" "Madam," say they, "what will you?"—"T will embrace the religious life."—"Then so will we do." So the queen set open the doors of all the storehouses of gold in the palace, and she caused to be engraved on a golden plate, "In such a place is a great treasure hidden"; any one who chose might have it. This gold plate she fastened to a pillar upon the great dais, and sent the drum beating the proclamation about the city. Then leaving all her magnificence she departed from the city. Then was the whole city in a garboil: the cry was, "Our king and queen have left the city to join the religious; what are we to do now?" Thereupon the people all left their houses, and all that was in them, and went out, taking their sons by the hand; all the shops stood open, but no one so much as turned to look at them: the whole city was empty.

⁹⁷And the queen with an attendant train of three leagues in length went to the same place as the others. To this company also Hatthipala declared the Law, poised in the air above them; and then with the whole train a dozen leagues long he set out for Himalaya.

⁹⁸All Kasi was in an uproar, crying how young Hatthipala had emptied the city of Benares, twelve leagues in extent, and how with a huge company he is off to Himalaya to embrace the religious life; "surely then," said they, "much more should we do it!" In the end this company grew so that it covered thirty leagues; [489] and he with this great company went to Himalaya.

⁹⁹Sakka in his meditation perceived what was afoot. "Prince Hatthipala," he thought, "has made the Renunciation; there will be a great gathering of people, and they must have a place to live in." He gave orders to Vissakamma: "Go, make a hermitage six and thirty leagues long and fifteen broad, and gather in it all that is necessary for the religious." He obeyed; and made on the Ganges bank in a pleasant spot a hermitage of the required size, prepared in the leaf-huts pallets strewn with twigs or strewn with leaves, made ready all things necessary for the religious. Each hut had its doors, each its promenade; there were separate places for night and day living; all was neatly worked over with whitewash; there were benches for rest. Here and there were flowering-trees all laden with fragrant blooms of many colours; at the end of each promenade was a well for drawing water, and beside it a fruit-tree, and each tree bore all manner of fruits. This was all done by divine power. When Vissakamma had finished the hermitage, and provided the leaf huts with all things needful, he inscribed in letters of vermilion upon a wall "Whoso will embrace the religious life is welcome to these necessary things." Then by his supernatural power he banished from that place all hideous sounds, all hateful beasts and birds, all unhuman beings, and went back to his own place.

¹⁰⁰Hatthipala came upon this hermitage, Sakka's gift, by a footpath, and saw the writing. Then he thought, "Sakka must have perceived that I have made the Great Renunciation." He opened a door, and entered a hut, and taking those things which mark the ascetic he went out again, and along the promenade, walking up and down a few times. Then he admitted the rest of the company to the religious life, and went to inspect the hermitage. He set apart in the midst a habitation for women

¹⁰¹with young boys, one next it for the old women, the next for childless women; the other huts all round he allotted to men.

¹⁰²[490] Then a certain king, hearing that there was no king in Benares, went to see, and found the city adorned and decorated. Entering the royal palace, he saw the treasure lying in a heap. "What!" said he, "to renounce a city like this, and to become a religious so soon as the chance came, this is truly a noble thing!" Asking the way of some drunken fellow he went to find Hatthipala. When Hatthipala perceived he was come to the skirt of the forest, he went out to meet him, and poised in the air declared the Law to his company. Then he led them to the hermitage, and received the whole band into the Brotherhood. In the same manner six other kings joined them. These seven kings renounced their wealth. The hermitage, six and thirty leagues in extent, was filling continually. When some great man had thoughts of lust or any such thing, he would declare the Law to him, and teach them the thought of the Perfections and the Ecstasy; these then generally developed

¹⁰³the mystic trance; and two-thirds of them were born again in Brahma's world, while the third being divided into three parts, one part was born in Brahma's world, one in the six heavens of sense, one having performed a seer's mission was born in the world of men. Thus they enjoyed each of the three their own merit :. Thus Hatthipala's teaching saved all from hell, from animal birth, from the world of ghosts, and from being embodied as a Titan.

¹⁰⁴In this island of Ceylon, those who made the Renunciation were: Elder Dnammagutta, who made the earth to quake; Elder Phussadeva, a citizen of Katakandhakara; Elder Mahasamgharakkhita, from Uparimandalakamalaya; Elder Malimahadeva; Elder Mahadeva, from Bhaggiri; Elder Mahasiva, from Vamantapabbhara; Elder Mahanaga, from Kalavallimandapa; those in the company of Kuddala, of Mdagapakkha, of Culasutasoma, of Ayoghara the Wise, and last of all Hatthipdala. Therefore said the Blessed One, "Make haste, ye happy!" etc. 2, that is, happiness will come only if they use all speed.

¹⁰⁵[491] When he had ended this discourse, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, the Tathagata made the Great Renunciation long ago, as now"; which said he identified the Birth: "At that time, King Suddhodana was King Esukarl, Mahamaya his queen, Kassapa the chaplain, Bhaddakapilant his wife, Anuruddha was Ajapala, Moggallana was Gopala, Sdriputta was Hatthipala, the Buddha's followers were the rest, and I myself was Hatthipala."

¹⁰⁶293:1 Vol. vi. p. 339 (Pali).

¹⁰⁷294:1 Or (taking the reading in the text), "not seeing any other way out of it." Courtesans in India were said to be married to certain trees: perhaps this woman belongs to that class.

¹⁰⁸294:2 Four Lords of the Earth, North, South, East, and West.

¹⁰⁹295:1 Third of the Heavens of Sense, Hardy: Manual, p. 25.

¹¹⁰296:1 See Smnyutta Nikdya, p. 1.

¹¹¹298:1 This line occurs in iii. 241 (iii. 158 of the translation). 298:2 Nirvana.

¹¹²299:1 "With eyes like the flower of Pandanus Odoratissimus." 299:2 "Beard as it were covered with Carthamus Tinctorius."

¹¹³300:1 The scholiast refers to a story describing how a spider in the rains wove a net that enclosed a flock of golden geese, how two of the younger birds at the end of the rains broke through by main force, and how the rest followed by the same gap and flew away.

¹¹⁴301:1 Sensual, Bodily, and Formless, referring to the three correspondent worlds.

¹¹⁵302:1 See Samnyutta Nikdyoa, I. p. 3.

¹"Life once conceived, etc." This story the Master told about the Great Renunciation. Here again he said, "This is not the first time, Brethren, that the Tathagata has made the Great Renunciation, for he did the same before." And he told them a Story of the past.

²Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta reigned in Benares, the queen consort conceived, and when her full time was come she brought forth a son just after dawn of day. Now in a former existence, another wife of the same husband had prayed that she might be able to devour the child of this woman; she, it is said, was barren, and being angry with mother and son uttered this prayer, for which cause she came into being as

³a goblin. The other became the king's consort, and brought forth this son. Well, the she-goblin found her chance, and putting ona horrific shape caught up the child from under the mother's eyes and made off. The queen screamed with a loud voice—"A goblin is carrying off my son!" The other champed and mumbled him like an onion, and swallowed him down; then after various transformations of her limbs, which annoyed and frightened the queen, departed. When the king heard, he was dumb: what could be done, thought he, against a goblin?

⁴Next time the queen was in childbed, he set a strong guard about her. She bore another son; the goblin again came, and devoured him too, and departed.

⁵The third time it was the Great Being conceived in her womb. The king gathered a number of people together, and said: "Each son my queen has brought forth, a she-goblin comes and devours him. [492] What is to be done?" Then some one said, "Goblins are afraid of a palm-leaf; you should bind one such leaf on each of her hands and feet." Another said, "It is an iron house they fear; one should be made." The king was willing. He Summoned all the smiths in his realm and bade them build him an iron house, and set overseers over them. Right in the town in a pleasant place they builded a house; pillars it had, and all the parts of a house, all made of nothing but iron: in nine months there it stood finished, a great hall foursquare: it shone, lighted continually with lamps.

⁶When the king knew that she drew near her time, he had the iron house fitted up, and took her into it. She brought forth a son with the marks of goodness and luck upon him, and they gave him the name of Ayoghara-Kumara, the Prince of the Iron

⁷House. The king gave him in charge to nurses, and placed a great guard about the place, while he with his queen made the circuit of the whole city rightwise, and then went up to his magnificent terrace. Meanwhile the she-goblin wanting water to drink had been destroyed in trying to fetch some of the water of Vessavana.

⁸In the iron house the Great Being grew up, and increased in wisdom, and there also he was educated in all the sciences.

⁹The king asked his courtiers, "What is my son's age?" They replied, "He is sixteen years old, my lord: a hero, mighty and strong, fit to master a thousand goblins!" The king determined to place the kingdom in his son's hands. He had the city decorated, and gave order that the lad be brought to him out of the iron house. The courtiers obeyed: all Benares was decorated, that great city of twelve leagues in extent; they decked out the state elephant in magnificent caparison, and drest the boy in his best, and placed him upon the elephant's back, saying, "My lord, make a circuit rightwise about the rejoicing city, your inheritance, and salute your father the King of Kasi; for this day you Shall receive the

¹⁰White Umbrella." The Great Being made his ceremonial circuit rightwise, and seeing the beautiful parks, the beautiful colours, lakes, plots of ground, all the beautiful houses and so.forth, [493] thought thus within himself: "All this while my father has kept me close in prison, never let me see this city so richly adorned. What fault can there be in me?" He put this question to the courtiers. "My lord," they said, "there is no fault in you; but a she-goblin devoured your two brothers, therefore your father made you live in an iron house, and the iron house has saved your life." These words made him think again, "For ten months I was in my mother's womb, as it might have been the Hell of the Iron Caldron or the Hell of Dung :; and when I came forth from the womb, for sixteen years I dwelt in this prison, never a chance of looking outside. Though I have escaped the hands.of the goblin I am neither free from old age nor death. What care I for royalty? Once established in the royal place it is hard for one to

¹¹get away. This very day will I ask my father's leave to embrace the religious life, and I will go to Himalaya and do so.

¹²Accordingly after his procession about the city was over he went to the king's palace, and saluted the king, and stood waiting. The king seeing his bodily beauty, looked at his courtiers with strong love in his eyes. "What do you wish us to do, Sire?" they asked. "Take my son and put him on a pile of jewels, sprinkle him from the three conchs, uplift the White Umbrella with its festoons of gold." But the Great Being saluted his father, and said, "Father, I want nothing to do with royalty. I wish to embrace the religious life, and I crave your leave to do so." "Why would you leave your royalty, my son, and embrace the religious life?"—"My lord, for ten months I was in my mother's womb, as it were the Hell of Dung; once born, for fear of a goblin I dwelt sixteen years ina prison, with never a chance even of looking outside,—I seemed as it were cast into the Ussada hell. Now safe from the goblin I am neither safe from old age nor death, for death no man can conquer. lam weary of existence. Until disease, old age, death comes upon me I will follow the life of the religious, walking in righteousness. No kingdom for me! My lord, grant your permission!" Then he declared the Law to his father thus:

¹³[494]

¹⁴"Life once conceived within the womb, no sooner has begun,

¹⁵Than on it goes continually, its course is never done 2.

¹⁶"No warlike prowess nor no mighty strength

¹⁷Can keep men from old age and death at length;

¹⁸All being plagued with birth and age I see:

¹⁹So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²⁰"Great kings by force and violence subdue Hosts of four arms ;, terrific to the view; Over death's host they win no victory:

²¹So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²²"Though horses, elephants, and cars, and men Surround them, some have yet got free again; But from the hands of death no man gets free: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²³"With horses, elephants, and cars, and men, Heroes destroy and crush and crush again; But to crush death no man so strong I see: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²⁴"Mad elephants in rut with oozing skin Trample whole towns and slay the men within, To trample death no one so strong I see:

²⁵So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²⁶"Archers who most strong-armed and skilful are, Wound like a flash of lightning from afar,

²⁷But to wound death no man so strong I see:

²⁸So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

²⁹"Great lakes, their woods and rocks, to ruin fall, After a while ruin shall come to all,

³⁰In time all brought to nothing they shall be

³¹So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

³²"Like as a tree upon a river brink,

³³Or as a drunkard sells his coat for drink 2, Such is the life of those who mortals be: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me."

³⁴[495] "The body's elements dissolve—they fall Young, old, the middle-aged, men, women—all, Fall as the fruit falls from a shaken tree:

³⁵So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

³⁶"Man's prime is all unlike the queen whose reign Rules o’er the stars :: it ne’er will come again. For worn-out eld what joy or love can be?

³⁷So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

³⁸"While ghost and sprite and horrid goblin can When angry breathe their poison-breath on man, Gainst death their poison-breath no help can be: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

³⁹"While ghost and sprite and horrid goblin can When angry, be appeased by deed of man, Work it with death, no softening knows he: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁴⁰"Those who do crime, and wrong, and hurtful things, When known, are punished by the act of kings, But against death no punishment can be:

⁴¹So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁴²"Those who do crime, and wrong, and hurtful things Can find a way to stay the hand of kings,

⁴³But how to stay death's hand no way can be:

⁴⁴So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁴⁵"Warriors or brahmins, men of high estate,

⁴⁶Men of much wealth, the mighty and the great,— King Death no pity has, no ruth has he:

⁴⁷So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁴⁸"Lions and tigers, panthers, seize their prey, And all devour it, struggle as it may;

⁴⁹From fear of their devouring death is free: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁵⁰"Upon the stage a juggler with his sleight Performing can deceive the people's sight, To cozen death, no trick so quick can be: So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁵¹[496] "Serpents enraged will with envenomed bite Attack at once and kill a man outright;

⁵²For death no fear of poison-bite can be:

⁵³So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁵⁴"Serpents enraged with venomed fangs may bite, The skilful leach can stay the poison's might;

⁵⁵To cure death's bite no man so strong can be:

⁵⁶So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁵⁷"Physicians' skill could cure the serpent's bite; Now they are dead themselves and out of sight, Bhoga, Vetarant, Dhammantart

⁵⁸So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁵⁹"Some who in spells and magic lore are wise Can walk invisible to other eyes,

⁶⁰Yet not so invisible but death can see:

⁶¹So I'm resolved—a holy life for me.

⁶²"Safe is the man who walks in righteousness; Religion well observed has power to bless; Happy the righteous man and never he While he is righteous falls in misery 1.

⁶³"Is it not true, his proper fruit from right or wrong shall spring? Right leads to heaven, unrighteousness a man to hell must bring 2.

⁶⁴[499] When the Great Being had thus declared the Law in twenty-four stanzas, he said, "O great king! keep your kingdom to yourself; I want none of it. Even as Iam talking with you, disease, old age, and death draw nearer to me. Stay where you are." Then, as amad

⁶⁵elephant might burst his steel chains, as a young lion might break out of a golden cage, he burst his carnal desires; and saluting his parents, he departed. Then his father said, "I want not the Kingdom!" and leaving it went with him. When he was

⁶⁶gone, the queen and courtiers, brahmins, householders, and everyone else who dwelt in the city, left their houses and went away. There was a great concourse; the crowd covered twelve leagues. With this crowd he set out for Himalaya.

⁶⁷When Sakka perceived that he had departed, he sent Vissakamma to make a hermitage twelve leagues long and seven wide, and bade him put within it all things requisite for the ascetic life. How the Great Being proceeded to admit these into the Brotherhood, and admonished them, and how they became destined for Brahma's world, or entered upon the Third Path, all must be repeated again as before.

⁶⁸This discourse ended, the Master said: "Thus, Brethren, the Tathagata has made the Great Renunciation before"; after which he identified the Birth: "At that time the king's parents were the mother and father, the Buddha's followers were their followers, and I was myself the Wise Ayoghara."

⁶⁹304:1 For the three Kusalasampattayo see Childers, p. 439. 304:2 Dhammapada, 116. 306:1 Guthanirayo. 306:2 The scholiast explaining this quotes the following lines:

⁷⁰"First seed, then embryo, then shapeless flesh, Then something solid, out of which soon grow Thighs, hair on head and body, with the nails: Whatever food or drink the mother takes,

⁷¹The baby lives on, in his mother's womb." 307:1 Horse, Foot, Chariots, Elephants.

⁷²307:2 The text is: "like a drunkard's cloth," but this cryptic utterance is thus explained by the scholiast.

⁷³307:3 The Moon.

⁷⁴308:1 This stanza is given in the Introduction to the Jataka book, no. 224 (not in our translation): see Rhys Davids, Buddhist Birth Stories, p. 34. Also in Dhammapada, p. 126, Theragathda. 35.

⁷⁵308:2 See Dhammapadda, p. 90 in Fausboll's Commentary, 1. 3.

⁷⁶The Jataka, Vol. IV: Page Index

⁷⁷pp OP lop

⁷⁸BEBE

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⁸⁰Dp ppp I> lo Io lo ae

⁸¹Title Page

⁸²Contents

⁸³No. 439.: Catu-Dvara-Jataka.

⁸⁴Rage 5 page 6 Rage 7

⁸⁵Page 10 page 11 Page 12 Page 13

⁸⁶page 15 page 16

⁸⁷page 17 page 18 page 19 page 20 page 21 Rage 22

⁸⁸No. 441.: Catu-Posathika-Jataka.

⁸⁹Na-Bodhi-Jataka.

⁹⁰14.: Kanhadipayana-Jataka.

⁹¹Page 23 page 24 page 25 page 26 26

⁹²Page 28 page 29 page 30 page 31

⁹³page 32 page 33 anaes =

⁹⁴Page 36 page 37

⁹⁵page 38 page 39

⁹⁶No. 446.: Takkala-Jataka.

⁹⁷No. 447.: Maha-Dhamma-Pala-Jataka.

⁹⁸No. 448.: Kukkuta-Jataka.

⁹⁹page 40 Rage 41 Page 42 Rage 43 page 44

¹⁰⁰page 47 page 48 page 49

¹⁰¹Rage 50 Rage 51 page 52 Page 53 page 54 Rage 55

¹⁰²page 58 page 59 page 60

¹⁰³No. 451.: Cakka-Vaka-Jataka.

¹⁰⁴No. 453.: Maha-Mangala-Jataka.

¹⁰⁵No. 454.: Ghata-Jataka.

¹⁰⁶No. 455.: Mati-Posaka-Jataka.

¹⁰⁷page 62 page 63 page 64

¹⁰⁸Page 68

¹⁰⁹page 71 page 72 page 73 page 74 page 75

¹¹⁰page 76 page 77 page 78

¹¹¹No. 456.: Junha-Jataka

¹¹²No. 457.: Dhamma-jJataka.

¹¹³No. 458.: Udaya-Jataka.

¹¹⁴No. 460.: Yuvafijaya-Jataka.

¹¹⁵Rage 79 page 80 page 81 page 82

¹¹⁶page 83

¹¹⁷are page 86

¹¹⁸Rage 87 Page 88 page 89 Rage 90

¹¹⁹page 92 page 93 page 94 page 95 page 97

¹²⁰No. 461.: Dasaratha-Jataka.

¹²¹No. 463.: Supparaka-Jataka.

¹²²No. 464.: Culla-Kunala-Jataka.

¹²³page 99 page 100 page 101

¹²⁴page 105 ae

¹²⁵as page 109

¹²⁶page 114 page 115

¹²⁷No. 466.: Samudda-Vai

¹²⁸inija-Jataka.

¹²⁹No. 467.: Kama-Jataka.

¹³⁰No. 469.: Maha-Kanha-Jataka.

¹³¹No. 472.: Maha-Paduma-Jataka.

¹³²wae Rage 120 page 121

¹³³page 122 page 123

¹³⁴page 124 page 126 page 127 Page 128 Page 129

¹³⁵page 133 Rage 134 page 136

¹³⁶No. 473.: Mittamitta-Jataka.

¹³⁷No. 474.: Amba-Jataka.

¹³⁸No. 476.: Javana-Hamsa-Jataka.

¹³⁹No. 477.: Culla-Narada-Jataka.

¹⁴⁰page 137

¹⁴¹page 138

¹⁴²eet

¹⁴³ent page 145 page 146 page 147 page 148

¹⁴⁴No. 480.: Akitta-Jataka.

¹⁴⁵page 149 page 150 page 151

¹⁴⁶page 153 page 154 page 155

¹⁴⁷page 157 Rage 158 Page 159 page 160 page 161

¹⁴⁸No. 482.: Ruru-Jataka.

¹⁴⁹page 162 page 163 page 164

¹⁵⁰— OS ————

¹⁵¹page 166

¹⁵²No. 483.: Sarabha-Miga-Jataka.

¹⁵³page 167 page 168 page 169

¹⁵⁴page

¹⁵⁵page 173 page 174

¹⁵⁶No. 484.: Salikedara-Jataka.

¹⁵⁷page 178

¹⁵⁸page 179 page 180

¹⁵⁹page 181

¹⁶⁰page 182

¹⁶¹page 183 page 185 page 186 Page 187

¹⁶²page 188 page 189

¹⁶³page 191

¹⁶⁴page 193 page 194

¹⁶⁵No. 487.: Uddalaka-Jataka.

¹⁶⁶No. 489.: Suruci-Jataka.

¹⁶⁷Rage 198 page 200 page 202 page 203 page 204 page 205

¹⁶⁸page 206 page 207 Rage 208 Rage 209 page 210

¹⁶⁹page 212 page 213 Page 214 page 215 page 216

¹⁷⁰page 217 page 218 page 219 page 220 page 221

¹⁷¹No. 490.: Pafic-Uposatha-Jataka.

¹⁷²No. 491.: Maha-Mora-Jataka.

¹⁷³No. 492.: Taccha-Sikara-Jataka.

¹⁷⁴page 222 mage 22

¹⁷⁵page 224 page 225 page 226 page 227

¹⁷⁶page 228 page 229 page 230 page 231

¹⁷⁷page 233

¹⁷⁸page 235 page 236 page 237 page 238

¹⁷⁹page 239

¹⁸⁰page 240

¹⁸¹ha-Vanija-Jataka.

¹⁸²No. 494.: Sadhina-Jataka.

¹⁸³No. 495.: Dasa-Brahmana-Jataka.

¹⁸⁴page 241 page 242 page 2d 243

¹⁸⁵—-* =

¹⁸⁶page 245 Page 246 page 247 page 248 page 249 page 250

¹⁸⁷No. 499.: Sivi-Jataka.

¹⁸⁸page 251 Page 252 page 253 page 254 page 255 page 256

¹⁸⁹Alan ENN. Ci No. 500.: > }

¹⁹⁰page 257

¹⁹¹No. 501.: Rohanta-Miga-Jataka.

¹⁹²page cos an

¹⁹³page 260 > 260 page 261

¹⁹⁴page 264 Page 265 page 266 page 267

¹⁹⁵page 268 =

¹⁹⁶page 270 =r page 271

¹⁹⁷page 275 =

¹⁹⁸page 276 ait page 277 page 278 Page 279 page 280

¹⁹⁹No. 502.: Hamsa-Jataka.

²⁰⁰No. 503.: Sattigumba-Jataka.

²⁰¹No. 504.: Bhallatiya-jataka.

²⁰²No. 505.: Somanassa-Jataka.

²⁰³page 281 page 282 Rage 283 Page 284 page 285 page 286 page 287 page 288 Page 289 page 290

²⁰⁴page 291 page 292 page 293

²⁰⁵page 294 page 295 page 296 page 297 page 298 ae

²⁰⁶page 300 5 300 page 301 page 302 page 303 page 304

²⁰⁷No. 507.: Maha-Palobhana-Jataka.

²⁰⁸No. 510.: Ayoghara-Jataka.

²⁰⁹page 305 Rage 306 page 307 page 308 Rage 309

²¹⁰The Jataka

²¹¹Volume V

²¹²tr. H.T. Francis

²¹³ed. E. B. Cowell

²¹⁴[1905]

²¹⁵Contents StartReading PageIndex Text [Zipped]

²¹⁶VOLUMEI | VOLUMETT | VOLUMETI | VOLUMEIV | VOLUMEV | VOLUME VI

²¹⁷This is volume five of the complete Jataka translation edited by E.B. Cowell. The Jataka is the treasure-house of stories about the Buddha's previous incarnations.

²¹⁸Title Page

²¹⁹Preface

²²⁰Contents

²²¹No. 511.: Kimchanda-]dtaka.

²²²No. 512.:

²²³No. 513.:

²²⁴No. 514.:

²²⁵No. 515.

²²⁶Kumbha-Jataka : Jayaddisa- stake a. Chaddanta- -Jatak

²²⁷: Sambhava-Jata = No. 516.: Mahdi

²²⁸Mahdakapi-Jataka.

²²⁹No. 517.: Dakarakkhasa-Jataka. No. 518.1

²³⁰No. 519. No. 520.:

²³¹_ Pandara-Jataka. : Sambula-Jataka,

²³²Gandatindu-Jataka.

²³³Tesakuna- aja aka.

²³⁴No. 523.: ages 7 No. 524.: a are —

²³⁵25.: Culla-Sut

²³⁶_526.: Nalinika- ane ae

²³⁷_527.: Ummadanti-Jdtaka.

²³⁸_528.: Mahabodhi-Jdtaka. No. 529.: Sonaka-Jataka.

²³⁹30.: Samkicca

²⁴⁰No. 31. Kusa-jataka.

²⁴¹32.: Son No. ver Cullahamsa scoern

²⁴²a-Nanda-Jataka.

²⁴³No. 536.: Kunala \ala-Jataka.

²⁴⁴| 37.: Maha-Sutasoma-Jataka.

²⁴⁵f Subject Matters

²⁴⁶THE JATAKA OR STORIES OF THE BUDDHA'S FORMER BIRTHS. TRANSLATED FROM THE PALI BY VARIOUS HANDS UNDER THE EDITORSHIP OF PROFESSOR E. B. COWELL. VOL. V. TRANSLATED BY H. T. FRANCIS, M.A.,

²⁴⁷SOMETIME FELLOW OF GONVILLE AND CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. LONDON PUBLISHED FOR THE PALI TEXT SOCIETY

²⁴⁸BY

²⁴⁹LUZAC & COMPANY, LTD.

²⁵⁰46 GREAT RUSSELL STREET, W.C.1

²⁵¹Originally Published by The Cambridge University Press

²⁵²[1905]

²⁵³Scanned, proofed and formatted at sacred-texts.com, December 2009. This text is in

²⁵⁴the public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1923.

²⁵⁵PIAE MEMORIAE

²⁵⁶EDWARDI BYLES COWELL

²⁵⁷DOCTISSIMI DILECTISSIMI

²⁵⁸ET

²⁵⁹ROBERTI ALEXANDRI NEIL

²⁶⁰DESIDERATISSIMI

²⁶¹SACRUM

²⁶²p. vii

²⁶³PREFACE

²⁶⁴THE delay in the issue of this volume calls for a few words of explanation. I had hoped that the late Mr. Neil of Pembroke would have collaborated with me in the fifth volume of the Jataka Translation as he had already done in Vol. III. But this was not to be, and his premature death in 1901, which was generally acknowledged to be a serious loss to the cause of Oriental learning, no less than to that of Classical scholarship, threw upon me the burden of undertaking the entire volume without his efficient aid and criticism. The beloved Master of our "Guild of Translators," the late Professor Cowell, assisted me in my task so long as his increasing years and infirmities allowed him to continue his unwearied efforts for the advancement of Oriental studies, but he was not able to give to the work that minute and careful revision which he had so generously lavished on the four preceding volumes. My labours were also somewhat prolonged by the larger proportion of this volume which had to be versified. In rendering the gdthds I have done my best to give the exact sense of the Pali, so far as it was compatible with the exigencies of a metrical version, and if the result at times should strike the reader as rather feeble and pointless, I might urge in extenuation that the original is sometimes equally prosaic and commonplace. Moreover, although I have always regarded Childers' Pali Dictionary as a work of extraordinary merit for the time at which it appeared, yet it would no doubt greatly lighten the labours of translators from the Pali,

²⁶⁵p. viii

²⁶⁶if the mass of critical annotations now scattered throughout the Pali Text Society's Publications and various other Oriental Journals could be gathered together and embodied in the new Pali Dictionary which Professor Rhys Davids has promised us. Meanwhile I have to thank Mrs. Bode for her very useful Index to Pali words discussed in Translations which appeared in the P T. Journal for 1897-1901.

²⁶⁷It only remains for me to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to Professor Bendall for the kind help he has given me in the many difficulties I have referred to him, and for the readiness with which he has placed at my disposal the stores of his wide reading and critical scholarship. The sixth and last volume of the Translation, which was left unfinished by Professor Cowell, is now in the capable hands of Dr Rouse and will appear in due course edited and completed by him.

²⁶⁸H. T. FRANCIS.

²⁶⁹GONVILLE AND CAIUS COLLEGE, Oct. 25th, 1905.

²⁷⁰CONTENTS. 511. KIMCHANDA-JATAKA 1

²⁷¹A priest who took bribes and gave false judgments is reborn to a State of suffering all day, but because he had kept half a fast-day, he enjoys great glory throughout the night. His king, who had become an ascetic, is transported by a river-nymph to the mango grove where the priest was reborn and hears the story of his alternate misery and bliss.

²⁷²512. KUMBHA-JATAKA 5

²⁷³How a forester accidentally discovered strong drink and how this led to the ruin of all India, until Sakka appeared on earth and by his exposition of the evils of drink induced a certain king to abstain from its use.

²⁷⁴513. JAYADDISA-JATAKA 11.

²⁷⁵A female yakkha carries off a royal infant and rears him as her own offspring, teaching him to eat human flesh. In course of time the man-eater captures his royal brother, but sets him free on the condition that he should return as soon as he had redeemed his promise to a brahmin. The king's son surrenders himself as a victim in his father's stead, and the man-eater, who is now recognised as the king's brother, is converted and becomes an ascetic.

²⁷⁶514. CHADDANTA-JATAKA 20

²⁷⁷A royal elephant had two wives. One of them, owing to an imaginary slight, conceives a grudge against her lord, and afterwards, when she is reborn as the favourite wife of a certain king, she pretends to be sick, and to have seen in a dream an elephant with six tusks; and in order to recover from her sickness, she declares the possession of its tusks must be secured for her. A bold hunter, after crossing vast mountain ranges and encountering many difficulties and dangers, at length finds and slays the elephant, but the queen on receiving the tusks and hearing of the elephant's death is filled with remorse and dies of a broken heart.

²⁷⁸515. SAMBHAVA-JATAKA 31

²⁷⁹A king, anxious for a definition of goodness and truth, sends his brahmin chaplain to consult all the sages of India, and finally obtains the solution of his doubts from a boy only seven years old.

²⁸⁰516. MAHAKAPI-JATAKA 37

²⁸¹A husbandman, in looking for his strayed oxen, loses himself in a forest, and falling into a deep pit is rescued by a monkey. The man makes an attempt upon the life of his benefactor, and for his ingratitude is smitten with leprosy.

²⁸²517. DAKARAKKHASA-JATAKA see MAHAUMMAGGA-JATAKA 42 518. PANDARA JATAKA 42

²⁸³An ascetic worms out from a snake-king the secret wherein his strength lies and betrays him to his enemy, the garuda-king. The

²⁸⁴garuda by means of this secret vanquishes the snake, but through pity sets him free. The snake invokes a curse on the ascetic, who is swallowed up by the earth to be reborn in hell.

²⁸⁵519. SAMBULA-JATAKA 48

²⁸⁶A prince is struck with leprosy and retires into a lonely forest, accompanied by his devoted wife, who carefully watches over him. She is rescued by Sakka from an ogre, and though she is suspected by her husband, yet by her virtue and faith she recovers him of his leprosy. He returns to rule over his kingdom but shows no gratitude to his wife, until at the reproof of his father he asks her forgiveness and restores her to her rightful position.

²⁸⁷520. GANDATINDU-JATAKA 54

²⁸⁸An unrighteous king is reproved by a tree-sprite, and, as he travels with his chaplain on a tour of inspection through his dominions, many instances of the evil effects of his unjust rule are brought to his notice. Thenceforth the king rules his kingdom righteously.

²⁸⁹521. TESAKUNA-JATAKA 59

²⁹⁰A king finds a nest containing three eggs. When the young birds are hatched from them the king adopts them as his children. They all give him sound advice in the ruling of his kingdom and are promoted to high office in the state.

²⁹¹522. SARABHANGA-JATAKA 64

²⁹²An archer displays wonderful feats of skill in shooting. He declines the honours offered him by his king and retires to a

²⁹³forest hermitage. Here he gathers around him a great company of disciples, solves the doubts of three kings as to the fate of certain notorious sinners, and converts them and a host of their followers to the ascetic life.

²⁹⁴p. XI

²⁹⁵523. ALAMBUSA-JATAKA 79

²⁹⁶An ascetic by his great holiness excites the jealousy of Sakka, who sends down a heavenly nymph to seduce him. After a temporary lapse, the saint recovers his virtue and attains toa State of ecstasy.

²⁹⁷524. SAMKHAPALA-JATAKA 84

²⁹⁸After a life of holiness a certain king is reborn in the Naga world. Growing weary of his state of glory he returns as a snake to earth, and would have perished at the hands of a band of ruffians, had he not been rescued by a rich householder travelling that way with a large retinue. The Naga king invites his benefactor to his heavenly mansion and keeps him there in great honour for a whole year, when he too wishes to leave the Naga world, to become an ascetic upon earth. By a recital of all that had happened to him and the Naga king, he converts the ruler of the land to a life of charity and good works.

²⁹⁹525. CULLA-SUTASOMA-JATAKA 91

³⁰⁰A king is so affected by the discovery of a grey hair on his head that he resigns his crown and resolves to become an ascetic. In spite of the entreaties of his parents, wife, children, and friends,

³⁰¹he persists in his resolution and together with his family and a great number of his subjects enters on the religious life.

³⁰²526. NALINIKA-JATAKA 100

³⁰³Sakka, jealous of a holy ascetic, appears to the king of the country and declares that the drought from which the land was suffering was due to the action of this ascetic, and that the only way to remedy this evil was to overcome his virtue. To this end the king's daughter visits him, disguised as an ascetic youth, and owing to his simplicity his fall is brought about. When his father returns, he cautions his son against the wiles of womankind and brings about his restoration to his former state of holiness.

³⁰⁴527. UMMADANTI-JATAKA 107

³⁰⁵A king is bewitched by the wife of his commander-in-chief. This officer by a ruse makes the king believe that his guilty secret is generally known, and by his wise counsel persuades him to give up his infatuation.

³⁰⁶528. MAHABODHI-JATAKA 11

³⁰⁷An ascetic finds favour with a king and is preferred to high honour, thereby exciting the envy of the king's councillors, who slander him to the king and lay a plot to kill him. He is saved by a warning from a dog. Afterwards the ascetic convicts the four wicked councillors of various heresies and brings about their disgrace and exile.

³⁰⁸p. xii

³⁰⁹529. SONAKA-JATAKA 127

³¹⁰A king after many years is anxious to see again a friend of his early youth who had become a paccekabuddha, and in the form of a song he offers a reward to anyone that can tell him where he is to be found. His friend teaches a little boy a refrain to the song which he is to sing before the king and to claim the promised reward. So the king finds his friend, and owing to his instruction he abdicates in favour of his son and adopts the religious life.

³¹¹530. SAMKICCA-JATAKA 134

³¹²A prince who was eager to succeed to the throne proposes to murder his father. His friend, unable to dissuade him from his purpose, retires from the court and becomes an ascetic. The prince after the murder of his father is filled with guilty fears. His friend at length returns and, after describing all the various hells and the punishments of notorious sinners, by his admonition restores the king's peace of mind.

³¹³531. KUSA-JATAKA 141

³¹⁴A certain king has no heir, but at length, by the favour of Sakka, his chief queen miraculously gives birth to two sons. The elder is ill-favoured but supernaturally wise. He only consents to marry when a princess is found exactly like a golden image which he himself had fashioned. The bride is not to look upon her husband's face by daylight till she has conceived. When she accidentally discovers how ugly he is, she leaves him and returns to her father's kingdom. He follows her there and under a variety of menial disguises tries, but in vain, to win her affections. At length by Sakka's device she incurs the enmity of seven kings and is rescued from imminent death by her despised husband.

³¹⁵He returns with her to his own country where they live happily ever after.

³¹⁶532. SONA-NANDA-JATAKA 164

³¹⁷Two brahmin brothers become ascetics and watch over their aged parents. The younger one persists in supplying them with unripe fruits, and at length is sent away by the elder brother. The younger one by the help of a powerful king, whom he had made victorious over all his rivals, regains his brother's favour and is allowed once more to minister to his father and mother.

³¹⁸533. CULLA-HAMSA-JATAKA 17

³¹⁹A king of wild geese is caught in a fowler's snare and deserted by all except his chief captain, who refuses to leave him. The fowler is so touched by this devotion that he would have released the captive bird, but they insist on being taken before the king of the country, and after preaching the Law to him the two birds are set at liberty and return home to their kith and kin.

³²⁰p. xiii

³²¹534. MAHA-HAMSA-JATAKA 186

³²²A queen has a dream about golden geese and entreats the king to bring her one. The king has a decoy lake constructed and his fowler at length captures the king of the geese. The rest of the Story is like the Cullahamsa-Jataka.

³²³535. SUDHABHOJANA-JATAKA 202

³²⁴A rich miser is seized with a great longing to have some rice porridge, and to escape having to give some to any one else he

³²⁵retires into a forest to cook it for himself. Sakka and other gods appear and claim a share of the porridge. The miser is converted by their admonitions, gives away all his money, and becomes an ascetic. He is afterwards called upon to award the prize of virtue to the best of four heavenly nymphs, the daughters of Sakka. He adjudges the prize to Honour, and on his rebirth in the deva world he is rewarded with the hand of this nymph and enjoys immense power.

³²⁶536. KUNALA-JATAKA 21

³²⁷A king of birds for the instruction of his friend, a royal cuckoo, relates many instances he had known, to illustrate the deceitfulness, ingratitude, and immorality of womenkind.

³²⁸537. MAHA-SUTASOMA-JATAKA 246

³²⁹A king, who had been a yakkha in a former birth, develops a taste for human flesh and has his subjects murdered to supply himself with his favourite food. When his guilt is brought home to him, he refuses to give up his cannibalism and is driven out of his kingdom. He now dwells in a forest and preys upon all travellers that pass that way. At length he captures a king who had been his friend and teacher in early youth, but releases him on the condition that he should return after he has fulfilled a promise that he has made to a brahmin. The king returns into captivity, and the man-eater is so pleased with his good faith that he offers to grant him any four boons that he may ask of him. When asked to give up cannibalism he reluctantly consents and is eventually restored to his kingdom.

³³⁰No. 512. Jataka-Mala XVII. Kumbha-Jataka. No. 513. Cariya-Pitaka II. 9, Jayaddisa. No. 516. Jataka-Mala XXIV. Mahakapi-Jataka. No. 524. Cariya-Pitaka H. 10, Sankhapala. No. 529. Cariya-Pitaka III. 5, Sonapandita.

³³¹Page 25, line 34, for firewood read fire-sticks or, fire-drills.

³³²BOOK XVI. TIMSANIPATA.

¹[1] "Why dost thou," etc.—This story the Master told, while dwelling at Jetavana, about the observance of fast-days :.

²Now one day when a number of lay Brothers and Sisters, who were keeping a fast-day, came to hear the Law, and were seated in the Hall of Truth, the Master asked them if they were keeping fast-days, and on their saying that they were, he added, "And ye do well to observe fast-days: men of old, in consequence of keeping half a fast-day, attained to great glory," and at their request he told a tale of the past.

³Once upon a time at Benares Brahmadatta ruled his kingdom righteously, and being a believer he was zealous in the observance of the duties of the fast-day, in the keeping of the commandments and in almsgiving. He also induced his ministers and the rest to take upon them vows of charity and the like. But his family priest was a backbiter, greedy of bribes, and a giver of unrighteous judgments. The king on a fast-day summoned his councillors and bade them keep the fast. The priest did not take upon himself the duties of the fast-day; so when he had in the day been taking bribes and giving false judgments, and then had come to court to pay his respects, the king, after first asking

⁴each of his ministers if he were keeping the fast, questioned the priest, saying, "And are you, Sir, fasting?" He told a lie and said "Yes," and left the palace. Then a certain minister rebuked him, saying, "Surely you are not keeping the fast?" He said, "I took food early in the day, but when I go home I shall rinse my mouth and taking upon myself the duties of the fast-day, [2] I will eat nothing in the evening, and all night I will keep the moral law, and in this way I shall have kept half the fast-day." "Very good, Sir," they said. And he went home and did so. Now one day as he was seated at judgment, a certain woman, who kept the moral precepts, had a

⁵case on, and not being able to go home, she thought, "I will not transgress the observance of the fast-day," and as the time drew near, she began to rinse her mouth. At that moment a lump of ripe mangoes was brought to the brahmin. He perceived that the woman was keeping the fast and said, "Eat this and so keep the fast." She did so. So much for the action of the brahmin. By and bye he died and was born again in the Himalaya country, in a lovely spot on the bank of the Kosiki branch of the Ganges, in a mango-grove, three leagues in extent, on a splendid royal couch in a golden palace. He was born again like one just awakened from sleep, well dressed and adorned, of exceeding beauty of form, and accompanied by sixteen thousand nymphs. All night long he enjoys this glory, for by being born as a Spirit in a phantom palace : his reward is corresponding to his deed. So at the approach of dawn he enters a mango-grove, and at the moment of his entrance his divine body disappears, he assumes a form as big as a palm tree, eighty cubits high, and his whole body is ablaze like a judas-tree in full flower. He has but one

⁶finger on each hand, while his nails are as big as spades, and with these nails he digs into the flesh on his back and tearing it out eats it, and mad with the pain he suffers, he gives utterance to aloud cry. At sunset this body vanishes and his divine form reappears. Heavenly dancing girls, with various musical instruments in their hands, attend upon him, and in the enjoyment of great honour he ascends to a divine palace ina charming mango-grove. Thus did he, as the result of giving a mango fruit to a woman who was keeping a fast, acquire a mango-grove, three leagues in extent, but, in consequence of receiving bribes and giving false judgments, [3] he tears and eats the flesh from off his own back, whilst, owing to the fact of his having kept half the fast, he enjoys glory every night, surrounded by an escort of sixteen thousand dancing nymphs.

⁷About this time the king of Benares, conscious of the sinfulness of desires, adopted the ascetic life and took up his abode in a hut of leaves, in a pleasant spot on the lower Ganges, subsisting on what he could pick up. Now one day a ripe mango from that grove, the size of a large bowl, fell into the Ganges and was carried by the stream to a spot opposite the landing place used by this ascetic. As he was rinsing his mouth, he saw the mango floating in mid-stream, and crossing over he took and brought it to his hermitage and placed it in the cell where his sacred fire was kept 2. Then, splitting it up with a knife, he ate just enough to support life, and covering up the rest with the leaves of the plantain tree, he repeatedly day by day ate of it, as long as it lasted. And when it was all consumed, he could not eat any other kind of fruit, but being a slave to his appetite for dainties, he vowed he would eat only ripe mango, and

⁸going down to the river bank he sat looking at the stream, determined never to get up till he had found a mango. So he fasted there for six consecutive days, and sat looking for the fruit, till he was dried up by the wind and heat. Now on the seventh day a goddess of the river, by reflecting on the matter, found out the reason of his action, and thinking, "This ascetic, being the slave of his appetite, has sat fasting seven days, looking at the Ganges: it is wrong to deny him a ripe mango: for without it he will perish; I will give him one." So she came and stood in the air above the Ganges, and conversing with him uttered the first stanza:

⁹Why dost thou on this river bank through summer heat remain?

¹⁰Brahmin, what is thy secret hope? What purpose would'’st thou gain? [4] The ascetic on hearing this repeated nine stanzas:

¹¹Afloat upon the stream, fair nymph, a mango I did see;

¹²With outstretched hand I seized the fruit and brought it home with me.

¹³So sweet it was in taste and smell, I deemed it quite a prize; Its comely shape might vie with biggest water-jar in size.

¹⁴I hid it mid some plantain leaves, and sliced it with a knife; A little served as food and drink to one of simple life.

¹⁵My store is spent, my pangs appeased, but still I must regret, In other fruits that I may find, no relish I can get.

¹⁶I pine away; that mango sweet I rescued from the wave Will bring about my death, I fear. No other fruit I crave.

¹⁷I've told you why it is I fast, though dwelling by a stream Whose broadening waves with every fish that swims are said to teem.

¹⁸And now I pray thee tell to me, and flee thou not in fear, O lovely maiden, who thou art, and wherefore thou art here.

¹⁹Fair are the handmaids of the gods, like burnished gold are they, Graceful as tiger brood along their mountain slopes that play.

²⁰Here also in the world of men are women fair to see,

²¹But none amongst or gods or men may be compared to thee.

²²I ask thee then, O lovely nymph, endowed with heavenly grace, Declare to me thy name and kin and whence derived thy race.

²³[5] Then the goddess uttered eight stanzas:

²⁴O’er this fair stream, by which thou sitst, O brahmin, I preside,

²⁵And dwell in vasty depths below, ‘neath Ganges' rolling tide.

²⁶All clad with forest growth I own a thousand mountain caves, Whence flow as many flooded streams to mingle with my waves.

²⁷[6] Each wood and grove, to Nagas dear, sends forth full many a rill, And yields its store of waters blue, my ample course to fill.

²⁸Oft borne upon these tribute streams are fruits from every tree, Rose-apples, bread-fruit, dates and figs, with mangoes one may see.

²⁹And all that grows on either bank and falls within my reach, I claim as lawful prize, and none my title may impeach.

³⁰Well knowing this, hearken to me, O wise and learned king, Cease to indulge thy heart's desire—renounce the cursed thing.

³¹O ruler erst of broad domains, thy act I cannot praise,

³²To long for death, in prime of youth, great folly, sure, betrays.

³³Brahmins and angels, gods and men, all know thy deed and name, And saints who by their holiness attain on earth to fame— Yea, all that wise and famous are, thy sinful act proclaim.

³⁴[7] Then the ascetic uttered four stanzas:

³⁵One who knows how frail our life is, and how transient things of sense,

³⁶Never thinks to slay another, but abides in innocence.

³⁷Honoured once by saints in council, owner of a virtuous name, Now with sinful men conversing, thou dost win an evil fame.

³⁸Were I on thy banks to perish, nymph with comely form endowed, Ill repute would rest upon thee, like the shadow of a cloud.

³⁹Therefore, goddess fair, I pray thee, every sinful deed eschew, Lest, a bye-word of the people, thou have cause my death to rue.

⁴⁰[8] On hearing him, the goddess replied in five stanzas:

⁴¹Well I know the secret longing, thine to bear so patiently, And Iyield myself thy servant and the mango give to thee. Lo! foregoing sinful pleasures, pleasures hard to be resigned,

⁴²Thou hast gained, to keep for ever, holiness and peace of mind.

⁴³He that, freed from early bondage, hugs the chains he once forswore, Rashly treading ways unholy, ever sinneth more and more.

⁴⁴Twill grant thy earnest craving, and will bid thy troubles cease, Guiding thee to cool recesses, where thou mayst abide in peace.

⁴⁵Herons, maynah birds and cuckoos, with the ruddy geese that love Nectar from the bloom to gather, swans aloft in troops that move, Paddy-birds and lordly peacocks, with their song awake the grove.

⁴⁶Saffron and kadamba blossoms lie as chaff upon the ground, Ripest dates, the palms adorning, hang in clusters all around, And, amidst the loaded branches, see how mangoes here abound!

⁴⁷[9] And singing the praises of the place she transported the ascetic thither, and, bidding him eat mangoes in this grove till he had satisfied his hunger, she went her way. The ascetic, eating mangoes till he had appeased his appetite, rested awhile. Then, as he wandered in the grove, he spied this Spirit in a state of suffering and he had not the heart to utter a word to him, but at sunset he beheld him attended by nymphs and in the enjoyment of heavenly glory and addressed him in three stanzas:

⁴⁸All the night anointed, féted, with a crown upon thy brow,

⁴⁹Neck and arms bedecked with jewels—all the day in anguish thou!

⁵⁰Many thousand nymphs attend thee. What a magic power is this! How amazing thus to vary from a state of woe to bliss!

⁵¹What has led to thy undoing? What the sin that thou dost rue? Why from thine own back dost ever eat the flesh each day anew?

⁵²[10] The Spirit recognized him and said, "You do not recognize me, but I was once your chaplain. This happiness that I enjoy in the night is due to you, as the result of my keeping half the fast- day; while the

⁵³p:5

⁵⁴suffering I experience by day is the result of the evil that I wrought. For I was set by you on the seat of judgment, and I took bribes and gave false decisions, and was a backbiter, and in consequence of the evil that I wrought by day, I now undergo this suffering," and he uttered a couple of stanzas:

⁵⁵Once in holy lore delighting I in sinful toils was cast,

⁵⁶Working evil for my neighbour, through the lengthening years I passed.

⁵⁷He that shall, backbiting others, love on their good name to prey, Flesh from his own back will ever rend and eat, as I to-day.

⁵⁸And so saying, he asked the ascetic why he had come here. The ascetic told all his story at length. "And now, holy sir," the Spirit said, "will you stay here or go away?" "I will not stay, I will return to my hermitage." The Spirit said, "Very well, holy sir, I will constantly supply you with a ripe mango," and by an exercise of his magic power he transported him to his hermitage, and, bidding him dwell there contentedly, he exacted a promise from him and went his way. Thenceforth the Spirit constantly supplied

⁵⁹him with the mango fruit. The ascetic, in the enjoyment of the fruit, performed the preparatory rites to induce mystic meditation and was destined to the Brahma-world.

⁶⁰[11] The Master, having finished his lesson to the lay folk, revealed the Truths and identified the Birth:--At the conclusion of the Truths, some attained to the First Path, some to the Second, and others to the Third Path:—"At that time the goddess was Uppalavanna, the ascetic was myself."

⁶¹1:1 On the observance of poya (uposatha) days cf. Hardy's Eastern Monachism, p. 237: "fasting" includes doing no wrong to one's neighbour.

⁶²2:1 Cf. vol. i. p. 240. 5 (Pali).

⁶³2:2 Cf. Mahdvagga, i. 15. 2.

¹"Who art thou," etc.—This story the Master, while dwelling at Jetavana, told concerning five hundred women, friends of Visakha, who were drinkers of strong drink. Now the story goes that a drinking festival was proclaimed at Savatthi, and these five hundred women, after providing fiery drink for their masters, at the end of the festival thought, "We too will keep the feast," and they all went to Visakha and said, "Friend, we will keep the feast." She replied, "This is a drinking festival. I will drink no strong drink." They said, "Do you then give an offering to the supreme Buddha: we will keep the feast." She readily assented and sent them away. And after entertaining the Master, and making him a large offering, set out at eventide for Jetavana, with many a scented wreath in her hand, to hear the preaching of the Law, attended by these Women. Now they were eager for drink, when they started with her, and, when they stood in the gabled chamber, they took strong drink, and then accompanied

²Visakha into the presence of the Master. Visakha saluted the Master and sat respectfully on one side. Some of the other women danced even before the Master; some sang; others made improper movements with their hands and feet; others quarrelled. The Master, in order to give them a shock,.emitted a ray of light from his eyebrow; and this was followed by blinding darkness. These women were terrified and frightened with the fear of death, and so the effect of the strong drink ware off The

³Master, disappearing from the throne on which he was seated, took his stand on the top of Mount Sineru, and emitted a ray of light from the hairs between his eyebrows ,, like as if it had been the rising of a thousand moons. The Master, just as he stood there, to produce a sensation amongst these women, spoke this stanza:

⁴2No place for laughter here, no room for joy,

⁵The flames of passion suffering worlds destroy.

⁶Why overwhelmed in darkest night, I pray,

⁷Seek ye no torch to light you on your way?

⁸At the end of the stanza all the five hundred women were established in the fruition of the First Path. The Master came and sat down on the Buddha seat, in the shade of the Perfumed Chamber. Then Visakha saluted him and asked, "Holy sir, whence has arisen this drinking of strong drink, that does violence to a man's honour and to a tender conscience?" And telling her he related a story of the past.

⁹[12] Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares, a forester, named Sura, who dwelt in the kingdom of Kasi, went to the Himalayas, to seek for articles of merchandise. There was a certain tree there that sprang up to the height of a man with his arms extended over his head, and then divided into three parts. In the midst of its three forks was a hole as big as a wine jar, and when it rained this hole was filled with water. Round about it grew two myrobalan ; plants and a pepper shrub; and the ripe fruits from these, when they were cut down, fell into the hole. Not far from this tree was some Self-sown paddy. The parrots would pluck the heads of rice and eat them, perched on

¹⁰this tree. And while they were eating, the paddy and the husked rice fell there. So the water, fermenting through the sun's heat, assumed a blood-red colour. In the hot season flocks of birds, being thirsty, drank of it, and becoming intoxicated fell down at the foot of the tree, and after sleeping awhile flew away, chirping merrily. And the same thing happened in the case of wild dogs, monkeys and other creatures. The forester, on seeing this, said, "If this were poison they would die, but after a short sleep they go away as they list; it is no poison." And he himself drank of it, and becoming intoxicated he felt a desire to eat flesh, and then making a fire he killed the partridges and cocks that fell down at the foot of the tree, and roasted their flesh on the live coals, and gesticulating with one hand, and eating flesh with the other, he remained one or two days in the same

¹¹piv

¹²spot. Now not far from here lived an ascetic, named Varuna. The forester at other times also used to visit him, and the thought now struck him, "I will drink this liquor with the ascetic." So he filled a reed-pipe with it, and taking it together with some roast meat he came to the hut of leaves and said, "Holy sir, [13] taste this liquor," and they both drank it and ate the meat. So from the fact of this drink having been discovered by Sura and Varuna, it was called by their names (Sura and varunt). They both thought, "This is the way to manage it," and they filled their reed-pipes, and taking it on a carrying-pole they came to a neighbouring village, and sent a message to the king that some wine merchants had come. The king sent for them and they offered him the drink. The king drank it two or three times and got intoxicated. This lasted him only one or two days. Then he asked them if there was any more. "Yes, sir," they said. "Where?" "In the

¹³Himalayas, sir." "Then bring it here." They went and fetched it two or three times. Then thinking, "We can't always be going there," they took note of all the constituent parts, and, beginning with the bark of the tree, they threw in all the other ingredients, and made the drink in the city. The men of the city drank it and became idle wretches. And the place became like a deserted city. Then these wine merchants fled from it and came to Benares, and sent a message to the king, to announce their arrival. The king sent for them and paid them money, and they made wine there too. And that city also perished in the same way. Thence they fled to Saketa, and from Saketa they came to Savatthi. At that time there was a king named Sabbamitta in Savatthi. He shewed favour to these men and asked them what they wanted. When they said, "We want the chief ingredients and ground rice and five hundred jars," he gave them everything they asked for. So they stored the liquor in the five hundred jars, and, to guard them, they bound cats, one to each jar. And, when the liquor fermented and began to escape, the cats drank the strong drink that flowed from the inside of the jars, and getting intoxicated they lay down to sleep; and rats came and bit off the cats’ ears, noses, teeth and tails. The king's officers came and told the king, "The cats have died from drinking the liquor." [14] The king said, "Surely these men must be makers of poison," and he ordered them both to be beheaded and they died, crying out, "Give us strong drink, give us mead :." The king, after putting the men to death, gave orders that the jars should be broken. But the cats, when the effect of the liquor wore off, got up and walked about and played. When they saw this, they told the king. The king said, "If it were poison, they would have died; it must be mead; we will drink it." So he had the city decorated, and set up a pavilion in the palace yard and taking his seat in this splendid pavilion ona

¹⁴royal throne with a white umbrella raised over it, and Surrounded by

¹⁵his courtiers, he began to drink. Then Sakka, the king of heaven, said, "Who are there that in the duty of service to mother and the like diligently fulfil the three kinds of right conduct?" And, looking upon the world, he saw the king seated to drink strong drink and he thought, "If he shall drink strong drink, all India will perish: I will see that he shall not drink it." So, placing a jar full of the liquor in the palm of his hand, he went, disguised as a brahmin, and stood in the air, in the presence of the king, and cried, "Buy this jar, buy this jar." King Sabbamitta, on seeing him Standing in the air and speaking after this manner, said, "Whence can this brahmin come?" and conversing with him he repeated three stanzas:

¹⁶Who art thou, Being from on high, Whose form emits bright rays of light, Like levin flash athwart the sky,

¹⁷Or moon illuming darkest night?

¹⁸To ride the pathless air upon, To move or stand in silent space— Real is the power that thou hast won, And proves thou art of godlike race.

¹⁹Then, brahmin, who thou art declare, And what within thy jar may be,

²⁰[15] That thus appearing in mid air, Thou fain wouldst sell thy wares to me.

²¹Then Sakka said, "Hearken then to me," and, expounding the evil qualities of strong drink, he said:

²²This jar nor oil nor ghee doth hold, No honey or molasses here, But vices more than can be told

²³Are stored within its rounded sphere.

²⁴Who drinks will fall, poor silly fool, Into some hole or pit impure,

²⁵Or headlong sink in loathsome pool And eat what he would fain abjure.

²⁶Buy then, O king, this jar of mine,

²⁷Full to the brim of strongest wine.

²⁸Who drinks, with wits distracted quite, Like grazing ox that loves to stray, [16] Wanders in mind, a helpless wight,

²⁹And sings and dances all the day. Buy then &c.

³⁰Who drinks will run all shamelessly, Like nude ascetic thro’ the town, And late take rest—so dazed is he—

³¹Forgetting when to lay him down. Buy then &c.

³²Who drinks, like one moved with alarm, Totters, as tho’ he could not stand, And trembling shakes his head and arm, Like wooden puppet worked by hand. Buy then &c.

³³Who drink are burned to death in bed, Or else a prey to jackals fall,

³⁴To bondage or to death are led, And suffer loss of goods withal.

³⁵Buy then &c.

³⁶Who drinks is lost to decency And talks of things that are obscene,

³⁷Will sit undressed in company, Is sick and every way unclean. Buy then &c.

³⁸Uplifted is the man that drinks, His vision is by no means clear, The world is all my own, he thinks, IT own no earthly lord as peer.

³⁹Buy then &c.

⁴⁰Wine is a thing of boastful pride,

⁴¹An ugly, naked, cowardly imp, To strife and calumny allied,

⁴²A home to shelter thief and pimp. Buy then &c.

⁴³Tho’ families may wealthy be, And countless treasures may enjoy, Holding earth's richest gifts in fee, This will their heritage destroy. Buy then &c.

⁴⁴Silver and gold and household gear, Oxen and fields and stores of grain— All, all is lost: strong drink, I fear, Has proved of wealthy home the bane. Buy then &c.

⁴⁵[17] The man that drinks is filled with pride, And his own parents will revile,

⁴⁶Or, ties of blood and kin defied, Will dare the marriage bed defile.

⁴⁷Buy then &c.

⁴⁸She too that drinks will in her pride Her husband and his sire revile, And, dignity of race defied, A slave to folly will beguile. Buy then &c.

⁴⁹The man that drinks will dare to slay A righteous priest or brahmin true, And then in suffering worlds for aye

⁵⁰The sinful deed will have to rue. Buy then &c.

⁵¹Who drink will sin in triple wise,

⁵²In word, in action, and in thought, Then sink to Hell, to agonize

⁵³For all the evil they have wrought. Buy then &c.

⁵⁴The man from whom men beg in vain, E’en at the cost of heaps of gold,

⁵⁵From him when drunk their point they gain And readily the lie is told.

⁵⁶Buy then &c.

⁵⁷Should one that drinks a message bear And lo! some great emergency Should suddenly arise, he'll swear The thing has slipped his memory. Buy then &c.

⁵⁸E’en modest folk, intoxicate With wine, will most indecent be, And wisest men, when drunk, will prate And babble very foolishly. Buy then &c.

⁵⁹Thro’ drink men, fasting, lie about,

⁶⁰The hard bare ground their resting place, Huddled like swine, a shameless rout,

⁶¹They undergo most foul disgrace. Buy then &c.

⁶²Like oxen smitten to the ground 1Collapsing, in a heap they lie;

⁶³[18] Such fire is in strong liquor found, No power of man with it can vie.

⁶⁴Buy then &c.

⁶⁵When all men, as from deadly snake, In terror from the poison shrink, What hero bold enough to slake His thirst from such a fatal drink? Buy then &c.

⁶⁶‘Twas after drinking this, I ween, The 2Andhakas and Vrishni race, Roaming along the shore, were seen To fall, each by his kinsman's mace. Buy then &c.

⁶⁷Angels infatuate with wine

⁶⁸Fell from eternal heaven, O king, With all their magic power divine:

⁶⁹Then who would taste the accursed thing? Buy then &c.

⁷⁰Nor curds nor honey sweet is here, But evermore remembering

⁷¹What's stored within this rounded sphere, Buy, prithee, buy my jar, O king.

⁷²[19] On hearing this the king, recognizing the misery caused by drink, was so pleased with Sakka that he sang his praises in two stanzas:

⁷³[20]

⁷⁴No parents had I sage to teach, like thee, But thou art kind and merciful, I see;

⁷⁵A seeker of the Highest Truth alway; Therefore I will obey thy words to-day.

⁷⁶Lo! five choice villages I own are thine,

⁷⁷Twice fifty handmaids, seven hundred kine, And these ten cars with steeds of purest blood, For thou hast counselled me to mine own good.

⁷⁸Sakka on hearing this revealed his godhead : and made himself known, and standing in the air he repeated two stanzas:

⁷⁹These hundred slaves, O king, may still be thine, And eke the villages and herds of kine;

⁸⁰No chariots yoked to high-bred steeds I claim; Sakka, chief god of Thirty Three, my name. Enjoy thy ghee, rice, milk and sodden meat,

⁸¹Still be content thy honey cakes to eat.

⁸²Thus, king, delighting in the Truths I've preached, Pursue thy blameless path, till Heaven is reached.

⁸³Thus did Sakka admonish him and then returned to his abode in Heaven. And the king, abstaining from strong drink, ordered the drinking vessels to be broken. And undertaking to keep the precepts and dispensing alms, he became destined to Heaven. But the drinking of strong drink gradually developed in India.

⁸⁴The Master here ended his lesson and identified the Birth: "At that time Ananda was the king, and I myself was Sakka."

⁸⁵6:1 This manifestation is abundantly illustrated in Buddhist art, especially in that of the Mahayana school.

⁸⁶6:2 Dhammapadda, p. 146. 6:3 Of different kinds, Terminalia Chebula and Emblica officinalis.

⁸⁷7:1 Another reading has, "Wine, O king, mead, O king."

⁸⁸10:1 Pattakkhandhda. Cf. note on Cullavagga, iv. 4. 7, Translation by Davids and Oldenberg, p. 13.

⁸⁹10:2 See Wilson's Vishnu Purdna (Hall's ed.), vol. v. pp. 147-149. Cf. Jataka, vol. IV. 81, vol. v. 267.

¹[21] "Lo! after," etc.—This story the Master told of a Brother who supported his mother. The introductory story is like that told in the .Sama Birth. But on this occasion the Master said, "Sages of old gave up the white umbrella with its golden wreath to support their parents," and with these words he told a story of the past.

²Once upon atime there lived a king in a city of the Northern Paficalas, in the kingdom of Kampilla, named Paficala. His queen consort conceived and bare a son. In a former existence her rival in the harem, being in a rage, said, "Some day I shall be able to devour your offspring," and putting up a prayer to this effect she was turned into an ogress. Then she found her opportunity and, Seizing the child before the very eyes of the queen and crunching and devouring it as if it were a piece of raw flesh, she made off. A second time she did exactly the same thing, but on the third occasion, when the queen had entered into her lying-in chamber, a guard surrounded the palace and kept a strict watch. On the day when she brought forth, the ogress

³again appeared and seized the child. The queen uttered a loud cry of "Ogress," and armed soldiers, running up when the alarm was given by the queen, went in pursuit of the ogress. Not having time to devour the child, she fled and hid herself ina sewer. The child, taking the ogress for its mother, put its lips to her breast, and she conceived a mother's love for the infant, and

⁴repairing to a cemetery she hid him in a rock-cave and watched over him. And as he gradually grew up, she brought and gave him human flesh, and they both lived on this food. The boy did not know that he was a human being; but, though he believed himself to be the son of the ogress, he could not get rid of or conceal his bodily form. So to bring this about she gave him a certain root. And by virtue of this root he concealed his form and continued to live on human flesh. Now the ogress went away to do service to the great king Vessavana ;, and died then and there. But the queen for the fourth time [22] gave birth to a boy, and because the ogress was now dead, he was Safe, and from the fact of his being born victorious over his enemy the ogress, he was called Jayaddisa (prince Victor). AS soon as he was grown up and thoroughly educated in all learning, he assumed the sovereignty by raising the umbrella, and ruled over the kingdom. At that time his queen consort gave birth to the Bodhisatta, and they called him prince Alinasattu. When he grew up and was fully instructed in all learning, he became viceroy. But the son of the ogress by carelessly destroying the root was unable to hide himself, but living in the cemetery he devoured human flesh in a visible form. People on seeing him were alarmed, and came and complained to the king: "Sire, an ogre in a visible shape is eating human flesh in the cemetery. In course of time he will find his way into the city and kill and eat the people. You ought to have him caught." The king readily assented, and gave orders for his seizure. An armed force was stationed all round the city. The son of the ogress, naked and horrible to look upon, with the fear of death upon him, cried aloud and sprang into the midst of the soldiers. They, with a cry of "Here's the ogre," alarmed for their very lives, broke into two divisions and fled. And the ogre, escaping from thence, hid himself in the forest and no longer approached the haunts of men. And he took up his abode at the

⁵foot of a banyan tree near a high-road through the forest, and as people travelled by it, he would seize them one by one, and entering the wood killed and ate them. Now a brahmin, at the head of a caravan, gave a thousand pieces of money to the warders of the forest, and was journeying along the road with five hundred waggons. The ogre in human shape leaped upon them with a roar. The men fled in terror and lay grovelling on the ground. He seized the brahmin, And

⁶ps 13

⁷being wounded by a splinter of wood as he was fleeing, and being hotly pursued by the forest rangers, he dropped the brahmin and went and lay down at the foot of the tree where he dwelt. On the seventh day after this, king Jayaddisa proclaimed a hunt and set out from the city. Just as he was starting, [23] a native of Takkasila, a brahmin named Nanda, who supported his parents, came into the king's presence, bringing four stanzas, each worth a hundred pieces of money :. The king stopped to listen to them, and ordered a dwelling-place to be assigned to him. Then going to the chase, he said, "That man on whose side the deer escapes shall pay the brahmin for his verses." Then a spotted antelope was started, and making straight for the king escaped. The courtiers all laughed heartily. The king grasped his sword, and pursuing the animal came up with it after a distance of three leagues, and with a blow from his sword he severed it in two and hung the carcase on his carrying-pole. Then, as he returned, he came to the spot where the man-ogre was sitting, and after resting for a while on the kuga grass, he essayed to go on. Then the ogre rose up and cried "Halt! where are you going? You are my prey," and seizing him by the hand, he spoke the first stanza:

⁸Lo! after my long seven days' fast A mighty prey appears at last! Pray tell me, art thou known to fame?

⁹I fain would hear thy race and name.

¹⁰The king was terrified at the sight of the ogre, and, becoming as rigid as a pillar, was unable to flee; but, recovering his presence of mind, he spoke the second stanza:

¹¹Jayaddisa, if known to thee, Paficala's king I claim to be: Hunting thro’ fen and wood I stray:

¹²Eat thou this deer; free me, I pray. [24] The ogre, on hearing this, repeated the third stanza:

¹³To save thy skin, thou offerest me for food This quarry, king, to which my claim is good: Know I will eat thee first, and yet not balk

¹⁴My taste for venison: cease from idle talk.

¹⁵The king, on hearing this, called to mind the brahmin Nanda, and spoke the fourth stanza:

¹⁶Should I not purchase the release I crave, Yet let me keep the promise that I gave A brahmin friend. To-morrow's dawn shall see

¹⁷My honour saved, and my return to thee.

¹⁸The ogre, on hearing this, spoke the fifth stanza:

¹⁹Standing so near to death, what is the thing That thus doth sorely trouble thee, O king? Tell me the truth, that so perhaps we may

²⁰Consent to let thee go for one brief day. [25] The king, explaining the matter, spoke the sixth stanza:

²¹A promise once I to a brahmin made; That promise still is due, that debt unpaid: The vow fulfilled, to-morrow's dawn shall see

²²My honour saved, and my return to thee. On hearing this, the ogre spoke the seventh stanza:

²³A promise to a brahmin thou hast made; That promise still is due, that vow unpaid. Fulfil thy vow, and let to-morrow see

²⁴Thy honour saved and thy return to me.

²⁵And having thus spoken, he let the king go. And he, being allowed to depart, said, "Do not be troubled about me; I will return at daybreak," and, taking note of certain landmarks by the way, he returned to his army, and with this escort made his entrance into the city. Then he summoned the brahmin Nanda, seated him on a splendid throne, and, after hearing his verses, presented him with four thousand pieces of money. And he made the brahmin mount a chariot and sent him away, bidding his servants conduct him straight to Takkasila. On the next day, being anxious to return, he called his son, and thus instructed him.

²⁶The Master, to explain the matter, spoke two stanzas:

²⁷Escaped from cruel goblin he did come

²⁸Full of sweet longings to his lovely home:

²⁹[26] His word to brahmin friend he never broke, But thus to dear Alinasattu spoke.

³⁰"My son, reign thou anointed king to-day Ruling o’er friend and foe with righteous sway;

³¹Let no injustice mar thy happy state; I now from cruel goblin seek my fate."

³²The prince, on hearing this, spoke the tenth stanza:

³³Fain would I learn what act or word Lost me the favour of my lord, That thou shouldst raise me to the throne

³⁴Which, losing thee, I would not own. The king, on hearing this, spoke the next stanza:

³⁵Dear son, I fail to call to mind A single word or act unkind, But now that honour's debt is paid,

³⁶I'll Keep the vow to ogre made. pss [27] The prince, on hearing this, spoke a stanza:

³⁷Nay, I will go and thou stay here; No hope of safe return, I fear. But shouldst thou go, I'll follow thee

³⁸And both alike will cease to be.

³⁹On hearing this, the king spoke a stanza:

⁴⁰With thee doth moral law agree, But life would lose all charm for me, If on wood-spit this ogre grim

⁴¹Should roast and eat thee, limb by limb. Hearing this, the prince spoke a stanza:

⁴²If from this ogre thou wilt fly, For thee I am prepared to die: Yea, gladly would I die, O king, If only life to thee I bring.

⁴³[28] On hearing this the king, recognizing his son's virtue, accepted his offer, saying, "Well, go, dear son." And so he bade his parents farewell and left the city.

⁴⁴The Master, to make the matter clear, spoke half a stanza:

⁴⁵Then the brave prince to his dear parents bade

⁴⁶A last farewell, with low obeisance made.

⁴⁷Then his parents and his sister and wife and the courtiers went forth from the city with him. And the prince here inquired of his father as to the way, and, after making careful arrangements and having admonished the others, he ascended the road and made for the abode of the ogre, as fearless as a maned lion. His mother, seeing him depart, could not restrain herself and fell fainting on the earth. His father, stretching out his arms, wept aloud.

⁴⁸The Master, making the matter clear, spoke the other half stanza:

⁴⁹His sire with outstretched arms, his son to stay,

⁵⁰Wept sore. His mother, grieving, swooned away.

⁵¹And, thus making clear the prayer uttered by the father and the Act of Truth repeated by the mother and sister and wife, he uttered yet four more stanzas:

⁵²But when his son had vanished quite From his despairing father's sight, With hands upraised the gods he praised Kings Varuna and Soma hight, Brahma and lords of Day and Night. By these kept safe and sound of limb,

⁵³Escape, dear son, from ogre grim."

⁵⁴[29]

⁵⁵"As Rama's fair-limbed mother won : Salvation for her absent son,

⁵⁶When woods of Dandaka he sought, So for my child is freedom wrought;

⁵⁷And by this Act of Truth I've charmed

⁵⁸The gods to bring thee home unharmed."

⁵⁹"Brother, in thee no fault at all

⁶⁰Open or secret I recall;

⁶¹And by this Act of Truth I've charmed

⁶²The gods to bring thee home unharmed."

⁶³"Void of offence art thou to me,

⁶⁴I too, my lord, bear love to thee;

⁶⁵And by this Act of Truth I've charmed

⁶⁶The gods to bring thee home unharmed."

⁶⁷[30] And the prince, following his father's directions, set out on the road to the dwelling of the ogre. But the ogre thought, "Kshatriyas have many wiles: who knows what will happen?" and climbing the tree he sat looking out for the coming of the king. On seeing the prince, he thought, "The son has stopped his father and is coming himself. There's no fear about him." And descending from the tree he sat with his back to him. On coming up the youth stood in front of the ogre, who then spoke this stanza:

⁶⁸Whence art thou, youth so fair and fine? Knowest thou this forest realm is mine? They hold their lives but cheap who come

⁶⁹Where savage ogres find a home. Hearing this, the youth spoke this stanza:

⁷⁰I know thee, cruel ogre, well; Within this forest thou dost dwell. Jayaddisa's true son stands here:

⁷¹Eat me and free my father dear. Then the ogre spoke this stanza:

⁷²Jayaddisa's true son I know;

⁷³Thy looks confess that it is so. [31] A hardship surely ‘tis for thee To die, to set thy father free.

⁷⁴Then the youth spoke this stanza:

⁷⁵No mighty deed is this, I feel,

⁷⁶To die, and for a father's weal

⁷⁷And mother's love to pass away

⁷⁸And win the bliss of heaven for aye. On hearing this, the ogre said, "There is no creature, prince, that

⁷⁹ps 17

⁸⁰is not afraid of death. Why are not you afraid?" And he told him the reason and recited two stanzas:

⁸¹No evil deed of mine at all,

⁸²Open or secret, I recall:

⁸³Well weighed are birth and death by me, As here, so 'tis in worlds to be.

⁸⁴Eat me to-day, O mighty one,

⁸⁵And do the deed that must be done.

⁸⁶I'll fall down dead from some high tree, Then eat my flesh, as pleaseth thee.

⁸⁷[32] The ogre, on hearing his words, was terrified and said, "One cannot eat this man's flesh"; and, thinking by some stratagem to make him run away, he said:

⁸⁸If ‘tis thy will to sacrifice Thy life, young prince, to free thy sire, Then go in haste is my advice

⁸⁹And gather sticks to light a fire.

⁹⁰Having so done, the youth returned to him.

⁹¹The Master, to make the matter clear, spoke another stanza:

⁹²Then the brave prince did gather wood And, rearing high a mighty pyre, Cried, lighting it, "prepare thy food;

⁹³See! I have made a goodly fire."

⁹⁴The ogre, when he saw the prince had returned and made a fire, said, "This is a lion-hearted fellow. Death has no terrors for him. Up to this time I have never seen so fearless a man." And he sat there, astounded, from time to time looking at the youth. And he, seeing what the ogre was about, spoke this stanza:

⁹⁵Stand not and gaze in dumb amaze, Take me and slay, and eat, I pray, [33] While still alive, I will contrive

⁹⁶To make thee fain to eat to-day. Then the ogre, hearing his words, spoke this stanza:

⁹⁷One so truthful, kindly, just, Surely never may be eaten, Or his head, who eats thee, must

⁹⁸Be to sevenfold pieces beaten.

⁹⁹The prince, on hearing this, said, "If you do not want to eat me, why did you bid me break sticks and make a fire?" and when the ogre replied, "It was to test you; for I thought you would run away," the prince said, "How now will you test me, seeing that, when in an animal form, I allowed

¹⁰⁰Sakka, king of heaven, to put my virtue to the test?" And with these words he spoke this stanza:— :

¹⁰¹1To Indra once like some poor brahmin drest

¹⁰²The hare did offer its own flesh to eat;

¹⁰³Thenceforth its form was on the moon imprest; ;

¹⁰⁴That gracious orb as Yakkha now we greet.

¹⁰⁵[34] The ogre, on hearing this, let the prince go and said,

¹⁰⁶As the clear moon from Rahu's grip set free . Shines at midmonth with wonted brilliancy, ' So too do thou, Kampilla's lord of might, 3 Escaped from ogre, shed the joyous light i

¹⁰⁷Of thy bright presence, sorrowing friends to cheer, .

¹⁰⁸And bring back gladness to thy parents dear.

¹⁰⁹And saying, "Go, heroic soul," he let the Great Being depart. And having made the ogre humble, he taught him the five moral laws, and, wishing to put it to the test whether or not.he was an ogre, he thought, "The eyes of ogres are red and do not wink. They cast no shadow and are free from all fear. This is no ogre; it is aman. They say my father had three brothers carried off by an ogress; two of them must have been devoured by her, and one will have been cherished by her with the love of a mother for her child: this must be he. I will take him with me and tell my father, and have him established on the throne." And so thinking he cried, "Ho! Sir, you are no ogre; you are my father's elder brother. Well, come with me and raise your umbrella as emblem of sovereignty in your ancestral kingdom." And when he replied, "I am not a man," the prince said, "You do not believe me. Is there any one you will believe?" "Yes," he said, "there is in such and such a place an ascetic gifted with supernatural vision." So he

¹¹⁰took the ogre with him and went there. The ascetic no sooner caught sight of them than he said, "With what object are you two descendants from a common ancestor walking here?" And with these words he told them how they were related. The man-eater believed and said, "Dear friend, do you go home: as for me, Iam born with two natures in one form. I have no wish to be a king. I'll become an ascetic." So he was ordained to the religious life by the ascetic. Then the prince saluted him and returned to the city.

¹¹¹[35] The Master, to make the matter clear, spoke this stanza:

¹¹²Then did bold prince Alinasattu pay All due obeisance to that ogre grim, And free once more did wend his happy way

¹¹³Back to Kampilla, safe and sound of limb.

¹¹⁴And when the youth reached the city, the Master explained to the townsfolk and the rest what the prince had done, and spoke the last stanza:

¹¹⁵Thus faring forth afoot from town and country side, Lo! eager throngs proclaim The doughty hero's name,

¹¹⁶Or as aloft on car or elephant they ride With homage due they come

¹¹⁷To lead the victor home.

¹¹⁸The king heard that the prince had returned and set out to meet him, and the prince, escorted by a great multitude, came and

¹¹⁹saluted the king. And he asked him, saying, "Dear son, how have you escaped from so terrible an ogre?" And he said, "Dear father, he is no ogre; he is your elder brother and my uncle." And he told him all about it and said, "You must go and see my uncle." The king at once ordered a drum to be beaten, and set out with a great retinue to visit the ascetics. The chief ascetic told them the whole story in full; how the child had been carried off by an ogress, and how instead of eating him she had brought him up as an ogre, and how they were related one to another. The king said, "Come, brother, do you reign as king." "No, thank you, Sire," he replied. "Then come and take up your abode in our park and I will supply you with the four requisites." He refused to come. Then the king made a settlement on a certain mountain, not far from their hermitage, and, forming a lake, prepared cultivated fields and, bringing a thousand families with much treasure, he founded a big village and instituted a system of almsgiving for the ascetics. This village grew into the town Cullakammasadamma.

¹²⁰[36] The region where the ogre was tamed by the Great Being Sutasoma was to be known as the town of Mahakammasadamma :.

¹²¹The Master, having ended his lesson, revealed the Truths and identified the Birth:—At the conclusion of the Truths the elder who supported his mother was established in the fruition of the First Path:—"At that time the father and mother were members of the king's household, the ascetic was Sariputta, the man-eater was Angulimala, the young sister was Uppalavanna, the queen consort was Rahula's mother, prince Altnasattu was myself."

¹²²11:1 Should we not read devatta- for devadatta-?

¹²³1:2 Vol. VI. No. 540. Cf. also vol. IV. No. 510 Ayogharajdataka.

¹²⁴2:1 One of the four great demon-kings, the Hindu Plutus.

¹²⁵:1 He ultimately gets four thousand pieces.

¹²⁶—"

¹²⁷:1 See RGmayana, book iii.

¹²⁸18:1 See No. 316 Sasajataka, vol. iii. p. 34 (English version). The commentary adds that in the present Kalpa the moon is marked by a yakkha instead of a hare.

¹²⁹19:1 The founding of a place of this name occurs at the end of the Mahasutasoma-Jataka, vol. v. p. 511.

¹"Large-eyed and peerless one," etc.—This was a story the Master, while sojourning at Jetavana, told of a female novice. A girl of good family at Savatthi, they say, recognizing the misery of the lay life, embraced asceticism, and one day went with other Sisters to hear the Law from the Bodhisatta, as he sat preaching from a magnificent throne, and observing his person to be endued with extreme beauty of form arising from the power of illimitable merit, she thought, "I wonder whether in a former existence those I once ministered to were this man's wives." Then at that very moment the recollection of former existences came back to her. "In the time of Chaddanta, the elephant, I was previously existing as this man's wife." And at the remembrance great joy and gladness sprang up in her heart. In her joyous excitement she laughed aloud as she thought, "Few wives are well disposed to their husbands; most of them are ill disposed. I wonder if I were well or ill disposed to this man." And calling back her remembrance, she perceived that she had harboured a slight grudge in her heart against Chaddanta, the mighty lord of elephants, who measured one hundred and twenty cubits, and had sent Sonuttara, a hunter, who with a poisoned arrow wounded and killed him. Then her sorrow awoke and her heart grew hot within her, and being unable to control her feelings, bursting into sobs she wept aloud. On Seeing this the Master broke into a smile, and on being asked by the assembly of the Brethren, "What, Sir, was the cause of your smiling?" he said,

²"Brethren, this young Sister wept, on recalling a sin she once committed against me." And so saying he told a story of the past.

³[37] Once upon a time eight thousand royal elephants, by the exercise of Supernatural powers moving through the air, dwelt near lake Chaddanta in the Himalayas. At this time the Bodhisatta came to life as the son of the chief elephant. He was a pure white, with red feet and face. By and bye, when grown up, he was eighty-eight cubits high, one hundred and twenty cubits long. He had a trunk like to a silver rope, fifty-eight cubits long, and tusks fifteen cubits in circumference, thirty cubits long, and emitting six-coloured rays. He was the chief of a herd of eight thousand elephants and paid honour to pacceka buddhas. His two head queens were Cullasubhadda and Mahasubhadda. The king elephant, with his herd numbering eight thousand, took up his abode in a Golden Cave. Now lake Chaddanta was fifty leagues long and fifty broad. In the middle of it, for a space extending twelve leagues, no sevala or panaka plant is found, and it consists of water in appearance like a magic jewel. Next to this, encircling this water, was a thicket of pure white lilies, a league in

⁴breadth. Next to this, and encircling it, was a thicket of pure blue lotus, a league in extent. Then came white and red lotuses, red and white lilies, and white esculent lilies, each also a league in extent and each encircling the one before. Next to these seven thickets came a mixed tangle of white and other lilies, also a league in extent, and encircling all the preceding ones. Next, in

⁵water as deep as elephants can stand in, was a thicket of red paddy. Next, in the surrounding water, was a grove of small shrubs, abounding in delicate and fragrant blossoms of blue, yellow, red and white. So these ten thickets were each a league in extent. Next came a thicket of various kinds of kidney beans. Next came a tangle of convolvulus, cucumber, pumpkin, gourd and other creepers. Then a grove of sugar-cane of the size of the areca-nut tree. Then a grove of plantains with fruit as big as elephant's tusks. [38] Then a field of paddy. Then a grove of bread-fruit of the size of a water jar. Next a grove of tamarinds with luscious fruit. Then a grove of elephant-apple trees. Then a great forest of different kinds of trees. Then a bamboo grove. Such at this time was the magnificence of this region—its present magnificence is described in the Samyutta Commentary —but surrounding the bamboo grove were seven mountains. Starting from the extreme outside first came Little Black Mountain, next Great Black Mountain, then Water Mountain, Moon Mountain, Sun Mountain, Jewel Mountain, then the seventh in order Golden Mountain. This was seven leagues in height, rising all round the lake Chaddanta, like the rim of a bowl. The inner side of it was of a golden colour. From the light that issued from it lake Chaddanta shone like the newly risen sun. But of the outer mountains, one was six leagues in height, one five, one four, one three, one two, one a single league in height. Now in the north-east corner of the lake, thus girt about with seven mountains, in a spot where the wind fell upon the water, grew a big banyan tree. Its trunk was five leagues in circumference and seven leagues in height. Four branches spread six leagues to the four points of the compass, and the branch which rose straight upwards was six leagues. So from the root upwards it was thirteen leagues in height, and from the extremity of the branches in one direction to the extremity of the

⁶branches in the opposite direction it was twelve leagues. And the tree was furnished with eight thousand shoots and stood forth in all its beauty, like to the bare Jewel Mount. But on the west side of lake Chaddanta, in the Golden Mount, was a golden cave, twelve leagues in extent. Chaddanta the elephant king, with his following of eight thousand elephants, in the rainy season lived in the golden cave; in the hot season he stood at the foot of the great banyan tree, amongst its shoots, welcoming the breeze from off the water. Now one day they told him, "The great Sal grove is in flower." So attended by his herd he was

⁷p22

⁸minded to disport himself in the Sal grove, [39] and going thither he struck with his frontal globe a Sal tree in full bloom. At that moment Cullasubhadda stood to windward, and dry twigs mixed with dead leaves and red ants fell upon her person. But Mahasubhadda stood to leeward, and flowers with pollen and stalks and green leaves fell on her. Thought Cullasubhadda, "He let fall on the wife dear to him flowers and pollen and fresh Stalks and leaves, but on my person he dropped a mixture of dry twigs, dead leaves and red ants. Well, I shall know what to do!" And she conceived a grudge against the Great Being. Another day the king elephant and his attendant herd went down to lake Chaddanta to bathe. Then two young elephants took bundles of usira root in their trunks and gave him a bath, rubbing him down as it were mount Kelasa. And when he came out of the water, they bathed the two queen elephants, and they too came out of the water and stood before the Great Being. Then the eight thousand elephants entered the lake and, disporting themselves in the water, plucked various flowers from the lake, and adorned the Great Being as if it had been a silver shrine, and afterwards

⁹adorned the queen elephants. Then a certain elephant, as he swam about the lake, gathered a large lotus with seven shoots and offered it to the Great Being. And he, taking it in his trunk, sprinkled the pollen on his forehead and presented the flower to the chief elephant, Mahasubhadda. On seeing this her rival said, "This lotus with seven shoots he also gives to his favourite queen and not to me," and again she conceived a grudge against him. Now one day when the Bodhisatta had dressed luscious fruits and lotus stalks and fibres with the nectar of the flower, and was entertaining five hundred pacceka buddhas, Cullasubhadda offered the wild fruits she had got to the pacceka buddhas, and she put up a prayer to this effect: "Hereafter, when I pass hence, may I be reborn as the royal maiden Subhadda in the Madda king's family, and on coming of age may | attain to the dignity of queen consort to the king of Benares. Then I shall be dear and charming in his eyes, and in a position to do what I please. So I will speak to the king and send a hunter with a poisoned arrow to wound and slay this elephant. [40] And thus may I be able to have brought to me a pair of his tusks that emit six-coloured rays." Thenceforth she took no food and pining away in no long time she died, and came to life again as the child of the queen consort in the Madda kingdom, and was named Subhadda. And when she was of a suitable age, they gave her in marriage to the king of Benares. And she was dear and pleasing in his eyes, and the chief of sixteen thousand wives. And she recalled to mind her former existences and thought, "My prayer is fulfilled; now will I have this elephant's tusks brought to me." Then she anointed her body with common oil, put on a soiled robe, and lay in bed pretending to be

¹⁰p..23

¹¹sick. The king said, "Where is Subhadda?" And hearing that she was sick, he entered the royal closet and sitting on the bed he stroked her back and uttered the first stanza:

¹²Large-eyed and peerless one, my queen, so pale, to grief a prey,

¹³Like wreath that's trampled under foot, why fadest thou away? On hearing this she spoke the second stanza:

¹⁴As it would seem, all in a dream, a longing sore I had;

¹⁵My wish is vain this boon to gain, and that is why I'm sad. The king, on hearing this, spoke a stanza:

¹⁶All joys to which in this glad world a mortal may aspire,

¹⁷Whate’er they want is mine to grant, so tell me thy desire.

¹⁸On hearing this the queen said, "Great king, my desire is hard to attain; I will not now say what it is, but I would have all the hunters that there are in your kingdom gathered together. [41] Then will I tell it in the midst of them." And to explain her meaning, she spoke the next stanza:

¹⁹Let hunters all obey thy call, within this realm who dwell,

²⁰And what I fain from them would gain, I'll in their presence tell.

²¹The king agreed, and issuing forth from the royal chamber he gave orders to his ministers, saying, "Have it proclaimed by beat of drum that all the hunters that are in the kingdom of Kasi, three hundred leagues in extent, are to assemble." They did so, and in no long time the hunters that dwelt in the kingdom of Kasi, bringing a present according to their means, had their arrival announced to the king. Now they amounted in all to about sixty thousand. And the king, hearing that they had come,

²²stood at an open window and stretching forth his hand he told the queen of their arrival and said:

²³Here then behold our hunters bold, well trained in venery,

²⁴Theirs is the skill wild beasts to kill, and all would die for me.

²⁵The queen, on hearing this, addressed then and spoke another stanza:

²⁶Ye hunters bold, assembled here,

²⁷Unto my words, I pray, give ear: Dreaming, methought an elephant I saw, Six-tusked : and white without a flaw:

²⁸His tusks I crave and fain would have;

²⁹Nought else avails this life to save. The hunters, on hearing this, replied:

³⁰Ne’er did our sires in times of old A six-tusked elephant behold: [42] Tell us what kind of beast might be

³¹That which appeared in dreams to thee.

³²After this still another stanza was spoken by them:

³³Four points, North, South, East, West, one sees, Four intermediate are to these,

³⁴Nadir and zenith add, and then

³⁵Say at which point of all the ten

³⁶This royal elephant might be,

³⁷That in a dream appeared to thee.

³⁸After these words Subhadda, looking at all the hunters, spied amongst them one that was broad of foot, with a calf swollen like an alms basket, big in the knee and ribs, thick-bearded, with yellow teeth, disfigured with scars, conspicuous amongst them all as an ugly, hulking fellow, named Sonuttara, who had once been an enemy of the Great Being. And she thought, "He will be able to do my bidding," and with the king's permission she took him with her and, climbing to the highest floor of the seven- storeyed palace, she threw open a window to the North, and stretching forth her hand towards the Northern Himalayas she uttered four stanzas:

³⁹Due north, beyond seven mountains vast, One comes to Golden Cliff at last, A height by goblin forms possessed

⁴⁰And bright with flowers from foot to crest.

⁴¹Beneath this goblin peak is seen

⁴²A cloud-shaped mass of darkest green, [43] A royal banyan tree whose roots Yield vigour to eight thousand shoots.

⁴³There dwells invincible in might

⁴⁴This elephant, six-tusked and white,

⁴⁵With herd eight thousand strong for fight. Their tusks to chariot-poles are like, Wind-swift are they to guard or strike.

⁴⁶Panting and grim they stand and glare, Provoked by slightest breath of air,

⁴⁷If they one born of man should see, Their wrath consumes him utterly.

⁴⁸Sonuttara on hearing this was terrified to death and said:

⁴⁹Turquoise or pearls of brilliant sheen,

⁵⁰With many a gold adornment, queen,

⁵¹In royal houses may be seen. [44] What wouldst thou then with ivory do,

⁵²Or wilt thou slay these hunters true? Then the queen spoke a stanza:

⁵³Consumed with grief and spite am I, When I recall my injury. Grant me, O hunter, what I crave,

⁵⁴And five choice hamlets thou shalt have.

⁵⁵And with this she said, "Friend hunter, when I gave a gift to the pacceka buddhas, I offered up a prayer that I might have it in my power to kill this six-tusked elephant and get possession of a pair of his tusks.

⁵⁶This was not merely seen by me in a vision, but the prayer that I offered up will be fulfilled. Do thou go and fear not." And so saying she reassured him. And he agreed to her words and said, "So be it, lady; but first make it clear to me and tell me where is his dwelling-place," and inquiring of her he spoke this stanza:

⁵⁷g Where dwells he? Where may he be found?

⁵⁸What road is his, for bathing bound?

⁵⁹r a

⁶⁰Where does this royal creature swim? ,

⁶¹Tell us the way to capture him. :

⁶²[45] Then by recalling her former existence she clearly saw the spot and told him of it in these two stanzas:

⁶³Not far this bathing-place of his, : A deep and goodly pool it is: i

⁶⁴There bees do swarm and flowers abound, n

⁶⁵And there this royal beast is found. u

⁶⁶Now lotus-crowned, fresh from his bath He gladly takes his homeward path, s As lily-white and tall he moves

⁶⁷Behind the queen he fondly loves.

⁶⁸Sonuttara on hearing this agreed, saying, "Fair lady, I will kill the elephant and bring you his tusks." Then in her joy she gave him a thousand pieces and said, "Go home meanwhile, and at the end of seven days you shall set out thither," and dismissing him she summoned smiths and gave them an order and said, "Sirs, we have need of an axe, a spade, an auger, ahammer, an instrument for cutting bamboos, a grass-cutter, an iron staff, a peg, an iron three-pronged fork; make them with all speed and bring them to us." And sending for workers in leather, she charged them, saying, "Sirs, you must make us a leather sack, holding a hogshead's weight; we have need of leather ropes and Straps, shoes big enough for an elephant, and a leather parachute: make them with all speed and bring them to us." And both smiths and workers in leather quickly made everything [46] and brought and offered them to her. Having provided everything requisite for the journey, together with firewood and the like, she put all the appliances and necessaries for the journey, such as baked meal and so forth, in the leather sack. The whole of it came to about a hogshead in weight. And Sonuttara, having completed his arrangements, arrived on the seventh day and stood respectfully in the presence of the queen. Then she said, "Friend, all appliances for your journey are completed: take then this sack." And he being a stout knave, as strong as five elephants, caught up the sack as if it had been a bag of cakes, and, placing it on his hips, stood as it were with

⁶⁹empty hands. Cullasubhadda gave the provisions to the hunter's attendants and, telling the king, dismissed Sonuttara. And he, with an obeisance to the king and queen, descended from the palace and, placing his goods in a chariot, set out

⁷⁰from the city with a great retinue, and passing through a succession of villages and hamlets reached the frontiers. Then he turned back the people of the country and went on with the dwellers on the borders till he entered the forest, and passing beyond the haunts of men he sent back the border people too, and proceeded quite alone on a road to a distance of thirty leagues, traversing a dense growth of kucga and other grasses, thickets of basil, reeds and rest-harrow, clumps of thick-thorn and canes, thickets of mixed growth, jungles of reed and cane, dense forest growth, impenetrable even to a snake, thickets of trees and bamboos, tracts of mud and water, mountain tracts, eighteen regions in all, one after another. The jungles of grass he cut with a sickle, the thickets of basil and the like he cleared with his instrument for cutting bamboos, the trees he felled with an axe, and the oversized ones he first pierced with an auger. Then, pursuing his way, he fashioned a ladder in the bamboo grove and climbing to the top of the thicket, he laid a single bamboo, which he had cut, over the next clump of bamboos, and thus creeping along on the top of the thicket he reached a morass. [47] Then he spread a dry plank on the mud, and stepping on it he threw another plank before him and so crossed the morass. Then he made a canoe and by means of it crossed the flooded region, and at last stood at the foot of the mountains. Then he bound a three-pronged grappling-iron with a rope and flinging it aloft he caused it to lodge fast in the mountain. Then climbing

⁷¹up by the rope he drilled the mountain with an iron staff tipped with adamant, and knocking a peg into the hole he stood on it. Then drawing out the grappling-iron he once more lodged it high up on the mountain, and from this position letting the leather rope hang down, he took hold of it and descended and fastened the rope on the peg below. Then seizing the rope with his left hand and taking a hammer in his right he struck a blow on the rope, and having thus pulled out the peg he once more climbed up. In this way he mounted to the top of the first mountain and then commencing his descent on the other side, having knocked as before a peg into the top of the first mountain and bound the rope on his leather sack and wrapped it round the peg, he sat within the sack and let himself down, uncoiling the rope like a spider letting out his thread. Then letting his leather parachute catch the wind, he went down like a bird—so at least they say. Thus did the Master tell how in obedience to Subhadda's words the hunter sallied forth from the city and traversed seventeen different tracts till he reached a mountainous region, and how he there crossed over six mountains and climbed to the top of Golden Cliff:

⁷²The hunter hearing, unalarmed,

⁷³Set forth with bow and quiver armed, And crossing o’er seven mountains vast Reached noble Golden Cliff at last.

⁷⁴Gaining the goblin-haunted height, What cloud-shaped mass bursts on his sight? A royal banyan ‘tis whose roots

⁷⁵Support eight thousand spreading shoots.

⁷⁶[48] There stood invincible in might

⁷⁷An elephant six-tusked and white,

⁷⁸With herd eight thousand strong for fight; Their tusks to chariot-poles are like: Wind-swift are they to guard or strike.

⁷⁹Hard by a pool—'tis full to the brim, Fit place for royal beast to swim;

⁸⁰Its lovely banks with flowers abound And buzzing bees swarm all around.

⁸¹Marking the way the creature went Whene'er on bathing thought intent, He sunk a pit, to deed so mean Urged by the wrath of spiteful queen.

⁸²Here follows the story from beginning to end: the hunter, it is said, after seven years, seven months and seven days, having reached the dwelling-place of the Great Being in the manner related above, took note of his dwelling-place and dug a pit there, thinking, "I will take my stand here and wound the lord of elephants and bring about his death." Thus did he arrange matters and went into the forest and cut down trees to make posts and prepared a lot of material. [49] Then when the elephants went to bathe, in the spot where the king elephant used to stand, he dug a square pit with a huge mattock, and the soil that he dug out he sprinkled on the top of the water, as if he were sowing seed, and on the top of stones like mortars he fixed posts, and fitted them with weights and ropes and spread planks over them. Next he made a hole of the size of an arrow and threw on the top earth and rubbish, and on one side he made an entrance for himself, and so, when the pit was finished, at break of day he fastened on a false top knot and donned robes of yellow and, taking his bow and a poisoned arrow, he went down and stood in the pit.

⁸³The Master, to make the whole thing clear, said:

⁸⁴The pit with planks he first did hide, Then bow in hand he got inside, And as the elephant passed by,

⁸⁵A mighty shaft the wretch let fly.

⁸⁶The wounded beast loud roared with pain And all the herd roared back again: Crushed boughs and trampled grass betray Where panic flight directs their way.

⁸⁷Their lord had well nigh slain his foe, So mad with pain was he, when lo! A robe of yellow met his eyes, Emblem of sainthood, priestly guise And deemed inviolate by the wise.

⁸⁸[50] The Master, falling into conversation with the hunter, spoke a couple of stanzas:

⁸⁹Whoso is marred with sinful taint And void of truth and self-restraint, Though robed in yellow he may be,

⁹⁰No claim to sanctity has he.

⁹¹But one that's free from sinful taint, Endued with truth and self-restraint, And firmly fixed in righteousness, Deserves to wear the yellow dress.

⁹²[51] So saying, the Great Being, extinguishing all feeling of anger towards him, asked him, saying, "Why did you wound me? Was it for your own advantage or were you suborned by some one else?"

⁹³The Master explaining the matter then said:

⁹⁴The beast with mighty shaft laid low, Unruffled still, addressed his foe: "What object, friend, in slaying me,

⁹⁵And, pray, who instigated thee?"

⁹⁶Then the hunter told him and uttered this stanza:

⁹⁷The king of Kasi's favoured queen Subhadda told me she had seen Thy form in dreams, "and so," said she,

⁹⁸"T'll have his tusks; go, bring them me."

⁹⁹Hearing this, and recognizing that this was the work of Cullasubhadda, he bore his sufferings patiently and thought, "She does not want my tusks; she sent him because she wished to kill me," and, to illustrate the matter, he uttered a couple of stanzas:

¹⁰⁰Rich store of goodly tusks have I, Relics of my dead ancestry, And this well knows that cursed dame,

¹⁰¹‘Tis at my life the wretch doth aim.

¹⁰²[52] Rise, hunter, and or ere I die.

¹⁰³Saw off these tusks of ivory:

¹⁰⁴Go bid the shrew be of good cheer, "The beast is slain; his tusks are here."

¹⁰⁵Hearing his words the hunter rose up from the place where he was sitting and, saw in hand, came close to him to cut off his tusks. Now the elephant, being like a mountain eighty cubits

¹⁰⁶high, was but ineffectually cut. For the man could not reach to his tusks. So the Great Being, bending his body towards him, lay with his head down. Then the hunter climbed up the trunk of the Great Being, pressing it with his feet as though it were a silver rope, and stood on his forehead as if it had been

¹⁰⁷Kelasa peak. Then he inserted his foot into his mouth, and striking the fleshy part of it with his knee, he climbed down from the beast's forehead and thrust the saw into his mouth. The Great Being suffered excruciating pain and his mouth was charged with blood. The hunter, shifting about from place to place, was still unable to cut the tusks with his saw. So the Great Being letting the blood drop from his mouth, resigning himself to the agony, asked, saying, "Sir, cannot you cut them?" And on his saying "No," he recovered his presence of mind and said, "Well then, since I myself have not strength enough to raise my trunk, do you lift it up for me and let it seize the end of the saw." The hunter did so: and the Great Being seized the saw with his trunk and moved it backwards and forwards, and the.tusks were cut off as it were sprouts. Then bidding him take the tusks, he said, "I don't give you these, friend hunter, because I do not value them, [53] nor as one desiring the position of Sakka, Mara or Brahma, but the tusks of omniscience are a hundred thousand times dearer to me than these are, and may this meritorious act be to me the cause of attaining Omniscience." And as he gave him the tusks, he asked, "How long were you coming here?" "Seven years, seven months, and seven days." "Go then by the magic power of these tusks, and you shall reach Benares in seven days." And he gave him a safe conduct and let

¹⁰⁸him go. And after he had sent him away, before the other elephants and Subhadda had returned, he was dead.

¹⁰⁹The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

¹¹⁰The hunter then the tusks did saw From out that noble creature's jaw, And with his shining, matchless prize

¹¹¹Home with all speed he quickly hies.

¹¹²When he was gone, the herd of elephants not finding their enemy came back.

¹¹³The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

¹¹⁴Sad at his death and full of fright, The herd that took to panic flight, Seeing no trace of cruel foe,

¹¹⁵Returned to find their chief laid low.

¹¹⁶[54] And with them also came Subhadda, and they all then and there with weeping and lamentation betook them to the pacceka buddhas who had been so friendly to the Great Being, and said, "Sirs, he who supplied

¹¹⁷you with the necessaries of life has died from the wound of a poisoned arrow. Come and see where his dead body is exposed." And the five hundred pacceka buddhas passing through the air

¹¹⁸alighted in the sacred enclosure. At that moment two young elephants, lifting up the body of the king elephant with their tusks, and so causing it to do homage to the pacceka buddhas, raised it aloft on a pyre and burned it. The pacceka buddhas all through the night rehearsed scripture texts in the cemetery. The eight thousand elephants, after extinguishing the flames, first bathed and then, with Subhadda at their head, returned to their place of abode.

¹¹⁹The Master, to make this matter clear, said:

¹²⁰They wept and wailed, as it is said, Each heaping dust upon his head, Then slow returning home were seen,

¹²¹Behind their ever gracious queen.

¹²²And Sonuttara within seven days reached Benares with his tusks.

¹²³The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

¹²⁴The hunter straight to Kasi hies

¹²⁵Bearing his bright and matchless prize —The noble creature's tusks, I mean, Cheering all hearts with golden sheen— And to that royal dame he said,

¹²⁶"Here are his tusks: the beast is dead."

¹²⁷[55] Now in offering them to the queen, he said, "Lady, the elephant, against whom you conceived a grudge in your heart for a trifling offence, has been slain by me." "Do you tell me that

¹²⁸he is dead?" she cried. And he gave her the tusks, saying, "Be assured that he is dead: here are his tusks." She received the tusks adorned with six different coloured rays on her jewelled fan, and, placing them on her lap, gazed at the tusks of one who in a former existence had been her dear lord and she thought, "This fellow has come with the tusks he cut from the auspicious elephant that he slew with a poisoned shaft." And at the remembrance of the Great Being she was filled with so great sorrow that she could not endure it, but her heart then and there was broken and that very day she died.

¹²⁹The Master, to make the story clear, said:

¹³⁰His tusks no sooner did she see —Her own dear lord of old was he Than straight her heart through grief did break

¹³¹And she, poor fool, died for his sake.

¹³²When he, almighty and all wise, Broke into smiles before their eyes, Straightway these holy Brethren thought,

¹³³"Sure Buddhas never smile for nought."

¹³⁴"She whom you used to see," he said, "A yellow-robed ascetic maid,

¹³⁵Was erst a queen and I," he cried, Was that king elephant who died."

¹³⁶"The wretch who took those tusks so white, Unmatched on earth, so shining bright, [56] And brought them to Benares town

¹³⁷Is now as Devadatta known."

¹³⁸Buddha from his own knowledge told This long drawn tale of times of old,

¹³⁹In all its sad variety,

¹⁴⁰Though free from pain and grief was he.

¹⁴¹That elephant of long ago Was I, the king of all the band, And, Brothers, I would have you so This Birth aright to understand.

¹⁴²These stanzas were recorded by elders as they chanted the Law and sang the praises of the Lord of all Power.

¹⁴³[57] And on hearing this discourse a multitude entered the First Path, but the Sister afterwards by spiritual insight attained to Sainthood.

¹⁴⁴20:1 In the Journal Asiatique for 1895, tom. v., N. S., will be found a careful study by M. L. Seer of the Chaddanta-Jataka, based ona comparison of five different versions—two Pali, one Sanskrit, two Chinese.

¹⁴⁵23:1 The Scholiast explains chabbisadna (Sanskrit shadvishdana) six- tusked as chabbanna six-coloured, perhaps more completely to identify the hero of the story with the Buddha.

¹"This rule," etc.—This story the Master when residing at Jetavana told concerning the Perfection of Wisdom. The circumstances leading to the introductory story will be set forth in the Mahaummagga Birth ..

²Once upon atime a king called Dhanafijaya Korabya reigned in the city of Indapatta in the Kuru kingdom. A brahmin named Sucirata was his priest and adviser in things temporal and spiritual. The king ruled his kingdom righteously, in the exercise of almsgiving and other good works. Now one day he prepared a question about the service of Truth, and having seated the brahmin Sucirata and paid him due honour, he put his question to him in the form of four stanzas:

³This rule and lordship I disdain, Sucirata, for I would fain

⁴Be great, and o’er the wide world reign.

⁵By right alone—wrong I eschew— For whatsoe’er is good and true Kings above all men should pursue. By this for ever free from blame,

⁶Here and hereafter, we may claim Midst gods and men a glorious name.

⁷Know, brahmin, that I fain would do Whate’er is deemed both good and true, So pray, when asked, declare to me

⁸The Good and True, what they may be.

⁹[58] Now this was a profound question, falling within the range of a Buddha. This is a question one should put to an Omniscient Buddha, and, failing him, to a Bodhisatta who is seeking the Gift of Omniscience. But Sucirata, by reason of his not being a Bodhisatta, could not solve the question, and, so far from assuming an air of wisdom, he confessed his incompetency in the following stanza:

¹⁰No one but Vidhura ;, O king, Hath power to tell this wondrous thing, What is, my lord, the Good and True,

¹¹That thou art ever fain to do.

¹²The king on hearing his words said, "Go then, brahmin, at once," and he gave him a present to take with him, and in his eagerness to get him off, he repeated this stanza:

¹³Lo! straight this weight of gold, my friend, By thee to Vidhura I send; Meet gift for sage who best can show

¹⁴The Good and True that I would know.

¹⁵[59] And with these words he gave him a tablet of gold, worth a hundred thousand pieces of money, on which to write the answer to the question, a chariot to travel in, an army to escort him, and a present to offer, and straightway despatched him. Issuing from the city of Indapatta, not going straight to Benares, he first visited all places wheresoever sages dwell, and, not finding any one in all India to solve the question, he gradually

¹⁶approached Benares. Taking up his abode there, he went with a few followers to the house of Vidhura, at the time of the early meal, and having announced his arrival, he was invited in and found Vidhura at breakfast in his own house.

¹⁷The Master, to make the matter clear, repeated the seventh stanza:

¹⁸Then straight in haste did Bharadvaja 2 wend His way to Vidhura, and found his friend Sitting at home, and ready to partake

¹⁹Of simple fare, his early fast to break.

²⁰Now Vidhura was a friend of his youth, and had been educated

²¹in the family of the same master, so after partaking of the meal with him, when breakfast was over, and Sucirata was comfortably seated, on being asked by Vidhura, "What brings you here, friend?" he told him why he had come and repeated the eighth stanza:

²²I come at far-famed Kuru king's behest, Sprung from Yudhitthila 1, and this his quest, To ask thee, Vidhura, to tell to me

²³The True and Good, what it may surely be.

²⁴[60] At that time the brahmin thinking to collect the ideas of a number of people pursues his quest, like to one piling up as it were a very Ganges flood, and there is no time for solving the problem. So stating the case he repeated the ninth stanza:

²⁵O’erwhelmed by such a mighty theme As 'twere by Ganges' flooded stream, I cannot tell what this may be,

²⁶The Good and True you seek from me.

²⁷And so saying he added: "I have a clever son, far wiser than I am: he will make it clear to you. Go to him." And he repeated the tenth stanza:

²⁸Ason I have, my very own, ‘Mongst men as Bhadrakara known; Go seek him out, and he'll declare

²⁹To thee what Truth and Goodness are.

³⁰On hearing this Suctrata leaving Vidhura's house went to the dwelling of Bhadrakara, and found him seated at breakfast in the midst of his people.

³¹The Master, to clear up the matter, repeated the eleventh stanza:

³²Then Bharadvaja hastily To Bhadrakara's home did hie, Where amidst friends, all gathered round,

³³Seated at ease the youth was found.

³⁴On his arrival there he was hospitably received by the youth Bhadrakara with the offer of a chair and gifts, and taking his seat, on being asked why he had come, he repeated the twelfth stanza:

³⁵[61]

³⁶I come at far-famed Kuru king's behest, Sprung from Yudhitthila, and this his quest, To ask thee, Bhadrakara, to show me

³⁷Goodness and Truth, what they may surely be.

³⁸Then Bhadrakara said to him, "Just now, Sir, Iam intent on an intrigue with another man's wife. My mind is ill at ease, so I cannot

³⁹answer your question, but my young brother Safjaya has a clearer intellect than I have. Ask him: he will answer your question." And in order to send him there, he repeated two stanzas:

⁴⁰Good venison I leave, a lizard to pursue:

⁴¹How then should I know aught about the Good and True?

⁴²I've a young brother, you must know, Named Safijaya. So, brahmin, go

⁴³And seek him out, and he'll declare To thee what Truth and Goodness are.

⁴⁴He at once set out for the house of Safjaya, and was welcomed by him and on being asked why he had come he told him the reason.

⁴⁵The Master, to make the matter clear, uttered two stanzas:

⁴⁶Then Bharadvaja hastily To home of Safjaya did hie, Where amidst friends, all gathered round,

⁴⁷Seated at ease the youth was found.

⁴⁸I come at far-famed Kuru king's behest, Sprung from Yudhitthila, and this his quest, To ask thee, Safjaya, to show to me

⁴⁹Goodness and Truth, what they may surely be.

⁵⁰But Safjaya also was engaged in an intrigue and said to him, "Sir, Iam in pursuit of another man's wife, and going down to the Ganges [62] I cross over to the other side. Evening and morning as I cross the stream, I am in the jaws of death: therefore my mind is disturbed, and I shall not be able to answer your question, but my young brother Sambhava, a boy of seven years, is a hundred thousand times superior to me in knowledge. He will tell you: go and ask him."

⁵¹The Master, to make the matter clear, repeated two stanzas:

⁵²Death opens wide his jaws for me, Early and late. How tell to thee

⁵³Of Truth and Goodness, what they be? I've a young brother, you must know, Called Sambhava. So, brahmin, go,

⁵⁴And seek him out. He will declare To thee what Truth and Goodness are.

⁵⁵p35

⁵⁶On hearing this Sucirata thought, "This question must be the most wonderful thing in the world. I fancy no one is equal to answering it," and so thinking he repeated two stanzas:

⁵⁷This marvel strange misliketh me,

⁵⁸Nor sire nor sons, none of the three,

⁵⁹Knows how to solve this mystery.

⁶⁰If ye thus fail, can this mere youth Know aught of Goodness and of Truth?

⁶¹On hearing this Safjaya said, "Sir do not regard young Sambhava as a mere boy. If there is no one that can answer your question, go and ask him." And, describing the qualities of the youth by similes that illustrated, the case, he repeated twelve stanzas:

⁶²[63]

⁶³Ask Sambhava nor scorn his youth, He knows right well and he can tell Of Goodness and of Truth.

⁶⁴As the clear moon outshines the starry host, Their meaner glories in his splendour lost,

⁶⁵E’en so the stripling Sambhava appears To excel in Wisdom far beyond his years; Ask Sambhava nor scorn his youth,

⁶⁶He knows right well and he can tell Of Goodness and of Truth.

⁶⁷As charming April doth all months outvie With budding flowers and woodland greenery,

⁶⁸E’en so the stripling Sambhava appears &c.

⁶⁹As Gandhamadana, its snowy height

⁷⁰With forest clad and heavenly herbs bedight, Diffusing light and fragrance all around,

⁷¹For myriad gods a refuge sure is found,

⁷²E’en so the stripling &c.

⁷³As glorious fire, ablaze thro’ some morass With wreathing spire, insatiate, eats the grass Leaving a blackened path, where’er it pass,

⁷⁴Or as a ghee-fed flame in darkest night On choicest wood doth whet its appetite, Shining conspicuous on some distant height,

⁷⁵E’en so the stripling &c.

⁷⁶An ox by strength, a horse by speed, Displays his excellence of breed,

⁷⁷A cow by milk in copious flow,

⁷⁸A sage by his wise words we know.

⁷⁹E’en so the stripling &c.

⁸⁰[64] While Safjaya was singing the praises of Sambhava, Sucirata thought, "I will find out by putting the question to him," so he asked, "Where is your young brother?" Then he opened the window and

⁸¹p36

⁸²stretching forth his hand, he said, "You see yonder boy with a complexion like gold, playing with other youths in the street before the door of the mansion: that is my young brother. Go up to him and ask him; he will answer your question with all the charm of a Buddha." Sucirata, on hearing his words, descended from the mansion, and drew nigh to the boy at the very moment that he was standing with his garment loose and thrown over his shoulder, [65] and picking up some dirt with both hands.

⁸³The Master, to explain the matter, repeated a stanza:

⁸⁴Then Bharadvaja hastily

⁸⁵To home of Sambhava did hie, And there out in the public way The little boy was found at play.

⁸⁶The Great Being, when he saw the brahmin come and stand before him, asked, "Friend, what brings you here?" He replied, "Dear youth, Iam wandering through all India, and not finding any one competent to answer the question I put to him, I have come to you." The boy thought, "There is a question, they say, that has not been decided in all India. He has come to me. Iam old in knowledge." And becoming ashamed he dropped the dirt that he held in his hand, readjusted his garment and said, "Brahmin, ask on, and I will tell you with the fluent mastery of a Buddha," and in his omniscience he invited him to choose what he would ask. Then the brahmin asked his question in the form of a stanza:

⁸⁷I come at far-famed Kuru king's behest, Sprung from Yudhitthila, and this his quest, To ask thee, Sambhava, to show to me

⁸⁸Goodness and Truth, what they may surely be.

⁸⁹What he wanted became clear to Sambhava, as it were the full moon in the middle of the sky. "Then listen to me," he said, and answering the question as to the Service of Truth he uttered this stanza:

⁹⁰I'll tell thee, Sir, and tell aright, E’en as aman of wisdom might, The king shall know the Good and True,

⁹¹But who knows what the king will do?

⁹²And as he stood in the street and taught the Truth with a voice sweet as honey, the sound spread over the whole of the city of Benares, to twelve leagues on every side Then the king and all his viceroys and other rulers assembled together, and the Great

⁹³Being in the midst of the multitude set forth his exposition of the Truth.

⁹⁴[66] Having thus promised in this stanza to answer the question, he now gave the answer as to the Service of Truth:

⁹⁵In answer to the king, Sucirata, proclaim, "To-morrow and To-day are never quite the same; I bid thee then, O king Yudhitthila, be wise

⁹⁶And prompt to seize whate’er occasion may arise."

⁹⁷I fain would have thee too, Sucirata, suggest

⁹⁸A thought in which his mind may profitably rest, "A king all wicked ways should carefully eschew, Nor, like bewildered fool, an evil course pursue."

⁹⁹To loss of his own soul he never should transgress, Nor e’er be guilty of deeds of unrighteousness, Himself ne’er be engaged in any evil way,

¹⁰⁰Nor ever in wrong path a brother lead astray.

¹⁰¹These points to carry out whoso doth rightly know, Like waxing moon, as king in fame doth ever grow. A Shining light to friends and dear unto his kin,

¹⁰²And, when his body fails, the sage to heaven will win.

¹⁰³[67] The Great Being thus, like to one making the moon to rise in the sky, answered the brahmin's question with all the mastery of a Buddha. The people roared and shouted and clapped their hands. And there arose a thousand cries of applause with great wavings of cloths and snapping of fingers. And they cast off the trinkets on their hands. And the value of what they threw down amounted to about a crore. And the king of Benares in his joy paid him great honour. And Suctrata, after offering hima thousand weight of gold, wrote down the answer to the question

¹⁰⁴with vermilion on a golden tablet, and on coming to the city of Indapatta he told the king the answer as to the Service of Truth. And the king abiding steadfast in righteousness attained to heaven.

¹⁰⁵At the end of the lesson the Master said, "Not merely now, Brethren, but formerly too, the Tathagata was great in answering questions," and he identified the Birth: "At that time Ananda was king Dhanafijaya, Anuruddha was Sucirata, Kassapa Vidhura, Moggallana Bhadrakara, Sariputta the youth Sanjaya, and I myself was the wise Sambhava."

¹⁰⁶31:1 Vol. vi. p. 329. Jataka, No. 546.

¹⁰⁷32:1 Vidhura, the commentary explains, was the chaplain of the king of Benares.

¹⁰⁸32:2 Bharadvaja is the family name of Sucirata.

¹⁰⁹33:1 The Kurus were descended from Yudhishthira.

¹’A king of Kasi," etc.—This story was told by the Master, when dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, about Devadatta's hurling a stone at him. [68] So when the Brethren blamed Devadatta for having suborned archers to shoot the Buddha and afterwards hurled a stone at him, the Master said, "Not now only, but formerly also, Devadatta flung a stone at me," and so saying he related a story of the past.

²Once upon a time when Brahmadatta reigned in Benares, a Brahmin husbandman in a village of Kasi, after ploughing his fields, loosened his oxen and began to work with a spade. The oxen, while cropping leaves in a clump of trees, little by little escaped into the forest. The man, discovering that it was late, laid aside his spade to look for his oxen, and not finding them he was overcome with grief and wandered about the forest, seeking them, till he had entered the Himalaya region. There having lost his bearings he roamed about for seven days fasting, but seeing a tinduka tree he climbed up it to eat the fruit. Slipping off the tree he fell sixty cubits into a hell-like abyss, where he passed ten days. At that time the Bodhisatta was living in the shape of a monkey, and while eating wild fruits he caught sight of the man, and after practising with a stone he hauled the fellow out. While the monkey was asleep, the man split his head open with a stone. The Great Being, becoming aware of his action, sprang up

³and perched on a branch of the tree and cried, "Ho! Sirrah, you walk on the ground; I will just point out to you the way from the top of the tree and then will be off." So he rescued the fellow from the forest, set him on the right road and then himself disappeared in the mountainous region. The man, because he had sinned against the Great Being, became a leper, and even in this world appeared as a preta in human form. For seven years he was overwhelmed with pain, and in his wanderings to and fro he found his way into the Migacira park in Benares, and Spreading a plantain leaf in the enclosure he lay down, half maddened by his sufferings. At that moment the king of Benares came to the park and as he walked about he saw the man and asked him, "Who are you, and what have you done to bring this suffering upon you?" And he told the king the whole story at length.

⁴The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

⁵A king of Kasi who, they say, O’er great Benares once held sway, With courtier friends the road to ch

⁶Unto Migacira drew near.

⁷[69] A brahmin there the king did see —A walking skeleton was he—

⁸His skin was white with leprous blood And rough like gnarléd ebon wood :.

⁹Astonied at the piteous sight

¹⁰Of this sore troubled, luckless wight,

¹¹"Alas! poor wretch," he cried, "declare What name ‘mongst ogres thou dost bear."

¹²"Thy hands and feet are white as snow, Thy head is whiter still, I trow, Thy frame with leprous spots o’ergrown,

¹³Disease has marked thee for its own.

¹⁴"Thy back like spindles in a row

¹⁵A long unequal curve doth show; Thy joints are as black knots; I ween, Thy like before was never seen.

¹⁶"Whence cam’st thou then, so travel-worn, Mere skin and bones, a wretch forlorn,

¹⁷By heat of blazing sun opprest,

¹⁸By thirst and hunger sore distrest?

¹⁹"With frame so marred, an awful sight, Scarce fit to look upon the light,

²⁰Thy very mother—no, not she

²¹Would care her wretched son to see.

²²"What sinful deed was thine, I pray, Or wrongfully whom didst thou slay? What the offence I fain would know, Reduced thee to this state of woe?"

²³Then the brahmin said:

²⁴I'll tell thee, Sir, and tell thee true E’en as a good man aye should do: For one that never speaketh lies

²⁵Is praised in this world by the wise.

²⁶[70] Once in a lonely wood I took my way, Seeking my kine that late had gone astray; Through pathless tracts of jungle, fitting home For the wild elephant, I heedless roam.

²⁷Lost in the maze of this vast wilderness, From thirst and hunger suffering sore distress,

²⁸For seven long days I wander thro’ the wood Where the fell tiger rears his savage brood.

²⁹E’en rankest poison I was fain to eat

³⁰When lo! a lovely tree my gaze doth meet; O’er a sheer precipice it pendent swung,

³¹And fragrant fruit from all its branches hung.

³²Whate’er had fallen to the wind's cold touch I greedily devoured and relished much, Then, still unsated, I climbed up the tree, "That way," methought, "lies full satiety."

³³Ine’er had tasted such ripe fruit before,

³⁴And stretching forth my hand to gather more,

³⁵The branch, on which my body rested, broke,

³⁶As though clean severed by the woodman's stroke.

³⁷With broken bough head over heels I went, With nought to check me in my swift descent Over the side of rocky precipice,

³⁸Without escape from bottomless abyss.

³⁹The depth of water in the pool beneath Saved me from being rudely crushed to death, So there, poor luckless wight, without a ray

⁴⁰Of hope to cheer me, ten long nights I lay.

⁴¹At length a monkey came—long-tailed was he And made his home in some rock cavity

⁴²And as he stept from bough to bough, the brute Did ever pluck and eat the dainty fruit.

⁴³But when my thin and pallid form he spied, Touched with compassion for my woes, he cried, "Alas! poor wretch, whom I see lying there

⁴⁴Thus overwhelmed with anguish and despair,

⁴⁵If man or goblin, who thou art, declare."

⁴⁶Then with due reverence I made reply; "A man and doomed without escape am I:

⁴⁷But this I say, "All blessings light on thee, If thou canst find a way of saving me."

⁴⁸The monkey stepping on the height above Carried a heavy stone, his strength to prove, And when by practice he was perfect grown, The mighty one his purpose thus made known.

⁴⁹"Climb thou, good sir, upon my back and cast Thy arms about my neck and hold me fast; Then will I with all speed deliver thee

⁵⁰From the stone walls of thy captivity.’

⁵¹I hearkened gladly, well remembering

⁵²The counsels of the glorious monkey-king,

⁵³And, climbing on his back, my arms I cast

⁵⁴Round the wise creature's neck and held him fast.

⁵⁵The monkey then,—so brave and strong was he— Exhausted by the effort though he be, From rocky fastness soon uplifteth me.

⁵⁶And having haled me out, the hero cried, "I'm weary: stand as guard, Sir, by my side, While I anon in peaceful sleep abide.

⁵⁷"Lion and tiger, panther eke and bear, [71] If they should ever take me unaware, Would kill me straight. To watch shall be thy care."

⁵⁸While, as I watched, he took a moment's rest, An ugly thought was harboured in my breast.

⁵⁹"Monkeys and such like deer are good to eat; What if I kill him and my hunger cheat? The beast if slain would furnish savoury meat.

⁶⁰"When sated, here no longer will I stay But well provisioned for full many a day Out from this forest I will find a way."

⁶¹Taking a stone his skull I well nigh broke, But a lame hand put forth a feeble stroke.

⁶²The monkey quickly bounded up a tree, And all bestained with blood regarded me From far, with tearful eyes, reproachfully.

⁶³"God bless thee, act not thus, I pray, good sir, For otherwise thy fate, I dare aver,

⁶⁴Will long all others from such deeds deter.

⁶⁵"Alas! for shame. What a return is this For having saved thee from that dread abyss!

⁶⁶"Rescued from death thou playedst a treacherous part And evil hast devised with evil heart.

⁶⁷"Vile wretch, beware lest sharpest agony Springing from evil deed bring death to thee, E’en as its fruit destroys the bamboo tree :.

⁶⁸"T trust thee not, for thou wouldst work me ill: Walk well in front that I may see thee still.

⁶⁹"From ravening beast escaped, thou mayst regain The haunts of men: the path that stretches plain Before thine eyes, follow as thou art fain."

⁷⁰At this the monkey dried his tears, and sped Up to a mountain tarn, and bathed his head From stain of blood—by me alas! ‘twas shed—

⁷¹There too, with burning pains through him accursed, I dragged my tortured frame, to quench my thirst,

⁷²But when to that blood-stainéd lake I came, The crimson flood appeared one mass of flame.

⁷³[72] Each liquid drop from it that did bedew My body, straight into a pustule grew, Like a cleft vilva-fruit, in size and hue.

⁷⁴The sores discharging yield a loathsome smell, And whereso’er I fain would gladly dwell In town and country-side, all fly pell mell.

⁷⁵Scattered by odours foul, the while they ply Their sticks and stones, and "Come not thou too nigh To us, poor wretch,’ all men and women cry.

⁷⁶Such is the pain for seven long years I bear; According to his deeds each man doth fare.

⁷⁷May good be with you all that here I see: Betray ye not your friends. How vile is he That sins against a friend with treachery.

⁷⁸All who on earth to friends have proved untrue, As lepers here their sin must ever rue, And when the body fails, in Hell are born anew.

⁷⁹[74] And while the man was speaking with the king, even as he spoke, the earth opened its mouth, and at that very moment the man disappeared and was reborn in Hell. The king, when the man was swallowed up in the earth, came forth from the park and entered the city.

⁸⁰The Master here ending his lesson said, "Not only now, Brethren, but formerly too, Devadatta flung a stone at me," and he identified the Birth: "At that time the treacherous friend was Devadatta, I myself was the monkey-king."

⁸¹38:1 Bauhinia Variegata.

⁸²1:1 The bamboo dies off after bearing fruit.

¹All of this will be set forth in the Mahaummagga Birth :.

¹"No man that lets," etc.—This was a story told by the Master, whilst sojourning at Jetavana, as to how Devadatta told a lie, and how the earth opened and swallowed him up. At that time, when Devadatta was being blamed by the Brethren, the Master said, "Not now only, Brethren, but of old too Devadatta told a lie and was swallowed up by the earth," and so saying he told a story of the past.

²Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was king in Benares, five hundred trading folk took ship and set sail, and on the seventh day when they were out of sight of land, they were wrecked in mid ocean and all save one man became food for fishes. This one by favour of the wind reached the port of Karambiya, and landing naked and destitute he went about the place, begging alms. The people thought, "Here is an ascetic, happy and contented with little," and they showed him every hospitality. But he said, "I have enough to live upon," and when they offered him under and upper garments, he would have none of them. They said, "No ascetic can go beyond this in the way of contentment," and being the more exceedingly pleased with him, they built him a hermitage for a dwelling-place, and he went by the name of the Karambiya ascetic. While he was living here, he met with great honour and gain, and both a snake-king and a garuda-king came to pay their respects to him, and the name of the former was Pandara. Now one day the garuda-king came to the ascetic

³and after saluting him took his seat on one side and said, "Sir, our people,

⁴when they attack snakes, many of them perish. We do not know the right way to seize snakes. There is said to be some mystery in the matter. You could, perhaps, wheedle them [76] out of the secret." "All right," said the ascetic, and when the garuda-king had taken his leave and departed, as soon as ever the snake-king arrived and with a respectful salutation had taken his seat, he asked him, saying, "King-snake, the garudas Say that in seizing you, many of them are killed. In attacking you, how can they seize you securely?" "Sir," he replied, "this is our secret; if I were to tell it, should bring about the destruction of all my kinsfolk." "What do you really suspect me of telling some one else? I'll tell no one. I only ask to satisfy my own curiosity. You may trust and tell me without the slightest fear." The snake-king promised to tell him and took his leave. The next day the ascetic again asked him, and then too he did not tell him. But on the third day when the snake-king had come and taken his seat, the ascetic said, "To-day is the third day since I asked you. Why do you not tell me?" "Iam afraid, Sir you might tell some one else." "I'll not say a word to a creature: tell me without any fear." Then the snake made him promise to tell no one, and said, "Sir, we make ourselves heavy by swallowing very big stones and lie down, and when the garudas come, we open our mouths wide, and show our teeth and fall upon them. They come on and seize us by the head, and while they strive to lift us up, heavy as we are, from the ground, the water streams from them, and they drop down dead in the midst of it. In this way a number of garudas perish. When they attack us, why in the world do they seize us by the

⁵head? If the foolish creatures should seize us by the tail and hold us head downwards, they could force us to disgorge the stones we have swallowed, and so, making us a light weight, they could carry us off with them." Thus did the snake reveal his secret to this wicked fellow. Then, when the snake had gone away, up came the garuda-king, and saluting the Karambiya ascetic he asked, "Well! Sir, have you learned his secret from the snake- king?" [77] "Yes, Sir," he said, and told him everything just as it was told him. On hearing it, the garuda said, "The snake-king has made a great mistake. He ought not to have told another how to destroy his kinsfolk. Well, to-day I must first of all raise a garuda: wind and seize him." So, raising a wind, he seized Pandara the snake-king by the tail and held him head downmost; and having thus made him disgorge the stones he had swallowed, he flew up into the air with him. Pandaraka, as he was suspended head downwards in the air, sorely lamenting cried, "I have brought sorrow upon me," and he repeated these stanzas:

⁶The man that lets his secret thought be known, Random of speech, to indiscretion prone, Poor fool, at once is overcome by fear,

⁷As I king-snake am by a bird o’erthrown.

⁸The man who in his folly could betray

⁹The thought that he should hide from light of day, By his rash speech is overcome by fear,

¹⁰As I king-snake fall to this bird a prey.

¹¹No comrade ought thy inmost thoughts to share, The best of friends ofttimes most foolish are, And if too wise, of treachery beware.

¹²I trusted him alas! for was not he A holy man, of strict austerity?

¹³My secret I revealed; the deed is done And now I weep for very misery.

¹⁴Into my confidence the wretch did creep, Nor could I any secret from him keep:

¹⁵From him the danger that I dread has come, And now for very misery I weep.

¹⁶[78] Judging his friend as faithful to the core And moved by fear, or the strong love he bore, To some vile wretch his secret one betrays

¹⁷And is o’erthrown, poor fool, to rise no more.

¹⁸Whoso proclaims in evil company

¹⁹The secret thought that still should hidden lie, ‘Mongst men is counted as a poison-snake:

²⁰"From such an one, pray, keep aloof," they cry.

²¹Fair women, silken robes and sandal wood,

²²Garlands and perfumes, even drink and food, Yea all desires—if only thou, O bird,

²³Come to our aid—shall be by us eschewed.

²⁴[79] Thus did Pandaraka, suspended in the air head downwards, utter his lament in eight stanzas. The garuda, hearing the sound of his lamentation, reproved him and said, "King-snake, after divulging your secret to the ascetic, wherefore do you now lament?" And he uttered this stanza:

²⁵Of us three creatures living here, pray name The one that rightly should incur the blame. Nor priest nor bird, but foolish deed of thine,

²⁶O snake, hath brought thee to this depth of shame. On hearing this Pandaraka repeated another stanza:

²⁷The priest, methought, must be a friend to me,

²⁸A holy man, of strict austerity:

²⁹[80] My secret I betrayed: the deed is done,

³⁰And now I weep for very misery. Then the garuda repeated four stanzas:

³¹All creatures born into this world must die; Yet Wisdom's ways her children justify: By knowledge, justice, self-restraint and truth

³²A man at length achieves his purpose high.

³³Parents are kind all other kin above, No third there is to show us equal love, Not e’en to them betray thy secret thought,

³⁴Lest peradventure they should traitors prove.

³⁵Parents and kin of every degree, Allies and comrades all may friendly be:

³⁶To none of them entrust thy hidden thought, Or thou wilt later rue their treachery.

³⁷A wife may youthful be and good and fair,

³⁸Own troops of friends, and children's love may share: Not e’en to her entrust thy hidden thought,

³⁹Or of her treachery thou must beware.

⁴⁰[81] Then follow these stanzas: His secret no man should disclose, but guard like treasure-trove:

⁴¹Disclosure of a secret thing no wise man would approve.

⁴²Wise men to woman or a foe their secrets ne'er betray; Trust not the slaves of appetite; creatures of impulse they.

⁴³Whoso reveals his secret thought to one not overwise, Fears the betrayal of his trust and at his mercy lies.

⁴⁴All such as know the secret thing that thou shouldst rather hide, Threaten thy peace of mind; to none that secret thing confide.

⁴⁵By day to thine own self alone the secret dare to name, But venture not at dead of night that secret to proclaim;

⁴⁶For close at hand, be sure, there stand men ready to betray The slightest word they may have heard: so trust them not, I pray.

⁴⁷These five stanzas will appear in the Problem of the Five Sages in the Ummagga Birth.

⁴⁸Then follow these stanzas:

⁴⁹As some huge city fenced on every side With moat, of iron wrought, has long defied [82] All entrance of a foe to Fairy Land,

⁵⁰So e’en are they that do their counsels hide.

⁵¹Who by rash speech to secrets give no clue,

⁵²But ever steadfast to themselves are true, From them all enemies do keep aloof,

⁵³As men flee far when deadly snakes pursue.

⁵⁴When the Truth had been thus proclaimed by the garuda, Pandaraka said:

⁵⁵A tonsured, nude ascetic left his home

⁵⁶And seeking alms did through the country roam: To him my secret I alas! did tell,

⁵⁷And straight from happiness and virtue fell. What line of conduct should a priest pursue, What vows take on him, and what faults eschew?

⁵⁸How free himself from his besetting sin, And at the last a heavenly mansion win?

⁵⁹[83] The garuda said:

⁶⁰By patience, self-restraint, long-suffering, By calumny and ire abandoning, Thus may a priest get rid of every sin,

⁶¹And at the last a heavenly mansion win.

⁶²Pandaraka, on hearing the garuda-king thus declare the Truth, begged for his life and repeated this stanza:

⁶³As mother gazing on her baby boy Is thrilled in every limb with holy joy, So upon me, O king of birds, bestow

⁶⁴That pity mothers to their children show.

⁶⁵Then the garuda in granting him his life repeated another stanza:

⁶⁶O snake, to-day from death I set thee free; Of kinds of children there are only three, [84] Pupil, adopted child and true-born son:

⁶⁷Of these rejoice that thou art surely one.

⁶⁸So saying, he alighted from the air and placed the snake upon the ground.

⁶⁹The Master, to make the matter clear, repeated two stanzas:

⁷⁰The bird, so saying, straight released his foe And gently bore him to the earth below; "Set free to-day, go, safe from danger dwell

⁷¹In water or on land. I'll guard thee well.

⁷²As a skilled leech to men with sickness curst, Or a cool tank to those that are athirst,

⁷³As house that shelters from a chilling frost, So I a refuge prove to thee, when lost."

⁷⁴And saying, "Be off," he let him go. And the snake disappeared in the abode of the nagas. But the bird, returning to the dwelling- place of the garudas, said, "The snake Pandaraka has won my confidence under oath and has been let loose by me. I will now put him to the test, to see what his feelings are towards me," and repairing to the abode of the nagas, he raised a garuda wind. On seeing him the snake-king thought the garuda-king must have come to seize him, so he assumed a form that stretched to a thousand fathoms and making himself heavy by swallowing stones and sand [85] he lay down, keeping his tail beneath him and raising the hood upon his head, as if minded to bite the garuda-king. On seeing this the garuda repeated another stanza:

⁷⁵O snake, thou madest peace with thine old enemy;

⁷⁶But now thou showst thy fangs. Whence comes this fear to thee?

⁷⁷On hearing this the snake-king repeated three stanzas:

⁷⁸Ever suspect a foe, nor trust thy friend as staunch;

⁷⁹Security breeds fear, to kill thee root and branch.

⁸⁰What! trust the man with whom one quarrelled long ago! Nay, stand upon thy guard. No one can love his foe.

⁸¹Inspire a trust in all, but put thy trust in none, Thyself suspected not, be to suspicion prone.

⁸²He that is truly wise ought every nerve to strain That his true nature ne’er may be to others plain.

⁸³Thus did they talk one with another, and becoming reconciled and friendly they repaired together to the hermitage of the ascetic.

⁸⁴The Master, to make the matter clear, said,

⁸⁵The godlike graceful pair of them now see, Breathing an air of holy purity; [86] Like steeds well matched neath equal yoke they ran,

⁸⁶To seek the dwelling of that saintly man. With regard to this the Master uttered another stanza:

⁸⁷Then to the ascetic straight king-snake did go, And thus Pandaraka addressed his foe, "Know that to-day, all danger past, I'm free,

⁸⁸But ‘tis not due to love of thine for me."

⁸⁹Then the ascetic repeated another stanza:

⁹⁰To that bird-king, I solemnly declare, I greater love than e’er to thee did bear, Moved by affection for that royal bird,

⁹¹I of set purpose, not through folly, erred. On hearing this, the snake-king repeated two stanzas:

⁹²The man that looks at this world and the next,

⁹³Ne’er finds himself with love or hatred vext,

⁹⁴‘Neath garb of self-restraint thou fain wouldst hide

⁹⁵But lawless acts that holy garb belied.

⁹⁶[87] Thou, seeming noble, art with meanness stained, And, as ascetic clad, art unrestrained;

⁹⁷By nature with ignoble thoughts accurst,

⁹⁸Thou in all kinds of sinful act art versed.

⁹⁹So to reprove him, he uttered this stanza, reviling him:

¹⁰⁰Informer, traitor, that wouldst slay A guileless friend, be thy head riven By this my Act of Truth, I pray,

¹⁰¹Piecemeal, all into fragments seven.

¹⁰²So before the very eyes of the snake-king, the head of the ascetic was split into seven pieces, and at the very spot where he was sitting the ground was cleft asunder. And, disappearing into the Earth, he was re-born in the Avici hell, and the snake-king and the garuda-king returned each to his own abode.

¹⁰³The Master, to make clear the fact that he had been swallowed up by the earth, repeated the last stanza:

¹⁰⁴Therefore I say, friends ne’er should treacherous be; Than a false friend worse man is none to see. Buried in earth the venomous creature lies,

¹⁰⁵And at the snake-king's word the ascetic dies.

¹⁰⁶[88] The Master here ended his discourse and said, "Not now only, Brethren, but of old too, Devadatta told a lie and was swallowed up by the earth," and he identified the Birth: "At that

¹⁰⁷time the ascetic was Devadatta, the snake-king Sdariputta, and the garuda-king was myself."

¹⁰⁸42:1 Vol. vi. p. 329, Jataka, No. 546.

¹⁰⁹43:1 The wind agitated by the wings of Garuda. Cf. Nagdnanda, Boyd's English version, p. 59: "Garuda was in the habit of devouring one snake daily, catching it up from hell, whilst the ocean was cleft asunder from top to bottom by the wind of his wings."

¹"Tied to the spot,” etc. This story the Master, while dwelling at Jetavana, told of queen Mallika. The introductory story is related at length in the Kummasapinda ; Birth. Now by the efficacy of a gift of three portions of sour gruel to the Tathagata, she that very day rose to the position of chief queen, and being possessed of faithful servants and endued with the five feminine charms, full of knowledge, and a disciple of the Buddha, she showed herself a devoted wife. Her devotion was blazed abroad throughout the city. So one day a discussion was started in the Hall of Truth, how that queen Mallika was a faithful and devoted wife. The Master, on his coming there, asked the Brethren what was the topic they were discussing as they sat together, and on hearing what it was he said, "Not now only, but formerly too, Brethren, she was a devoted wife"; and so saying, he told a story of the past.

²Once upon atime king Brahmadatta had a son named Sotthisena, and when he had come of age the king set him up as viceroy. His chief consort, Sambula by name, was extremely beautiful, and gifted with so radiant a form that she appeared like a lamp-flame shining in

³a sheltered spot. By and bye leprosy showed itself in Sotthisena and the physicians failed to cure it. When the sore discharged, he became so loathsome that in his depression he cried, "What

⁴good is my kingdom to me? I shall perish without a friend in the wilderness." And, bidding them tell the king, he left his harem and departed. Sambula, though he made many attempts to stop her, refused to return, and saying, "I will watch over you, my lord, in the forest," went forth from the city with him. On entering the forest, he built a hut of leaves and took up his abode in a shady and well-watered spot, where wild fruit abounded. How then did the royal lady watch over him? Why she rose up early in the morning, swept out his hermitage, set some water for him to drink, [89] furnished him with a tooth-stick and water to wash his mouth, and when his mouth was cleansed, she ground various simples and anointed his sores, and gave him luscious fruits to eat; when he had rinsed his mouth and washed his hands, she saluted him and said, "Be earnest in well-doing, my lord." Then taking a basket, a spade and a hook, she went into the forest to gather wild fruit, and she brought and set it on one side, and fetching water in a jar, she with various powders and clay washed Sotthisena and again offered him wild fruit. And when he had finished his meal, she brought him scented water and herself partook of the fruit. Then she arranged a board with a coverlet, and as he lay down on it, she bathed his feet, and after dressing and cleaning his head and back and feet, she came and lay down by the side of the bed. In this way did she watch over her lord. One day, as she was bringing fruit from the forest, she espied a mountain cave, and putting down the basket from her head, she stood on the edge of the cave, and, stepping down to bathe, she rubbed her body all over with yellow dye and took a bath. After washing herself, she climbed up again and put on her bark garment and stood on the edge of the pool. And the whole forest was lighted up with the radiance that was shed from her person. At that moment a goblin, going forth to find his prey,

⁵caught sight of her, and falling in love with her, he repeated a couple of stanzas:

⁶Tied to the spot and trembling as in fear,

⁷Who in this rocky cave is standing here?

⁸Tell us, I pray, O slender-waisted dame,

⁹Who may thy kinsmen be, and what thy name. Who art thou, lady, ever fair and bright,

¹⁰And what thy birth that thou canst flood with light

¹¹This grove, fit home of every beast of prey? An ogre I to thee due homage pay.

¹²[90] On hearing what he said, she replied in three stanzas:

¹³Prince Sotthisena, know full well, is heir to Kasi throne,

¹⁴And I, this prince's wedded wife, as Sambula am known.

¹⁵Videha's royal son is sick and in the forest lies;

¹⁶Alone I tend him, mad with pain, or else he surely dies.

¹⁷This savoury bit of venison I picked up in the wood, And bear it to my lord to-day, now faint for want of food.

¹⁸This is followed by stanzas spoken alternately by the goblin and the lady:

¹⁹What good is this sick lord of thine, O Sambula, to thee?

²⁰No wife, but nurse is what he craves. I will thy husband be.

²¹With sorrow worn, a wretch forlorn, no beauty can I claim, If thou art fain a bride to gain, go woo some fairer dame.

²²Four hundred wives have I to grace my home on yonder hill; O lady, deign o’er them to reign, and each fond wish fulfil.

²³Fair maid so bright with golden light, whate’er is dear to thee Is mine to give, so come and live a life of joy with me.

²⁴[91] But if denied to me as bride, thou art my lawful prey, And wilt be good to serve as food to break my fast to-day.

²⁵(That ogre grim with his seven tufts inspiring dread alarm, Found helpless Sambuld astray and seized her by the arm.

²⁶Thus held by him, that ogre grim, her lustful, cruel foe, She still deplored her absent lord, nor e’er forgot his woe.)

²⁷No grief to me that I should be this hateful ogre's prey, But that the love of my dear lord from me should fall away.

²⁸No gods are here, but absent far they flee, Nor any guardians of the world I see,

²⁹To check the course of outrage and suppress All acts of unrestrained licentiousness.

³⁰[92] Then was the abode of Sakka shaken by the efficacy of her virtue, and his throne of yellow marble showed signs of heat. Sakka, on reflection, discovered the cause, and, taking his thunderbolt, he came with all speed, and, standing above the goblin, spoke another stanza:

³¹‘Mongst women folk the chief in fame, She's wise and perfect, bright as flame, Shouldst thou eat her, thy skull be riven. O goblin, into fragments seven.

³²So harm her not; let her go free,

³³For a devoted wife is she.

³⁴On hearing this the goblin let Sambula go. Sakka thought: "This goblin will be guilty of the same thing again," and so he bound him with celestial chains and let him loose on the third mountain from thence, that he might not return; and, after earnestly exhorting the royal lady, he departed to his own abode. And the

³⁵princess, after sunset, by the light of the moon reached the hermitage.

³⁶To explain the matter, the Master repeated eight stanzas:

³⁷Escaped from ogre, to her hut she fled, As bird returning finds its fledglings dead,

³⁸Or cow, robbed of her calf, laments an empty shed.

³⁹Thus Sambula, of royal fame, made moan, Wild-eyed and helpless, in the wood, alone.

⁴⁰Hail, priests and brahmins, righteous sages too, Deserted, I for refuge fly to you.

⁴¹All hail, ye lions and ye tigers fell, And other beasts that in the woodland dwell.

⁴²All hail, ye grasses, herbs and plants that creep, All hail, ye forests green and mountains steep.

⁴³All hail to Night, bedecked with stars on high, Dark as blue lotus of the deepest dye.

⁴⁴[93] All hail to Ganges: mother of rivers she, Known amongst men as famed Bhagirathi.

⁴⁵Hail, Himavat, of all the mountains king, Huge rocky pile, o’ertopping everything.

⁴⁶Regarding her, as she uttered this lamentation, Sotthisena thought, "She is overdoing her lamentation: I do not quite know what it all means. If she were acting thus for love of me, her heart would be broken. I will put her to the test." And he went and sat at the door of his hut. She, still lamenting, came to the door, and, making a low obeisance, she said, "Where has my lord

⁴⁷been?" "Lady," he said, "on other days you have never come at this hour; to-day you are very late," [94] and in the form of a question he spoke this stanza:

⁴⁸Illustrious lady, why so late to-day?

⁴⁹What favoured lover led to this delay?

⁵⁰Then she made answer, "My lord, I was returning with my fruit when I beheld a goblin, and he fell in love with me, and seizing me by the hand, he cried: "Unless you obey my words, I will eat you alive." And at that moment, sorrowing for you only, I uttered this lament; and she repeated this stanza:

⁵¹Seized by my foe, I, full of woe, these words to him did say; "No grief to me that I should be a hateful ogre's prey,

⁵²But that the love of my dear lord from me should fall away."

⁵³Then she told him the rest of the story, saying, "So when I was seized by this goblin, and was unable to make him let me go, I acted so as to excite the attention of the god. Then Sakka came, thunderbolt in hand, and, standing in the air, he threatened the goblin and made him release me. And he bound him with magic chains and deposited him on

⁵⁴p:.52

⁵⁵the third mountain range from here, and so departed. Thus was I saved by means of Sakka." Sotthisena, on hearing this, replied: "Well, lady, it may be so. With womenkind it is hard to discover the truth. In the Himalaya region dwell many foresters, ascetics and magicians. Who shall believe you?" And so saying, he repeated a stanza:

⁵⁶You jades are ever by far too clever, Truth among such is a great rarity, Ways of the sex are enough to perplex,

⁵⁷E’'en as the course of a fish in the sea.

⁵⁸On hearing his words, she said: "My lord, though you do not believe me, by virtue of the truth I speak, I will heal you." So, filling a pot of water and performing an Act of Truth, she poured the water on his head and spoke this stanza:

⁵⁹[95] May Truth for aye my shelter be, As I love no man more than thee, And by this Act of Truth, I pray,

⁶⁰May thy disease be healed to-day.

⁶¹When she had thus performed an Act of Truth, no sooner was the water sprinkled over Sotthisena than the leprosy straightway left him, as it were copper rust washed in some acid. After staying a few days there, they departed from the forest, and, coming to Benares, entered the park. The king, being apprised of their arrival, went to the park, and there and then bade the royal umbrella to be raised over Sotthisena, and ordered that Sambula, by sprinkling, should be raised to the position of chief queen. Then conducting them into the city, he himself adopted the ascetic life and took up his abode in the park, but he still constantly took his meals in the palace. And Sotthisena merely conferred on Sambula the rank of chief consort, but no honour was paid her, and he ignored her very existence and took his pleasure with other women. Sambula, through jealousy of her rivals, grew thin and pale of countenance, and her veins stood out upon her body. One day when her father-in-law, the ascetic, came to have a meal, to get rid of her grief she came to him

⁶²when he had finished eating, and saluting him, sat down on one side. On seeing her in this languid condition, he repeated a stanza:

⁶³Seven hundred elephants by night and day Are guarding thee, all ready for the fray, Hundreds of archers shielding thee from harm;

⁶⁴Whence come the foes to fill thee with alarm?

⁶⁵[96] On hearing his words she said, "Your son, my lord, is no longer the same to me"; and she repeated five stanzas:

⁶⁶Fair as a lotus are the maids he loves, Their swan-like voice his deepest passion moves, And as he listens to their measured strain,

⁶⁷In his affections I no longer reign.

⁶⁸In human shape but like to nymphs divine, Adorned with ornaments of gold they shine, Of perfect form the noble maidens lie

⁶⁹In graceful pose, to charm the royal eye.

⁷⁰If I once more might wander in the wood, To glean a portion for his daily food,

⁷¹Once more I should a husband's love regain, And quit the court in forest realms to reign.

⁷²A woman may in softest robes be drest, And be with food in rich abundance blest, Fair though she be, yet if an unloved wife, Best fix a rope and put an end to life.

⁷³Yea the poor wretch on bed of straw : that lies, If she find favour in her husband's eyes,

⁷⁴Enjoys a happiness unknown to one, Rich in all else, but poor in love alone.

⁷⁵[97] When she had thus explained to the ascetic the cause of her thus pining away, he summoned the king and said, "Dear Sotthisena, when you were crushed by the disease of leprosy and hid yourself in the forest, she went with you and ministered to your wants, and by the power of truth healed your sickness, and now after she has been the means of your being established on the throne, you do not even know the place of her sitting and uprising; this is very wrong of you. An act of treachery to a friend like this is a sin," and reproving his son, he repeated this stanza:

⁷⁶A loving wife is ever hard to find, As is a man that to his wife is kind: Thy wife was virtuous and loving too;

⁷⁷Do thou, O king, to Sambula be true.

⁷⁸[98] After he had thus reproved his son, he got up and went away. The king, when his father was gone, called for Sambula and said, "My dear, forgive the wrong I have done you this long time. Henceforth I confer on you all power," and he repeated the final stanza:

⁷⁹Shouldst thou, with wealth in great abundance blest, Still pine away, by jealousy opprest, I and these maidens, creatures of thy hand,

⁸⁰Will be obedient to thy command.

⁸¹Thenceforth the pair lived happily together and after a life of charity and good works they departed to fare according to their deeds. The ascetic, after entering upon ecstatic meditation, passed to the heaven of Brahma.

⁸²The Master here ended his lesson and saying, "Not now only, but formerly too, Mallika was a devoted wife," he identified the Birth: "At that time Sambula Was Mallika, Sotthisena was the king of Kosala, and the ascetic father was myself."

⁸³48:1 Vol. iii. No. 415, p. 245, English version.

⁸⁴53:1 Reading katadutiyd.

¹"Zeal is the way," etc. This story the Master, dwelling at Jetavana, told concerning the admonition of a king. This admonition of a king has already been related in full :.

²Once upon a time in the kingdom of Kampilla, in a city of the Northern Paficalas, a king called Pancala, being established in evil courses and reckless, ruled his kingdom unrighteously. So all his ministers likewise became unrighteous. His subjects being oppressed by taxation took their wives and families and wandered in the forest like wild beasts. Where once stood villages, there now were none, [99] and the people through the fear of the king's men by day did not venture to dwell in their houses, but fencing them about with thorn branches, as soon as the day broke, they disappeared into the forest. By day they were plundered by the king's men and by night by robbers. At that time the Bodhisatta came to life in the form of a divinity of a tinduka tree outside the city, and every year received from the king an offering worth a thousand pieces of money, and he thought, "This is a roi fainéant; his whole kingdom is going to ruin; besides me there is no one that can set the king in the right way, and he is a benefactor to me and every year honours me with an offering of a thousand pieces. I will admonish him." So in the night he entered into the royal chamber, and taking up his position at the bed's head he stood poised in the air, emitting a

³bright light. The king, when he saw him thus shining like the newly-risen sun, asked him who he was and wherefore he had come. On hearing his words he said, "Great king, Iam the divinity of the tinduka tree, and I come to give you good advice." "What advice have you to give me?" said the king. "Sire," said the Great Being, "you are careless in your rule, and so all your kingdom is going to ruin, as if it were the prey of hirelings. Kings that are careless in their rule are not masters of all their realm, but in this world they meet with destruction and in the world to come they are re-born in hell, and when they are careless both those within their domain and those outside it are careless too, and therefore a king ought to

⁴be exceedingly careful," and so saying, to inculcate a moral lesson, he repeated these stanzas:

⁵Zeal is the way to Nirvana, but sloth leads to death, it is said;

⁶While vigilant souls never die, the careless are even as dead.

⁷From pride as its root cometh sloth: from sloth cometh loss and decay: Decay is the parent of sin. All sloth, O great king, put away.

⁸Brave souls by their sloth many times of wealth and of realm have been shorn, And so village lords may become like the waif, without home, all forlorn.

⁹[100] When a prince in his rule groweth slack, untrue to his name and his fame, Should his wealth all at once disappear, of that prince it is counted as shame.

¹⁰Thou art slack out of season, O king, from the right thou hast wandered away, Thy realm that so flourished of old to robbers doth now fall a prey.

¹¹No son shall inherit thy realm, with its treasures of gold and of corn, Thy realm to the spoiler a prey and thou of thy wealth liest shorn.

¹²The prince that is stript of his realm, with its stores and its wealth manifold, His friends and his kith and his kin esteem him no more as of old.

¹³His guards and his charioteers, his horse and his footmen so bold, As they see him of all dispossest, regard him no more as of old.

¹⁴The fool of disorderly life is by evil advice led astray, Soon stript is the fool of his fame, as the snake its old skin casts away.

¹⁵But the man who arising betimes unwearied and orderly is, His oxen and kine thrive apace, and riches increasing are his.

¹⁶Great king, ever open thine ears, and list to what people may say, That seeing and hearing the truth, thou mayst win to good fortune thy way.

¹⁷[101] Thus did the Great Being admonish the king in eleven stanzas, and "Go," said he, "without delay and foster thy kingdom, and destroy it not," and so departed to his own abode. And the king hearkened to his words and, being much moved, on the morrow he handed over his kingdom to his ministers, and accompanied by his chaplain he left the city betimes by the eastern gate [102] and went a furlong's distance. There an old man, a native of the village, carried branches of thorn from the forest and putting them all round his house closed the door, and with his wife and children betook himself to the forest. At eventide when the king's men had departed, he returned to his house, and by the door his foot was pierced with a thorn point, and sitting cross-legged and extracting the thorn he cursed the king in the following stanza:

¹⁸Struck by an arrow in the fray, So may Paficala mourn, As I have cause to grieve to-day,

¹⁹Thus wounded by a thorn.

²⁰This imprecation on the king came about by the power of the Bodhisatta, and it was as one possessed by the Bodhisatta that he cursed him. In this light is his action to be regarded. Now at this

²¹juncture the king and his chaplain stood before him in disguise. So the chaplain hearing his words uttered another stanza:

²²Thou art old, my good sir, and thy sight is too dim To discern things aright, I'll be sworn; As for king Brahmadatta, what is it to him,

²³That thy foot has been pierced by a thorn On hearing this the old man repeated three stanzas:

²⁴‘Tis due to Brahmadatta, sure, that Iam racked with pain, Just as defenceless folk are oft by their oppressors slain.

²⁵By night to thieves a prey are we, to publicans by day, Lewd folks abound within the realm, when evil kings bear sway.

²⁶Distrest by such a fear as this, men to the forest flee, And round their dwellings scatter thorns, for their security.

²⁷[103] On hearing this the king addressing his chaplain said, "Master, the old man speaks truly: it is our fault. Come, let us return and rule the kingdom righteously." Then the Bodhisatta, taking possession of the body of the chaplain, stood before him and said, "Great king, let us investigate the matter." And passing from that village to another one they listened to the words spoken by an old woman. She was, it is said, a poor woman and had two grown up daughters under her care, whom she would not allow to enter the forest. But she herself brought fire-wood and leaves of trees and ministered to her daughters. One day she climbed up a bush to gather leaves and falling rolled upon the ground, and she cursed the king, threatening him with death, and uttered this stanza:

²⁸Oh! when will Brahmadatta die, for long as he shall reign,

²⁹Our daughters live unwedded and for husbands sigh in vain? Then the priest checking her spoke this stanza:

³⁰Evil and profitless withal these words of thine, O jade,

³¹Whence shall the king find in his realm a husband for each maid?

³²[104] The old woman on hearing this repeated two stanzas: Not evil are these words of mine, nor spoken all in vain,

³³So long as thy defenceless folk are by oppressors slain.

³⁴By night to thieves a prey are we, to publicans by day,

³⁵Lewd folks abound within the realm, when evil kings bear sway, When times are bad, poor maids are sad, for husbands none have they.

³⁶Hearing her words they thought, "She speaks to the point," and going farther on they listened to what a ploughman was saying. As he was ploughing, they say, his ox called Saliya was laid low, being struck by the ploughshare, and its owner cursed the king and repeated this stanza:

³⁷So may Paficala fall to earth by spear-thrust of his foe,

³⁸As Saliya by ploughshare hurt, poor wretch, here lieth low. Then the priest, to check him, spoke this stanza:

³⁹With Brahmadatta thou art wroth, though no good cause is shown,

⁴⁰And while thou dost revile the king, the guilt is all thine own.

⁴¹p:57

⁴²Hearing this the ploughman replied in three stanzas:

⁴³With Brahmadatta I am wroth, and rightly I maintain;

⁴⁴Defenceless folk are ever thus by their oppressor slain. By night to thieves a prey are we &c.

⁴⁵[105] The slave had twice : to cook the food and brought it late to me; While all agape for her, my ox was wounded fatally.

⁴⁶Going on still further they stayed in a certain village. Next day early in the morning a vicious cow kicked a milkman and upset him, milk and all. The man cursed Brahmadatta and repeated this stanza:

⁴⁷By stroke of sword Paficala's lord shall fall amidst the fray,

⁴⁸As I'm laid low by kick of cow, milk-pail and all, to-day. The brahmin in a stanza said:

⁴⁹A cow, Say, kicks against the pricks, or pail of milk upsets— What's this to Brahmadatta that all this abuse he gets?

⁵⁰On hearing this the milkman repeated three stanzas:

⁵¹Paficala's king, O brahmin, is to blame, for in his reign

⁵²Defenceless folk are seen to be by their oppressors slain. By night &c.

⁵³A wild and savage cow that we had never milked before We milked to-day: demands for milk grow ever more and more.

⁵⁴[106] They said, "He speaks the truth," and going forth from that village they climbed into the highway and started towards the city. And in a certain village tax-collectors killed a young dappled calf and stripped off its skin to make a sword-sheath, and the mother of the calf was so grieved for the loss of her young one that she neither ate grass nor drank water but roamed to and

⁵⁵fro, lamenting. On seeing her the village boys cursed the king and spoke this stanza:

⁵⁶So let Paficala pine away and childless weep in vain,

⁵⁷As this poor cow distracted seeks the calf that men have slain. Then the priest spoke another stanza:

⁵⁸When from its herd some beast escapes, and roars to ease its pain,

⁵⁹Herein what cause hast thou of Brahmadatta to complain? Then the village boys repeated two stanzas: King Brahmadatta's sin in this, brahmin, to me is plain, Defenceless folk are ever thus by their oppressors slain. By night to thieves a prey are we, to publicans by day,

⁶⁰Lewd folks abound within the realm, when evil kings bear sway. Why should a tender calf be killed, just for a sheath, I pray?

⁶¹"You speak truth," they said and departed. Then, going on their way, in a certain dry tank crows were striking frogs with their beaks and

⁶²devouring them. When they reached this spot, the Bodhisatta by the exercise of his power cursed the king by the mouth of a frog, saying,

⁶³[107]

⁶⁴So may Paficala killed in fight be eaten, sons and all,

⁶⁵As woodland frog to village crows a prey this day I fall.

⁶⁶Hearing this the priest conversing with the frog repeated this stanza:

⁶⁷Kings cannot, frog, as you must know, Guard every creature here below, In this no wicked king is he,

⁶⁸That crows eat living things like thee. On hearing this the frog repeated two stanzas:

⁶⁹The priest with words too flattering Thus wickedly deceives the king;

⁷⁰The king, though people are oppressed, Deems the priest's policy the best.

⁷¹If blest with all prosperity

⁷²This realm should glad and peaceful be,

⁷³Crows richest offerings 1 might enjoy, Nor need aught living to destroy.

⁷⁴[108] On hearing this the king and the priest thought, "All creatures, including the frog that lives in the forest, curse us," and going thence to the city they ruled their kingdom righteously, and abiding in the admonition of the Great Being they devoted themselves to charity and other good works.

⁷⁵The Master here ended his discourse to the king of Kosala in these words, "A king, Sire, must forsake evil courses, and rule his kingdom righteously," and he identified the Birth: "At that time the divinity of the tinduka tree was myself."

⁷⁶54:1 No. 334, vol. iii. Rajovdda-/ataka. No. 521, vol. v.

⁷⁷57:1 The scholiast explains that the royal tax-gatherers had eaten the food first cooked by the slave for her master.

⁷⁸58:1 A crow was called baliputtho, "nourished by oblations."

⁷⁹BOOK XVII. CATTALISANIPATA.

¹[109] "Tis this I ask," etc. This story the Master, while dwelling at Jetavana, told by way of admonition to the king of Kosala. Now this king came to hear the preaching of the law and the Master addressed him in the following terms: "A king, Sire, ought to rule his kingdom righteously, for whenever kings are unrighteous, then also are his officers unrighteous." And admonishing him in the right way as related in the Catukkanipata (4th Book) he pointed out the suffering and the blessing involved in following or abstaining from evil courses, and expounded in detail the misery resulting from sensual pleasures, comparing them to dreams and the like, saying, "In the case of these men,

²No bribe can move relentless death, no kindness mollify,

³No one in fight can vanquish death. For all are doomed to die.

⁴And when they depart to another world, except their own virtuous action they have no other sure refuge, so that they must inevitably forsake low associations, and for their reputation's sake they must not be careless, but be earnest and exercise rule in righteousness, even as kings of old, before Buddha arose, abiding in the admonition of the wise, ruled righteously and departing attained to the heavenly city," and at the request of the king he told a story of the past.

⁵Once upon a time Brahmadatta ruled in Benares and had no heir, and his prayer for a son or daughter was not answered. Now one day he went with a large escort to his park and after amusing himself a part of the day in the grounds [110] he had a couch spread for him at the foot of the royal sal tree, and after a short nap he awoke and, looking up to the sal tree, he beheld a bird's nest in it, and at the sight of it a desire to possess it sprang up in his heart, and summoning one of his attendants he said, "Climb the tree and see if there is anything in the nest or not." The man climbed up and finding three eggs in it told the king. "Then mind you do not breathe over them," he said, and, spreading some cotton in a casket, he told the man to come down gently, and place the eggs in it. When they had been brought down, he took up the casket and asked his courtiers to what bird these eggs belonged. They answered, "We do not know: hunters will know." The king sent for the hunters and asked them. "Sire," said they, "one is an owl's egg, another is a maynah bird's, and the third is a parrot's." "Pray are there eggs of three different birds in

⁶one nest?" "Yes, Sire, when there is nothing to fear, what is carefully deposited does not perish." The king being pleased said, "They shall be my children," and committing the three eggs to the charge of three courtiers, he said, "These shall be my children. Do you carefully watch over them and when the young birds come out of the shell, let me know." They took good care of them. First of all the owl's egg was hatched, and the courtier sent for a hunter and said, "Find out the sex of the young bird, whether it is a cock or a hen bird," and when he had examined it

⁷and declared it to be a cock bird, the courtier went to the king and said, "Sire, a son is born to you." The king was delighted and bestowed much wealth on him and saying, [111] "Watch carefully over him and call his name Vessantara," he sent him away. He did as he was told. Then a few days afterwards the egg of the maynah bird was hatched, and the second courtier likewise, after getting the huntsman to examine it, and hearing it was a hen bird, went to the king and announced to him the birth of a daughter. The king was delighted, and gave to him also much treasure and saying, "Watch carefully over my daughter and call her name Kundalini," he sent him away. He also did what he was told. Then after a few days the parrot's egg was hatched and the third courtier, when told by the huntsman who examined it that it was a cock bird, went and announced to the king the birth of a son. The king was delighted and paying him liberally said, "Hold a festival in honour of my son with great pomp, and call his name Jambuka," and then sent him away. He too did as he was told. And these three birds grew up in the houses of the three courtiers with all the ceremony due to royalty. The king speaks of them habitually, as "my son" and "my daughter." His courtiers made merry, one with another, saying, "Look at what the king does: he goes about speaking of birds as his son and his daughter." The king thought, "These courtiers do not know the extent of my children's wisdom. I will make it evident to them." So he sent one of his ministers to Vessantara to say, "Your father wishes to ask you a question. When shall he come and ask it?" The minister came and bowing to Vessantara delivered the message. Vessantara sent for the courtier who looked after him and said, "My father," they tell me, "wants to ask me a question. When he comes, we must shew him all respect," and he asked "When is he to come?" The courtier said, "Let him come on the seventh day from this." Vessantara on hearing this said, "Let my

⁸father come on the seventh day from this," and with these words he sent the minister away. He went and told the king. On the seventh day the king ordered a drum to be beaten through the city and went to the house where his son lived. Vessantara treated the king with great respect and had great respect paid even to the slaves and hired servants. The king, after partaking of food in the house of Vessantara, and enjoying great distinction, returned to his

⁹own dwelling-place. Then he had a big pavilion erected in the palace-yard, and, having made proclamation by beating a drum through the city, he sat in his magnificent pavilion surrounded by a great retinue [112] and sent word to a courtier to conduct Vessantara to him. The courtier brought Vessantara on a golden stool. The bird sat on his father's lap and played with his father, and then went and sat on the stool. Then the king in the midst of the crowd of people questioned him as to the duty of a king and spoke the first stanza:

¹⁰‘Tis this I ask Vessantara—dear bird, mayst thou be blest

¹¹To one that's fain o'er men to reign, what course of life is best?

¹²Vessantara, without answering the question directly, reproved the king for his carelessness and spoke the second stanza:

¹³Kamsa my sire, of Kasi lord, so careless long ago,

¹⁴Urged me his son, though full of zeal, still greater zeal to show.

¹⁵Rebuking the king in this stanza and saying, "Sire, a king ought to rule his kingdom righteously, abiding in the three truths," and telling of a king's duty he spoke these stanzas:

¹⁶First of all should a king put away all falsehood and anger and scorn;

¹⁷Let him do what a king has to do, or else to his vow be forsworn.

¹⁸By passion and sin led astray, should he err in the past, it is plain He will live to repent of the deed, and will learn not to do it again.

¹⁹When a prince in his rule groweth slack, untrue to his name and his fame, Should his wealth all at once disappear, of that prince it is counted as shame.

²⁰‘Twas thus that Good Fortune and Luck, when I asked, made reply unto me, "In aman energetic and bold we delight, if from jealousy free.”

²¹[113] Ill Luck, ever wrecking good fortune, delighteth in men of ill deeds, The hard-hearted creatures in whom a spirit of jealousy breeds.

²²To all, O great king, be a friend, so that all may thy safety insure, Ill Luck put away, but to Luck that is good be a dwelling secure.

²³The man that is lucky and bold, O thou that o’er Kasi dost reign, His foes will destroy root and branch, and to greatness will surely attain.

²⁴Great Sakka all courage in man ever watches with vigilant eyes, For courage as virtue he holds and in it true goodness espies.

²⁵Gandharvas, gods, angels and men, one and all, emulate such a king, And spirits appearing stand by, of his zeal and his vigour to sing.

²⁶Be zealous to do what is right, nor, however reviled, yield to sin, Be earnest in efforts for good—no sluggard can bliss ever win.

²⁷Herein is the text of thy duty, to teach thee the way thou shouldst go: ‘Tis enough to win bliss for a friend or to work grievous ill for a foe.

²⁸[115] Thus did the bird Vessantara in a single stanza rebuke the carelessness of the king, and then in telling the duty of a king in eleven stanzas answered his question with all the charm of a Buddha. The hearts of the multitude were filled with wonder and amazement and innumerable shouts of applause were raised. The king was transported with joy and addressing his courtiers asked them what was to be done for his son, for

²⁹having spoken thus. "He should be made a general in the army, Sire." "Well, I give him the post of general," and he appointed Vessantara to the vacant post. Thenceforth placed in this position he carried out his father's wishes. Here ends the story of Vessantara's question.

³⁰[116] Again the king after some days, just as before, sent a message to Kundalini, and on the seventh day he paid her a visit and returning home again he seated himself in the centre of a pavilion and ordered Kundalini to be brought to him, and when she was seated on a golden stool, he questioned her as to the duty of a king and spoke this stanza:

³¹Kundalint, of royal birth, couldst thou resolve my quest,

³²To one that's fain o'er men to reign, what course of life is best?

³³When the king thus asked her as to the duties of a king, she said, "I suppose, Sir, you are putting me to the test, thinking "What will a woman be able to tell me?" so I will tell you, putting all your duty as a king into just two maxims," and she repeated these stanzas:

³⁴The matter, my friend, is set forth in a couple of maxims quite plain—

³⁵To keep whatsoever one has, and whatever one has not to gain.

³⁶Take as counsellors men that are wise, thy interests clearly to see, Not given to riot and waste, from gambling and drunkenness free.

³⁷Such an one as can guard thee aright and thy treasure with all proper zeal, As a charioteer guides his car, he with skill steers the realm's common weal.

³⁸Keep ever thy folk well in hand; and duly take stock of thy pelf, Ne’er trust to another a loan or deposit, but act for thyself.

³⁹What is done or undone to thy profit and loss it is well thou shouldst know, Ever blame the blame-worthy and favour on them that deserve it bestow.

⁴⁰[117] Thou thyself, O great king, shouldst instruct thy people in every good way, Lest thy realm and thy substance should fall to unrighteous officials a prey.

⁴¹See that nothing is done by thyself or by others with overmuch speed, For the fool that so acts without doubt will live to repent of the deed.

⁴²To wrath one should never give way, for should it due bounds overflow, It will lead to the ruin of kings and the proudest of houses lay low.

⁴³Be sure that thou never as king thy people mislead to their cost, Lest all men and women alike in an ocean of trouble be lost.

⁴⁴When a king from all fear is set free, and the pleasures of sense are his aim, Should his riches and all disappear, to that king it is counted as shame.

⁴⁵Herein is a text of thy duty, to teach thee the way thou shouldst go, Be an adept in every good work, to excess and to riot a foe, Study virtue, for vice ever leads to a state full of suffering and woe.

⁴⁶[120] Thus did Kundalini also teach the king his duty in eleven stanzas. The king was delighted and addressing his courtiers asked them, saying, "What is to be given to my daughter as a reward for her having spoken thus?" "The office of treasurer, Sire." "Well then, I grant her the post of treasurer," and he appointed Kundalini to the vacant post. Thenceforth she held the office and acted for the king. Here ends the story of the question of Kundalint.

⁴⁷Again the king after the lapse of a few days, just as before, sent a messenger to the wise Jambuka, and going there on the seventh day and being magnificently entertained he returned home and in the same manner took his seat in the centre of a pavilion. A courtier placed the wise Jambuka on a stool bound with gold, and came bearing the stool on his head. The wise bird sitting on his father's lap and playing with him at length took his seat on

⁴⁸the golden stool. Then the king, asking him a question, spoke this stanza:

⁴⁹We've questioned both thy brother prince, and also fair Kundalini;

⁵⁰Now, Jambuka, do thou in turn the highest power declare to me.

⁵¹Thus did the king, in asking a question of the Great Being, not ask him in the way in which he had asked the others, but asked him in a special way. Then the wise bird said to him, "Well, Sire, listen attentively, and I will tell you all," and like aman placing a purse containing a thousand pieces of money into an outstretched hand, he began his exposition of a king's duty:

⁵²Amidst the great ones of the earth a fivefold power we see; Of these the power of limbs is, sure, the last in its degree, And power of wealth, O mighty lord, the next is said to be. The power of counsel third in rank of these, O king, I name;

⁵³The power of caste without a doubt is reckoned fourth in fame, And all of these a man that's wise most certainly will claim.

⁵⁴[121] Of all these powers that one is best, as power of learning known, By strength of this a man is wise and makes success his own.

⁵⁵Should richest realm fall to the lot of some poor stupid wight, Another will by violence seize it in his despite.

⁵⁶However noble be the prince, whose lot it is to rule, He is hard put to live at all, if he should prove a fool.

⁵⁷‘Tis wisdom tests reports of deeds and makes men's fame to grow, Who is with wisdom gifted still finds pleasure e’en in woe.

⁵⁸None that are heedless in their ways to wisdom can attain, But must consult the wise and just, or ignorant remain.

⁵⁹Who early rising shall betimes unweariedly give heed To duty's varied calls, in life is certain to succeed.

⁶⁰No one that's bent on hurtful things or acts in listless mood In aught that he may undertake will come to any good.

⁶¹But one that will unweariedly a rightful course pursue, Is sure to reach perfection in whatever he may do.

⁶²To safeguard one's store is to gain more and more, And these are the things I would have thee to mind; For the fool by ill deeds, like a house built of reeds, Collapses and leaves rack and ruin behind.

⁶³[123] Thus did the Bodhisatta in all these points sing the praises of the five powers, and exalting the power of wisdom, like to one Striking the orb of the moon with his words, he admonished the king in eleven stanzas:

⁶⁴Unto thy parents, warrior king, do righteously; and so

⁶⁵By following a righteous life to heaven thou, sire, shalt go :.

⁶⁶[124] After uttering ten stanzas about the way of righteousness, still further admonishing the king he spoke the concluding stanza:

⁶⁷Herein is the text of thy duty, to teach thee the way thou shouldst go:

⁶⁸Follow wisdom and ever be happy, the Truth in its fulness to know.

⁶⁹Thus did the Great Being, as though he were letting down the heavenly Ganges, teach the Law with all the charm of a Buddha. And the multitude paid him great honour and raised innumerable shouts of applause. The king was delighted and addressing his councillors asked, [125] "How ought my son, wise Jambuka, with a beak like the fresh fruit of the rose-apple, to be rewarded for having spoken thus?" "With the post of commander-in-chief, Sire." "Then I offer him this post," he said,

⁷⁰and appointed him to the vacant office, and thenceforth in the position of commander-in-chief he carried out the orders of his father. Great honour was paid to the three birds, and all three of them gave instruction in temporal and spiritual matters. The king, abiding in the admonition of the Great Being, by almsgiving and other good works became destined to heaven. The councillors after performing the king's obsequies, speaking to the birds said, "My lord, Jambu, the king ordered the royal umbrella to be raised over you." The Great Being said, "I have no need of the kingdom, do you exercise rule with all vigilance," and after establishing the people in the moral law, he said "Execute justice," and he had righteous judgment inscribed on a golden plate and disappeared in the forest. And his admonition continued in force forty thousand years.

⁷¹The Master by means of his admonition of the king taught this lesson and identified the Birth: "At that time the king was Ananda, Kundalini was Uppalavannd, Vessantara was Sariputta, the bird Jambu was myself."

¹"Beringed and gallantly," etc.—This was a story the Master, while dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, told concerning the death of the Elder, the Great Moggallana 2. The Elder Sariputta ;, after gaining the consent of the Tathagata

²when he was living at Jetavana, went and died in the village of Nala, in the very room where he was born. The Master, on hearing of his death, went to Rajagaha and took up his abode in the Bamboo Grove. An Elder dwelt there on the slopes of Isigili (Mount of Saints) at the Black Rock. This man, by attaining perfection in supernatural power, was able to make his way into heaven and hell. In the god world he beheld one of the disciples of Buddha enjoying great power, and in the world of men he saw one of the disciples of the heretics suffering great agony, and on returning to the world of men he told them how in a certain god- world such and such a lay Brother or Sister was re-born and enjoying great honour, and amongst the followers of the heretics such and such a man or woman was re-born in hell [126] or other states of suffering. People gladly accepted his teaching and rejected that of the schismatics. Great honour was paid to the disciples of Buddha, while that paid to the schismatics fell away. They conceived a grudge against the Elder, and said: "As long as this fellow is alive, there are divisions amongst our followers, and the honour paid to us falls away: we will put him to death"; and they gave a thousand pieces of money toa

³brigand who guarded the ascetics to put the Elder to death. He resolved to kill the Elder, and came with a great following to Black Rock. The Elder, when he saw him coming, by his magic power flew up into the air and disappeared. The brigand, not finding the Elder that day, returned home and came back day after day for six successive days. But the Elder, by his magic power, always disappeared in the same way. On the seventh day an act committed of old by the Elder, carrying with it consequences to be recognised on some future occasion, got its chance for mischief. The story goes that once upon a time, hearkening to what his wife said, he wanted to put his father and mother to death; and, taking them in a carriage to a forest, he pretended that they were attacked by robbers, and struck and beat his parents. Through feebleness of sight being unable to see objects clearly, they did not recognise their son, and thinking they were robbers said: "Dear son, some robbers are killing us: make your escape," and lamented for him only. He thought, "Though they are being beaten by me, it is only on my account they make lamentation. I am acting shamefully." So he reassured them and, pretending that the robbers had been put to flight, he stroked their hands and feet, saying, "Dear father and mother, do not be afraid, the robbers have fled," and brought them again to their own house. This action for ever so long not finding its opportunity but ever biding its time, like a core of flame hidden under ashes, caught up and seized upon the man when he was re-born for the last time, and the Elder, in consequence of his action, was unable to fly up into the air. His magic power that once could quell Nanda: and Upananda and cause Vejayanta to tremble, as the result of his action became mere feebleness. The brigand crushed all his bones, subjecting him to the "straw and meal" torture 2, and, thinking he was dead, went off with his followers. But the Elder, on recovering consciousness, clothed

⁴himself with Meditation as with a garment, and flying up into the presence of the Master, saluted him and said, "Holy Sir, my sum of life is exhausted: I would die," and having gained the Master's consent, he died then and there. At that instant the six god- worlds were in a general state of commotion. "Our Master," they cried, "is dead." And they came, bringing incense and perfume and wreaths breathing divine odours, and all kinds of wood, [127] and the funeral pile was made of sandalwood and ninety- nine precious things. The Master, standing near the Elder, ordered his remains to be deposited, and for the space of a league all round about the spot where the body was burned flowers rained down upon it, and men and gods stood mingled together, and for seven days held a sacred festival. The Master had the relics of the Elder gathered together, and erected a shrine in a gabled chamber in the Bamboo Grove. At that time they raised the topic in the Hall of Truth, saying, "Sirs, Sariputta, because

⁵he did not die in the presence of the Tathagata, has not received great honour at the hands of the Buddha, but the Great Elder Moggallana, because he died near the Master, has had great honour paid to him." The Master came up, and asking the Brethren what they were sitting in conclave to discuss, on hearing what it was, said: "Not now only, Brethren, but formerly also Moggallana received great honour at my hands"; and, so saying, he related a story of the past.

⁶iOnce upon atime, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was conceived by the brahmin wife of the royal

⁷chaplain, and at the end of ten months was born early in the morning. At that moment there was a blaze of all kinds of arms in the city of Benares for the space of twelve leagues. The priest, on the birth of the boy, stepped out of doors and looked up to the sky for the purpose of divining his son's destiny, and knew that this boy, because he was born under a certain conjunction in the heaven, would surely be the chief archer in all India. So he went betimes to the palace and inquired after the king's health. On his replying, "How, my master, can I be well: this day there is a blaze of weapons throughout my dwelling-place," he said, "Fear not, Sire; not merely in your house, but throughout all the city is this blaze of arms to be seen. This is due to the fact that a boy is born to-day in our house." "What, master, will be the result of the birth of a boy under these conditions?" "Nothing, Sire, but he will prove to be the chief archer in all India." "Well, master, do you then watch over him, and when he is grown up, present him to us." And so saying, he ordered a thousand pieces of money to be given him as the price of his nurture 2. The priest took it and went home, and on the naming-day of his son, on account of the blaze of arms at the moment of his birth, he called him Jotipala. He was reared in great state, and at the age of sixteen he was extremely handsome. Then his father, observing his personal distinction, said, "Dear son, go to Takkasila [128] and receive instruction in all learning at the hands of a world-famous teacher." He agreed to do so and, taking his teacher's fee, he bade his parents farewell and repaired thither. He presented his fee of one thousand pieces of money and set about acquiring instruction, and in the course of seven days he had reached perfection. His master was so delighted with him that he gave him a precious sword that belonged to him, and a bow of ram's- horn and a quiver, both of them deftly joined together, and his own coat of mail and a diadem, and he said, "Dear Jotipala, I am

⁸an old man, do you now train these pupils"; and he handed over to him five hundred pupils. The Bodhisatta, taking everything with him, said good-bye to his teacher and, returning to Benares, went to see his parents. Then his father, on seeing him standing respectfully before him, said, "My son, have you finished your studies?" "Yes, sir." On hearing his

⁹answer he went to the palace and said, "My son, Sire, has completed his education: what is he to do?" "Master, let him wait on us." "What do you decide, Sire, about his expenses?" "Let him receive a thousand pieces of money daily." He readily agreed to this, and returning home he called his boy to him and said, "Dear son, you are to serve the king." Thenceforth he received every day a thousand pieces of money and attended on the king. The king's attendants were offended; "We do not see that Jotipala does anything, and he receives a thousand pieces of money every day. We should like to see a specimen of his skill." The king heard what they said and told the priest. He said, "All right, Sire," and told his son. "Very well, dear father," he said, "on the seventh day from this I will show them: let the king assemble all the archers in his dominion." The priest went and repeated what he said to the king. The king, by beat of drum through the city, had all his archers gathered together. When they were assembled, they numbered sixty thousand. The king, on hearing that they were assembled, said: "Let all that dwell in the city witness the Skill of Jotipala." And making proclamation by beat of drum, he had the palace yard made ready, and, followed by a great crowd, [129] he took his seat on a splendid throne, and, when he had summoned the archers, he sent for Jotipala. He put the bow and quiver and coat of mail and diadem, which had been given to

¹⁰him by his teacher, beneath his under garment, and had the sword carried for him, and then came before the king in his ordinary garb and stood respectfully on one side. The archers thought, "Jotipala, they say, has come to give us a specimen of his skill, but from his coming without a bow he will evidently want to receive one at our hands," but they all agreed they would not give him one. The king, addressing Jotipala, said, "Give us proof of your skill." So he had a tent-like screen thrown round about him, and taking his stand inside it, and doffing his cloak, he girt on his armour, and got into his coat of mail and fastened the diadem on his head. Then he fixed a string of the colour of coral on his ram's-horn bow, and binding his quiver on his back and fastening his sword on his left side, he twirled an arrow tipt with adamant on his nail, and threw open the screen and sallied forth like a Naga prince bursting out of the earth, splendidly equipped, and stood making an obeisance to the king. The multitude, on seeing him, jumped about and shouted and clapped their hands. The king said, "Jotipdala, give us a specimen of your skill." "Sire," he said, "amongst your archers are men who pierce like lightning :, able to split a hair, and to shoot at a sound (without seeing) and to cleave a (falling) arrow 2. Summon

¹¹four of these archers." The king summoned them. The Great Being set up a pavilion in a square enclosure in the palace yard, and at the four corners he stationed the four archers, and to each of them he had thirty thousand arrows allotted, assigning men to hand the arrows to each, and he himself taking an arrow tipt with adamant stood in the middle of the pavilion and cried, "O king, let these four archers all at once shoot their arrows to wound me; I will ward off the arrows shot by them." The king

¹²gave the order for them to do so. "Sire," they said, "we shoot as quick as lightning, and are able to split a hair, and to shoot at the sound of a voice (without seeing), and to cleave a (falling) arrow, but Jotipala is a mere stripling; we will not shoot him." The Great Being said, "If you can, shoot me." "Agreed," they said, and with one accord they shot their arrows. The Great Being, striking them severally with his iron arrow, in some way or other, [130] made them drop on the ground, and then throwing a wall ; round them, he piled them together and so made a magazine of arrows, fitting each arrow, handle level with handle, stock with stock, feathers with feathers, till the bowmen's arrows were all spent, and when he saw that it was so, without spoiling his magazine of arrows, he flew up into the air and stood before the king. The people made a great uproar, shouting and dancing about and clapping their hands, and they threw off their garments and ornaments, so that there was treasure lying ina heap to the amount of eighteen crores. Then the king asked him, "What do you call this trick, Jotipala?" "The arrow-defence, Sire." "Are there any others that know it?" "No one in all India, except myself, Sire." "Show us another trick, friend." "Sire, these four men stationed at four corners failed to wound me. But if they are posted at the four corners, I will wound them with a single arrow." The archers did not dare to stand there. So the Great Being fixed four plantains at the four corners, and fastening a scarlet thread on the feathered part of the arrow, he shot it, aiming at one of the plantains. The arrow struck it and then the second, the third and the fourth, one after another, and then struck the first, which it had already pierced, and so returned to the archer's hand; while the plantains stood encircled with the thread. The people raised myriad shouts of applause. The king asked, "What do you call this trick, friend?" "The pierced circle, Sire." "Show us something more." The Great Being showed them

¹³the arrow-stick, the arrow-rope, the arrow-plait, and performed other tricks called the arrow-terrace, arrow-pavilion, arrow-wall 2, arrow-stairs, arrow-tank, and made the arrow-lotus to blossom and caused it to rain a shower of arrows.

¹⁴[131] Thus did he display these twelve unrivalled acts of skill, and then he cleft seven incomparably huge substances. He pierced a plank of fig-wood, eight inches thick, a plank of asana-wood, four inches thick, a copper plate two inches thick, an iron plate one inch thick, and after piercing a hundred boards joined together, one after another, he shot an arrow at the front part of waggons full of straw and sand and planks, and made it come out at the back part; and, shooting at the back of the waggons, he caused the arrow to come out at the front. He drove an arrow through a space of over a furlong in water and more than two furlongs of earth, and he pierced a hair, at the distance of half a furlong, at the first sign of its being moved by the wind. And when he had displayed all these feats of skill, the sun set. Then the king promised him the post of commander-in-chief, saying, "Jotipala, it is too late to-day; to-morrow you shall receive the honour of the chief command. Go and have your beard trimmed and take a bath," and that same day he gave him a hundred thousand pieces of money for his expenses. The Great Being said, "I have no need of this," and he gave his lords eighteen crores of treasure and went with a large escort to bathe; and, after he had had his beard trimmed and had bathed, arrayed in all manner of adornments, he entered his abode with unparalleled pomp. After enjoying a variety of dainty viands, he got up and lay down on a royal couch, and when he had slept through two watches, in the last watch he woke up and sat

¹⁵cross-legged on his couch, considering the beginning, the middle and the end of his feats of skill. "My skill," he thought, "in the beginning is evidently death, in the middle it is the enjoyment of sin, and in the end it is re-birth in hell: for the destruction of life and excessive carelessness in sinful enjoyment causes re-birth in hell. The post of commander-in-chief is given me by the king, and great power will accrue to me, and I shall have a wife and many children; but if the objects of desire are multiplied, it will be hard to get rid of desire. I will go forth from the world alone and enter the forest: [132] it is right for me to adopt the life of an ascetic." So the Great Being arose from his couch, and without letting anybody know, he descended from the terrace, and going out by the house-door : he went into the forest all alone, and repaired to a spot on the banks of the Godhavar\, near the Kavittha » forest, three leagues in extent. Sakka, hearing of his renunciation of the world, summoned Vissakamma and said, "Friend, Jotipala has renounced the world; a great company will gather round him. Build a hermitage on the banks of the Godhavart in the Kavittha forest and provide them with everything necessary

¹⁶for the ascetic life." Vissakamma did so. The Great Being, when he reached the place, saw a road for a single foot-passenger and thought, "This must be a place for ascetics to dwell in," and travelling by this road and meeting with no one, he entered the hut of leaves. On seeing the requisites for ascetic life he said, "Sakka, king of heaven, methinks, knew that I had renounced the world"; and, doffing his cloak, he put on an inner and outer robe of dyed bark and threw an antelope's skin over one shoulder. Then be bound up his coil of matted locks, shouldered a pingo of

¹⁷three bushels of grain, took a mendicant's staff and sallied forth from his hut, and climbing up the covered walk, he paced up and down it several times. Thus did he glorify the forest with the beauty of asceticism, and after performing the Kasina ritual, on the seventh day of his religious life he developed the eight Attainments and the five Faculties, and lived quite alone, feeding on what he could glean and on roots and berries. His parents and a crowd of friends and kinsfolk and acquaintances, not seeing him, wandered about disconsolate. Then a certain forester, who had seen and recognised the Great Being in the Kavittha hermitage, told his parents and they informed the king of it. The king said, "Come, let us go and see him," and taking the father and mother, and accompanied by a great multitude, he arrived at the bank of the Godhavari by the road which the forester pointed out to him. The Bodhisatta, on coming to the river-bank, seated himself in the air, and after teaching them the Law, [133] he brought them all into his hermitage, and there too, seated in the air, he revealed to them the misery involved in Sensual desires and taught them the Law. And all of them, including the king, adopted the religious life. The Bodhisatta continued to dwell there, surrounded by a band of ascetics. And the news that he was dwelling there was blazed abroad throughout all India. Kings with their subjects came and took orders at his hands, and there was a great assembly of them till they gradually numbered many thousands. Whoever reflected on thoughts of lust, or the wish to hurt or injure others, to him came the Great Being, and seated in the air before him, he taught him the Law and instructed him in the Kasina ritual. His seven chief pupils were Salissara :, Mendissara, Pabbata, Kaladevala, Kisavaccha, Anusissa, and Narada. And they, abiding in his admonition, attained to ecstatic meditation and reached perfection. By and bye the Kavittha hermitage became crowded,

¹⁸and there was no room for the multitude of ascetics to dwell there. So the Great Being, addressing Salissara, said, "Salissara, this hermitage is not big enough for the crowd of ascetics; do you go with this company of them and take up your abode near the town of LambacUlaka in

¹⁹p: 71

²⁰the province of king Candapajjota." He agreed to do so and, taking a company of many thousands, went and dwelt there. But as people still came and joined the ascetics, the hermitage was full again. The Bodhisatta, addressing Mendissara, said, "On the borders of the country of Surattha is a stream called Satodika. Take this band of ascetics and dwell on the borders of that river." And he sent him away. In the same way on a third occasion he sent Pabbata, saying, "In the great forest is the Afjana mountain: go and settle near that." On the fourth occasion he sent Kaladevala, saying, "In the south country in the kingdom of Avanti is the Ghanasela mountain: settle near that." The Kavittha hermitage again overflowed, though in five different places there was a company of ascetics numbering ninny thousands. And Kisavaccha, asking leave of the Great Being, [134] took up his abode in the park near the commander-in-chief, in the city of Kumbhavatt in the province of king Dandaki. Narada settled in the central province in the Arafjara chain of mountains, and Anusissa remained with the Great Being. At this time king Dandaki deposed from her position a courtezan whom he had greatly honoured, and, roaming about at her own will, she came to the park, and seeing the ascetic Kisavaccha, she thought, "Surely this must be III Luck. I will get rid of my sin; on his person and will then go and bathe." And first biting her tooth- stick, she spat out a quantity of phlegm, and not only spat upon

²¹the matted locks of the ascetic, but also threw her tooth-stick at his head and went and bathed. And the king, calling her to mind, restored her to her former position. And infatuated by her folly, she came to the conclusion that she had recovered this honour because she had got rid of her sin on the person of Ill Luck. Not long after this the king deposed his family priest from his office, and he went and asked the woman by what means she had recovered her position. So she told him it was from having got rid of her offence on the person of III Luck in the royal park. The priest went and got rid of his sin in the same way, and him too the king reinstated in his office. Now by and bye there was a disturbance on the king's frontier, and he went forth with a division of his army to fight. Then that infatuated priest asked the king, saying, "Sire, do you wish for victory or defeat?" When he answered, "Victory," he said, "Well, Ill Luck dwells in the royal park; go and convey your Sin to his person." He approved of the Suggestion and said, "Let these men come with me to the park and get rid of their sin on the person of Ill Luck." And going into the park, he first of all nibbled his tooth-stick and let his spittle and the stick fall on the ascetic's matted locks and then bathed his head, and his army did likewise. When the king had departed the commander-in-chief came, and seeing the

²²ascetic, he took the tooth-stick out of his locks and had him thoroughly washed and then asked, "What will become of the king?" "Sir, there is no evil thought in my heart, but the gods [135] are wroth and on the seventh day from this all his kingdom will be destroyed: do you flee with all speed and go elsewhere." He was terribly alarmed, and went and told the king. The king refused to believe him, So he returned to his own house, and

²³taking his wife and children with him, he fled to another kingdom. The master Sarabhanga :, hearing about it, sent two youthful ascetics and had Kisavaccha brought to him ina palanquin through the air. The king fought a battle, and taking the rebels prisoners returned to the city. On his return the gods first caused it to rain from heaven, and when all the dead bodies had been washed away by the flood of rain, there was a shower of heavenly flowers on the top of the clean white sand, and on the flowers there fell a shower of small coins, and after them a shower of big pieces of money, and this was followed by a shower of heavenly ornaments. The people were highly delighted and began to pick up ornaments of gold, even fine gold. Then there rained upon their persons a shower of all manner of blazing weapons, and the people were cut piece- meal. Then a shower of blistering embers fell on them, and over these huge blazing mountain peaks, followed by a shower of fine sand filling a space of sixty cubits. Thus was a part of his realm sixty leagues in extent destroyed, and its destruction was blazed abroad throughout all India. Then the lords of subordinate kingdoms within his realm, the three kings, Kalinga, Atthaka, Bhimaratha, thought, "Once upon a time in Benares, Kalabu 2, king of Kasi, having sinned against the ascetic Khantivadi, it is reported he was swallowed up in the earth, and Nalikira in like manner having given ascetics to be devoured by dogs, and Ajjuna ; of the thousand arms who sinned against Angirasa likewise perished, and now again king Dandaki, having sinned against Kisavaccha, report says, is destroyed, realm and all. We know not the place where these four kings are re-born: no one except Sarabhanga, our master, is able to tell us this. We will go [136] and ask him." And the three kings went forth with great pomp to ask this question. But though they heard rumours that SO and so was gone, they did not really know it, but each one

²⁴fancied that he alone was going, and not far from Godhavart they all met, and alighting from their chariots, they all three mounted upon a single chariot and journeyed together to the banks of Godhavari. At this moment Sakka, sitting on his throne of yellow marble, considered the

²⁵seven questions and said to himself, "Except Sarabhanga, the master, there is no one else in this world or the god-world that can answer these questions: I will ask him these questions. These three kings have come to the banks of Godhavari to make inquiry of Sarabhanga, the master. I will also consult him about the questions they ask." And, accompanied by deities from two of the god-worlds, he descended from heaven. That very day Kisavaccha died, and to celebrate his obsequies, innumerable bands of ascetics, who dwelt in four different places, raised a pile of sandal-wood and burned his body, and in a space of half a league round about the place of his burning there fell a shower of celestial flowers. The Great Being, after seeing to the depositing of his remains, entered the hermitage and, attended by these bands of ascetics, sat down. When the kings arrived on the banks of the river there was a sound of martial music. The Great Being, on hearing it, addressed the ascetic Anusissa and said, "Go and learn what this music means"; and taking a bowl of drinking-water, he went there, and seeing these kings, he uttered this first stanza in the form of a question:

²⁶Beringed and gallantly arrayed, All girt with jewel-hilted blade, Halt ye, great chiefs, and straight declare

²⁷What name ‘midst world of men ye bear?

²⁸[137] Hearing his words, they alighted from the chariot and stood saluting him. Amongst them king Atthaka, falling into talk with him, spoke the second stanza:

²⁹Bhimaratha, Kalinga famed, And Atthaka—thus are we named— To look on saints of life austere

³⁰And question them, are we come here.

³¹Then the ascetic said to them, "Well, sire, ye have reached the place where ye would fain be: therefore, after bathing take a rest, and entering the hermitage, pay your respects to the band of ascetics, and put your question to the master"; and thus, holding friendly converse with them, he tossed up the jar of water . and wiping up the drops that fell he looked up to the sky and beheld Sakka, the lord of heaven, surrounded by a company of gods, and descending from heaven, mounted on the back of Eravana 2, and conversing with him, he repeated the third stanza:

³²Thou 3 in mid-heaven art fixed on high Like full-orbed moon that gilds the sky, Task thee, mighty spirit, say

³³How art thou known on Earth, I pray.

³⁴On hearing this, Sakka repeated the fourth stanza:

³⁵Sujampati in heaven proclaimed As Maghava on Earth is named; This king of gods to-day comes here

³⁶To see these saints of life austere.

³⁷[138] Then Anusissa said to him: "Well, sire, do you follow us"; and taking the drinking-vessel, he entered the hermitage, and after putting away the jar of water, he announced to the Great Being that the three kings and the lord of heaven had arrived to ask him certain questions. Surrounded by a band of ascetics, Sarabhanga sat in a large, wide enclosed space. The three kings came, and, saluting the band of ascetics, sat down on one side. And Sakka, descending from the sky, approached the ascetics, and saluting them with folded hands, and singing their praises, repeated the fifth stanza:

³⁸Wide known to fame this saintly band, With mighty powers at their command: I gladly bid you hail: in worth

³⁹Ye far surpass the best on earth.

⁴⁰Thus did Sakka salute the band of ascetics, and guarding against the six faults in sitting, he sat apart. Then Anusissa, on seeing him seated to leeward of the ascetics, spoke the sixth stanza:

⁴¹The person of an aged saint Is rank, the very air to taint. Great Sakka, beat a quick retreat

⁴²From saintly odours, none too sweet. [139] On hearing this, Sakka repeated another stanza:

⁴³Though aged saints offend the nose And taint the sweetest air that blows: Gay flowerets' fragrant wreath above This odour of the saints we love;

⁴⁴In gods it may no loathing move.

⁴⁵And having so spoken, he added, "Reverend Anusissa, I have made a great effort to come here and ask a question: give me leave to do so." And on hearing Sakka's words Anusissa rose from his seat, and granting him permission, he repeated a couple of stanzas to the company of ascetics:

⁴⁶Famed Maghava, Sujampati —Almsgiver, lord of sprites is he— Queller of demons, heavenly king, Craves leave to put his questioning. Who of the sages that are here

⁴⁷Will make their subtle questions clear For three who over men hold sway,

⁴⁸And Sakka whom the gods obey?

⁴⁹[140] On hearing this the company of ascetics said, "Reverend Anusissa, you speak as though you saw not the earth on which you

⁵⁰stand: except our teacher Sarabhanga, who else is competent to answer these questions?" and so saying, they repeated a stanza:

⁵¹‘Tis Sarabhanga, sage and saint, So chaste and free from lustful taint, The teacher's son, well disciplined,

⁵²Solution of their doubts will find.

⁵³And so saying, the company of ascetics thus addressed Anusissa "Sir, do you salute the teacher in the name of the company of Saints and find an opportunity to tell him of the question

⁵⁴proposed by Sakka." He readily assented and, finding his opportunity, repeated another stanza:

⁵⁵The holy men, Kondafifa :, pray That thou wouldst clear their doubts away; This burden lies, as mortals hold,

⁵⁶On men in years and wisdom old.

⁵⁷Then the Great Being, giving his consent, repeated the following stanza:

⁵⁸I give you leave to ask whate’er Ye most at heart are fain to hear; I know both this world and the next;

⁵⁹No question leaves my mind perplext.

⁶⁰[141] Sakka, having thus obtained his permission, put a question which he had himself prepared:

⁶¹The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

⁶²Sakka, to cities bountiful, that sees the Truth of things,

⁶³To learn what he was fain to know, began his questionings.

⁶⁴What is it one may slay outright and never more repent?

⁶⁵What is it one may throw away, with all good men's consent From whom should one put up with speech, however harsh it be? This is the thing that I would have Kondafifa tell to me.

⁶⁶Then explaining the question, he said:

⁶⁷Anger is what a man may slay and never more repent;

⁶⁸Hypocrisy he throws away with all good men's consent;

⁶⁹From all he should put up with speech, however harsh it be,

⁷⁰This form of patience, wise men say, is highest in degree.

⁷¹Rude speech from two one might with patience hear, From one's superior, or from a peer,

⁷²But how to bear from meaner folk rude speech

⁷³Is what I fain would have Kondafifa teach.

⁷⁴Rude speech from betters one may take through fear Or, to avoid a quarrel, from a peer,

⁷⁵[142] But from the mean to put up with rude speech Is perfect patience, as the sages teach.

⁷⁶Verses such as these one must understand to be connected in the way of question and answer.

⁷⁷When he had thus spoken, Sakka said to the Great Being, "Holy sir, in the first instance you said, "Put up with harsh speech from all; this, men say, is the highest form of patience," but now you say, "Put up here with the speech of an inferior; this, men say, is the highest form of patience"; this latter saying does not agree with your former one." Then the Great Being said to him, "Sakka, this last utterance of mine is in respect of one who puts up with harsh speech, because he knows the speaker to be his inferior, but what I said first was because one cannot by merely looking on the outward form of people know for certain their condition, whether superior to oneself or not," and to make it clear how difficult it is by merely regarding the outward form to distinguish the condition of persons, whether inferior or not, except by means of close intercourse, he spoke this stanza:

⁷⁸How hard it is to judge a man that's polished in exterior

⁷⁹Be he one's better, equal or, it may be, one's inferior.

⁸⁰The best of men pass through the world ofttimes in meanest form disguised;

⁸¹So then bear with rough speech from all, if thou, my friend, be well advised.

⁸²On hearing this Sakka full of faith begged him, saying, "Holy sir, declare to us the blessing to be found in this patience," and the Great Being repeated this stanza:

⁸³No royal force, however vast its might, Can win so great advantage in a fight [143] As the good man by patience may secure:

⁸⁴Strong patience is of fiercest feuds the cure.

⁸⁵When the Great Being had thus expounded the virtues of patience, the kings thought, "Sakka asks his own question; he will not allow us an opportunity of putting ours." So seeing what their wish was he laid aside the four questions he had himself prepared and propounding their doubts he repeated this stanza:

⁸⁶Thy words are grateful to mine ear, But one thing more I fain would hear; Tell us the fate of Dandaki

⁸⁷And of his fellow-sinners three, Destined to suffer what re-birth

⁸⁸For harassing the saints on earth.

⁸⁹Then the Great Being, answering his question, repeated five stanzas:

⁹⁰Uprooted, realm and all, erewhile Who Kisavaccha did defile, O’erwhelmed with fiery embers, see, In Kukkula lies Dandaki.

⁹¹Who made him sport of priest and saint And preacher, free from sinful taint, This Nalikira trembling fell

⁹²Into the jaws of dogs in hell.

⁹³So Ajjuna, who slew outright

⁹⁴That holy, chaste, long-suffering wight, [144] Angirasa, was headlong hurled To tortures in a suffering world.

⁹⁵Who once a sinless saint did maim —Preacher of Patience was his name— Kalabu now doth scorch in hell,

⁹⁶Midst anguish sore and terrible.

⁹⁷The man of wisdom that hears tell Of tales like these or worse of hell, Neer against priest or brahmin sins And heaven by his right action wins.

⁹⁸[146] When the Great Being had thus pointed out the places in which the four kings were re-born, the three kings were freed from all doubt. Then Sakka in propounding his remaining four questions recited this stanza:

⁹⁹Thy words are grateful to mine ear,

¹⁰⁰But one thing more I fain would hear: Whom does the world as "moral" name, And whom does it as "wise" proclaim? Whom does the world for "pious" take,

¹⁰¹And whom does Fortune ne’er forsake?

¹⁰²Then in answering him the Great Being repeated four stanzas:

¹⁰³Whoso in act and word shows self-restraint, And e’en in thought is free from sinful taint, Nor lies to serve his own base ends—the same

¹⁰⁴All men as "moral" evermore proclaim.

¹⁰⁵He who revolves deep questions in his mind Yet perpetrates nought cruel or unkind, Prompt with good word in season to advise, That man by all is rightly counted wise.

¹⁰⁶Who grateful is for kindness once received,

¹⁰⁷And sorrow's need has carefully relieved,

¹⁰⁸Has proved himself a good and steadfast friend— Him all men as a pious soul commend.

¹⁰⁹The man with every gift at his command, True, tender, free and bountiful of hand, Heart-winning, gracious, smooth of tongue withal— Fortune from such an one will never fall.

¹¹⁰[148] Thus did the Great Being, like as if he were causing the moon to arise in the sky, answer the four questions. Then followed the asking of the other questions and their answers.

¹¹¹Thy kindly words fall grateful on mine ear, But one thing further I am fain to hear: Virtue, fair fortune, goodness, wisdom—say

¹¹²Which of all these do men call best, I pray.

¹¹³Wisdom good men declare is best by far, E’en as the moon eclipses every star Virtue, fair fortune, goodness, it is plain, All duly follow in the wise man's train.

¹¹⁴Thy kindly words fall grateful on mine ear, But one thing further I am fain to hear:

¹¹⁵To gain this wisdom what is one to do, What line of action or what course pursue? Tell us what way the path of wisdom lies And by what acts a mortal groweth wise.

¹¹⁶With clever, old, and learned men consort, Wisdom from them by questioning extort: Their goodly counsels one should hear and prize,

¹¹⁷For thus it is a mortal man grows wise.

¹¹⁸The sage regards the lust of things of sense In view of sickness, pain, impermanence; Midst- sorrows, lust, and terrors that appal, Calm and unmoved the sage ignores them all.

¹¹⁹Thus would he conquer sin, from passion free, And cultivate a boundless charity;

¹²⁰To every living creature mercy show,

¹²¹And, blameless soul, to world of Brahma go.