T IBETAN TAL ES

Deriveb from Snbian S ources.

TRANSLATED FROM THE TIBETAN OF THE

KAH-GYUR

F. ANTON VON SCHIEFNER.

DONE INTO ENGLISH FROM THE GERMAN,

WITH AN INTRODUCTION,

W . R. s. RALSTON, M A.

LONDON

KEGAN PAUL,TRENCH, TRUBNER CO. LLB

DRYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W.

1906 .

[All r ights r eser ved ]

Prin ted by BALLANTYNE, HANSON év Co.At the Banan ty

’

ne Press

CONTENTS.

Kuéa Jataka

Adars’

amukha

The Clever Thief

Sudhan a Avadzi n a

Prince Jivaka

Viéfikhz‘

a.

Mahau shadha andViéz‘

ikhfi

Mahfikfiéyapa andBhadrfi.

Utpalavam a

Kr iéz‘

a. C an tami

Su s’

ror fl

The Overreached Actor

The Dumb Cripple

Rshyaéringa

Vis'

v ari tara.

The FulfilledProphecy

The Tw o BrothersThe Punishment of Avarice

The Magician’s Pupil

How a Woman repays Lov e

The Flight of the BeastsThe Five Lovers

PAGE

CONTENTS.

CHAP PAGE

The Virtuous AnimalsThe Ichneumon, the Mouse, and the Snake

The Grate ful AnimalsThe Ungrateful Lion

The TrickedElephant

The Wolf and the SheepThe Oxen as WitnessesThe Obstinate andWilling OxenThe Ass as a Singer

The Jackal as Calumn iatorThe Tw o Otters and the JackalThe Jackal saves the LionThe Blue Jackal

The Jackal hangedby the Ox

The Jackal in the Elephant’s TracesThe Guilty DogsThe Hypocritical CatThe Gaz elle and the HunterThe Monkeys saved from DeathIncredulity Pun ished .

The Wise andFoolish Monkey ChiefsThe Monkeys and the MoonThe Peacock as Bridegroom

The Crow with the Golden CapThe Revengeful Crow

The UnitedPheasantsArtist Anecdotes

INTRODUCTION.

IN an Appendix to his “ Buddhism in Tibet,Dr . Emil

Schlagin tw e it has given“ An alphabetical list of the

books and memoirs connected wi th Buddhism. Althoughnot completely exhaustive

,it occupies thirty-fiv e pages,

and contains references to more than a hundred separateworks

,and a much larger number of essays and other

literary articles. Of those books and articles, the titlesof about sixty allude to Tibet. To them may be referredreaders who wish for detail ed information about thatcoun try

,its literature

,and its religion . All that it i s

proposed to do here i s to say a few words abou t theTibe tan work from which have been extracted the talescontained in the present volume ; to give a short accountof the enthusiastic Hungarian scholar, C soma Korosi ,who had so much to do with making that work known toEurope ; and to call atten tion to any features which thestories now before us may have in common with Europeanfolk-tale s . To do more , without merely repeating what hasbeen already said

,would require a rare amount of special

knowledge ; and it may safely be asserted that remarksabout Buddhism

,made by writers who do not possess

such knowledge,are seldom of signal value.

The tales contained in the sacred books of Tibet,it may

be as well to remark at the outset,appear to have little

that is specially Tibetan about them except their language .Stories possessing characteristic features and suffused withlocal colour may possibly live in the memories of the

INTRODUCTION.

n atives of that region of lofty andbleak table-lands , with

which so few Fu rop ean s have had‘

an opportunity ofbecoming familiar. But the legends and fables which thelate Professor Schiefn e r has translated from the Kah-gyurare merely Tibetan versions of Sanskrit writings . Nomention is made in them of those peculiarities of TibetanBuddhism which have most struck the fancy of foreignobservers. They never allude to the rosary of 1 0 8 headswhich every Tibetan carries

,that he may keep a reckon

ing of his good words, w hich supply to him the place o fgood deeds ; the praying wheels , those curious machineswhich

,filled with prayers

,or charms, or passages from

holy books,stand in the towns in every open place

,are

placed beside the footpaths and the roads, revolve in

e very stream,and even (by the help of sail s like those o f

windmills) are turned by every breeze which blows o’er the

thrice-sacred valleys of Tibet ; the “ Trees of the Law ,

”

the lofty fiagstaffs from which flutter banners emblazonedwith the sacred words

,

“ Ah ! the jewel is in the lotus,

the turning of which towards heaven by the wind countsas the utterance of a prayer capable o f bringing downblessings upon the whole country-side ; or of that Lamaismwhich bears outwardly

,at least, a strong resemblance to

Romanism ,in spite of the essential difference of its teach

ings and of its mode of thought.” 1 There is, therefore ,no present need to dwell at length upon the land intowhich the legends anddoctrines were transplanted whichhad previously flourished on Indian soil

,or the people

by whom they have been religiously preserved , but whoseactions and thoughts they do n o t by any means fullyrepresent. At the present day ,

says Mr. Rhys Davids,“ the Buddhism of Nepal and

'

Ti be t differs from theBuddhism of Ceylon as much as the Christianity ofHome or of Moscow differs from that of Scotland orWales . But, he proceeds to say,

“ the history of Bud

“Buddhism, by T. W . Rhys t ian Kn o w ledge ), pp. 199—2 1 1 a nd

Da vids (Soc ie ty fo r Pr omo t in gChr is 250 .

INTRODUCTION.

dhism from its commencement to its close is an epitomeo f the religious history of mankind . And we have notsolved the problem of Buddhism w hen we have understood the faith of the early Buddhists. It is in thisrespect that the study of later Buddhism in Ceylon

,

Burma,and Siam

,in Nepal and in Tibet, in China,

Mongolia,and Japan

,is onl y second in impor tance to the

study of early Buddhism .

” 1

With regard to the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet ,Emil Schlagin tw e it

2 remarks that “ the early history i sinvolved in darkness and myth. Sanang Setse n ,

i n his“History of the Eas t Mongols

,

” 3 s ays that duri ng thereign of King Hlato tori , who came to the throne in 367A .D.,

four objects descended from heaven one day andlighted upon the golden terrace of his palace , “ namely,the image of two hands in the position o f prayer

,a golden

pyramid-temple an ell high,a small coffer with a gem

marked with the six fundamental syllables (Om-ma-n ipad-me-hum) , and the manual called Sz awn adok

” 4 A s

the king did not understand the nature of the holy obj ects,

he ordered them to be locked up in his treasury. Wh i lethey lay there, “ misfortune came upon the kin g. Ifchildren were born , they came into the world blind ;fruits and grain came to nothing ; cattle plague , famine ,and pestilence prevailed ; and of unavoidable misery wasthere much . But after forty years had pas sed

,there

came five strangers to the king and said,

“ Great king,

how couldst thou let these objects,so mysti c and powerful

,

be cast into the treasury ?

1 “ Le ctu re s o n the Or igin a nd

Gro w th o f Re l igion , as Illu st ratedby some Po in ts in the Histo ry o f

landian Buddhism ”

(be in g the Hibbe rt Lec tur e s fo r 188 0 , pp. 189

—192 .

W ho se sta teme n ts a r e basedu pon tho se made by C. F. Koppe n ,in his sta ndard w o rk u po n “ Die

lama ische Hie ra rchie u ndKirche .

"

Having thus spoken,they

3 Geschichte de r Ost-Mo n go le nAu s dem Mo n go lische n ii be r se t z t

v on Isaa c Jacob Schmidt ,” pp. 2527. St . Pe te rsbu rg

,1829 .

4 A cco rdin g to Schlag in tw e it ,Co n st r ucted Ve sse l, ’ a w o rk o n

mo ra l subjects fo rm in g pa rt o f the

Ka n ju r .

”

INTRODUCTION.

suddenly disappeared. Therefore the king ordered theholy objects to be brought forth from the treasury

,and to

be attached to the points of standards , and treate d withthe utmost respect and reverence. A fter that all wentwell : the king became prosperous and long-lived, childrenwere born beautiful

,famine and pestilence came to an

end,and in their place appeared happiness and welfare.

With the date of this event Sanang Se tse n connects theintroduction of Buddhism into Tibet ; but according toTibetan historians, says Schlagin tw e it , the earliest periodof the propagation of Buddhism

,which reached down till

the end of the tenth century AD begins with KingSrongtsan Gampo , who was born in the year 6 17 A .D. ,

and died This king is said to have sent a missionto India in the year 6 32 A.D.

, the result of which was theinvention of a Tibetan alphabet, based upon Devanagaricharacters

,and the translation into Tibe tan o f Indian

sacred books . In his introduction of Buddhism into hiskingdom he is said to have been most energeticallysupported by hi s two wives, one of whom was a Nepalese,the other a Chinese princess . Both of them , who throughout their lifetime proved most faithful votaries to thefai th of Buddha

,are worshipped either under the general

n ame of Dolma (in Sanskrit Tara), or under the respectivenames of B olkar and Bolj ang.

”A fter making consider

able progress during the reign o f this monarch,the n ew

religion lost ground under his immediate successors. “ Butunder one of them

,Thisrong de tsan, Buddhism began

to revive,owing to the useful regulations proclaimed by

this king. He it was who successfully crushed an attemptmade by the chiefs during his minority to suppress thenew creed

,and it is principally due to him that the Bud

dhist faith became henceforth permanently establi shed.

”

Towards the end of the ninth century, continues Schla

gin tw e it, Buddhism was strongly opposed by a ruler who“ commanded all temples and monasteries to be demolished

,

the images to be destroyed, and the sacred books to be

INTRODUCTION.

burnt ; and his son and Successor is also said to have diedwi thout religion ;

” but his grandson was favourablyinclined towards Buddhism

,and rebuilt eight temples.

“With this period we have to connect the second propagation of Buddhism ;

’

it -rece ived , especially from the year

97 1 A .D.,a powerful impetus from the joint endeavours of

the returned Tibetan priests (who had fled the countryunder the preceding kings) , and of the learned Indianpriest Pandita A tisb a and his pupil Brom-ston . Shortlybefore A tisba came to Tibet

,104 1 A .D. ,

the Kala Chakradoctrine

,or Tantrika mysticism

,was introduced into Tibet

,

and in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries many Indianrefugees settled in the country

,who greatly assi sted the

Tibetans in the translation of San skrit books.” It is probably from this period that the Kah-gyur dates .In the fourteenth century arose the reformer Tsonkhapa,

who “ imposed upon himself the difficult task o f unitingand reconciling the dialectical and mystical schools whichTibetan Buddhism had brought forth , and also of e radicating the abuses gr adually introduced by the priests.”

Tradition asserts that he “ had some intercourse with astranger from the West

,who was remarkable for a long

nose . Hu c believes this stranger to have been a Europeanmissionary

,and connects the resemblance of the religious

service in Tibet to the Roman Catholic r itual with theinformation which Tsonkhapa might have received fromthis Roman Catholic priest. We ar e not yet able todecide the question as to how far Buddhism may haveborrowed from Christianity ; but the rite s of the Buddhistsenumerated by the French missionary can for the mostpart either be traced back to insti tution s peculiar toBuddhism ,

or they have sprung up in periods posterior toTsonkhapa .

” 1

Mr. Rhys Davids has remarked that,“ A s in India,

after the expul sion of Buddhism,the degrading worship

of Siva and his dusky bride had been incorporated into1 Emil Schlagin tw e it, “Buddhism in Tibe t, pp. 60—70 .

INTRODUCTION.

Brahmanism from the wild and savage devil-worship ofthe dark non-A ryan tribes

,so as pure Buddhism died away

in the North,the Ta n tr a system,

a mixture of magic andwitchcraft and Siva-worship

,was incorporated into the

corru pted Buddhism.

” 1 Of this change for the worse,

evidence about w hich there can be no mistake is suppliedby the Tibetan sacred books . Dr. Malan , who has madehimself acquainted with the contents o f some of theirvolumes in the original

,says

,

2 There are passages of greatbeauty and great good sense

,the most abstruse meta

physics,and the most absurd and incredible stories ; yet

not worse than those told in the Talmud, which equal oreven surpass them in absurdity.

”

On New Year’s day 1 820 ,a traveller started from Buch

arest on an adventurous journey towards the East. His

name was A lexander C soma Kerosi (or de Keros) ,3 and he

was one of the sons of a Szekler military family of Eg erpatak

,in the Transylvanian circle of Hungary. In 1799 ,

when he seems to have been about nine years old,

‘hewas sent to the Protestant College at Nagy-Enyed, wherehe studied for many years with the idea of taking orders.In 1 8 1 5 he was sent to Germany, and there he studiedfor three years

,chiefly at the Univers ity of Gottingen ,

where he attended the lectures of the celebrated Orientalist Johann Gottfried Eichhorn. A fter his return fromGermany, he spent the greater part of the year 1 8 19 instudying various Slavonic dialects, first at Temesvar inLower Hungary, then at Agram in Croatia. But he soonresolved to apply himself to les s-known tongue s .

1 Buddhism , p . 20 7. The e xact da te o f his birth has2 In a. le tter to the w r ite r o f the n ot be en a sce r ta in ed, bu t o n e o f his

In t r odu ct io n . Hu n ga r ian biographe rs sta te s tha t3 In Hu n ga r ian his n am e w o u ld he w as abo u t thir ty w he n he sta rt ed

b e w r itte n Kerosi Csoma Sando r ; e a stw a rd in 1820 . A n o the r asse rts

in Fr en ch , A le xandre Csoma de tha t he w as bo rn in the Tr a n syl

KorOS ; in En glish, he sign ed him van ia n village o f Keros, on the 4th

se lf Ale xande r Csoma Kerosi, the o f Apr i l 1784 .

nam e Kerosi be in g a n adjectivalfo rm

,mean ing “

o f Kurds.

”

INTRODUCTION.

“ Among other liberal pursuits , he wrote in“ my favourite studies were philology , geography, andhistory. A lthough my e clesiastical studies had preparedme for an honourable employment in my native country,yet my inclination for the studies above-mentioned indu cedme to seek

-

a wider field for their future cultivation .

As my paren ts were dead , and my on lv brother did notwant my assistance

,I resolved to leave my native country

and to come towards the East,and , by some means or

other procurin g subsistence,to dev ote my whole l ife to

researches which may be afterwards useful in general tothe learn ed world of Europe, and in particular may iflustrate some obscure facts in ancient history.

” Havin g nohope

,he says

“

,of obtaining “ an imperial passport ” for his

journey,he procured “ a printed Hun garian passport a t

Nagy-Enyed, to come on some pretended business toBucharest

,

” intending to study Turkish there and then togo on to Constantinople. But he could obtain neitherinstruction in Turkish nor the mean s of goin g direct toConstantinople . So he set forth from Bucharest on theIst of January 1 820 ,

and trav elled with some Bulgariancompan ions to Philippopolis. Tidings of plague forcedhim to turn aside to the coast o f the Archipelago

,whence

he sailed in a Greek ship to A lexandria. Driven fromthat city by the plague, he made his way by sea to thecoast of Syria

,and thence on foot to A leppo. From that

city he proceeded to Bagdad,which he reached in —Jn ly,

travelling part o f the way on foot,wi th different cara

vans from various places,in an A siatic dress

,

” and therest by water on a raft.” In September h e left Bagdad

,

travelling in European costume on horseback w ith acaravan

,and in the middle of next month he arrived a t

Teheran . In the capital of Persia he spent four months .In March 1 82 1 he aga in started with a caravan , travelling1 In a le tte r , con ta in in g a br ie f Roya l Asia t ic So c ie ty, and from

sketch o f his life up to that t im e , w hich a re tak e n the passages c itedw hich w as pu blished in 1 834 in the abo ve as qu otat io n s.

first vo lume of the Jou rn a l of the

INTRODUCTION.

as an Armenian,and

,after a stay of s ix months in Khora

San,arrived in the middle of November at Bokhara.

There he intended to pass the winter ; but at the endo f five days

,

“ affrighted by frequent exaggerated reportso f the approach o f a numerous Russian army, he trav elledwith a caravan to Kabul

,where he arrived early in

January 1 822 . At the end of a fortnight he again set out witha caravan . Making acquaintance on the way with Runj eetSing’s French office rs

,Gen e ralsAllard andVe n tu ra,he accom

pan ied them to Lahore. By their aid he obtained permission to enter Kashmir

,with the intention of proceeding

to Yarkand ; but finding that the road was very diffi cult,expensive, and dangerous for a Christian ,

” he set out fromLeh in Ladak, the farthest point he reached, to re turn toLahore . On his way back, near the Kashmir frontier, hemet Mr. Moorcroft and returned with him to Leh. ThereMr. Moorcroft lent him the “ Alphab etum Tibetan um

,

”

the ponderou s work published at Rome in 1762, compiledby Father Antonio Agostino Giorgi out of the materialss ent from Tibet by the Capuchin Friars . Its perusalinduced him to stay for some time at Leh i n order tostudy Tibetan

,profiting by “ the conversation and in struc

tion of an intelligent person, who was well acquaintedwith the Tibetan and Persian languages.” During thewinter

,which he spent at Kashmir, he became so in

te rested in Tibetan that he determined to devote himselfto its study, so as to be able to “ penetrate into thosenumerous and highly intere sting volumes which are tobe found in every large monastery.

” He communicatedhis ideas to Mr. Moorcroft, who fully approved of hisplan

,and provided him with money and official r ecom

mendation s. Starting afresh from Kashmir in May 1 823 ,

he reached Leh in the beginning of June . From thatcity

,he says

,travelling in a south-westerly direction

,I

arrived 0 11 the ninth day at Ya ngla , and from the 20 th ofJune 1823 to the 22d of October 1 824 I sojourned inZan skar (the most south-western provin ce of Ladakh) ,

INTRODUCTION.

where I applied myself to the Tibetan literature, assistedby the Lama .

With the approach of winter he left Zan skar , and towards the end o f November 1 824 arrived at Sabatht

'

i . Inthe letter which he wrote dur ing his stay there, in January1 82 5, he says,

“ At my first entrance to the British Indianterritory

,I was fully persuaded I should be received as a

friend by the Government.” Nor was he disappointed.As at Bagdad and Teheran

,so in India was the Hungarian

pilgrim welcomed and ass isted by the British authorities.In 1 826 he seems (says Dr. A rchibald Campbell

1) to have

paid a second visit to Western Tibet,and to have continued

to study in the monasteries of that country,living in the

poorest possible manner,” till 1 83 1 . In the autumn of

that year Dr. Campbell met him at Simla,dressed in a

coarse blue cloth loose gown,extending to his heels

,and

a smal l cloth cap of the same material . He wore a grizzlybeard

,shunned the society of Europeans

,and passed his

whole time in s tudy .

” I t is much to be regretted that hehas left no record o f his residence in the monasteries inwhich he passed so long a time

,in one of which

,

“ withthe thermometer below zero for more than four months

,

he was precluded by the severity of the weather fromstirring out o f a room nine feet square. Yet in this situation he read from morning till evening without a fire

,the

ground forming his bed,and the wall s of the building his

protection agains t the rigours of the climate,and still he

collected and arranged forty thousand word s in the language of Tibet

,and nearly completed his Dictionary and

Grammar.” 2 Day after day, says M. Pavie,3 he would sit

in a wretched hut at the door of a monastery,reading

1 Jou rn a l o f the A sia t ic Soc ie tyof

2Be n

ga

l, vo l . x iv . , pa rt 2, p . 824,

Qu o ted by Dr . Campbe ll froman edito r ia l a rt icle by Pr o fe sso r H.

H.‘Vi lso n i n the supplemen t to the

Go ve rnm en t Gaze tte o f 9th July1829. Jou rn a l o f A sia t ic So c ie tyo f Benga l, v o l. x i ., pa rt 1 , p. 30 5.

A second a rt icle by Dr . Campbe ll,in cludin g a le tte r fr omLie u t .-Co lo n e lLloyd

,w a s publ ished in v o l. xi v .

,

pa r t 2, pp . 823—827.

3 In an in te r e st ing a rt icle o n T ibe tin the Revu e des Deuce Mondes, v

mf’

sér ie , tom . 19 (Ju ly

INTRODUCTION.

aloud Buddhistic works with a Lama by his side. Whena page was finished

,the two readers would nudge each

other’s elbows.The question was which of them was to

turn over the leaf,thereby exposing his hand for the

moment,unprotected by the long-furred sleeve, to the risk

of being frost-bitten .

In May 1832 he went to Calcutta, where h e met withgreat kindness from many scholars , e specially ProfessorH. H. Wilson and Mr. James Pr in sep ,

and,after a time,

he was appointe d assistant—librarian to the Asiatic Societyof Bengal. A t Calcutta he spent many years , and therehis two principal works

,the Essay Towards a Dictionary,

Tibetan and English,

” 1 and the Grammar of the TibetanLanguage,

” were brought out a t the expense of Governmentin 1 834 In the beginnin g of says Dr. Campbell,his anxiety to visit Lassa induced him to leave Calcuttafor Titalya

,in the hope of accomplishing his design through

Rootan , Sikim,or Nipal. Of his life in Titalya

,where

he seems to have spent more than a year,some account i s

given by Colonel G . W. A . Lloyd , who says , He wouldnot remain in my house

,as he thought his eating and

living with me would cause him to be deprived of thefamiliarity and society of the n atives

,with whom it was

his wish to be colloquially intimate,and I therefore got

him a common native hu t, and made i t as comfortable asI could for him, but still he seemed to me to be miserablyo ff. I also got him a servant

,to whom he paid three or

four rupees a month , and his living did not cos t him morethan four more.”

Towards the end of 1 837 2 he returned to Calcutta. Ihave been favoured by a very accomplished linguist

,the

te v . S . C . Malan , D.D.,Rector of Broadwindsor

,Dorset

,

1 The w o rk o f Csoma de Kore a 9 Co lo n e l Lloydsays that he thin ksi s tha t o f an o rigin a l in ve st igato r , Csoma Korosi rema in ed a t T ita lya.a nd the fr u it o f a lmo st u n pa ra lle led t i ll No vembe r 1837.

Jou rn a l o f thede te rmin a t io n a nd pat ie n ce ,” says A siat ic Soc ie ty o f Be ngal

,v ol. xi v .

,

l l . A . Jaschke,in the pre face to his pa rt 2 .

Tibe tan -English Dict io n a ry.

INTRODUCTION.

w ho was at one time secretary to the A siatic Society ofBengal

,with an account of his acquaintance with Csoma

Koi 'osi during the Hungarian scholar’

s second residenceat Calcutta. Dr. Malan writes as follows

As regards Csoma de Keros , I n ever think of him without interest and gratitude. I had heard of him

,and seen

his Tibetan Grammar and Dictionary be fore le aving En gland . And one thing that used to make me thin k a fivemonths’ voyage interminable was my lon ging to becomeacquainted with one who had prepared the way for theacquisition of a language of A sia, thought until thenalmos t mythical . For neither Father Georgi’s nor AbelRému sat

’

s treatises went very far to clear the mystery.

“On e of my early visits,then

,was to the A siatic Society’s

house[in Calcutta] , where C soma lived as under-librarian .

1

I found him a man of middle s tature,of somewhat stran ge

expre ssion and features,much weather-beaten from his

travels,but kind

,amiable

,and willing to impart all he

knew . He was, however, very shy, and extremely disinte rested. A lthough I had to cross the river to come toh im

,I requested him at once to give me on e le sson a week

i n Tibetan,and he agreed to do so most readily. But I

could no t make him consent to take any money . He toldme to come as often as I liked

,on the condition that his

teaching w as to be free,for the pleasure and love of it.

Of course this prevented me from v i siting h im as frequen tly as I should otherwise have done

,yet I went to

him for a lesson as often as I dared to do so. A lthoughI frequently asked him to come and stay in my house forchange of air

,I never could prevail upon him to come

,

owing to his shyness and retiring h abits. But as I happened to be the only person who was troubling himsel fabout Tibetan

,he and I became very good friends during

the whole of my (alas ! too short) stay in India . A nd

1 Dr . Ma lan is n o t ce r ta in abo u t son s began n o t la te r than Au gu stthe da t e o f his first in te r view w ith 1 838 .

Csoma Kerosi, bu t his T ibetan les

xv i i i INTRODUCTION.

when we parted he gave me the whole of his Tibetanbo oks , some thirty volumes . I value such relics highly,and still use the same volume , containing his Grammarand Dictionary

,which I used to turn over with him .

”

Speaking of Csoma Korosi’

s literary life at Calcutta,M .

Pavie says, in the article which ha s already been cited,These labours occupied his time for the space of nine

y ears . He had turned his s tudy into a sort of cell,from

which he scarcely ever emerged,except to walk up and

down the lon g neighbouring galleries . It was there that,during o u r Stay in Bengal

,we very frequently saw him ,

absorbed in a dreamy meditation,smili ng at his own

thoughts,as s ilen t as the Brahmans w ho were copying

Sanskrit tex ts. He had forgotten Europe to live amidthe clouds of ancient A sia.Early in 1 842 C soma Korosi left Calcutta, wi th the

intention of revisiting Tibet,and of making his way , i f

possible , to Lhasa, where he w as in hopes of discoverin gr ich stores of Tibetan literature as ye t unknown to thelearned world . On the 24 th of March he arrived atDarj i

'

l ing, in Nepal , where the superintendent of thes tation , Dr. A rchibald Campbell , did all he could to furtherhis views . But on the 6 th of April he was attacked byfever, and on the 1 1 th he died , a victim,

as Professor MaxMul ler has said

,to his heroic devot ion to the study of

ancient language s and religions . His wants,apart from

literary requirements,appear to have been as few as those

of any monk,whether Christian or Buddhisti c. His

effects,

” says Dr. Campbell ,“ consisted o f four boxes of

books and papers,the suit of blue clothes which he always

wore,and in which he died

,a few shirts

,and one cooking

pot. His food was confined to tea, of which he was veryfond

,and plain boiled rice

,of which he ate very little. On

a mat on the floor,with a box of books on the four sides

,

he sat,ate

,slept

,and s tu died ; never undressed at night,

andrarely went out during the day. He never drank win eor spirits

,or used tobacco or other stimulants .”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

INTRODUCTION.

Muller 1 has written with reference to Hiou en -thsang,the

Chinese pilgrim,who spent so much time “ quietly pur

suing among strangers,within the bleak walls of the cell

o f a Buddhist coll ege,the study of a foreign language

,

that there was something in his life and the work of hislife that places him by right among the heroes of Greece

,

the martyrs of Rome,the knights of the Crusades , the

explorers of the Arctic regions ; something that makes ita duty to inscribe his name on the roll of the worthies o fthe human race .

”

Al though the language and l iterature of Tibet occupiedso much of Csoma Kerbsi

'

s t ime and thoughts,y e t the

main object of his life was to work out the mysteriousproblem as to the origin of the Hungarian nation .

A ccording to M . Jules Mohl, it w a s a remark of Blumenbach’s about the poss ibility of discovering in A sia theoriginal home of the prehistoric ancestors o f the Magyars

,

which firs t turned the attention to the subjec t of theyoung Hungarian

,who was then studying medicine a t

Gottingen . A ccording to Hu n falvy,

2 his fancy may havebeen fired by De Gu ign es

’

s opinion , published a little before 1 8 1 5, that the Huns hadwandered from the westernborders of the Chinese empire , first to the neighbourhoodof the Volga

,and then on to Pannonia. But the fact of

C soma Koros i being a Szekler by birth , says Hu n falvy ,

is regarded as one o f the reasons for his looking for theorigin of his n ation and language in the seat of the ancientHuns . For the Hungarian chronicles had for

'

centuriesnourished in the Szeklers the belief that they were thedirect descendants of the Huns of Attila. In a letterwhich he wrote home during his stay in Teheran

,dated

the z l st of December 1820 ,he said Both to satisfy

1 “ Chips from a German W o rk a nd Ge rman w o rks publ ished in

shop,”i . 278 . Hu n gary, I am indebted t o Mr . E.

3 “ Die U n ga r ische Sprachw issen D. Bu t le r, of the Br itish Mu seum,

scha ft,

"I/it er am

'

scke Ber ichte ems w ho se acqu a in ta n ce w ith Hu n ga r ia nUn ga r n . Budape st, 1 877. Bd. i. , lit e ra tu re has ledto his be in g e le c tedhe ft i ., pp. 54

—97. Fo r this and a n hon ora ry membe r o f the Hun .

o the r r e fe r en ce s to Hu n ga r ian w o rks ga r ian Academy of Sc ien ce s .

INTRODUCTION.

my own desire, and to prove.

my gratitude and love tomy nation , I have set o ff, and must search for the originof my nation according to the lights which I have kindledin Germany

,avoiding neither dangers that may perhaps

occur,nor the distance I may have to travel . Heaven

has favoured my course,and if some great misfortune does

not happen to me,I shall within a short time be able to

prove that my conviction was founded upon no fal sebasis .” During his stay in Calcutta, between his expeditions

,he experienced “ the bitterest moments of his li fe

,

”

bein g conscious that up to that time he had fruitlesslylooked for the origin of the Hun garians . I t was thatfeeling, says Hu n falvy, which drove him forth upon thepilgrimage which proved fatal to him .

“A ccording to

his conviction,the country inhabited by the Dsu gu r or

Dzungar race,dwelling to the north-east of Lhassa

,on the

western frontier of China,was the goal which he had

been seeking all hi s life,the region in which he migh t

hope at length to discover the A siati c descendants of theancestors of his Hungarian forefathers .” The foundationof his hopes

,as expressed a few days before his death to

Dr. Campbell, was as follows In the dialects of Europe,

th e Sclav on ic, Celtic , Saxon , and German , I believe, thepeople who gave their n ame to the country n ow calledHungary were styled Hunger or Ungur

,Oongar or

Yoon gar ; and in A rabic,Turkish

,and Persian works

there are notice s of a nation in Central A sia resemblingin many respects the people who came from the Eas t intoHungary. In these languages they are styled Oogu r,

W o ogu r , Vo ogu r , or Yo ogu r , according to the pronunciat ion of the Persian letters ; and from the same works itmight be inferred

,he said

,that the country of the Yo ogu rs

was situated as above noted .

” His views, however, onthis subj ect are not accepted by hi s countrymen . His

opinion was based upon a false foundation,

” says Hu n

falvy, and consequently his labours in that particularfield have remained wi thout result. But as a scholar in

x x ii INTROD UCTION.

general, as a speciali s t in everything wh ich concerns Tibet,and as a single-minded

,sel f-sacrificing student, he is held

in high honour in his native land,as may be learnt from

the oration which was delivered in his honour at Pest onthe 8th of October 1 843 by Baron Joseph Eotvos, who wasat one time the Minister of Public Instruction for Hungary.

On this subject I have been favoured with a letter (inEnglish) from the Hungarian linguist and explorer Profe sso r ArminiusVémbéry. In it, after stating that scarcelyanything is known in Hungary about the early years ofCsoma Kerosi

,he proceeds to say We only know that

it was the study of Oriental languages in Germany whichgave him the idea of the pos s ibility of finding a people inAs ia speaking our language, and closely connected withus . This, of cour se , was a mistake, for Hungarian, a mixedtongue consisting of an Ugrian and a Turko-Tatar dialect

,

has undergone two genetic periods— one in the ancientseat between the Urals and the Volga, and another afterthe settleme nt on Pannonia, where also large Slavonicelements inserted themselves . It was thus a sheer impossibility to discover in A sia a language similar to ours

,

although a considerable amount of affinity can be proved,

partly in the Ugrian branch (the Ostyak and the Vogul) ,partly in the Eastern Turkish

,unadulterated by Persian

and Arab influence.This knowledge

,however, i s the result of recent in

v estigation s, and poor Kerosi could have had hardly anynotion of it. His unbounded love fo r science and forhis nation drove him to the East without a penny in hispocket

,and most curious i s the account I heard from a n

old Hungarian, Count Teleky, regarding the outset of

Koros i’s travels . The Count was standing before the gateof his house in a village in Transylvania

,when he saw

Korosi passing by, clad in a thin yellow nankin dress ,with a stick in his hand and a small bundle.

Where are you going, M. Korosi asked the Count.I am going to A sia in search of our relatives

,

’ wasthe answer.

INTROD UCTION. xxi ii

And thus he really went undergoing,as may easily

be concei ved, all the hardships and privations of a travellerdestitute of means

,l iving upon aims, and exposed , be

s ides,to the bitter deception of not having found the

looked-for relatives . And still he went on in his n u

flaggin g zeal,until

,assisted by your noble countrymen

,

he was able to raise himself a memorial by his Tibetans tudies .

“ I suppose that,when dying in Ladak he alw ays

had his eyes directed to the steppes north of Tibet,to the

Tangu s country, where , of course, he would have againbeen disillus ion ed .

“ K'

orosi was therefore a victim to unripe philologicalspeculation

,like many other Hungarian scholars unknown

to the world. But his n ame will be always a glory toour nation

,and I am really glad to hear that [some one]

has devoted time to refresh the memory of that greatman — Yours very sincerely

,

A . VAMBERY.

BUDAPEST, Febr ua ry 20 , 1 882 .

About the time when C soma Korosi was starting fromBucharest on his adventurous pilgrimage

,another equally

genuine and disinterested scholar,Mr. Brian Houghton

Hodgson,was commencing his lon g res idence in Nepal.

Living continuously in that country for three-and-twenty

years, and occupying from 1 83 1 to 1843 the important postof Briti sh Resident a t Kathmandu

,he was able to succeed in

making the immense collections of Buddhisti c w orks whichhe afterwards

,with a generosity as great as his indu stry

,

made gratuitously accessible to European scholars. Thereal beginning of an historical and critical study of thedoctrines of Buddha

,says Professor Max Muller Chips,

”

1 . dates from the year 1 824 . In that year Mr.Hodgson announced the fact that the original documentsof the Buddhis t canon had been preserved in Sanskrit inthe monasteries of Nepal .” But there is no need to dwellhere on the well-know n fact that an immense amount of

INTRODUCTION.

such Sanskrit literature was discovered by Mr. Hodgsonin Nepal

,and presented to the Royal Asiatic Society

,the

A s iatic Society of Bengal,and the Société A sia tigue of

Paris . We have at present to deal only w ith the storeso f information which b e extracted from Tibet. Mr.Hodgson not only established the fact

,Professor Max

Muller goes on to say,“ that some of the Sanskrit docu

ments which he recovered had existed in the monasterieso f Nepal ever since the se cond century of our era

,

”bu t

he also showed that the whole of that collection had,five

or six hundred years later,when Buddhism became de

finitely established in Tibet,been translated into the

language of that country.

”

Of the sacred canon of theTibetans

,translated into their language from Sanskrit

,

Mr. Hodgson received a copy as a present from the DalaiLama, and this he presented to the East India Company.

A s early as 1 828 he printed in the “A siati c Researches ”

(vol . xvi .) an article on Nepal and Tibet, in which hestated that the body of Bhotiya Tibetan] literaturenow is

,and long has been

,a mass of translations from

Sanskrit ; its language native ; its letters (like its ideas)Indian .

” 1 To that statement he in 1 837 appended thisn ote : “ It is needless n o w to say ho w fu lly these viewshave been confirmed by the researches of De Koros . Iti s but justice to myself to add that the real nature of theKahgyu r and Stan gyu r was expressly stated and provedby me to the secretary of the A siatic Society some timebefore M . De K

'

oros’

s ample revelations were made.Complete copies of both collections have been presentedby me to the Honourable East India Company

,and others

procured for the Asiatic Society, Calcutta : upon the latterM . De Kor

'

os worked .

” I t was a fortunate combinationwhich brought the Special knowledge and the patien tindustry of Csoma Kor

'

osi into contact with the immensemass of materials ob tained by Mr. Hodgson from Tibet.

1 Se e, ho w e ve r , an a ccoun t o f T ibe tan n o n -Buddhist ic w o rks in Jou rn a lo f A . S . o f B . 188 1 .

INTRODUCTION. xxv

Of the sacred canon of the Tibetans the followingdescription is given by Professor Max Muller

,who refers

to Koppen’

s Religion des Buddha ” as his au tho r ity zl

It consists of two collections,commonly called the Kan

jur and Tan jur. The proper spelling of their n ames i sBkah-hgyu r , pronounced Kah-gyur,

2 and Es tan-hgyu r,pronounced Tan-gyur. The Kanjur consi sts

,in i ts different

editions,of 10 0 ,

1 0 2, or 1 0 8 volumes folio . I t comprises

1 0 83 distinct works . The Tanjur consists of 225 volumesfolio

,each weighing from four to five pounds in the edition

o f Peking. Editions of this colossal code were printedat Peking

,Lhassa, and other places. The edition of the

Kanjur published at Pek in g,by command of the Emperor

Khian-Lung,sold fo r 60 0 . A copy of the Kanjur was

bartered for 70 0 0 oxen by the Bu riate s; and the sametribe paid 1 20 0 s ilver roubles for a complete copy of theKan jur and Tanjur together. Such a jungle of religiousliterature— the most excellen t hiding-place

,we should

think,for Lamas and Dalai-Lamasfi w as too much even

for a man who could travel on foot from Hungary toTibet . The Hun garian en thusias t, however, though hedidnot translate the whole, gave a most valuable analysiso f this immense Bible in the seventeen th volume of the‘A siatic Researches,

’ suffi cient to establish the fact thatthe principal portion of it w as a translation from the sameSanskrit originals which had been discovered in Nepal byMr. Hodgson .

”

The Sanskrit works which Mr. Hodgson so generouslypresented to the A siatic Society of Paris were soon turnedto good account. From them M . Eugene Bu rn ou f drew

the materials for his celebrated Introduction a l’

Histo ire

du Buddhisme Indien .

” But of the Tibe tan sacred writ

Chips,i . 193. J’écr is Ka ndj ou r con tra ir emen t a.

2 M. Leon Fe e r ha s adopted the'

m e s pr in c ipe s d’

o r thog raphe , pa rcefo rm Ka ndj o ur in his t r an sla t ion o f qu e Ka ndjo u r e st u n e fo rme qu i

Csoma Korosi’s A n a lys is ” (A n im ite la pr o n o n cia t io n e t n’e st po in t

ma les da Ma sc'

e Ou imet, t om . 2 ) du to u t lo ca lqu e du mot t ibéta in .

”

bu t he says in a fo o tn ote to p . 143,

INTRODUCTION.

ings,w hich

'

w e re also rendered available to Europeanstudents

,no great use has ever been made except by two

scholars . Csoma Kerosi, as has been already stated , published an Analysis of the Tibe tan Work entitled theKah-gyur

,and an “

Abstract of the Contents of theEstan-hgy u r ;

” and M . P . E. Fo n caux brought out atParis in 1 847 his n a Tch

’

er Rol Pa , ou Développementdes Jeux

,contenant l’Histo ir e du Bouddha Cakya-Mouni,

traduit sur la Version Tibétaine du Bhahhgyo u r , e t Revusur l

’

Or igin al Sanskrit (Lali tav istara) . M. Fo u cau x’

s

excellent work is too well known to require more than apassing notice here. But as Csoma Korosi

’s Anal y sesare probably less familiar

,it may be well to extract from

them a short account of the di fl e re n t sections of thecolossal Tibetan collection.

The first of its two parts,he remarks, i s s tyled Ka-gyur,

or vulgarly Kan -gyur,

172a

,

“ Translation of Commandments

,

” being versions of Sanskri t wri tings imported intoTibet

,and translated there between the seve n th and

thirteenth centuries,but mostly in the ninth . The Copy

on which he worked at Calcutta, consisting of 1 0 0 volumes,“ appears to have been printed with the very woodentypes that are mentioned as having been prepared in1 73 1 . This fi rst part comprises seven divisions

,which

are in fact distinct works. These he names as follows1 . Du lvd Discipline , Sanskrit Vi n aya ) . This divi

s ion occupies thirteen volumes,and deals with religious

discipline and the education of persons who adopt thereligious li fe . I t i s subdivided into seven parts as follows

1 .

“ The Basis of Discipline or Educat ion . 4 vols .2 . A Sti tra on Emancipation . 30 leaves.

3 .

“ Explanation of Education . 4 vols .

4“A S ti tra on Emancipation for the Priestesses orNuns . 36 leaves .

5 .

“ Explanation of the Discipline or Education of the1 W r itten bkah-hgyu r , the ita l icised le tters not be ing sou nded.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

xx v i ii INTRODUCTION.

into two parts,Mdo and n ud,

all the other divisionsexcept the n ud are comprehended in the Mdo class .But in a particular sense there are some treatises whichhave been arranged or put under this title. They amountto about 270 ,

and are contained in thirty volumes. Thesubject of the works contained in these thirty volumesi s various . The greatest part of them consist of themoral and metaphysical doctrine of the Buddhistic system

,

the legendary accounts o f several individuals,with allu

sions to the sixty or sixty-four arts , to medicine, astronomy,and astrology. There are many stories to exemplify theconsequences of actions in former transmigrations

,de

scriptio n s of orthodox and heterodox theories, moral andcivil laws

,the s ix kinds of animal beings

,the place s of

their habitations,and the causes of their being born there ;

cosmogony and cosmography according to the Buddhisticnotions

,the provinces o f several Buddhas

,exemplary con

duct of life o f any Bodhisa ttva or saint,etc.

” I t i s thesecond volume of this section which M. Fou cau x hastranslated .

6 . Mya -Tt a n -la s—hda s-

p a ,or by contraction Mya ng-hda s

(Sans . Nir van a ), two vols. The t itle of these two volumesis in Sanskrit Ill ahd p a r in i r vdn a sz

’

atr a . A ssttra 0 11

the entire deliverance from pai n,Subject

, Shakya’

s deathunder a pair of Sal trees near the city of Ka sha or Kamar t

’

tp a , in A ssam . Great lamentation of all sorts of animalbeings on the approaching death of Shakya , their offeringsor sacrifices presented to him

,his lessons

,especially w ith

regard to the soul. His las t moments,his funeral

,how

his relics were divided,and where deposited .

7.

“

n ad- sale, or simply n ud, Sans. Ta n tra ,or the

Tantra class,in twenty-two volumes . These volumes in

general contain mystical theology. There are descriptionsof several gods and godde sses, instructions for preparingthe ma nda la s or circles for the reception of these divin ities

,offerings or sacri fices presented to them for obtaining

their favour,prayers

,hymns

,charms

,&c &c.

,addressed

INTRODUCTION.

to them . There are also some works on astronomy,astro ~

logy,chronology

,medicine

,and natural philosophy.

”

Of the second great division of the Tibetan sacredbooks Csoma Korosi gives only a brief abstract

,withou t

men tioning the Sanscrit titles o f the works from whichit s contents have been translated . I t will be sufficien t toquote the opening lines of his article.

“ The Esta n -Hgyu r is a compilation in Tibetan of al lsorts o f literary work s

,written mos tly by anci ent Indian

Pa ndi ta and some learned Tibe tans, in the first centuriesafter the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet

,commencing

with the seventh centur y o f our era. The whole makes22 5 volumes . I t i s divided into classes, the n ud andMdo (Ta n tr a and St

’

ttra classe s in Sanscrit) . The n ud,

mostly on ta n tr ika rituals and ceremonies,makes 87

volumes . The Mdo, on science and literature, occupies1 36 volumes . On e separate volume contains hymns orpraises on several deities and saints

,and one volume is

the index for the who le.” 1

In the year 1 830 ,while C soma Korosi was still pursuing

his studies in the monasteries of Western Tibet,a Russian

official,Baron Schilling de Canstadt

,was begin ni ng to look

for Tibetan books in Eastern Siberia. His first visit,he

says,

2 to the monastery of Tchik0 1 , twelve leagues fromKiachta , the town in which he was stationed, made himaware that it possessed a Copy of the Kah-gyur

,as well as

other sacred books,which were ranged on either side of

1 Csoma Ko r o si’s an a lysis o f the

T ibe tan sacr edbo o ks has be en translated by M. Léo n Fe e t , an d w as

published in 1 88 1 u nde r the t it le o f

An a lyse du Kandjou r e t du Ta ndjou r

,

”in the se co nd vo lume o f the

“ A n n ale e du Mu sée Gu ime t,

”the

sumptu ou s w o rk du e to the mun iticen ce o f M. Gu ime t . M. Fe e r has

a ppe nded to his t ran sla t io n a mo st

use fu l “Vocabu la ir e ' de l’An a lyse

du Kandjou r ,”

g i vin g a ll the n a mes

w hich occu r in Csoma Kor'

osi’s An

a lysis, w ith the e xplan a t io n s it co n

ta in s, toge the r w ith an inde x and a

Table A lpha bétiqu e de s Ou vrage sdu Ka ndjo ur ,

”and se ve r a l a ppe n

dixe s. The fo u rth vo lume o f the

A n n a le s du Mu sée Gu ime t is t o

co n sist of Extr a its du Ka ndjo u r ,”

tra n slatedby M. Léon Fe e r .

2 In a ve ry in te re st in g pape rpr in ted in the Bu lle t in Histo r ie nPhil o logiqu e de l'A cadémie de Sa in tPét e r bo u rg,

"tom . i v., 1848, pp. 32 1

339

xxx INTRODUCTION.

the altar,wrapped in red and yellow coverings. As the

Russian ecclesiastical mission to Pekin was then on thepoint of starting from Kiachta

,he e ffered to obtain by its

means from China such books as the priests might require.They gladly accepted his offer, and made out lists ofTibe tan books

,which proved of great service to him

,

especially after they had been supplemented by theadditions which were made by a Lama who visited himat Kiachta. He stil l further ingratiated himself with thepriests by presenting them w ith a lo or tum-tam, whichhe procured from the n earest Chinese town , as well as bythe respect he showed for their sacred books . For whenhe was allowed to handle a volume of their copy of theKah-gyur

,he took care to touch the margins only of the

leaves,not the holy printed part.

It happened that the chief of a tr ibe of Tson gols possessed a copy of a part of the Kah-gyur

,and this he gave

to the appreciative stranger, who rose still higher in theopinion of the natives when they found that he hadordered a silken wrapper to be made for each of thevolumes presented to him. He himself was delighted

,he

says,at becoming “ the proprietor of the first Tibetan work

of any length which had up to that time passed into thehands of a European. A fter all this he was well receivedwherever he went . A prediction had been made a yearbefore that a foreign convert to Buddhism

,destined to

spread that religion in the West,was about to visit

Mongolia,and this prophecy was interpreted in his favour.

The Buriat Lamas even looked upon him as “ a Kho ubilghan

,an incarnation of an important personage in the

iuddhist Pantheon.

”

A fte r a time he organised a bandof copyists

,sometimes twenty in number

,who lived in

tents in his courtyard,and frequently consumed as mu ch

as a hundred pounds of beef in a day,besides much brick

t ea , a caldron being kept alw ays on the boil for theiruse. At the end of a year he possessed a collection of

INTRODUCTION.

Mongol and Tibetan books,con tain ing

' tw o thousand worksand separate treatises .Happening to visit the temple of Subu lin ,

he foundthat the Lamas were manufacturing an eno rmous prayerwheel . He offered to get the printing of the oft-repeatedpray er done for them at St. Petersburg, whereby theirmachine would be rendered far more effi cacious than i fthey trusted to native typography . They accepted hisoffer gladly

,and to prove the ir gratitude

,presented to

him,in the n ame of the tribe

,a complete copy of the

Kah-gyur which they possessed; having obtained i t froma Mongol Lama. Both partie s to this transaction wereequally pleased ; for when the printed leave s came fromSt . Petersburg, i t was found that each of them contained250 0 repetitions of the sacred formula, and the wordswere printed in red ink

,which is 1 0 8 times more efli ca

cions than black ; and the paper itself w as stamped withthe same words instead of bearing the maker’s n ame. Sothe Bu r iates were charmed , and so was the Europeanbibliophile

,who hadgot possession of what he hadscarcely

hoped ever to obtain,a copy of the Kah-gyur in 1 0 1

volumes,prin ted in the monastery of Nar tang in Western

Tibet . This copy, after the death of Baron Schilling deCans tadt, was purchased from his heirs by the EmperorNicholas

,and presented to the A cademy of Sciences .

M. Vasilie f, the well-known author of the History ofBuddhism

,

” which has been translated from Russian intoFrench and German, says 1 that when he was at Pekin hemade inquiries about the Kah-gyur and Tan-gyur

,and he

was shown the building in which they used to be printed .

But no edition,he was told

,had been brought out for

some time . Some of the wood blocks were lost, othershad suffered injury. However

,a copy of each work was

procured by the Chinese Government and presented to1 In an a ccou n t o f the w o rks, in the “Melan ge s A sia t iqu e s o f the

the lan gu ag e s o f Easte r n A sia,be St . Pe te r sbu rg A cademy o f Sc ie n ces

,

lon gin g to the l ibra ry o f the Un i tom. ii. , 1856.

versity o f St. Petersbu rg, pr in ted in

INTRODUCTION.

the Ru ssian mission. These copies are now in St. Petersburg. The Mongol Bu r iate s of Russia, M . Vasil ief states

,

are even more devoted to their religion,and look to Lhassa

more longingly than their kinsmen in Mongolia itself.They read their sacre d books , or hear them read, inTibetan

,and are edified

,even though thev do not com

prehend . Any one who wishes to command a reading ofthe Kah-gyur or Tan-gyur addresses himself to one ofthe monasteries which possess those works

,pays a certain

price,and provides tea for the Lamas. A readin g of the

Kah-gyur,it seems, used to come to about fi fteen pounds

at one of the monasteries,exclusive of tea. A t a given

signal all the Lamas flock together,and take their places

according to seniority. Before each are placed a numberof leaves of the work , and o ff they set

,all reading at

once,so that the ent ire performance occupies only a few

hours,after which each reader receives his share of the

o ffer ing made by the orderer of the function .

Of the Russian scholars who availed themselves o fthe presence of the two editions of the Kah-gyur at St.Petersburg, the most enthusiastic and industrious wasthe late Professor Anton von Schie fn e r . From the Du lva

,

the fi rs t of the seven divisions of that work,he translated

in to German the legen ds and ta les,an En glish version of

which is con tained in the present volume . His Germanversions all appeared in the “ Melan o e s A siatiques tire’sdu Bulletin de l’A cadémie Impériale des Sciences de St

,

Péte rsbo u rg (tom . vi . with the exceptions of Nos.2 and 5 , w hich were published in the “ Mémoires ofthat Society (series v i i. , tom. xix .

,No. Professor

Schie fn e r , if he had lived another year, w ould have doubtless supplied a number of additional no tes

,and would

have written an Introduction to the work . His lamenteddeath on November 16

,1 880 ,

has deprived the presentvolume of what would probably have been one of its mostinteresting parts . It was at Profes sor Schiefn e r ’s expresswish that the present translation was undertaken . It

INTRODUCTION. xxxi ii

must be a subject of universal regret that he did not liveto witness its appearan ce in print. The following tributeto his merits as a scholar was contributed , soon afterhis death

,by Profe ssor A lbrecht Weber to “ Triibn er

’

s

Record.

”

Profe ssor F. Anton von Schiefn er was a distinguishedscholar of most various attainments. His specialty, however

,was Tibetan

,and more particularly the investigation

of Buddhist legends of Indian and Occidental origin, acollection of which in English will soon be publishedby Messrs. Tr

'

ubn er Co . He had,moreover, devoted

himself with rare perseverance and disinterestedness tothe utilisation and publication of the labours of twoscholars whose own restless activity would

,without him

,

have been almost entirely lost to the scientific worldnamely,those o f' the Finnic lingu i st

,A lexander Ge streu

and of the C aucasian linguist,Baron von Uslar. On e might

— sit vem’

a o erbo almost say that bo th men had found inSchiefn e r their Homer. He edited the labours o f Castr‘oualmos t wholly from the posthumous papers o f that braveand modest man

,who

,from 1 838 to 1 849 ,

explored,under

the greatest privations,the inhospitable regions of Norway

,

Lapland, and Siberia, where the tribes of the Fin n ic raceare seated . Castren

’

s Reiseer in n er a ngen and Reiseber c’

chte,

edited by Schiefn er , presen t a vivid picture of the hardships Castren had to go through

,and which finally caused

his premature death,in 1 852 ,

at the age of thirty-nine.We have lying before us the twelve volumes of hisSamoyedan and Tun gusian Grammars and Vocabularies,as well as those of the languages of the Buryats

,Koibals ,

Karagasses, Ostyaks, &c. ; his ethnological lecture s on theA ltaic races, and those on Fin n ic mythology— all workedout by Schiefn er ’s deft hand

,and edited by him from

1 835 to 1 86 1 . In connection therewith Schiefn e r alsomade a German translation of the Finnic national eposKa leva la

, and also one of the Hero-Sagas of the Minu ssinTatars. Schiefn er w as more advantageously situated in

c

xu iv INTRODUCTION.

working up the collections of the e stimable Caucasianlinguist

,Major-General von Uslar ( 1 8 16 to written

in the Russian language , with whom , un til the Gen eral’s

death,he w as always able to confer directly . While

Schiefn er’

s own and entirely independent w ork on theThu sh language by the accuracy with w hich ahitherto quite uncultivated and altogether strange department w as opened to linguistic investigation , had obtainedfor the author general appreciation , the united efforts ofb o th scholars have furnished surprising results as reg ardsthese highly peculiar languages of the Caucasian mounta in e ers— the Avares , Abchases, Tche tchen z es, R asikumiiks

,Ku r in e s— which by their extraordinary sounds, as

well as by their most singular grammatical structure,

produce so very strange an impression . The personalintercourse with soldiers of Caucasian origin , garrisonedat St. Petersburg, was herein of high importance toSchiefn e r . His amiable and open manner in personalintercourse

,characterist ic o f the whole man

,bore him

excellent fruit in this case. Science, and especially theSt. Petersburg A cademy of Sciences, has by Schie fn e r

’

s

death sus ta ined a heavy,indeed a quite irreparable

,loss .” 1

The edition of the Kah-gyur on which Professor

Schie fn er worked appears (says M. Vasilief, the authorof the His tory of Buddhism to have been that in 1 0 8

volumes,printed at Pekin during the eighteenth century ,

and presented to the A siatic Museum of the St. Petersburg A cademy o f Sciences by the A siatic Department ofthe Ministry of Foreign A ffairs, which had received it,about the year 1 850 ,

from the Ru ssian Mission in China.

1 A complete list o f Pro fe sso r hadm igra tedth ithe r fr om Bohem ia ;Schie fn e r

’

s w r it in gs is gi ve n in a he studied in the Un ive r sity o f St.

memo ir by F. NViedeman n,r e ad a t Pe te r sbu rg from 1 836 to 1840 , and

a me e t in g o f the Impe r ia l A cademy then fo r tw o yea r s in the Un ive rs ityo f Sc ie n ce s, De cembe r 1 1 , 1 879, o f Be r lin . In 1 848 he w a s appo in t eda nd r e pr in ted in the l oth vo lume o f o n e o f t n e libr a r ian s o f the Impe r ia lthe

“ Ru ssische Re vu e .

"Fr om this A cademy o f Sc ien ces, o f w hich b e

it appe a rs tha t he w a s bo rn at R e va l be came a. membe r a few ye a rsin 1 8 1 7, the son o f a me rcha n t w ho la te r .

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INTRODUCTION.

To European folk-tales the longer legends of the Kahgyu r bear but little resemblance, though many of thefables about animals

,and other short stories towards the

end of the present volume, have their counterparts in theWest. Here and there , however, even in the long narra

tiv e s of the legendary class, certain features may be recogn ised as bein g common to both Europe and Asia. Themoral of King Mandhatar ’s story (No. for instance

,

seems to be identical,different as i s its machinery

,with

that of a story which is current in many Western lands .That monarch

,after conquering the whole earth

,ascends

into the heavenly home of the thirty—three gods,and i s

allowed to share the throne of their chief , Sakra or Indra .

But at last he wishes for too much . He came to the conclu sion that he must expel the king of the gods, Sakra,from his throne

,and take into his o w n hands the govern

ment of both gods and men,

”As soon as he had conceived

this idea,the great King Mandhatar came to the end of

his good fortune,

” and soon afterwards he died . The mostfamiliar form of the European story, which inculcatesa similar moral teaching, i s the German tale of “

T he

Fisherman and his Wife ” (the 19th of Grimm’s C ollec

tion) . In it, a grateful fish for a lon g time accedes’ toevery desire expressed by the fisherman . He and hiswife become firs t rich

,then noble

,and eventually royal.

But the fisherman’

s wife is not satisfied with being aqueen. She wishes to be the Pope

,and the fish fulfils

her ~desire . Even then she is discontented , and at lastshe demands to be made God . When the fish is told this

taken . Amon g l in gu ist ic w o rks maybe me n t io n ed Csoma Korosi’s“ Grammar o f the T ibetan La n

gu age ," Ca lcu tta , 1 834 , and his“ Essay to w a rds a D ict ion a ry

,Ti

be tan andEn gl ish , ” Ca lcu tta . 1 834 ;I. J . Schm idt ’s “ Gramma t ik de r

T ibe tan ische Spr ache S t . Pe te rs

bu rg,

1 839 , a nd hi s “ T ibe t ischdeu tsches VVo rterbuch, St . Pete rs

bu rg, 184 1 (an adaptat ion fo r a

Ge rman pu bl ic , acco rdin g to Jaschke ,o f Csoma Korosi ’s w o rk ) ; P . E.

Fo u cau x’

s“G r amm a ir e de laLa ngue

T ibéta in e ," Pa r is, 1 858 ; C o l. T .

W . Le w in’

s“Ma n u a l o f T ibe ta n

,

”

Ca lcu tta,1879 ; a nd w ha t is n o w

the sta nda rd w o rk o n the subject ,H. A . Jaschke

’

s“ Tibe tan -English

Dict ion a ry,” London , 188 1 .

INTRODUCTION. xxxv ii

by her husband,it replies

,

“ Go back,and you will find

her in her hovel.” The fishe rman’

s good fortune has cometo an end . He and his wife are poor folks once more .In a Hesse variant the husband’s final wish is,

“ Let mebe God, and my wife the Mo ther of God .

” 1

A curious parallel to one o f the incidents in KingMandhatar

’

s s tory is afforded by a Polynesian myth . On

the crown of King Utposhadha’

s head , according to theTibetan tale

,there grew a very soft tumour

,somewhat

resembling a cushion of cotto n or wool,without doing him

any harm . When it had become quite ripe and hadbroken

,there came forth from it a boy

,shapely and hand

some.” Mr. Gill tells us in his interesting “ Myths and

Songs from the South Pacific ” (p. that Tangaroa andRongo were the children of Vatea

,the father of gods and

men ,and his wi fe Papa. “ Tangaroa should have been

born first, but gave precedence to his brother Ron go. A

few days after the birth of Rongo,his mother Papa suffered

from a very large boil on her arm . She resolved to getrid of it by press ing it. The core accordingly fl ew out ; i twas Tangaroa ' Another account

,equally veracious

,says

that Tan garoa came right up through Papa’s head . Theprecis e spot i s indicated by ‘the cr ow n

’ with which alltheir descendants h ave since been born .

”Professor

Schiefn er mentions that a suggest ion has been made tothe effect that the name of Utpo shadha may be a transformation o f the Greek Hephaestus, though the part whichthe latter plays in the Greek myth at the birth of A then si s of a d ifferent nature .” But this seems to be going u nnece ssarily far.The story of Kusa

,No . 2 ,

may be linked with the numerous European variants of the tale which w e know so wellunder the title of Beauty and the Beast.” The principalfeature of that tale is the union of a beautifu l maiden witha monster of some kind

,whose monstrosity is even tually

1 A n ac cou n t o f the di ffe re n t w ishe s has be en gi ven by Be n fey,c lasse s o f sto r ie s w hich tu r n u po n “ Pan cha tan tr a ,” i . 496—499.

xxxv i ii INTRODUCTION.

cured by her love and devotion. The Beast with whomthe Beauty is linked is generally a supernatural mons ter

,

and posse sses the power of at times divesting itself of itsmonstrous or bestial envelope or husk, and appearing inits real form as a fairy prince or other brillian t being. I tis

,as a general rule

,only at nigh t in the dark that this

trans formation takes place. In some cases,as in the

Cupid and Psyche story, the wife is forbidden to lookupon her husband. He visits her only in utter darkness.But in many version s of the story she is allowed to seeher pseudo-monster in all his brill iant beauty. He is

often a deity,whom some superior d ivinity has degraded

from the sky and compelled to live upon earth under amonstrous shape . On e day the wife lays her hands onher husband’s monstrous envelope or husk and destroys it.The spell being thus broken

,the husband either flies aw ay

to heaven or remain s living 0 11 earth in unin terru ptedbeauty.

In some of the European variants,the original idea

having apparently been forgotten,the transformation ap

pears n o t only grotesque but unreasonable . Thus in aWallachian tale (Schott, No. a princess is married toa pumpkin

,or at least to a youth who is a pumpkin by

]

day. Wishing to improve her husband, she one day putshim in the oven and bakes him

,whereupon he disappea rs

fo r ever. In a German s tory (Grimm,No . a princess

who has lost her way in a wood is induced to marry aniron stove. But the disfigur ing “ husk ” i s in most casesthe hide or skin of some inferior animal

,an ass

,a monkey

,

a frog,or the like

,or else the outside o f a hideous man .

Sometimes it is a brillian t female being w ho i s after thisfashion “ translated.

” Thus an Indian story 1 tells of aprince who was obliged to take a monkey as his wife.But when she liked she could slip out of her monkey skinand appear as a beautiful woman arrayed in the mostmagnificent apparel . She adjured her husband to take

1 Asia tic Jou rnal. New Ser ies, v o l. ii. , 1833.

INTRODUCTION.

great care of her husk during her absence from it. Butone day he burnt it

,hoping to force her to be alw ays

beautiful . She shrieked I burn ! ” and disappeared . In

a Russian variant of the same story a prince is compelledto marry a frog

,which is held in a bowl while the mar

r iage service is being performed . But when it so pleasesher

,his frog-wife fl in gs o ff her skin and becomes a fair

maiden . On e day he burns her “ husk,and she disap

pears . In the Tibe tan story o f Kusa, the Beas t i smerely an u gly man di sfigured by the eigh teen signs ofuncomelines s .” 1 On that account i t was decided that “ hemust never be allowed to approach his wife by day light.But she caugh t sight of him one day, and her suspicionswere aroused . So she hid away a l ighted lamp in herroom

,uncovered it suddenly when her husband was w i th

her,shrieked out that he was a demon

,and fled away.

A fter a time , however , won by his military reputation ,she said to hersel f

,

“As this youth Kusa is excelle n tlv

endowed with boldness and courage,w hy should I dislike

him And straightway she took a liking for him,

” jus tas the Beauty of the fairy- tale did for the Beast. I t maybe worth no ticing that the conch-shell which Kusa soundswith such force that the ears o f his enemies are shattered

,

and they are e ither killed or put to flight,

finds a Russianparallel i n the whistle employed by the brigand So lov e i

,

or Nightingale, whom Ilya of Murom overcome s . In th ebu ilmas, or Russian me trical romances , he o ften figures ;and when he sounds his whistle his enemies fall to the

ground , nearly or quite dead .

No . 3 , which chronicle s some of the wise judgments o fKing Adarsamu kha

,comprise s two differen t storie s— the

first narrating the ingenuity w ith which the king satisfiedthe demands of a number of complainants without injuringthe man who had involuntarily given rise to their com

1 W ith the sto ry of his birth may Ka tha Sar it sagara . Se e Mr . Tawbe compa r ed the sim ila r a cco un t o f n ey ’

s tran slation, vo l. i . p . 355 .

the birth o f Srin gabhu ja in the

INTRODUCTION.

plaints the second describing a journey made by a

traveller who was commissioned by various persons,

animals,or other obj ects

,passed by him on his way

, to

ask certain questions on his arriv al at his destination .

The latter story is on e which is familiar to Eastern Europe.In one of its Russian variants a peasant hospitably receive san old beggar

,who adapts him as his brother, and invites

him to pay him a visit . On his way to the beggar’s home,

he i s appealed to by children , who say, Christ’s brother,

ask Christ whe ther we mus t suffer here long.

”Later on

,

girls engaged in ladling water from one well into anotherbeg him to ask the same question on their account. Whenhe arrives at his journey’s end he becomes aware that hisbeggar friend is Christ himself ; and he is informed thatthe children he had passed on the w a v had been cursedby their mothers while still unborn

,and so were unable

to enter Paradise ; and the girls had , while they werealive

,adulterated the milk they sold with water

,and were

therefore condemn ed to an eternal punishment resemblingthat of the Danaides (Afan asie f, Legendu i,

” No . Thejudgments attributed in the Tibetan tale to King Adarsamukha

,and in another Tibetan work

,the Dsanglu n

”

(asProfessor Schiefn e r has remarked) to Ki ngMdge s-pa ,

formthe subject of a story well known in Russia under thetitle of Shemyakin Sud,

” or Shemyaka’

s Judgment.”

I t exists there as a folk-tale,but it belongs to what may

be called the chap-book literature of the country,and it

i s derived from literary sources . A variant given byA fan asief Ska z ki,

”v . ,No . 1 9 ) closely resembles part of

the Tibetan tale. A poor man borrowed from his richbrother a pair of oxen

,with which he ploughed his plot of

ground. Coming away from the field he met an old man ,

w ho asked to whom the oxen belonged. To my brother,

”

was the reply.

“ Your brother is rich and stingy,” said

the old man ; choose which you will , either his son shalldie or his oxen .

” The poor man thought and thought.He was sorry both for the oxen and for his brother

’

s son.

INTRODUCTION.

At last he said , Better let the oxen die. Be it as youwish

,

” said the old man . When the poor man reachedhis home the oxen suddenly fell dow n

’

dead. The richbrother accused him of having worked them to death

,and

carried him off to the king. On his w ay to the king’s

court the poor man,according to the chap-book version

Ska z ki ,” viii. p . accidental ly sat down upon a baby

and killed it,and tried to commit suicide by jumping off

a bridge,but only succeeded in crushing an old man whose

son was taking him into the river for a bath . He hadalso had the misfortune to pull o ff a horse’s tail w ithoutmeaning it. When summoned in to court for al l theseinvoluntary offences, he took a stone in his pocket tied upin a handkerchief

,and stealthily produced it w hen he was

had up before the j udge,say ing to himself

,If the judge

goes against m e I will kill him with this. The judgefancied that the stone was a bribe of a hundred roubleswhich the de fendant wished to o ffe r him ; so he gave judgment in his favour in each case . The poor man was tokeep hi s brother’s horse until its tail grew ac ain

,and to

marry the woman whose child he had crushed,and to

stand under the bridge from which he had jumped andallow the son o f the man he had killed to jump off thebridge on to him . The owner of the horse

,the husband

of the woman,and the son of the crushed man were all

glad to buy off the culprit whom they had brought up forj udgment. The satiri cal turn of the storv and the allusionto bribe-taking are characteristic features of the Russianvariants o f thi s well-known Eastern tale . The Russianstory takes it s title from the notorious in justice andoppression of Prince Demetrius Shemyaka, who blindedhis cousin, Vasily II ., Grand Prince of Moscow,

and for atime usurped his throne . To this day an unjus t legaldecision is known as a Shemyaka judgment . But in theEastern versions of the s tory

,which are n umerous

,there

is no mention of injustice ; stupidity, however, i s sometimes attributed by them to the judge. Thus in the

INTRODUCTION.

Katha Sarit Szigara‘the s tory o f Dev abhuti tells ho w the

excellent wife of the learned Brahman of that name wentinto the kitchen garden to ge t vegetables

,and saw a

donkey belonging to a washerman eating them. So shetook up a s tick and ran after the donkey

,and the animal

fell into a pit as it w as trying to escape and broke itshoof. When its master heard of that, he came in a passionand beat with a stick and kicked the Brahman woman.

A ccordingly she , being pregnant, had a miscarriage , bu tthe washerman re turned home with his donkey. Thenher husband

,hearing of it, came home after bathing, and,

after seeing his wife,wen t in his distress and complained

to the chief magis trate of the town . The foolish manimmediately had the washerman , whose name was Balasu ra ,brought before him

,and

,after hearing the pleadings of

both parties,delivered this judgmen t : Since the donkey’s

hoof is broken,let the Brahman carry the donkey’s load

for the . w ashe rman until the donkey is again fit for work,

and le t the washerman make the Brahman’s wife pregnantagain

,since he made her miscarry. Le t this be the pun

ishmen t of the two partie s respec tively.

’ When theBrahman heard this

,he and his wife in their despair took

poison and died . Andwhen the king heard of it, he putto death that inconsiderate judge .As they deal with the subj ect of wise judgment, the

seventh and eighth stories ma y be spoken of next. On e

of them describes the cleverness o f a girl, the other thatof a lad. Each of them is very popular in the East

,and

both of them find more or les s complete counterparts inthe Wes t. There i s a well-known group of folk-talesfamiliar to most Eu ropean and A siatic lands , the themeof w hich is the sharpness of a woman

’

s wits. Just asthere thrive among the common people of all countriesmany jeers and fl ou ts against women , such as the proverbs

1 Boo k xi l . chap . 72, v o l . 11 . p . lished in the “ B iblio theca Indica1 80 o f Mr . C . H. Ta w n ey’s most by the A sia tic So c ie ty of Bengal.va lu able tran slatio n ,

n o w be in g pub

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INTRODUCTION.

boy .

’ When each of them has laid hold of one of thebov

’

s hands and he begins to cry out on account of thepa in , the real mother will let go, being full o f compass ionfor him

,and knowing that i f her child remains alive she

will be able to see it again . But the other,who has no

compassion for him,will no t let go .” 1 Professor Schie fn er

has called attention in a note to the article in “ Ausland”

by the late Professor Ben fey on the somewhat similar taleo f Die Kluge Dirne

,

” and to the variant of the Visakhastory given in Mr . Spence Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism.

There is a well-known folk-tale about a woman’s in telligence , of which the Russian varian t ma y be cited here .I t i s the 6 th of Khudyakoff

’

s collection of “ Great RussianPopular Tale s (Moscow,

A peasant girl was sointelligent that she solved all the problems proposed toher by a certain judge . Charmed by her cleverness, hemarried her. But he stipulated that if she ever foundfault with any of his legal decisions she was to be divorced,and was bound to return at once to her father’s cottage.Only she was to be allowed to take away with her whatever thing she liked best ih her husband’s house . A ll

w ent well for some t ime with the judge and his cleverwife . A t length she heard him deliver a preposterousjudgment in court , and she could not help protes tingagainst it . Accordingly she was ordered to return to herfather’s hut . She obeyed , but she took with her the judge,to whom she had administered so much liquor beforeleaving

,that she was able to drive him in a cart tran

quilly sleeping. When he awoke,and found himsel f in

his father-in -law’s cottage,he n aturally asked how he

go t there . “ I brough t you away with me,replied the

d ivorced wife. Yo u know I was entitled to take awaywhatever I liked best i n your house

,and I chose you.

” 2

There is a ve ry interesting story of the same kind in

1 Se e Rhys Da v ids’s “ Buddhist 2 This sto ry is to be fou nd in

B i rth -Sto r ie s,” pp. xiv,xh i and di ve rs place s

,the Ta lmud in cluded.

G e sta Roma n o rum,

”No . 45.

INTRODUCTION.

Radlo fl’

s great collection of songs and tales from CentralA sia Proben der Vo lksl itte ra tu r der tii rkischen StammeSud-Sibiriens

,

” vol . ii i . pp. 347—3 There was once a

choleric khan who understood the language of birds . He

ordered his vizier one day to find out what two geese hadsaid to each other as they flew past

,threatening to put

him to death if he failed to do so. The vizier applied forhelp to the khan’s wise daughter

,who gave him the in for

mation he required . He promised not to mention hisinformant

,but he broke his promise. The khan w as so

angry with his daughter, when he found out that i t w as

sh e who had told the vizier what the gees e had said,that

he gave her in marriage to the most miserable specimenof humanity he could find . She proved an excellent wifeto her unsigh tly and poverty-stricken husband

,and he

and she prospered in consequence .1

The story of the clevern ess of Mahau shadha (No . 8)forms the counterpart of that of Visakha

,who herself

plays a part in the tale, which is told at somewhat tediouslength . Some of its in cidents will be familiar to readersof Western folk-tale s . Professor Schiefn er has calledattention (in a footnote to page 1 29) to several variantsof the story of the mystic fowl— sometimes a cock , somet imes a hen or goose

,a layer of golden eggs— the eater of

which is destined to become a king. I t forms the opening of the German s tory of The Two Bro thers (Grimm ,

No. 60 ,vol. i ii . pp. 10 2 but in it the peculiarity of

the bird is stated to be that the eating o f it s heart andliver enables the eater to become rich . Three Russianvariants of the story are given by A fan asief in his colle etion of “ Russian Popular Tales ” (v . ,

No . 53 , viii . , No . 26 ,

and pp . 464 In all of them the eater o f the bird ora part of it becomes a king. Many mythologists 2 recognise

1 The sto ry o f the su ito r s w hom Ta le s, No . 28,“ The Cle ve r \Vi fs .

V isakha shu t u p in che sts and pu t2 Se e Gu be rn at is,

“ Zoo logica lt o shame o ccu rs a s a fo lk-ta le in Mytho logy,” ii . 3 1 1 .

Miss Ma i r e Sto ke s's Indian Fa i ry

INTRODUCTION.

in the golden egg the Sun , which may be looked upon asa gleaming egg laid every morning by the brooding Night.But the king-making power attributed to the bird’s eatenflesh remains a my s tery. In the story of Mahau shadha ,

the boy Bahv an n apan a , who has eaten the head of themystic cock

,is elected king by the ministers at a certain

court on account of his good looks. Having gone forthin search of some successor to their deceased monarch

,

they findhim sleeping under a tree,

“ the shadow of whichn ever moved from his body

,

” and they exclaim,

“As he

i s extremely handsome,and is well provided with signs

,

we will invest him wi th the sovereignty.

” In the EastEuropean variants the fortunate y outh is frequently chosenas king because his taper, when he takes one to church ,kindles o f its own accord . On e of the tasks whichMahau shadha i s called upon to execute by w ay of provinghis cleverness is “ to supply some rice which had no tbeen crushed with a pestle , and yet was not uncrushed,and which had been cooked neither in the house nor outof the house

,neither with fire nor yet without fire

,

”

and to send it “ neither along the road nor yet away fromthe road

,without i ts being shone upon by the daylight

,

but yet not in the shade,

” by a messenger who should benot riding

,but also n o t on foot ” (page Similar

tests frequently appear in European folk-tales . Thus,in

one of the Lithuanian Tale s (Schleicher, No. a gentleman promises to marry a village maiden if she can fulfi lcertain conditions

,saying,

“ If you come to me neitherclothed nor bare

,not riding n or driving nor walking

, n o t

along the road,n or beside the road , nor on the footpath ,

in summer and likewise in winter, then will I marry you.

”

The abduction of the mule which was watched by fivemen (page one of whom sat on its back while theo thers held its four legs

,is evidently a reminiscence of an

ingenious theft commemorated in many such stories as“ The Master Thief ” (Grimm,

No. But Mahau sha

dha’s contrivances for making the dog talk and for keeping

INTRODUCTION.

the sheep thin (page 175) are n ovel . The latter,as a

plan of working on the body through the eye,may be

compared with Jacob’s use of the rods which he placed“ in the waterin g-troughs when the flocks came to drink

(Genesis xxx .

The “ Clever Thief (No. 4) i s one of the numerou svariants of the well-known story w hich we generallyassociate with the treasure of Rhamp sin itos.

1 As Pro

fe ssor Schiefn er has pointed ou t some of its Weste rnparallels (pp. 37 and i t i s not necessary to do morehere than to add a few references to those which he hasgiven . Professor Schiefn er has himself written on thesubject.2 The most recent commentator is Professor G .

Maspero, who has devoted to it four pages of the Int rodu ction to his collection of ancient Egyptian tales .3

The name of Rhampsin itos, he says, is a Greek form ofthe Egyptian name Ram-sis-si-nit

,or Ramses the son of

Nit . Two objections, he remarks, have been made to thesupposition that the story is of Egyp tian origin . On e isthe nature of the masonry employed by the builders ofthe treasury

,which has been stated not to be in keeping

with Egyptian architectural practice . The other i s theshaving o f the beards of the drunken soldiers w ho hadbeen set to watch the corpse o f the clever thief’s comrade .This has been said to be an incident eviden tly not ofEgyptian origin

,seein g that in Egypt only barbarians

wore beards . But Professor Maspero impugns both obj ections. He shows that some Egy ptian temple s did actuallypossess hiding-places resemblin g that described in thestory ; and as regards the shaving , he points out that inthe first place Egyptians could w ear beards , and did w earthem when they felt inclined

,and that in the second

1 A good acou n t o f the story is in the “ Bu lle t in of the St. Pe te r s

given by S ir G e o rge C ox in his bu rg A cademy o f Sc ien ce s, tom. xi v .Mytho logy o f the A ryan Nation s

,

” pp . 299—3 1 5 .

i . 1 1 1— 1 2 1 . 3 Co n te s popu la ire s de I’Egypte2 “ U ebe r e in ige mo rgen landische An cien n e .

”Pa r is, 1882. Pp .xxxv ii

Fassun ge n de r Rhampsin it Sage ,”

INTRODUCTION.

place the soldiers w ho guarded the corpse would belongto a tribe of Lybian origin of the name of Mation,

” andtherefore be fully entitled

,i n their capacity of foreigners,

to wear their beards . A modern Greek variant of thestory has been lately discovered in Cyprus

,

1 and Mr.Tawney has recently translated an Indian variant

,

2 whicho ffers a striking resemblance t o the Gaelic tale of “ TheShifty Lad.

” 3 The Tibetan tale,however

,is more nearly

akin to the Egyptian form of the story than to that whichi t takes in this Indian variant.The story of Prince Sudha n a (No . 5) has several points

in common w ith Western folk- tales . On e of these is thecapture by the hunter Phala ka of the celestial maiden

,

the Kinnari Manohara, who becomes Sudhan a’

s bride .This is effected by means of a fast-binding chain whichthe hunter throws around her when she is bathing in alake . He r companions fly away heavenward

,leaving her

a captive on earth . This incident will at once remindthe reader o f the capture s of “ swan—maiden s and othersupernatural n ymphs

,which so frequently occur in popular

romance . I t is usually the swan’s fe ather-dress or birdhusk on wh ich the l iberty of the captured maiden depends.While she i s deprived of i t she must live on earth as ai n o r tal

’

s w ife . But i f she can recover it, she becomes abird once more

,and soars heavenward. Manohara i s

captured by m ean s o f a magic chain. But her power o fflying through the air depends upon her possession of ajewel. So long as she is without that, she remains a slave ;when she recovers i t

,she becomes free and flies aloft.4

Sadhana’s visit to the palace of his supernatural wife’s1 Sake lla r io s,

“ Cypr iaqu e s , i i i the We st Highla nds, No . 18, on

p. 1 57. Q u o ted by M. Emi le L e w hich see the e xhau st ive n o te s bygrand in his “ R e cu e i l de Con te s Re in ho ld Kohler in “ Or ie n t u nd

popu la ire s gr ecs.

”

Par is, 1 88 1 . Pp. Occ iden t

,

” i i. 30 3 .

20 5—2 16.

4 Fo r a fu l l accou n t o f “sw an

2 “ Ka tha' Sa r it Szfgar a , bo o k x. m a ide n s ” a ndthe mediaav al r oma n ce

chap . lxi ii . The sto ry o ccu rs in o f “ The Kn ight o f the Sw an ,

”se e

v o l. 11. pa r t 7, o f Mr . Taw n ey ’

s Ba r in g Go u ld’

s“ Cur ious Myths o f

t ra n sla t io n . Ca lcu tta, 1 88 1 . the hIiddle Ages.

3 J. F. Campbe ll ’s “ Ta le s from

INTRODUCTION .

father,and the task which is set him o f recogn ising he r

amid her ladie s,bear a stron g resemblance to the adventures

which befall the heroe s o f many tal es cu rren t in Europe .A mortal youth often obtains , and then for a time loses, asupernatural wife

,gen erally repre sented as the dau ghter

o f a malignan t demon . He makes his way, like Sudhan a ,

to the demon’s abode . There tasks are se t him , which hea ccomplishe s by m eans of his wife

’s help . On e of theseis that he shall recognise her when surrou nded by hernumerous sisters

,each o f whom is exactly like he r in

appearance and dre ss . He calls u pon her to step forthfrom among them ; she does so, and the recognition takesplace .As a specimen of an European variant of the tal e m ay

be taken the Russian story of The Wa ter-Kin g Ru s

sian Folk-Ta le s,

” No . In it a prince steals the dresso f one of the water-king’s tw elve daughters while theyare bathing . He r sisters become spoonbills and fly away

,

but sh e remains in his power till he restores her dress .Then she also fl ie s aw ay in spoonbill form . When hearrive s after a time at her father’s palace

,she aids him

to accomplish the tasks which are set him . At last thewater-king says , Choose yourself a brid e from amon g mytw elve daughters. They are all exactly alike in face

,in

hair,and in dress . If you c an pick out the same on e

three times running,sh e shall b e your wife i f you fail to

do so , I shall have you put to death,” The maiden whose

dress he had stolen and restored enable s him to succeedin this task also . The recognition of Sudhan a by hiswife, brought about by means of a r ing ,

i s an inc iden tof which frequent use is made in folk-tales . When ademon’s daughter

,or a princess who has been enslaved

by a demon , has enabled a hero to escape alon g with he rfrom that demon’s power, sh e often warns him that hewill forge t her i f he, on hi s return home , kisse s his mother

(as in“ Tw o Kings’ Children ,

” Grimm,No . 1 or doe s

somethin g else which he has been forbidden to do . He

d

INTRODUCTION.

alw ays neglects the w arnin g and forg et s his wife. Buteventually she man ages to remind him of her existence ,u sually by means o f a ring . In the similar story o f TheMaste rma id

”

(“ Tales from the Norse

,

” No . the r ecognition is due to a golden apple and two golden fowlswhich the hero and heroine had carried o ff from a giant’spalace. In The Battle o f the Birds (Campbell

’s “WestHighland Tales

,

” No . the prince forgets the g iant’s

daughter after being kissed by an old g reyhound ,” but

remembers her when he hears a conversation between agolden pigeon and a silver pigeon w hich spring out of aglass offered to his forgotten love. Similar parallels tothis story will be found in most of the larg e collections ofEuropean folk-tales .A curious feature in the story is the ablution to which

Manohara i s subjected after her stay among mortals

(p . in order that the smell o f humanity ” may bewashed o ff her. In a similar story in the Katha SaritSz

‘

i ga ra ,1 a hero who has been deserted by his celestial

spouse,Bhadra, wanders long in search of her. A t length

he reaches a mountain lake to which come to drawwater many beau tiful women with golden pitchers intheir hands .” He asks them w hy they are drawing water,and they reply, A Vidyadha r i of the name of Bhadra isdwelling on this mountain ; this water is for her to bathein .

” Whereupon he slips into one of the pitchers thej ew elled ring which his wife had given him . And so itcomes to pass that when the water of ablution is pouredover her

,the ring falls into her lap . She recognises it

,

and all goes w ell.The lon g history o f Prince Ji vaka

,the King of Physi

c ian s (No. has little in common with Western folk-lore .The cure s he performs

,by either opening the skull and

removing from the brain headache-produc ing centipedes,

or else eliminating such similar intruders by a less heroico peration , may, however, be likened to somewhat similar

1 Mr . Taw n ey’s tra n sla t ion , i . 142 .

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INTRODUCTION.

who emerge s (p . 85) from the kadali tr e e ‘

in the 5mm

grove , closely resembles the tree-maidens who figure insome European popular tale s . In the 2 1 st of Hahn’sGriechische Marchen,

” the stem o f a laurel opens andforth comes a wondrou sly fair maiden .

” In the sixthstory of Basile’s Pen tame ron e ,

” a fairy comes forth inthe same way from a date spray, and in the secondfrom a bilberry twig . The homes o f the nymphs ofthis ‘

class are as often flowers as trees . In a Russianstory (Afan asie f, vi. , No . the heroine is transformedafter death into a wondrous blossom. At midnight “ theblossom begins to tremble, then it falls from its stemto the ground

,and tu rns int o a lovely maiden . In the

same way the heroine of the German story o f The Pink

(Grimm ,No . 76) becomes a flow er at her lover’s wish ;

and many other similar instances might be quoted . A ll

such ideas as these appear to have been originally conn ectedwith the tree-worship which formed so importan ta part of the religion o f our remote ancestors

,and on

which so excellent a w o rk was written a few years ago bythe lateWilhelm Mannhardt .1Of special interest, as dealing with this kind of worship,

i s the opening o f the Buddhistic legend of Mahak'

asyapa

and Bhadra (No . Tree-w orship existed lon g beforeBuddhism was heard o f, and it has succeeded in maintaining its existence in many lands up to the present day .

There is no lack of storie s relating to it ; but it . i s notoften that we obtain so clear an insight in to the ideas o ftree-w orshippers, or are favouredwith so detailed an accounto f the rite s which they were wont to celebrate

,as are

afforded by the description o f the childle ss Brahman’sappeal to the Nyag rodha tree (p . It serves to illustrate the con fusion existing in the minds of tree-worshippers between the material tree and its spiritual tenant .The Brahman Nyag r odha , the tree

’s namesake,

first causedthe ground in its neighbourhood to be sprinkled, cleansed ,

1 Wald undFe ldku lte , 2 vo ls . Be r l in , 1 875- 77.

INTRODUCTION.

and adorned . Then he set up flag s and banners, andprovided a profusion of perfumes , flow ers

,and incen se .

Finally,he prayed to the tree-haunting deity,

” promisin gto pay that divine being du e h onour i f a son should beborn to him, but threatening , in case he should remainchildless

,to cut down th e tre e and split it into chips

,

destined to be consumed with fire . In another passage ofthe Kah-gyur (vol . vi . , p . 280 ) Professor Schiefn e r rem arksin a note appended to this passage ,

“ Bhagav an t g ive sdir ections that

,in case it is abso lu tely necessary to fell a

t ree, the work-masters o f the Bhikshus shall draw a circlearound it seven or eight days before fe llin g it, offer u pperfumes, flowers

,and oblations, recite ta n tr as and utter

spells,proclaim abhorrence of the path o f the ten vice s

,

and moreover say ,

‘Le t the deity who inhabits this treefind another dw elling . With this tree shall a relig ious orecclesiastical work be accomplished .

’ Seven or eight daysafter thi s the tree may be felled . But i f any change heperceptible

,it must not be felled . I f none i s perceptible ,

then it may be cut down .

”

On e of the stories o f the Panchatantra (the 8th of Book

5) may be compared with the opening of No . 9 ,so far as

tree-worship i s concerned,and with th e already quoted

( in illustration o f No . 1 ) German story about a wife’s n u

reasonable wishes . A weaver,who w anted timber for a

n ew loom ,was abou t to fell a tree

,when the Spirit which

resided in it protested again st the operation,and promised,

i f the tree was spared,to fulfil any wish the weaver migh t

express. The weaver assented,but before speci fying his

wish h e went home and con sulted hi s wife . She r e commended him to ask for an additional pair of hands andanother head,

for by their means he would be able to keeptw o looms going instead o f one . The weaver t ook hiswife’s advice

,and requested the tree-spiri t to render him

t w o-headed and four—armed . No sooner said than done .

In an instant he became equipped with a couple o f headsand four arms

,and returned home highly deligh ted with

INTRODUCTION.

his n ew acquisitions. No sooner, how ever, did the village rssee him

,than

,g reatly alarmed , they exclaimed a goblin a

goblin ! and between striking him with sticks and peltinghim with stones speedily put an end to his existence .” 1

The greater part o f No . 9 ,the accou nt of the ascetic life

led by Bhadra and her husband, belongs to a differentworld from that of folk-lore

,but in the A cta Sanctorum

,

and in some popular legends derived from that source,

parallels may be found equally conducive to edification .

In No . 1 0 ,also

,we are taken away from the region o f

folk-tales,but this t ime into that of such literary fictions

as form a par t of the “ Thousand and On e Nights.” It,also

,i s not of a very edifying nature ; but it i s valuable

as showing what utter n onsense many of the corruptedBuddhistic legends contain , and illustrating the customprevalen t among literary Buddhists (one in which theywere perhaps surpassed by the Christian compilers o fsuch works as the Gesta Roman o rum o f appending anunexceptionable moral to a tale of an unsavoury nature .

The rapidity with which the narrator,at the close of the

story of Utp alav arn a, passes from the record o f her dissolu ten e ss to the accoun t of her conversion is somewhatstartling. The same remark applie s also to the close o fthe history of Krisa Ga u tami (No. 1 That narrative isas little edifying

,for the mos t part

,as the legend which

precedes it. On e of the tricks resorted to in it,the

lengthening at will, by means of some magical substance,of the nose of an obnoxious indiv idual

,frequently figures

in popu lar tales. In one o f the storie s from Central A sia

(Ju]g , Mongolische Marchen , No . the fairies elongatean intruder’s nose to such an ex tent that they are ableto tie seven knots in it. B u t they perform that operationby sheer force . In European folk-tales the abnormalgrowth of the nose, or the sudden appearance of hornsor the like

,is generally caused by the magical propertie s

o f some fruit or other apparently harmless su bstan ce1 Pro f. Mon ie r W il liams, “ Indian W isdom , 3d edit. , pp. 5 14

—5 16 .

INTRODUCTION.

(Grimm,No . 1 22 ,

iii .,20 4,

Hahn,No . In the present

case,the means employed for the len gthening of the nose

i s a p i ece o f wood,and a piece of another kind o f wood

reverse s the operation . In the folk-ta les th e magicalsubstance which produces the wished-for result i s generallyd iscovered by acc ident . In the Tibetan legend its disco v e ry is due to its employer

’s observation of a raven ,which leng thened its beak by rubbing it on a piece of woodwhen it wanted to ge t at a corpse otherwise out of itsreach

,and afterwards reduced it to its normal proportion s

when it had finished its m eal . The magic lute whichplays so important a part in the story of Susro n i (No . 1 2)is o f course closely related to all the musical instrumentsof magic power which both literature and folk-lore haverendered familiar, from the harp or lyre o f Orpheus or

Amphion to the pipe o f the Piper o f Hameln , the dancein spiring fiddle o f the German tales o f “ Roland ”

and“ The Jew in Thorn s ” (Grimm,

Nos . 56 and the

magic flute which an angel give s to the stron g fool of themodern Greek story o f Bakala (Hahn , No . and anumber o f similar instruments capable of makin g tree sand rocks reel and men and women wildly skip . Inthese dance-compelling in struments many mythologist srecognise symbols o f the wind.

1 On e o f the most interestin g o f the European folk-tale s in which such in strument s occur i s the Esthonian story of Pikn e

’

s Bagpipes,

of which a full account is given by A . de Gub e r n atis inhis Zoological Mythology ( i . 1 59 taken from Dr.Lowe’s excellen t translat ion of Kr e u tz w ald

’

s collection

(Ehstn ische Marchen ,” No . In i t the thunder-god is

robbed of his bagpipes (tome-pd, Rohr e n in str um e n t bythe devil

,who hides it away in hell

,keeping it in an iron

chamber guarded by seven locks. The consequence i s

1 The same pow e r o f the w ind p ipe is a symbo l o f the sto rm -so n gw h ic h is s ign ifi ed by the ha r p o f (o f the Ma ru ts ) w h ich make s a ll

Orphe u s is se e n in the sto ry o f th in gs da n c e ”

(Ma nn ha rdt,

“ G e r

Amph io n (Co x ’s My tho logy o f ma n ische Myth e n ,

” p .

the Arya n Natio ns ,i i . 249) “

The

INTRODUCTION.

that the clouds no longer yield a drop of rain. The

thu nder-god,u nder the form of a boy, obtains access to

hell,and persuades the devil to let him play on the magic

bagpipes. Thereupon the walls of hell quaked,and the

devil and his associates fainted aw ay and fell to theg roun d as thou gh dead .

”Retu rn ing home , the thunder

god blew into his thunder-instrument till the rain-gatesopened and gave the earth to drink.

” The termination ofthe history of Susro n i is closely akin to that with whichall complete variant s o f the Puss in Boot s story shouldend. They ought always to conclude with the ingratitudeof the hero or heroine o f the tale to the cat or fox or otheranimal which has made itself u se ful . The Marquis deCaraba s ought to hav e proved ung rateful to the BootedCat , just as Susro n i neglected to give her benefactor, thejackal

,the daily meat which she had promised it . The

asseverations of the king’s wives in this story,and those

of the hero and heroine of No . 1 8,may be compared with

the similar affi rmations of the heroine o f the 26 th of M.

Legrand’

s Contes Populaire s Grecs .” In it a king su ffersfrom a stran ge malady, three bran ches having grow n overhis heart. His disguised sister tells him her story

,and

adds,

“ If I tell the truth, 0 my king , may one of the

branches break which is over you r heart l ” By three suchasseverations she breaks all three bran ches .The story (No . 1 3) o f the actor who dramatises the l ife

o f Bu ddha,and is punished for his audacity in making

fun of the Six Bhikshus, soars high above the reg ion offolk-lore . And there i s but little in European popularfiction which can be likened to the legend of The DumbC ripple

”

(No . who pretended to be unable to speakor walk

,in order that he might not be made a king ,

reflectin g that,if he were to be invested with sovereign

power,this would n o t be a good thing

,seeing that in

consequence o f a sixty yea rs’ reign which he had ae com

plished in a previous state of existence , he had been bornagain in hell

,and that he now ran the risk of going to hel]

INTRODUCTION.

a second time . The same remark holds good of the n o tvery edifyin g history of Rshyasri nga or GazelleHorn (No .

1 the ascetic who , out of spite, prevents rain from fallinguntil his asceticism and his mag ic power collapse together .The story of Visva n tara (No . the princely Bodisat ,

who not only g ive s away a ll his p roperty and retire s intothe forest o f penance , but even surrenders his tw o childrento a crue l slav emw n er

,andfinally hands over his wife to

a stranger who demands he r,has been a lready told by

Mr . Spence Hardy in his “ Man ual of Buddhism ”

(pp .

1 16 under the title of “ The We ssan ta ra Jataka ;but as it i s one o f the most touching of the class o flegends to which it belo ngs , having in it more o f humaninterest than such narra tives g enerally contain , and asthe Tibetan variant is the more po etic and pathetic o f thetw o renderin gs of the tale

,Professor Schie fn e r has done

good service by translatin g it . Such act s o f renunciationas the princely Bodisat accomplished do n o t commendthemselves to the Western m ind . An Orien tal storyte ller can describe a self-sacr ificin g monarch as cuttingslices o f flesh o ff hi s own arms and plungin g them intothe fire in honour o f a deity

,and yet not be afraid of

exciting anything but a religious thrill among his audience .To European minds such a deed would probably appea rgrotesque . And so the Eastern tale s in praise of selfsacrifice do not seem to have impressed the lay mind ofEu rope . On e cclesiastical literature they probably exertedconsiderable influence . But folk-tale s do not often dealwith such heroic operations as were performed by PrinceVisvan ta ra in cutting himself loose from all worldly tie sin order that nothing might prevent him from becom ingthe con summate Buddha. The sorrow s o f Madri

,the

princely ascetic’s wife,who is reduced by her husband’s

passion for g ivin g everything away first to exile andpoverty

,then to bitter g rie f on accoun t of the loss o f her

dearly loved littl e children,and finally to slavery

,but

who submits to all he r hu sband’s commands,may be

INTRODUCTION.

compared with those of the patient G risilde s whosepraises Chaucer has sung in “ The Cle rke ’s Tale . The

Clerk state s in his prologue that the story was one whichhe “ le rn ed at Pado w e o f a worthy clerk,

” whose nam ewas PrauncesPe tr a rk,the laureat poete Petrarch havingfreely translated it in the yea r I373 from Boccaccio

’s“ Decamerone .” This story, how ever, appears to havebeen current in I taly for some time before . In folk-tale sthe similar sorrows of a wife who is condemn ed to aseries o f humiliations by a harsh husband are oftendescribed ; but the husband

’

s con duct i s generally a o

counted for by the fact that his wife had at first rejec tedhim with contumely

,and he had made u p his mind to

retaliate . Patient Grissel’s husband had absolutely noexcuse to plead for his cruelty, nor can much he said inextenuation of that Of su ch a hu sband as the German“ King Thr u shbe a rd (Grimm ,

No . the Norw egianHacon G riz z leb e ard Tales from the Norse

,

” NO .

or the Italian “ Ki ng of Fairland ,” the husband of the

proud C in t ie lla (Basile’s “ Pe n tam e r o n e

,No . The

Russian variant Of “ Patient Grissel’s S tory ”

(Afan a sie f,v. NO . 29) seems worthy Of mention , as n o t being l ikely tobe familiar to Western Europe . A king marries a peasant’sdaughter on condition that she shall never find fault withanything he says or does. She makes him an excellentwife

,and never opposes his will, even when he takes her

children from her, pretending that they are to be pu t todeath

,in order that his neighbours might not laugh at

them as bein g sprun g from a peasant mother ; or when hesends her back to her father’s hut , and then recalls herfrom it as a servant

,and orders her to get ready the room

intended for his new bride . But the Russian story,as it

stands alone (with the ex ception of the Open ing) , i s p robably an echo from abroad .

1

1 The b ibl iogra phy o fthe Gr ise lda c o lumn s lo n g ,in ErschandGru be r’s

sto ry is give n a t le n gth by Dr .

“ A l lgeme in e En cyklopadie ,

”se c

Re in ho ldKOhle r ,in a n a rt icle fifte e n tio n i . , v o l. xc i . Le ipz ig, 1871 .

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INTRODUCTION.

o f the churning , a horse which had the power of restorin gto life

,by a sniff

,any Asura whom the gods had killed .

This gave him g reat pow er. At length Indra went toNamuchi and asked for that horse as a gift. Namu chi

gave it,and Indra

,as he could not be slain by any

other weapo n,killed him with foam o f the Gan ges

,in

which he had placed a thunderbolt . ” However,he was

born again as an A sura composed all o f jew els,

” andhe conquered Indra a hundred times. “ Then the godstook counsel together

,and came to him

,and said to him

‘By all means giv e us vour body for a human sacrifice .When he heard that, he gave them his own body , althoughthey were his enemies noble men do not turn their backson a suppliant

,but bestow on him even their lives .”

The story o f a charitable mon arch , whose uprightnessand generosity are put to a severe test by a deity

,occurs

as a folk-tale in Miss Maive S tokes’s Indian Fairy Tale s ”

(No . I t properly belongs to literature,in which it

has assumed various forms,one Of which has been made

know n to En glish readers by the late Sir Mutu Co omaraSwamy in his “ A richandr a , or the Martyr o f Truth ; aDrama translated from the Tamil.” The story as told bya n Indian ayah takes this form. There was a king namedHarchand , who used to pray a gr eat deal to God

,and

Godwas very fond o f him,

”

b u t thought fi t to test hisgoodness . SO one day, when he had promised an ascetictwo pounds and a half o f gold

,

” all his wealth was tu rnedinto charcoal . In order to keep his word , Ha rchand wasobliged to sell his wife and child for a pound a nd a halfo f gold

,and then he sold himself for the o ther pound .

Having become the property of a Dom ,that is

,a man of

a very lo w caste,who kept a tank into which i t w a s his

business to throw the bodies o f those who died,he w as

chargedwi th the care of the tank, and ordered to take arupee in payment for each adult corpse

,eight annas for a

dead child , or a piece of cloth , in case the bearers o f thebody had n o m oney . On e day his wife arrived, bearin g

INTRODUCTION.

the corpse o f his son,who had died. S he had no money

,

but she said to hersel f,I know that man is my husband,

so he will not take an y money for throwing his child intothe water .” But he was so hone st

,in the interests of his

master,that he in sisted u pon a fee , which had to be paid

at the expense o f his wife’s single coverin g . Ev entuallyall went well, the dead boy was re stored to life, and whenthe reunited royal family re turned home , the garden wasin splendid beauty ; the charcoal was turned back intogold

,and silver

,and j ewels ; the serv ants were in waiting

as usual,and they wen t into the palace and lived happily

for evermore.The principal theme of “The Fulfilled Prophecy (NO .

17) i s one that O ften occurs in popular tales, many ofwhich are devo ted to proving how impossible it i s for aman

,whatever c rimes he may c ommit, to escape from his

destiny. The Two Brothers (NO . 1 8) i s on e o f thegreat cycle o f moral tale s in whic h g oodness is contrastedwith badness

,to the temporary adv antage bu t eventual

discomfitu r e o f the latter. The blindin g Of the goodbrother by the bad is a n incident suggestive of the Opening of the well-known folk-tale s o f “ True and Untrue ”

(“ Tale s from the Norse

,No . the “ Two Wanderers

(Grimm ,NO . and a great number of similar stories

,

to many of wh ich references are g iven in vol . i ii . p . 1 89 ,

o f Grimm’s collection .

Stories about ung rateful wives are popular in A sia .

In NO . 2 1 , HOW a woman requite s love ,” a husband

twice saves his wife’s life,once by rescu ing her from his

brothers,who proposed to feed u pon her when destitute

Of other food in a desert, and again by supplying her withfood and drink

,much to his own inconvenience

,when sh e

was faint from hun ger and thirst . He sliced some fleshOff his thighs,

” says the narrator, and gave it to her toeat ; and then he Opened th e vein s of both his arm s and

gave her the blood to drink.

” In spite o f which,she con

spired against him with a handless and footless cripple .

lxii INTRODUCTION.

In one of the Indian variants o f the story (“ Pan cha

tantra,” iv. the husband’s self-sacr ifice take s a more

poetic form . In the midst of a forest a wife sufferedintensely from thirst . He r husband went to seek water .When he came back with some his wife was dead. A

voice was heard sayin g that i f he would g ive up hal f ofhis own life hers would be renewed . He immediatelypronounced a formula by which he surrendered half o f

his life,and his wife was thereby resuscitated . Soon

afterwards,being in a garden one day during the absence

o f her husband,she heard a cripple singing so beauti fully

that she fell in love with him at once . SO she took anearly opportunity of pushing her husband into a well .A fter which she led a wandering life

,carrying about the

cripple in a basket on her head . But her husband, whohad not been killed by his fall

,escaped from the well, and

at len gth confronted her one day in the presence o f aking ,

and demanded back the half o f his life which hehad given her . She uttered formal words Of surrenderand fell dead . The Indian variant of the story in theDasakumara charita is closely akin to the Tibetan

,the

husband assuaging his wife’s hunger and thirst by meansof his own flesh and blood , and being rewarded by bein gpushed into a well by his wife

,who had fallen in love

with a cripple whose hands,feet

,n ose

,and ears had been

cut o ff by robbers .1 This story appears to be the originalo f a sin gular Mon gol tale (Jii lg

’

s Mongolische Marchen,

”

p. A man and his wife were walking along near acliff, when they heard so lovely a voice resounding thatthe woman said to herself

,

“ I should like to belong to theman who possesses so charming a voice

,

” and she proce eded to push her husband into a well . Then she se t o ffin search of the possessor of the voice . When she foundhim

,he turned out to be a loathsome invalid

,whose g roans

1 Hindo o Ta le s. o r the Adv e n the Da sakuma ra cha r itam ,by P.W.

t u re s o f Te n Pr in ce s.

”F re e ly Jacob,” pp. 26 1- 266.

tra nsla ted from the Sa n skr it o f

INTRODUCTION.

hadbeen rendered melodious by the echoing cliff. F u llo f remorse

,she tried to make up for the murder of her

husband by carryin g away the invalid,u nder whose dis

agreeable weigh t she pined away and eventually died (Benfey

,Panchatantra

,

” i . pp . 4 36 The form assumedby the story in the Katha. Sarit Sagara 1 i s almost identicalwith that in the Kah-gyu r . The end

,however

,i s more

savage in the Indian than in the Tibetan variant. A fterthe un gratefulness Of the wife had been exposed, the kin g

’

sm inisters cut Off her n ose and ears and branded he r , andbanished her from the country with the maimed man .

And in this matter Fate show ed a becomin g combination ,

for it united a woman without nose and ears with a m a n

w ithout hands and fee t .” In the Three Snake Leaves

(Grimm,No . a wife who has been resuscitated after

her death by her husband conspire s against him with aship-captain and ha s him fl ung into the sea . He i s saved,however

,and she and he r accomplice are ultimately dis

covered and sentenced to be drowned .

The story Of The Grateful Animals andthe Un gratefulMan (NO . 26 ) i s one that i s very widely spread throu ghout A sia

,and has made its way into m any parts Of

Europe. The merits of the low er animals were,in Eastern

stor ies,frequen tly contrasted with the demerits o f man

,

so far at least as g ratitude is concerned , man y centurie sbefore such ideas as have in modern times led to theformation of societ ie s for the protection o f animals hadexercised any influence over European thought . In thepresen t instance a hunter

,who draw s out of a pit a lion

,

a snake,a mouse

,a falcon , and a man , i s rewarded by the

t w o beasts,the bird , and the reptile , and by their aid i s

enabled to escape from prison,after having been thrown

into it in consequence o f the machinations of the man hehad saved . In the Panchatantra ” (Appen dix to Book i .story 2) a Brahman rescues a tiger, a monkey, a snake,and a man

,with similar results. From the work of which1 Vo l. i i . p. 10 1 o f Mr . Taw n ey’s tra n slation.

INTRODUCTION.

the “ Panchatantra ” is th e Sanskrit representative , thestory made its way

,about 750 A .D. , into the Syriac Ka lilag

and Damn ag ,

” and the A rabic Ka lilah and Dimnah,

”

and thence,abou t 10 80 A .D.

,into Symeon Seth’s Greek

translation from the Arabic,and the Latin translation

(through the Hebrew) by Jcannes o f Capua in the secondhalf o f the thirteen th ce ntury, and so into the Spanish ,German ,

French,Italian

,a nd English tran slation s o f

different version s of the Arabic work.

1 It occurs also ino ther works of Buddhistic origin . In a story from the Rasavahin i , quo ted by Spiegel i n his Anecdo ta Palice

,

” aninhabitant of Benares rescues from a hole a dog

,a snake

,

and a man . The dog and the snake are gratefu l , and bytheir means their rescuer is en abled to escape the impalem ent to which he had been condemned in c onsequence o fthe m alice of the ungrate ful m an he had rescued alongwith them . There can be little doubt that it was fromIndian

,and probably Buddhistic

,source s that such grate

ful animals made their w ay into European folk-tales— asthe an ts , fish

,and birds Of the “White Snake (Grimm ,

No . the lions,bears

,wolves , foxes, and hares of

“ The Two Brothers (NO . the ants,ducks

,and bees

o f “ The Queen Bee (NO . the horse,ducks

,stork

,

a ndbees of “ The Tw o Wanderers ” (No . and thebear

,mouse

,and monkey of The Faithful Beasts ”

(Grimm , 10 4 of first edition,afterwards omitted) n o t to

speak of the numberle ss co unterparts Of these grate fulcreatures in the folk-tales Of every European land .

Of the rest of the stories,the greater part belong to the

class of animal fables . Many of them are Old acqu aintauces u n der a n ew guise . The Ungrate ful Lion ”

(NO.

for instance,which tells ho w a w oodpecker ext racted

a bone from a lion’s throat,and was su pposed by the lion

to be sufficiently paid for his trouble by its esca pe fromhis jaw s , closely resembles the fable of the wolf which paid

1 Fo r a n a cco un t o f th is l ite ra tu re,se e Mr . Rhys Da v ids’s B uddh ist

B irth -Sto r ie s, p. xx ix.

INTRODUCTION.

in similar coin its long-billed benefactor. The Wolf andthe Sheep (NO . 29) is the familiar fable of The Wolfand the Lamb ,

” but the final argument of the wolf isdifferent. The story of the ass which insists upon singingat the wrong time

,and so is caught trespassing, and is

punished (No. has made its mark in European literature . The j ackal which acts as arbiter be tween the twootters (NO. and take s as its share the main par t of thefi sh they catch

,leaving only the head and tail for them,

closely resemble s the well-known legal eater Of the dis

pu ted oyster and presen ter Of the oyster-shells to the twoclaimants who had referred their dispute to his decision .

The moral of the tale in which the lion IS saved by thejackal (No. 3 5) is the same as that of the fable of thenetted lion which the mouse res cued by gnawing itsbonds . The blue-s tained j ackal (NO. 36) is one of thedisguis ed animals about which many fables are current inthe West

,such as the ass in the lion’s h ide

,or the cat

which fell into a shoemaker’s tub,and afterwards played

the par t of a nun . And the monkeys which see the refl e ctio n Of the moon in a well

,and think that it has fallen

out Of the sky into the water, and form themselves into achain whereby to draw it out (No . are closely relatedto the foolish persons of the Wise Men of Gotham class

,

to whom various similar follies are attributed in manylands.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

receive the name of Mfirdhaja (crown-born ) consequentlythe name Mandhatar i s known to some , and that of Mur ~

dhaja to others .The young Mandhatar passed through a space of six

Sakra-evanescences 1 during his boyhood,and an equal

length Of t ime after he was appointed crown prince .Once

,while Prince Mandh

'

atar was absent on a j ourney,King Utpo shadha fell ill . As he became still worse

,

althou gh he was treated with medicine s from roots,stems,

leaves,blossoms

,and fruits

,he ordered the ministers to

invest the prince with sovereign power . In accordancewith the kin g '

s orders, they sent word to the prince thatKing Utp o shadha was ill , and had determined to summon him in order to invest him with sovereignty ; i twas meet

,there fore, that he shou ld come quickly. Soon

after the messen ger had se t out Kin g Utpo shadha died .

Thereupon the ministers s ent another messenger with thetidings that the prince’s father w a s dead

,and that he

Ou ght n ow to come in order to assume the regal power .But Prince Mandhatar was of Opinion that

,as his father

w as dead,there could be no use in his going, and b e r e

mained where he was . The ministers again assembledand sen t a minister as messenger. When he came tothe prin ce and invited him to assume the sovereignpower

,Mandhatar said, If in accordance with the law I

acquire the power, the investiture therein ou ght to takeplace here .The m inisters se nt to say, 0 king

,as there are many

things which are needed for a regal investiture,such as

a j ewel-strewing,

2 a throne , a canopy, a fillet,and armlets

,

and as the consecration must take place in the palace,

there fore it i s n ecessary that the prince should come here .

”

dhdca lls to m indthe attempt to re Sakra ’

s l ife is given a t the end o f

c ogn ise in Athe n s “ the u n su ckled th is tal e .

o n e .

”Of. Eu stha t iu s o n the Il iad,

1‘Edelstein str cu is Pr o fe sso rp . 83 (p . 71 o f the Le ips ic editio n ) , Schie fn e r

’

s r e nde r in g o f the Tibeta na ndPott, Etymo log . Fo rschu n ge n , w o rd w h ich a ppe a r s to r e pr e sen tWurz el r te rb u ch , I. i . p. 180 . S . the j ew e ls w h ic h w e re to b e sea t

1 An a ccount o f the dur ation of te redat the co rona tio n .

KING MANDHA TAR .

He replied,

“ I f the power comes to me in accordancewith the law ,

then will all these things come here .

”

The Yaksha Div a uka sa , who ran in front o f PrinceMandhatar , brought the throne and th e jewel-strewing ,the inmates o f the palace brough t the canopy

,the fillet

,

and the armle ts . As the inmates Of the palace camethemselves

,the place rece ived the name of Saketa .

1

When after this the minist ers,the commander-in -chief

,

and the tow n a nd c ountry people had draw n n igh untothe prince for the

'

co n se c ra t io n, they said ,

“ 0 king,be

pleased to receive the consecration .

He replied , Shall men , forsooth , lay the fillet on me 2If I acquire the pow er according to la w , the fillet shall belaid on me by demon s.” 2

Thereupon the fillet was laid u pon him by demon s .Moreover the seven treasures were revealed ,3 nam ely, thetreasu re of the wheel, the treasure o f the elephant, thetreasure o f the horse

,the treasure of the gem

,the treasure

of the wife,the treasu re o f the householder, and, as the

seventh,the treasu re of the minister . Also there fell to

his shar e fully a thousand sons , heroic, sturdy , endowedwith the beauty of splendid bodies , victorious over hostso f foe s .In the neighbourhood Of Va isali there was a dense

forest of a delightful aspect, in which five hundredhermits endowed with the five kinds of insight 4 hadabandoned themselves to contemplation ; and in thisdense forest there dwelt also a great number of cranes .Now

,as noise is a hindrance to contemplation

,and the

cranes made a noise as they fl ew , one Of these Rishis

1 Se e Bohtlin gk-Roth o n Ka ti . va le n t o f the P5 11 w o rd A bhifi i

’

i fi .

Sake ta is a n ame o f A yodhya o r Mr . Rhys Da vids has kindly se n t

a n c ien t Oude .— S . me the fo llo w in g e xpla n a t io n

11 Ama n ushya .— S .

“ The r e a r e fi v e su ch Abhihnas,

3 Fo r a fu ll a cc o u n t o f the se se ven w hich a r e fiv e kinds Of in sight o r

tr ea su r e s,se e Rhys Da vids’Hibbe rt in tu it i ve pe rcept io n ; tha t is, the

Le ctu r e s, pp. 1 30—1 34 . in tu iti ve percept io n o f fi ve c la sses Of

1 Klar sz chtcn is Pr o fe sso r Schie f thin gs. ”n e r

’

s r ende r ing Of the T ibeta n e qu i

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCE S.

became an gry, and u t tered a curse to the effect that thecranes’ win g s should be en feebled. SO, in consequence ofthe cranes having irritated the Rishis, their wings becamefeeble

,and they took to g oin g about , walking on their

feet . The kin g ,as he went afield , saw the cranes walkin g

abou t in this way, and asked the m inisters why the craneswent afoot . The ministers replied,

“ 0 king , as noise isa hindrance to contemplation , the Rishi s in their wrathhave cursed the cranes. On that account, in consequenceof the anger of the Rishis, the cranes

’ wings have grownweak .

The king said , Can they be Rishis who are so pitilesstowards living creatures GO to them

,sirs

,and tell them

in my name that they shall not remain in my realm .

The ministers executed his commands . The Rishisreflected that the king had power over the four quarters o fthe world

,and they determined to betake themselves to

the slopes of Sumeru . SO they went away and settledthere .A s King Mandhatar ’s subj ects were thinkers

,scanners

,

and testers,and as in the course of thinking

,scanning

,and

testing they took to cultivating various arts and industries,

they Obtained the designation of the Wise . Now they o ccupied themselves with field-labour. When the king

,as he

went afield one day, saw them engaged in field—labour, heasked the ministers what those men were doing . Themin i sters replied

,0 kin g

,in order that they may Obtain

refreshment,they pro duce corn and so forth .

” The kingsaid,

“What ! do men practise husbandry in my realm ?Le t the deity send down a rain of seven-and-twenty kindsof seed. NO sooner had King Mandhatar conceived thisidea than the deity sent “down a rain of twenty-sevenkinds of seed. When the king asked the people Of hisrealm to whose merits this occurrence was due

,the v

replied,“ To the king’s merits, as well as also to our

DW I] .

Later on, men took to tilling cotton-fie lds. When

KING MANDHATAR.

King Mandhata r saw this as he wen t afield, he asked them inisters what those men were doing . The ministersreplied

,

“ O king,they are t illing cotton-fie lds.

” The kingasked what was the use of that . They answered that i twas done for the purpose o f producin g clothes . Thensaid the king ,

What ! shall the men of my country t illcotton-fie lds Le t the deity send dow n a rain Of cotton .

No sooner had King Mandhata r conceiv ed this idea thanthe deity let a rain o f cotton fall. When the kin g askedthe people of his realm to whose m erits this occurrencewas due

,they replied, To the kin g ’s merits

,as well as

also to o u r own .

A fterw ards these men began to spin cotton , and thekin g asked wha t they were doin g . The ministers replied

,

0 king ,they are spinning cotton in order to procure

thread .

” The king said,

“ What ! are the people i n myrealm spinning thread ? Let the deity send down a rainof cotton thread.

” No sooner had King Mandhatar conce iv ed this idea than the deity sent down a rain o f cottonthread . The king asked to whose merits this occurren cewas due . The answer was , TO the king 's merits

,as well

as also to our own .

”

A fter this,when they grad u ally began to weave cotton ,

the kin g asked what they were doing . The answer w as,

0 king , they are w eavin g c otton in order to Obtainraiment . The king said to him sel f,

“ What ! shall themen of my realm weave cotton ? Le t the deity senddown a rain o f raiment . ” NO sooner had KingMandhata rconceived this idea than the deity sent dow n a rain Of

raiment . The kin g asked to whose merit s this occurren cewas du e . The answer was

,TO the king’s merits

,as well

as also to our o w n .

”

The kin g thou ght, “ These men are ignorant o f thepower o f my merits . I possess Jambudv ipa , the vast ,rich , prosperous, fruitful realm ,

abound in g in men andliving creature s . I possess the seven treasures

,the trea

sures Of the wheel, o f the elephant , o f the horse, Of the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

gem,Of the wife

,of the householder

,and, seventhly, of the

minister . I possess a complete thousand of bold, heroicsons

,endowed with the beauty of splendid limbs

,entirely

victorious over Opponents . Now,then

,let a rain o f pre

cions stones fall within my palace , but not so much as asingle piece of money outside.”

Scarcely had this idea occurr ed to King Mandhatarw hen there began to fall within his palace a rain of preciou s stones which lasted for seven days, whil e outsidenot so much as a single piece Of money fell. SO KingMandhatar

,like a being w ho has acquired great power

and supernatural force by means Of virtue and merit,

enjoyed the fruits Of his merits . The king asked towhose merits this was due . The reply was

,

“ To themerits Of the king.

” Then the king said,

“ Honouredsirs

,ye have been in the wrong . I f ye had said that a ll

these things took place on account Of the merits of theking

,I should have caused a rain of precious stones to

fall over the whole of Jamb udv ipa, and each Of you whowanted gems would have had as many as he wished.

”

During this inauguration of King Mandhatar ’s rule s ixSakra-evanescences passed away. Then King Mandhatarasked his runner

,the Yaksha Div aukasa ,

Is there nots ome part of the world as yet unsubdued by me which Icould subdueDiv aukasa replied

, 0 kin g, there is the dv ipa namedPfirv av ideha, which is vast, rich , prosperous, fruitful , andreplete with many men and li ving creatures. Thithermight the king go and rule .”

Then King Mandhatar reflected that he was in possession Of the rich and so forth Jambudv ipa , that he possessed the seven treasures

,that of the wheel and so forth

,

that he had a full thousand of heroic sons,that a rain Of

precious stones had fallen inside his palace for sevenwhole days

,and that he now heard that there existed a

part of the world called Pfirvav ideha ; so he determinedthat he wouldgo thither and rule over it also. Scarcely

KING MANDHATAR.

had the king entertained this idea when , surrounded byhis thousand sons, and accompanied by an army eighteenkoti 1 strong , he rose heavenward and betook himself toPfi rv av idehadv ipa . There, like a bein g who has acqu ired

g reat pow er and supernatural force by means of virtueand merit, b e ruled , en joyin g the fruits o f his merits , formany years, many hun dreds, many thou sands, manyhundreds of thousands of years. While he was ruling overPurvav idehadv i pa , six Sakra-evanescences passed aw ay .

A fterw ards King Mandhata r asked the Yaksha Divankasa whether there ex isted any other dv ipa s not as ye trendered subject to him . Div aukasa replied that therestill remained a dvIp a called Aparag odan iya , vast, rich ,prosperous

,fruitful, replete with many men and living

creatures,and that the king should go thither and reign

therein . Then King Mandhata r reflected that he possessed the rich and so forth Jambudv ipa , that a rain ofprecious stones had fallen within his palace for the spaceo f se v en days, that he had come to Pfirv av idehadv i pa ,and ruled there during many years

,many hundreds

,many

thousands,many hundreds o f thou sands of years

,and

that as he n ow heard that there ex isted ano ther dv ipa ,called Aparag odan iya , he would go there also and r

‘uleover it too . Scarcely had King Mandhatar entertainedthis idea when he rose heavenward

,surrounded by his

thousand sons,accompanied by a. host eighteen koti strong .

Having reached Apa ragodan iya , he tarried therein ; andlike a being who has acqu ired g reat power and supernatural force by m eans of virtu e and merit, enjoyi ng thefruits o f his deserts, he ruled in Aparagodan iya for manyyears

,many hundreds, many thou sands, many hundreds

of thousands o f years . While he was rulin g in Apa rag odan iya , six Sakra-evanescences passed away.

A fterwards King Mandhatar asked the Yaksha Divankasa whether there remained any other dvips n o t yetsubjected to him . Div aukasa replied that there was

1 A ko t i is e qua l to ten m il l ion s.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

another dv ipa called Utta raku r u , vast, rich , prosperous,fruitful

,replete wi th many men and living creatures

, the

inhabitants o f which were still unsubdued and independent,

and that he ought to g o there and rule over his hosts .

Thereupon King Mandhata r reflected that he possessedthe vast

,rich

,and so forth Jambudv ipa , that a rain o f

precious stones had fallen within his palace for the spaceof seven days , that he had ruled in Pfi rvavidehadvipa formany years , many hundreds, m any thousands

,many

hundreds of thousands of years,and that he had done

likew ise in Apa rag odan iya , and that he n ow heard thatthere also e xisted a dvi pa called Uttaraku ru ,

vast,rich

,

prosperous,fruitful

,replete with many men and living

creatures,the inhabitants of which region were as yet

u nsubdued and independent, and that it was meet for himto go there and rule his hosts . Scarcely had King Mandhatar entertain ed this idea when he rose heavenwards,surrounded by his thousand sons

,accompanied by an

army eigh teen koti strong, his seven treasures having beensent on in front . On one s ide of Sum eru he saw severalwhite spots . Having remarked them

,he asked the

Yaksha Div aukasa what those white spots were . “ 0

king,replied the Yaksha

,

“ what you see is the.

ricegrown without ploughing or sowing by the inhabitantsof Utta raku ru . A s they enjoy this rice without havingploughed or sown

,so will you

, O kin o when you have0 ’

arrived there, enjoy this rice which grow s without ploughing or sowing.

” King Mandhatar spoke about this to hisministers, saying, Have ye, O Chieftains

,seen the white

spo ts“ YesO Chieftain s , they are formed by the rice which the

inhabitants of Uttaraku ru obtain without ploughing orsowing. As the inhabitants of Uttaraku ru enjoy thisrice which grows without ploughing or sowing

,so wil l ye

also enjoy i t when ye have arrived there.”

King Mandhatar afterwards saw from afar some

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

and had ruled there for many years,m any hundreds

,many

thousands,many hundreds of thousands of years ; and

that he had g one on to Apa r agodan iyadv ipa , and hadther e ruled for many years, for many hundreds, manythousands

,many hundreds o f thousands of years ; and

that he had moved forward to Uttaraku r udv i pa , andthere also had ruled over his hosts for many years

,many

hundreds,many thousands, many hundreds of thousands

of years ; and that inasmuch as there were thir ty-threegods

,lon g—lived, endowed with beauty, and reple te with

bliss,perpetually abiding in the lofty Vimana palace ,

therefore he would make his way thither in order tovisit the thirty-thre e gods. Scarcely had this ideaoccurred to Kin g Mandhatar when he arose

,surrounded

by his thousand sons,accompanied by an army eighteen

koti strong , and proceeded heavenwards, sending hisseven jewels on in front.Sum e ru ,

the monarch of mountains,i s surrounded by

seven mountains o f gold. King Mandhata r tarried onMount Nem indha r a , and while he r uled over his host son Mount Nem indhara six Sakra-evanescence s passedaway. Thence he betook himself to the golden mountainA s

’

vakar n a . While he ruled over his hosts there sixSakra—evanescences passed away. From Moun t Asvakarna he went to the golden mountain Suda rsan a

,and

while he ruled over his hosts there six Sakra-evanescence spassed aw ay . From Moun t Sudarsan a he went to thegolden mountain Khadiraka , and while he ruled over hishosts there six Sakra—evanescences passed away. FromMoun t Khadiraka he went to the golden mountain Isadhara, and while he ruled over his hosts there six Sakraevanescences passed away. From Moun t Isadhara hewent to the golden mountain Yug andhara , and while heruled over his host s there six Sakra-evanescences passedaway.

When he left Moun t Y ugandha ra , takin g his courseheavenwards

,the five hundred Rishis, who n ow dwelt on

.KING MANDHATAR.

o n e of the slopes of Sume ru , saw him coming , and theysaid

,

“ Honoured sirs, here comes the worst o f kings .The Rishi Du rmukha poured water into the palms o f hishands

,and flun g it towards the host in order to stop it .

Then the treasu re o f the minister,which went in front

of the host, said to the Rishis , “ O Brahmans,cease to

be angry. This i s one who is everywhere victorious.This i s King Mandhatar . I t i s no t a case o f cranes . ”

No w when Kin g Mandhatar came u p to that spot, heasked who had stopped the army. The treasure of theminister replied that the Rishis had done so . The kingasked what those Rishis delighted in . The minister replied

,

In their matted hair.” 1 The king said , Then le t it fall .And as for themselves

,le t them go on in front o f me .

Thereu pon their mattedhair fell, and they themse lves beganto move on in fron t o f him, their hands grasping bows andarrows. Then the t reasure o f the wi fe said to the king

,

0 king , these Rishi s are pract isin g au sterities you ough tto le t them go free .” So the king let them go fre e ; andwhen they had again betaken themselves to their workso f penance they became possessed o f the five kinds o f

insi ght .But Kin g Mandhatar ascended higher toge ther with

his hosts . Now Sum e r u , the monarch of mountain s ,plung ed yoj anas 2 deep into the golden soil andsoared alo f t yojanas above the waters

,So its

height was yojanas . Each side also measured

80 0 0 0 yojanas, so that i ts circumference was

i an a s. Formed o f four kinds of jewels,it was beauti

ful and splendid to look u pon . On its summi t dw el t thethirty-three gods . The five defence s of the thirty-threegods were the water-inhabitin g Nil-gas , the dish-bearingY akshas

,the g arland-wearin g and the ev er—elevated gods,

and the fou r Maharaj as . The water-inhabiting Nagas

1 The w o rdemployedbyPro fe sso r Rhys Da v ids’s

“ Buddhist BirthSchie fn e r is Flechten . Sto r ie s ,” p . 35 .

2 A yo jan a is fo u r lea gu e s.

”

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

stopped King Mandhatar ’s host . When Kin g Mandhata rcame up he asked who had stopped his host. The answ erwas

,

“ 0 king ,the water-inhabiting Nagas have stepp ed

it .” The kin g said,

“ Shall animals wage war with me ?These water-inhabitin g Nagas shall themselve s be myadvanced guard.

” Then the Nagas marched along infront of Kin g Mandhata r .

As the Nagas marched alon g in front of the king theyreached the abode of the dish-bearin g gods, who sa id,“ Honoured sirs, wherefore are ye on the move ?

” TheNagas replied ,

“ The king of men is coming here . Thenthe Nagas and the dish-bearin g gods turned round andstopped the host . When King Mandhata r came up heasked who had stopped his host. The answer was

,

“ 0

king,these dish-bearing gods have stopped i t . ” King

Mandhatar said,“ Le t the dish-bearin g gods themselves

march in front of me . Thereupon they began to moveonwards .They and the Nagas reached the abode o f the garland

wearing gods, who asked them why they were on themove . They replied ,

“ The kin g of men is coming here .

”

Thereupon these gods and the Nagas turned round andtried to stop the host . When the k ing came u p he askedwho had stopped his army. The answer was

,

“0 k ing ,

the garland-wearing gods have stopped it .” The king

said,

“ Le t these garlan d-wearin g gods themselves marchin front of me.” Thereupon they began to move alongin front.As they proceeded they reached the abode of the ever

elevated gods ,1 who asked why they were on the move .

1 An a cco u n t o f th e se va r iou s e st le se j o u r des etras qu ’o n n omm e ,

div in itie s is g iven by M. Eugen e su iva n t Ge o rgi , ‘bu ve u rs e t stu

Bu rn o uf in his “ In tr odu ctio n 21 pides,’ e t qu i on t e n t ibe ta in le

l’Histo ir e du Buddhism e Indi e n ”

n om de Rtag myos. C e s de u x mo n o

( 1876 , pp . 180 , 535—5 W ith syllabe s so t radu isen t l ittéra lemen t

r esp e ct to the “e ve r -e leva ted” (o r , par co n t in u e llem e n t e n ivr e s,’ e t

t o u se Pro fe sso r Schi e fn e r ’s e xpr e s c e tte in te rpr eta tion s’

a c co rde b ie nsio n ,

“die ste t-s b e tru nke n e n ”

)g ods , a ve c la n o tio n qu e Ge o rg i n o ushe says (p . Le tro is ieme étag e don n e de ce s die u x .

KING MANDHATAR.

They repl ied,The king of m en i s coming here . There

u pon they turned round and stopped the host. Whenthe king came u p he asked who had stopped the host .He was told that the ever-elev ated g ods had stopped it .The king said ,

“ Le t the ever-elevated gods march in fron to f me .” Thereupon they began to move onwards .When they reached the abode o f the four Maharajas ,and were asked by them why they were on the move

,

they said,The king of men is comin g here .

” The godso f the region of the fou r Maharaj as r eflected that thismu st be a bein g endowed with g reat force of merit, andthat they must not ven ture to impede him . Thereu ponthey informed the gods of the region of the thirty—threegods that the king of men was coming . The gods of theregion o f the thirty-three gods reflected that this mustbe a being endowed with great force of merit

,and that

,

there fore,they ou gh t no t to repel him

,but should r e

ce iv e him with honour . So the thirty-three gods receivedhim with honour.When king Maudhatar had ascended to the summit

of Sume ru he saw a blue forest tract rising aloft like atower of cloud , and he asked the Yaksha Divaukasa whatit was . The Yaksha replied, “ Those are the divin e treesParijataka a nd Kov idara , un der which the thirty-threegods

,captivated and enchained by the five divine plea

sures of sense , do spor t , rejoice , and enjoy themselv e sthrou ghout the four summer months . You also

, 0

kin g , when yo u have arrived there , captivated by thefive divin e pleasures of sense, will sport, rejoice , anden joy yoursel f .

” When King Mandhatar heard this,

he asked his ministers if they had seen those tall bluetrees which rose aloft like a tower of cloud

,and when

they replied that th ey had seen them,he said, O chief

tains,those trees are Par ijataka and Ko v idara

,the trees

'

o f the thir ty-three gods , under which the thirty-three gods,captivated by the five divine pleasures o f sense

,do spor t,

rejoice,and en joy themselves during the four summer

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

months . Ye also , 0 chie ftains , on arrivin g there, captiv a ted by the five pleasures o f sense, shall sport, rej oice ,and enjoy yourselves. ”

A fterwards King Mandhata r perceived on the summitof S amern somethin g white , which rose aloft like anaccumulated mass o f cloud, and he asked the YakshaDivauka sa what it was . “ 0 kin g

,

” was the reply,

“ thatis the meeting-place o f the thirty-three gods

,and it is

named Sudha rma. There the thirty-three gods and thefour Maharajas mee t together

,and there they view

,scan

,

and test th e affairs of gods and men . Into that placeyou also

,0 king, will en ter.” On hearing this, Ki ng

Mandhatar asked his ministers if they had seen the whitemass which rose aloft like an accumulation o f clouds ,and when they had answ ered affi rmatively

,he said

,

“ O

chieftains,that i s the mee ting-place of the thir ty-three

gods and the four Maharajas, Sudha rma by n ame . There

the thirty- three gods and the four Maharajas meet together,and View

,scan

,and test the affairs of gods and men .

Thither, O'

chie ftain s, will ye also make your way.

”

Sudarsan a , the city of the thirty-three gods, was 2 500yojanas in length and as many in breadth

,and its circum

ference was yoj anas. I t was surrounded by sevenrows of golden walls

,which were two and a half yojanas

high . These walls had quadruple cornices o f gold , s ilver,beryl

,and crystal

,and windows were set in them above

and below . The space lying inside the city of Sudarsan awas fair to see

,pleas ant, extensiv e, and copiously variegated

with a hundred colours,and the ground was soft

,extremely

soft,like a cushion of cotton or wool, yielding to the pres

sure of the foot,rising again when the foot was lifted

,and

covered knee-deep with divine mandarav a [or coral-tree]flowers ; when a wind arose , the faded blossoms wereswept away and a rain of fresh flowers descended . Thecity of Sudarsan a had 999 gates , and at each gate werestationed 50 0 Yakshas arrayed in blue robes and coats ofmail

,and armed with bows and arrows, to serve as a guard

KING MANDHATAR .

and defence for the thirty-three gods , a ndalso as an ornament. The market-place of Suda rsan a , which was 250 0yojanas long and tw elve br e ad, was fair to see , p leasant,strewn with g olden sand, sprinkled with sandalwoodwater

,covered over with gold trellis-work . On every

side were to be seen water basin s of various kinds, formedo f cubes of four sorts

,of gold, silver, beryl, and crystal .

The steps o f these basins were formed of four materials,of gold

,silver, beryl, and crystal . The basins were sur

rou nded by balu strades of four kinds , made of gold , silver,beryl

,and crystal . The uprights

,borders

,and handle s o f

the golden balustrades were made o f silver ; those o f thesilver balustrades we re made o f gold those o f the berylbalustrades were made of crystal

,and those of the crystal

balustrades were made o f beryl . These basins were fullof water which was cool and honey-sw eet

,w ere set thick

with blue,red

,and white lotuses

,and replete with many

water-haunting birds o f beautiful form,which gave agree

able utterance to charming sounds . All around thesebasins grew blossomin g and fruit-bearing tree s o f beauteou sform and stately growth , adorned with wreaths, as whenan adroit Chaplet-maker o r his pupil

,in order to form an

ornament for the ears, has de ftly woven a garland o fflowers . On land

,likewise

,birds of various kinds

,all o f

beauteous form , agr eeably uttered charming sounds .In the city of Sudarsan a were many wishing-trees

,on

which four kinds o f raiment grew,blue

,yellow

,red

,and

w hite . Whatever garmen ts were desired by the gods orthe dau ghters o f the gods were obtained by them as soonas the idea cam e into their mind s. From the four kindsof ornament-tre es came ornaments for the hand and foot,ornaments to be worn out of sight on the lower parts ofthe body, and ornaments intended for the eye . Whateverthe sons or daughters o f the gods wished for

,that thing

came into their hands as soon as they had expressed theirwish . Four kinds of musical instruments

,harps

,pipes

,

guitars, and shells , did th e gods and the daughters of the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

gods hold in their hands as so o n as they wished for them.

Four kinds of divine food,blue, yellow, red , and white,

did the gods and the daughters o f the gods obtain assoon as they wished for them. Storied houses providedwith summer chambers

,courts, windows, and peepholes,

formed meeting-place s for troops of women and Apsaras .There to the sound of music, with drink made of honeyand from the kadamba tree, the thirty-three gods played,rejoiced

,and took delight

,enjoying the fruits of their

merits . The meeting-hall o f the thirty-three gods,Sud

harma by name , which was 30 0 yojanas long, 300 broad,and 90 0 in circumference

,was beautiful

,charming

,

exquisite to look u pon , formed of crystal , and risingabove the city to a height of 342 yojanas. In it werearranged the seats of th

o

e thirty-three gods, those of thethirty-two under-kings

,and the seat of Sakra

,the king of

the thirty-three gods. King Mandha tar’

s seat was prepared for him at the end of

c

all these seats . The thirtythree gods received King Mandhatar with a gift of honour.Then there entered in by ranks those beings who hadacquired great power by the maturity of their merits

,the

others remaining without. King Mandhatar said to himself

,

“ Of the seats which are here arranged, mine i sundoubtedly the last.” And he came to the conclusionthat Sakra

,the king of the gods

,ought to give up to him

half of his own seat. No sooner had he conceived thisidea than Sakra the king of the gods gave up to himhalf o f hi s seat, and King Mandhatar shared the seatwith the king of the gods . No w when the great Kin gMandhatar and Sakra

o

the kin g of the gods sat on thesame seat

,it was impossible to see in

0

either of them,

whether in length or breadth,in voice or in fulness of

aspect,any difference from the other, any distinction or

any pre-eminence,except that Sakra the king of the gods

never closed hi s eyes. While King Mandhatar tarriedamong the thirty-thr ee gods, thirty-s ix Sakra-evanescencespassed away.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Then KingMandhatar came to the conclusion that he wassuperior to the thirty-three gods . He reflected that hepossessed the vast

,rich

,p ro sperous , fruitful Jambudv i pa ,

replete w i th men and living creatures that he possessedPfi rv av idehadv i pa , Aparagodan i yadv i pa , and U ttarakur udv i pa ; that he w as the owner of the seven treasures,the treasure of the wheel

,the treasure of the elephant

,

the treasu re of the horse,the treasure of the wife

,the

treasure of the householder , and , seventhly, the treasureo f the min ister ; that he had a full thousand o f heroic,sturdy sons

,endow ed w ith the beauty of splendid bodies

,

victorious over hosts of foes ; that a rain of preciousstones had fallen w i thin his palace for the space o f sevendays that he had made his way to the abode of the thirtythree gods that he had entered into Sudharma, the meeting-place of the gods

,and that the king of the gods.

Sakra,had ceded to him the half o f his seat ; and he

came to the conclusion that he must expel the king of thegods

,Sakra

,from his seat, and take into his own hands

the gov ernment of both gods and m en .

As soon as he had conceived this idea the great KingMandhatar came to the end of his good fortune . On hisre turn to Jambudv Ipa he was attacked by a violent illness

,and amid intolerable agonies he drew nigh unto

death . His ministers and other s tate offic ials,the astro

loge rs and workers o f cures by spells , betook themselvesto him and addressed him thus : “When the king shallhave passed away hen ce

,it may be that the subsequen t

inhabitants of the kingdom will inquire what King Mandhatar said at the time of his death . What shall we sayto them 1n reply ?

0 chieftains , when in time to come, after my departure

,men sha ll draw nigh unto you andask you that ques

t ion,then shall ye give them this answ er : O s irs, K ing

Mandhatar , w ho possessed the seven treasures,who with

a fourfold hos t of men acquired power over the fourdv ipas, and made his w ay to the abode of the thirty-three

KING MANDHATAR .

gods,i s said to have died before he had obtained satisfac

tion through the fivefold pleasures of sense.’

Moreover b e pronounced these slokas 1

“ Even by a rain of gold pieces will wishes not besatisfied . The wise man , he who knows that wishes bringbu t li ttle enjoyment and much sorrow

,takes no deligh t

even in divine enjoyments . The b ear er of the perfectedluddha rejoices when desire fails. Even if a mountainof gold were like unto Himav an t , yet it would not suffi cefor the wealth of a single individual ; that the discerningone knows full well . He who observe s sorrows

,starting

from this base,how can he take pleasure in enjoyments

He who is ste ady , who has learnt to recognise the thorn inthe treasures of the world, wi ll learn the essence of thingsto his own correction .

”

King Mandhatar ordered irresistible sacrifices to beoffered

,and he said in slokas

“ I f one knows that the fu ture lasts long but life i sonly brief

,then ough t o n e to acquire merits . I f one does

not acquire merits,then one has sorrow. Therefore must

he who i s acquiring merits offer sacrificial gi fts,as is

fitting . In this world and in the future will he, i f hee fl e r up gifts

,obtain happiness .

The inhabi tants of the town and country heard thatKing Mandhata r had fallen ill and was nigh unto death.

Having learnt this,many hundreds of thousands of men

assembled in order to see King Mandhatar . The kingspoke to the multitudes upon the evil of lust and the ills ofhouse-life

,and then condemned desire . Thereupon many

hundreds of thousands of me n renounced house-life,re

tired from the world to the Rishis,and lived in the forest

,

fulfilling the four dutie s o f Brahmans,and abandoning

all s triving after enjoyment. Pers evering in this,they

became participators in the world of Brahma.

While KingMandhatar was in his boyhood , while he wascrown prince

,while he exercised supreme power in Jam1 Cf. Dhammapada , £511. 186

, &c .—S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

budv ipa , while h e l ived in the dv ipas of Pfirv av ideha,Aparagodan iya, and Uttaraku ru ,

and on the seven goldenmountains

,and while he dwelt in the region of the thirty

three gods to which he went, eighty-four Sakra-evanescences passed away. The measure of li fe of Sakra, theprince of the five great kings

,i s as follows — On e bund 1 ed

years of men represent one day of the thirty-three gods.If thirty such days are reckoned as on e mon th,

andtwelve months as one year, then the measure of life ofthe thirty-three gods is a hundred divine years. A ccording to human reckoning

,that amounts to

1 This n umbe r,in the Ge rman

t ext, is given a s bu t tha tis probably a m ispr in t . The Ge r

man w o rd w hich is he re r ende r ed

by e van escen ce s”is Schw unde .

It appe a r s to defin e the pe r iod a t

the end o f w hich Sakr a ’s l ife come s

t empo rar ily t o a clo se . Fo r a dif

fe ren t compu tat ion o f the length o f

Sakra ’s life , se e Hardy’s “ Man u al

o f Buddhism,

” p . 25 .

“ The dew a

ldka o f Sekra o r Indra , on the

summ it o f Maha Méru,in w hich o n e

day is e qu a l to 10 0 o f the ye a r s o f

men a nd as they live 10 0 0 o f the seye ar s, the ir age is equ a l too f the yea r s o f men .

KUSA [A TAKA .

‘

IN olden times there was a mighty king named Sakua i,

who was a beloved associate of the king of the gods,

Indra. In spite of this he became absorbed in meditation ,leaning his head upon his hand

,reflecting that

,inasmuch

as he had neither a sonnor a daughter,he would have to

die,in spite of his riches and his power

,without leaving

behind him a son or a daughter,and that his family would

become extinct . As he sat meditating in this wise , theking o f the gods

,Indra

,saw him and said

,

“ 0 friend ,wherefore do you lean your head upon your hand

,and

wherefore do you sit there meditating in that mannerHe replied, O Kausika

,i f I die without leaving a son

or daughter,my family will become extinc t

,in spite ‘of

my possessing such wealth andpow er .”

Indra said,“ O friend , I will send you a medicine .

Let your wives drink of it, and thereby you will obtainsons and daughters.

”

The king of the gods, Indra, betook himself to MountGandhamadau a. brought away the medicine with him,

and

1 Kah-gyu r , v o l. 11. pp. 188- 192.

Se e “An Ea ste rn Lo ve Sto ry. Ku sa

Jetakaya , a Buddhist ic legend ;rende red in to En glish ve rse fromthe S ingha le se poem o f A lagiya

van n a Moho ttala, by Thoma s

Ste e le . Londo n , 1871 . Se e a lsocr it ica l r ema rks o n the w o rk in theG o tt inge r Ge le hrten A n z e ige n fl 872,stuck 3 1 , pp. 1 20 5- 1225, by Dr . Re inho ldKo hle r , w ho ha s ca l led a t ten

t io n to the pre viously o ve r lo oked

redaction in chap . x iii . o f the Dsanglu n (p. 9 1 o f the tra n sla t io n ) . In theT ibe ta n o r igin a l

,the kin g’s n ame

,

Mahas'

xaku n i, has been co rm ted

in toMahaschaku l i . The n ame o his

son , Wo odblo ck , may b e e xpla in edby the fa ct tha t ku s’a , in the Ch in e set ra n scr ipt io n kiu -che (o r Iceou -che

is a w o rd o f amb i gu o u s mea n in g.

In the Bohtlin gk-Ro th San skr it

D ictio n a ry. ku sa o ccurs in the sen se

o f w o od.

”— S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

sent i t to the king. The king sent it to his wives,with

directions for them to drink i t. The king’s chief wi fehad just gone to sleep

,bu t the o ther wives drank the

medicine withou t waking her, and all of them becamepregnant. When the queen awoke and perceived thatthey were pregnant

,she said

,

“What have ye done tobecome pregn ant ? ”

They replied The king gave us a medicine to drink .

Why did you drink i t without waking me As thisi s so , tell me in what medi cine-holder it was brought.

It was contained in a kuéa box.

”

Where is thatHere it is .The queen washed the kusa box and drank the water

,

w hereupon she also became pregnant.A fter eight or nine months had passed by , all the wives

gave birth to sons . The son to whom the chief wi fe gavebirth possessed the eighteen signs o f uncomeliness

,a face

like that o f a lion,and an extremely strong body. His

birth-feast was celebrated in great style,and the name o f

Kusa was conferred upon him. When the king lookedu pon his other sons he rejoiced

,butKusa

’

s ugliness excitedhis wrath .

I t came to pass that the subordinate kings said,

Honoured sirs , as Kin g Mahaéaku n i oppres ses us all sogreatly

,let us go up and. deprive him of his power.”

So they came with a fourfold host and laid siege,to his

capital . As King Mahasaku n i could not venture to fightwith them

,he ordered all the gates to be closed and the

w alls to be occupied. Kusa went to his mother and said,

Mother,why are all the gates shut

As your father cannot venture to fight with the subordinate kings

,he has shut the gates and remains within .

”

“ Mother,as I wish to fight wi th them , let the king

give me a chariot .”

“ Mv son,as you displeas e him and excite his wrath

,

how can he be expected to give yo u a chario t 7

KUSA yA TAKA .

Do go to him,mother

,and having gone

,tell him that

the youth Kusa wil l fight with the enemy if a chariot i sgiven him.

The king gave him a chariot,and Kusa took two

quivers, mounted the chario t, and prepared to start.The king of gods

,Indra

,said to himself , A s these

subordinate kings are strong,this Bodisa t o f the Bhadra~

kalpa,the youth Kusa

,may fa ll into trouble

,so I will

lend him aid.

”Andhe gave Kusa a shell

,a disk

,and a

mace,and then said

,Bodisat , these things wil l save you.

”

Kusa opened one of the gates and drove out. A s soonas he sounded the shell

,the hostile hos t w as terrified at

its sound ; some were deafened by its clang, others fledaway w ith shattered ears . Whenever he flung the diskor the mace

,the enemy fell to the ground . He pressed

into the midst of the host,and when he sounded the shell

every ear cracked,and the enemy fled saying, This man

is a Rakshasa .

When the youth had overthrown the whole of them ,

he wen t to his father, and told him that he had conqueredall the kings

,and the land was at peace . On hearing

this,King Mahasakun i rejoiced, and said to himself,

“ The youth Kusa i s strong and remarkably brave. Whyshould I dislike him A ndhe began to take deligh t inhim .

A fter arran gin g marriages for all his other sons theking se t to work to find a wife for the youth Kusa a s

well. But all men said,

“ We are ready to g ive o u r

dau ghters , only n o t to Kusa .

” Now a certain ki n gde sired to obtain another king

’s daugh ter in marriage,

but did no t succeed ; and on her, by means o f a trick ,pretendin g it was for ano ther o f his sons , Kin g Mahasakuni laid his hands . A ndhe gave her to Kusa

,and cele

bruted his marriage with her in consonance with the constellation , the epoch , and the moment .Now the king had said

,

“ Hon oured sirs,le t n o one

show the youth Kusa a mirror. Moreover,he must not

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

bathe in places where a man,in order to take a bath

,

must step into water. And he must never be a llowedto approach his w ife by daylight .” But Kusa

’

s wife sawhim playing with his bro thers on e day, and she said,Who is that Pisacha [or demon] who is playing withthe youths ? ”

That is your husband.

What ! i s my husband like that ?When she had seen him ano ther day sporting with the

rest of the you ths in the water, and had asked if herhusband was really like that

,she determined to clear

the matter up . So she lighted a lamp and covered i tover with a bowl. When Kusa had approached his wife

[by nigh t] , and she [had uncovered the lamp and] perce iv ed that he had the eighteen marks o f unsightlinessand a face like a lion’s j owl

,she exclaimed

,Pisacha !

Pisacha and fled away.

Now it came to pass that certain moun taineers rebelledagainst King Mahasaku n i. The king ordered the youthKusa to subdu e those mountaineers, and sent him forth .

When Kusa had gone,his wife sent to say to her father

and mother,Is there no man left in the world, that ye

have given me to a Pisacha ? I f I am to die,well and

good. But i f I am not to die, then wil l I take to flight.Thereupon her parents fetched her away. When the youthKusa returned home , after subduing the mountaineers,he asked his mother what had become of his wife .Her parents have taken her away, she replied.For what reasonBecause she took y ou for a Pisacha.

Mother,I will go and bring her back .

Do so.”

He took the shell, the disk, and the mace, and set outon his way. I t happened that at a certain hill-town agreat number of men sat looking on one side, havingclosed their gate s from fear of a lion. The youth Kusasaid, What makes you sit there like that

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TA LES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

My apprentice prepared it.I should like to see your apprentice .This time’ also she cried out as before .

He n ex t went to a doctor, who said, Who a re youA doctor

'

s son .

”

What i s your name ?Atreya .

The king’

s daughter fell ill with a disease of thebrain, and the doctor could o f himsel f do nothing to cureit. As he sat one day absorbed in though t on thataccount, Kus

'

a said to . him,

“ Master,why are you so

pen sive ? ”

The king’

s daughter is attacke dby a disease of thebrain

,and I can do nothing to cure it.

“ I will go and cure her.”

So Kus’

a went to visit her. When she saw him shethought, Where can this demon have come from ?But sh e reflected that i f she said that aloud he wouldno t cure her, so she determined n o t to do so till hehad cured her. When she became well she cried out

,

Pisacha ! Pis’

acha 1” Wher eupon he fled.

He betook himself to the ministers,who said

,

“ Whoare yo uI am Sahasrabala (Thousand-strength) .They took him in to . the ir service.Now it came to pass that the son of the before-men

t io n edking heard that the princess, whom Kusa had forme rly obtained

,had been g iven u p by him ,

and hadr eturned home . So he sent to say that i f the king wouldgive him his daughter

,all w ould be well but i f the king

would no t g ive her,he would despo il him of his sov ereign

pow er. The king replied ,“ I have given my daughter to

the son of Kin gMahas’

aku n i. I cannot giv e her to another.”

So the prince came w ith a fourfold army and besieged theking’s capital. The king could no t ventu re to figh t withhim

,so he ordered the gate s to be closed and remained

in s ide.

KUSA 3ATAKA .

The youth Kusa said to the ministers,Sirs

,w herefore

are the gates closed ? ” They explained the whole matterto him. The youth Kusa said to the ministers , “ If theking’s daughter is given to me

,I wil l undertake to fight

the enemy.

” The ministers laid the case before the king,

who said,I have given my dau ghter to the son of King

Mahasakun i. Ho w can I give her to this man ? Thepresent complication is entirely due to this maiden .

”

The ministers said,

As there i s at present n o otherprospect of victory

,le t this man fight the prince offhand .

We shall find ~ out then which is the conqueror.” Theking said

,Le t that be done by you . And the ministers

said,Thousand-strength , act according to your words .

”

Thereupon the youth took the two quivers,which held

five hundred arrows,and also the shell

,the di sk

,and the

mace,and set forth . When he sounded the shell , the ears

of the enemy were shatte red, . and they fled . The princessthough t

,As this youth Kusa i s excellently endowed

wi th boldness and courage,why should I dis like him ? ”

So she took a liking for him,and said to the king

,What

yo u promised, that fulfil .”

Daughter,I will give you to Kusa .

Father,

” she said,this is the youth Kusa himself.

Go to him then , daughter, since that i s so .

”

The king paid Kusa great honour, gave him a fourfoldhost

,and let him and the rest o f his party go free .

Kusa wen t to the other hill-town,and said to the

inhabitants , “ Honoured sirs, n o w give me the half ofthe fourfold army .

” They replied,

0 you th,such a

fl ood has taken place as has Washed away the four divisions of the army. A s there were sheep grazing at nogreat distance

,the youth Kusa uttered this saying ,

Re

fl ect and know that whither the sixty-year old bullock,

whither the elephan t has been brought,thither also will '

the cows and sheep be brough t. I f ye give m e the army ,good . If ye give i t not

,the re will be a tussle for it.”

A fter the army had been given to him he went down to

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

a river. Being wearied , he entered the water to bathe ;and as he did so he saw the reflection of his face in the

water,and thought

,

“ As I have the eighteen signs ofuncomeliness and a face like a lion

,and as on that account

the king’s daughter takes no pleasure in me, it is needlessthat such a one as I should remain alive . I will go a nd

put myself to death.

He entered into a copse,and was preparing to hang

himself,when the king of the gods, Indra, reflected , A s

this i s a Bodisat of the Bhadrakalpa , and he is going tohang himself because he does not posse ss a beautifulappearance

,I will fill his mind with hope . So Indra

said to him,

“ Youth,despair not ! And in order that

you may not kill yourself,set this j ewel upon your head

,

and your courage will be restored to you.

” Then Indravanished .

When the youth Kusa was going to enter into hishouse

,the doorkeeper kept him back

,saying

,

“ Do notintrude here

,for this is the house of the youth Kusa.

”

“ I am Kusa,

” he replied . A s the doorkeeper would notbelieve him

,Kusa removed the jewel from his head.

Then his appearance be came what it had been before,so

that the doorkeeper n ow believed him .

The youth Kusa resolved to remain at that Spot , andto let his father know. So he sent word to him saying,I shall stay here .”

The king of the gods, Indra, pointed out to him thelocality of four treasures . Kusa had a city built of thefour precious stones

,and it was named Ku sin agara , inas

much as the youth Kuéa abode there. He became themightily ruling Chakravartin Kusa.

AB ARS/1JVUK'

JYA .

1

To King Ananda there were born five sons . The youngestof these

,inasmuch as his face resembled a mirror

,w as

named Adarsamukha or Mirror-face. All five sons grewup . Prince Adarsamukha was very gentle and modest

,

but the o thers were rash , rude, and hot-tempered. Theirfather called them together one day on a matter of business . The minds of the elder bro thers were incapable ofdeciding the smallest of its points

,but Prince Adarsa

mukha answered with intell igence the difficult questionswhich were proposed to him .

Being attacked by illness, King A nanda considered asto whom he should invest with the sovereign power. I fI invest one of my four elder sous with the power

,he

thought,

“ inasmuch as they are rash,rude

,and hot

tempered,m isfortunes wi ll unduly increase among men ;

but i f I invest Prince Adarsamukha with the power,then

my kinsmen will reproach me for having passed over myelder sons and given the power to" the youn gest. It isnecessary

,therefore

,that I should devise some way of

escape.With that intention he decided in his mind on three1 Kah-gyu r

,bo ok 11. pp. 198—20 1 .

NVe have he r e a simple r a nd a t the

sam e t ime m o r e con cr ete r e ce n siono f chap. xxxi . o f the Dsanglu n ,

w itha co n t in u a t ion w hich in clude s chap.

xxxix . o f tha t w o rk, w ith the latte ro f w hich Ben fey’

s r emarks in his int r odu ct ion to the Pa n cha tan tra ( i .394 ) a re to be con su lted, as w e l l as

Sukhomlin o f’s accou n t o f The Ta le

o f Shemyaka’

s Judgm en t in the

Zap iski o f the St . Pe ter sbu rg A cad

emy o f Sc ie n ce s , 1873, v o l. xxi i . bo oki . The de c isio n in the se cond pa r to f the co n tin u a t ion is a tt r ibu ted inthe Dsan glu n , chap . xxxix . to Kin gMdge s-pa .

— S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

precious things,and on a recognition by the women

,and

on six objects to be recognised by insight . Then he saidto his ministers

,Give e ar 0 Chieftains ! A fter my death

ye are to test each of the princes i n turn. Him,

amongthem whom the jew el-shoes fi t when they are tried on

,

under whom the throne remains steadfast when he is se tupon it

,on whom the diadem rests unshaken when i t i s

placed upon his head , whom the women recognise , and

who guesses the s ix objects to be divined by his insight,

namely,the inner treasure

,the outer treasure

,the inner

and outer treasure,the treasure of the tree-top

,the treasure

of the hill-top,and the treasure of the river shore— him

by whom all these conditions are fulfilled shall ye investwith the sovereign power.”

Then, according to the proverb which says that all

which has been accumulated dwindles,and all that i s

high will meet with a fall,he died . No w when the

ministers tried to place the jewel-shoes 0 11 the fee t of theeldest prince

,the shoes did not fit. When he was set

upon the throne,it moved. When the diadem was placed

upon his head,it shook greatly. Moreover the women did

n o t recognise him . A nd w hen he was told the names ofthe six obj ects which were to be divined by his insight

,

he did n o t guess them . The fate of three of his youngerbrothers was just the same . But when the j ewel-shoeswere placed upon Prince Adarsamukha

’

s feet, they fittedhim perfectly. When he was se t upon the throne, it r emained unmoved . When he

'

w as crowned with the diadem,

his head looked forth from beneath it proudly. Moreoverthe women re cognised him. Then the ministers said,Now you must find out the six obj ects to be divined byinsight

,namely

,the inner treasure

,the outer treasure

,the

inner and outer treasure, the treasure of the tree-top, thetreasure of the hill-top

,and the treasure of the river shore.”

Adarsamukha replied,“ If the question is which is the

inner treasure , that is the treasure which is inside thethreshold . If the question is which is the outer treasure,

ADARSAMUKHA .

that is the treasure which is outs ide the threshold . I fthe question is w hich is the treasure of the tr

'

ee—top, thatis the treasure w hich is at the spot on w hi clr the treeplan ted by the king ca sts its shadow at midday . If thequesti on i s w hich is the treasure of the hill-top , that i sthe treasure which i s under the stone at the bottom o f

the tank wherein the king used to take deligh t . If thequestion is which is the treasure of the river shore , thatis the treasure which is at the end of the channel bywhich the water flows out of the house .

”

As all theproblems were solved

,the min isters made Ada rsamukha

kin g,andhe became a mighty monarch .

In a certain place among the hills there lived a Brahmannamed Dandin , w ho borrowed a pair of oxen from a householder. A fter ploughing hi s land

,he w en t with the oxen

to the householder’s dwelling. A s the man was‘

at hisdinner

,the Brahman Dandin let the oxen go to their stall ;

but they went out again by another door. When thehouseholder arose from his meal and found that the oxenhad disappeared , he seized Dandin and asked w here theoxen were . Dandin replied ,

“ Did not I bring them backto your house 7

” “A s you have s tolen my oxen, give

them back to me,said the o ther. Dandin replied , “ I

hav e not stolen them .

” The other said,

“ King Adars’amukha is wise . Le t us go to him ; he will settle thisa ffair for us

,separating the righ t from the q ng.

” Sothey both set out on their way .

A ma n from whom a mare had run away called out toDandin to stop it . He asked how he w as to stop i t. The

man told him to do so in any way he could . Dandinpicked u p a stone and flung i t at the mare 's head

,the

consequence of which was that the mare w as killed.

The man said,As you have killed my mare

,giv e me

another one .

” Dandin said,

“Why should I give you amare ? ” The man replied ,

“ Come , le t us go to KingAdarsamukha ; he will settle o ur business for us. So

they se t off to go to him.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

Dandin tried to run away. As he sprang down from awall

,he fell on a weaver who was at his work below

,in

consequence o f which the weaver died. The weaver’

s wifelaid hands upon Dandin and demanded that he , as he hadkilled her husband

,should restore him to her. “ Where

am I to get your husband from for you ? ” he said .

“ Come , let us go to King Ada rsamukha,

”

she replied ;he will settle our business for us .” So they went their

way.

About half-way they came to a deep river , which acarpenter was fording, his axe in his mouth . Dandinasked h im if the river was deep or shallow. The car

p en ter , letting his axe drop, said ,“ The river is deep .

”

Then,as his axe had fallen into the water, b e seized

Dandin and said ,“ You have flung my axe into the

water.”

No,I have not.

Come , l et us go to King Adarsamukha ; he w ill settleour business for us.”

By and by they who were leading Dandin along cameto a drinking-house . In it Dandin sat down upon thelandlady’s new-born babe

,which was lying asleep u nder a

dress . There’s a child lying there ! There’s a child lyingthere cried the mother . But when she looked at it

,the

child was dead . She seized on Dandin and demandedthat he

,who had killed her child

,should give it back to

her. He replied,I did no t kill it . Why should I give

you a child ? ” She said, Come, let us go to KingAdars

’

a

mukha.

” So they set out on their way.

A t a certain spot a crow which sat on a withered treesaw Dandin , and asked him whither he was going . He

replied,I am not going anywhere

,but I am bein g taken

by these people .”

WhitherTo King Ada rsamukha

’

s.

”

Then t_

ake charge of a comm i ssion from me,and say

to King Adarsamukha,

‘At such and such a spot there

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34 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES.

to the king’s feet,the king asked Dandin,

“Whereforehave you come

0 king,I have been brought hither.

On what account ? ”

Dandin related the whole story of why the householderhad quarrelled with him. The king said to the householder

,Did you see the oxen

,or did you not see them ?

Did Dandin drive your oxen into the stalls ?”

Yes, 0 king.

”

The king said,A s Dandin gave this man no informa

tion,his tongue shall be cut o ff. A s this man did no t tie

up his oxen,his eyes shall be put out .

The householder said,

“ First I lost my oxen,in the

second place my eyes are to be put out . Sooner thanthat

,I prefer not to w in my sui t against Dandin .

”

The owner of the mare said, 0 king, Dandin has

killed my mare .”

How did he kill it ?The man told the whole story in full . The king said

,

As this man told him he might s top the mare by anymeans whatsoever

,his tongue shall be cut o ff but Dandin

shall have his hand cut o ff,because he thought it impo s

sible to st0p the mare except by throwing a stone at it.”

The man said to himself,

“ First my mare died,now

my tongue is to be cut o ff. Sooner than that,I prefer not

to gain my suit against Dandin.

”

The weaver’s wife told her story in full,and the king

said,Then you shall receive this man as your husband.

”

She said, First of all this man killed my husband,and

now he is to be my husband . Sooner than that,I prefer

not to win my suit agains t Dandin.

”

The carpenter fu lly explained his case. The king said,

As the carpenter spoke in the middle of the river andlet his axe fall

,his tongue shall be cut o ff ; but Dandin

’seyes shall be put out, because he, although he saw thatthe river was deep

,asked the carpenter about it.” The

carpenter said,“ First I lost my axe, now my tongue is

ADARSAMUKHA .

to be cut o ff. Sooner than that,I prefer not to win my

suit against Dandin .

”

The landlady told her story in full,and the king said,

“ As the landlady left her child sleeping with a dresscompletely hiding it

,her hand shall be cut o ff ; but

Dandin shall have’

his eyes put out,because he sat down

on an unfamiliar seat without making any investigation.

”

The landlady said,

“ First my child died,now my hand

is to be cu t off. Sooner than that,I prefer not to win my

suit against Dandin.

”

Dandin presented the crow’s petition . The king said,

O Dandin , say this to the crow : A t that spot there isa treasure, which was hidden away under the witheredtree by you when you w ere the head man of the village .Give it to some one or o ther and then go away

,and you

w ill fare well.’

Dandin executed the commission of the gazelles . Theking said

,

“ Tell the gazelles this : ‘0 gazelles , therestands a tree on that spot from the top of which honeydrops down . Thereby are the meadow s and the grassrendered sweet. But as the bees h ave n ow been drivenout, do not tarry any longer on the spo t

,otherwise ye

will suffer pain beyond measure.’

Dandin brought forward the request of the partridge.The king said, Tell the partridge this : ‘Where you possess a partridge

’

s voice,there no treasure i s to be found ;

but where you have a different voice,there a treasure is

to be found . Point out this treasure to some one or other,

and then,as it i s n o t right that you should suffer pain

beyond measure,be take yoursel f somewhere else.

’

Dandin mentioned the request o f the snake and theichneumon , and the king said, Tell both of them thisWhen ye were men

,ye were born as two brothers . On e

of the two said,Le t us divide our property. But the

other, overcome by envy, would no t consent to the division . On that account the one

,being too covetous

,was

born again as a snake ; but the other, inasmuch as he w as

36 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

e xcessively covetous and clung to the property,‘was born

as an ichneumon. Do ye then give these treasures tothe Sram

‘

an as or the'

Brahman s, andthen leave that spot.By that means will ye fare well.’

Dandin brought forward the snake’s request

,and the

king said,Say this to the snake : ‘When hungry and

in a state of collapse,you can easily creep out of your

hole. But when you have partaken of copious food, thenit is only with pain that you can creep back into the hole .If you can content yourself with so much food as is fitfor you

,you will fare well.

Dandin mentioned the young w i fe’s request, and theking said

,

“ Te ll the young wi fe this : ‘In your father’shouse there is a friend. When you are in your father-inlaw’s house

,you long after that friend but when you are

in your father’s house,you long after your husband . As

it is‘

not right that you should suffer pain beyond measure,

give up the one place of residence and take up your abodepermanently in the other. ’

The youn g wife and the snake did what they were toldto do. The snake and the ichneumon, as well as the crow ,

made over their treasures to Dandin . The others likewiseacted in accordance with the instructions given to them.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

skilled in his art,and who by means of adroitness suc

ce eded in everything. Seeing that lie , by means of hisart

,had become well to do

,she came to the conclusion

that weaving was better than going to sea,for when a

man did the latter,he needlessly exposed himself to mis

fortune . So she said to the weaver,“ O brother

,teach

this nephew of yours to weave .” He replied,

“ As thatis right

,I w ill do so .

” The youth became his apprentice,

and in a short time learnt the'

art of weaving,for he was

sharp and quick .

As the weaver w e re fine clothes, took good baths, andpartook of delicate food

,the youth said to him one day

,

Uncle, how is it that although you and I are occupiedin exactly the same kind of work

,yet you have fine

clothes,good baths , and delicate food, but I never have

a chance of such things The weaver replied,Nephew

,

I carry on two kinds of work. By day I practise weaving,

but by night thieving .

If that be so,uncle

,I too will practise thieving.

Nephew,you cannot commit a theft.”

Uncle, I can .

”

The weaver thought he would test him a little,so he

took him to the market-place, purchased a hare there , andgave it to him, saying, Nephew, I shall take a bath andthen return home. Meanwhile , go on roasting this hare .

While he was taking his bath, the youth hastily roastedthe hare and ate up one of its legs . When the weaverreturned from his bath

,he said

,Nephew

,have you

roasted the hare ?”

YesLet’s see it, then .

When the youth had brought the hare,and the weaver

saw that it only had three legs, he said, Nephew,w here

is the fourth leg goneUncle , i t is true that hares have four legs , but if the

fourth leg is not there,i t cannot have gone anywhere .

The weaver thought,

“ Although I have long been a

THE CLEVER THIEF.

thief, ye t

'

this lad is a still greater thief.‘

And he wen twith the youth and the three-legged hare into a drinkinghouse and called for liquor, When they hadboth drunk,the weaver said

,

“ Nephew,the score mu st be pa id by a

trick .

”

Uncle, he who has drunk may play a trick ; why shouldI,who have not drunk

,do this thing ?

The weaver saw that the lad was a great swindler,so

he determined to carry out a theft along with him .

They betook themselves to housebreaking. Once whenthey had made a hole into a house

,and the weaver was

going to pass his head through the opening,the youth

said,

“ Uncle, although you are a thief , yet you do n o t

understand your business . The legs should be put infirst

,not the head . For i f the head should get cut o ff,

i ts owner would be recognised,and his whole family

would be plunged into ruin. Therefore put your feet infirst .When the weaver had done so

,atte ntion was called to

the fact,and a cry was raised of “ Thieves ! thieves ! ”

A t that cry a great number of people assembled,who

seized the weaver by his legs and began to pull him in .

The youth,all by himself

,could not succeed in pulling

him out ; but he cut o ff the weaver’

s head and got awaywith it.The ministers brought the news to the king, saying,Your majesty, the thie f was himself arres ted at thespot where the housebreaking took place ; but some onecut o ff his head andwent away with it .” The king said ,“ 0 friends, he who has cut off the head and gone awaywith i t is a great thief. Go and expose the headlesstrunk at the crossw ay of the main street. Then placeyours elves on one side

,and arrest whoever embraces it

and wails over it, for that will be the thief.” Thereupon

those servants of the king exposed the headless trunk atthe crossway of the main street

,and stationed themselves

on one side. Thinking it would be wrong n ot to embrace

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

his uncl e and moan over him,the o ther thief assumed

the appearance o f a madman,and took to embracing men ,

women,carts

,horses

,bu llocks, buffaloes, goats, and dogs.

A fterwards, all men thinking he was mad , he pressed theheadless trunk to his breast

,wailed over it as long a s he

liked, and then went his way. The king was informed byhis men that a madman had pressed the headless trunkto his bosom

,and while he held i t there had wailed

over it,and had then gone away. The king said,

“ 0

friends,this man o f a surety was the o ther thief. Ye

have acted wr ongly in not laying hands upon him. Therefore shall hands he laid upon you.

”

The other thief said to himself,

“ I f I do not showhonour to my uncle

,I shall be acting badly.

” So hea ssumed the appearance o f a carter

,and drove a cart up

to the spot laden with dry wood. When he arrived there,b e upse t the cart with its load of dry wood , un yoked theoxen

,set the cart on fire

,and then went away. The head

less trunk was consumed by the flames . The king w asinformed by his men that the corpse was burnt, and theytold him a ll that had taken place. The king said

,

“0

friends,the carter was certainl y the thief. Y e have acted

wrongly in not layin g hands upon him. Therefore shallhands he laid upon you .

The thief said to himsel f,I shall not be acting rightly

unless I take soul-offerings to the burial-place for myuncle . So he assumed the appearance of a Brahman

,

and wandered from house to house collecting food. Fromwhat he collected he made five oblation-cakes , whichhe left at the burial-place

,and then went his way. The

king’s men told him that a Brahman had wandered fromhouse to house collecting food

,and had then left five

oblation-cakes on the spot where the body had beenburnt

,and had then gone away. The king said,

“ 0

friends,that was really the thief. Ye have acted wrongly

in not laying hands upon him.

”

The thief thought,I shal l be acting badly if I do n ot

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4: TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

till he had satisfied himself and gone away ; but theygave the king a full account Of what had taken place'.The king said

,

“ I t is a bad business that he was ‘no tcaugh t.

”

The re su lt Of the thief’s visit was that,after eight or

nine months had elapsed,the princess bore a son . When

the thief heard Of this,he decided that he must n o t miss

his son’s birth-feast,so he assumed the appearance Of a

courtier [and betook himself to the king’s palace] . As

he was leaving the palace he called out to the royalservants

,

“O friends , by order of the king, plunder the

merchants’ quarter ! ” As the servant s thought that theking had given permission for the plundering Of themerchants’ quarter in honour Of his grandson’s birth

,they

set to work thereat. In consequence Of th is a great outcry arose

,and the king asked what was the meaning Of it.

When the ministers had suppl ied him with a full account,

the king said,If this be so

,I also have been taken in

by him. Wherefore, i f I do no t punish him ,I shall lose

my throne.”

With this idea in view he caused an enclosure tobe made

,and after some little time had elapsed

,he

ordered his m1n isters to make public through the realma proclamation to the effect that all men who dweltin the kingdom were bound to assemble within thatenclosure ; and that no excuse would avail, but i fany one did not appear he should be punished . Whenthe ministers had made this order public

,and all the

inhabitants Of the realm were assembled together,the

king gave the boy a wreath of flowers,and told him to

give it to the man w ho was his father ; and he gaveorders to the watchmen to lay hands upon the man towhom the boy should give the wreath . As the boywalked with the wreath through the assembled crowdsand closely Observed them

,he caught sigh t Of the thie f

,

and,in accordance with the 1n comprehen sible sequence

Of human affairs , handed him the wreath . The king’s

43

watchmen seized the thief and brought him before theking. The kin g asked his ministers what ought to bedone. They were Of Opinion that the thief must be putto death . But the king said, 0 friends , so little doessuch a hero of a man deserve to be put to death that heought much rather to be carefully watched over. Thereupon he endowed his daughter with ornaments of allsorts

,and gave her to the thief as his wife

,and bestowed

upon her the half Of his kingdom .

1

1 Compar e Lo ise le u r Deslon gchamps, “ Essa i su r le s Fable s Indien n e s (Par is, i i ; 1 24,and Re inho ld KO'hle r in Be n fey

’

s

“ Or ien t ti nd Occ iden t,

" i i. 30 33 1 3. In the Ga e l ic ta le Of “ The

Shifty Lad,” the thie f is fou nd ou t

by ha v in g a. go lden apple give n to

him by a chi ld. R . KOhler adds,“ In the sto ry Of Diimmlin g , w ho

w ishe s tha t the pr in ce ss may ha vea. ch ild (Hahn

,NO . 8 ; Gru ndtv ig,

i i. 30 8 ; Mul len ho f’s “ Sage n,

” p.

48 1 Ze itschri ft fur Deu tsche My .

tho lo g ie , i . the he ro is dis

co ve r ed to be the fa the r o f the

pr in cess’s child,in a smu ch a s i t

Offe rs him a go lden apple in p r e

fe r en ce to a ll the o ther me n w ho

ha ve be en in v ited. In the va r ian to f the ta le in Bas ile ’s “ Pe n ta

me r on e,i . 3 , the boy embr a ce s his

fathe r . In a Ga e l ic sto ry (O r ie n tu nd Occ iden t

,i i. the pr in cess

r e cogn ises the fathe r o f he r ch ildamo ng the me n Of Er in by the factthat a bird a l ights u po n his head.

- S .

S UDHANA AVADA IVA .

l

IN Olden times there were two kings in Panchala, on e inthe north and the other in the south . The king Of NorthPanchala, whose name was Dhan a , like a law-Observingmonarch

,ruled according to the law in Hastinapu ra , a

ci ty which was endowed with wealth,health

,fruitfu lness,

and greatness Of extent and population , and w hich wasfree from disquie t

,disorder

,uproar, and robbery, in

which disease had quite come to an end,and which was

fully provided wi th rice,sugar-cane

,bullocks

,and buffaloes.

Moreover in this city there was a great lake,full Of blue

,

red,and white lotuses

,and rendered pleasant and beauti

ful by ducks and geese Of various kinds . A s the NagaJanmachitra ,

2 who dwel t in thi s lake,sent down from

time to time a torrent Of rain,the land was very fruitful ;

and as the realm o v e rfl ow ed with food and drink,the

inhabitants,intent upon gifts

,sacrifices , and reverence,

bestowed sustenance upon the Sraman as and Brahmans,

and the poor and needy .

The king Of South Panchala,who paid no respect to

the law,was haughty

,choleric

,passionate

,and ill-natured.

He did not rule in accordance with the law , and he

1 Kah-gyu r , 11. 20 2 - 209. e ight Brahman s to Jayatu ra, the2 W hat is sa id he re abou t the

Na g a i s r e fe r r ed to an e lephan tn aga ), as Pro fe sso r Min aye f rem indsm e

,in a Pa l i r ecen s io n o f the

V isv an ta ra Jataka . The k in g o f

Ka l inga, in Who se re a lms the r e w as

a famin e du e to w an t Of ra in , sen t

capita l o f S ibi, to Obta in from Visv a n tara the w hite e lephan t w hichhad the po w er o f pr odu c in g ra in .

S e e Spe n ce Hardy’s “Ma n u al,

” p.

1 16, a nd KOppe n’s

“ Re ligion desBuddha , p. 324.

—S.

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46 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

said, O sirs

,what would be a good»way of making those

people return and inhabit these towns and VillagesThe ministers replied

,If your maj esty, ruling after the

fashion of the king of North Panchala, will: pr ote ct'

the

land with gentle,benignan t

,and merciful mind

,the people

will soon return and inhabit these towns and villages.”

The king of South Panchala said,Sirs

,since this i s so

,

I will protect the land with gentle,benignant, and merci

ful mind,ruling after the fashion of the king of North

Panchala ; but do ye take such measures that the peoplemay come back again and inhabit these towns and villages .”

Your majesty,there i s yet another cause for the state

o f things in Hastinapu ra . In that city there ' i s a Nagan amed Janmachitra

,who dwells in a great lake filled with

blue,red

,and white lotuses of all kinds

,and adorned with

ducks and geese o f divers species. As he sends down atorrent of rain from time to time , the harvest i s alwaysabundant and the soil is extremely fertile

,and the land

abounds in meat and drink .

” The king said,Is there no

means of summoning that Naga hither ? ”“ Your majesty, as he can be conjured hither by men

who are versed in charms and spells,let them perform

the deed.

”

Thereupon the king fastened a golden basket to the

e ndof a standard , and ordered proclamat ion to b e madethroughout the whole kingdom that he would gi ve thatgolden basket to any one who could con jure the NagaJanmachitra out of North Panchala into South Panchala,and would also heap upon him a profusion of great honours. A fter a time a serpent-charmer appeared beforethe ministers

,and said that i f the golden basket was given

to him he would capture and bring in the Naga Janmachitra. The ministers ordered the baske t to be brought,and the serpent-charmer said

,I will leave this basket in

the hands o f a trustworthy man . Le t him give it to mewhen I bring the Naga Janmachitra.

” When this had

SUDHANA AVADANA .

been promi sed him,the serpent-charmer placed the golden

basket in the hands o f a trustworthy man and betookhimself to the city of Hastin apura . Being well versed insigns

,b e perceived , after carefully observin g the lake,

all

round,that the Naga Janmachitr a must have his dwell

ing-place in a'

certain spot. So he went to fetch offeringsand utensils

,and said to the ministers

,

“ Give me offeringsand uten sils

,and within seven days I will capture and

bring in the Naga .

”

Now the Naga had seen the serpent-charmer, and hadsaid to himself

,This man has come to carry me off

, andi f at the end of seven days I am carried o ff

,I shall suffer

great distress on account of be i ng severed from my parents.What shall I do To whom shall I pray for protection ? ”

Now there lived in th e n eighbourhood of the lake twohunters

,Masuraka and Phalaka . Living near the lake

,

they supported themselves by killin g no t only land animals

,such as the hares

,stags

,be ars

,and so forth which

came to that lake to drink,but also the fish

,tortoises

,and

so forth which lived in the, water. Of these two huntersMasfi raka died, bu t Phalaka remained alive . A s the NagaJanmachitra came to the conclusion that there was n o oneexcept the hunter Phalaka to whom he could fly for refuge

,

he went,after assuming the form of a man

,to the hunter

Phalaka , and said to him, 0 friend,i f King Bhana’s

realm is vast, rich, healthv fruitful, and populous, andoverflows with rice

,sugar-cane

, oxen , and buffaloes (as wassaid above), do you know through whose power this hascome to pass ? ” The hunter answ e red,

“Well do I knowthat this takes place because that king rules in accordance with the law, and protects his land with gentle,benignant

,and merciful mind .

” The Naga said,

“ Doesall this arise from that cause only, or from some othercause as well ? The hunter said

,There is another

cause as well . In this lake lives the Naga Janmachitra,

who from time to time sends down a torren t of rain,in

consequence of which the soil becomes extremely fertile ,

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES.

andis replete with food'

and drink . Janmachitra said,“ I f this Naga were to be taken away from this land byany one he would no longer be able to be of service

,and

he would be very wretched on account of being separatedfrom his parents. What would the king and the inhab itants of the land do if he were to be carried o ff ? whatwould you do ? ”

We should perish .

Do you know w ho this Naga isNo I”

I am he,and a serpent-charmer from South Panchala

wishes to carry me o ff. He has gone back to fetch offerings and utensils

,and will return in seven days. He will

then drive pegs of Khadira-wood 1 into the shore of thelake at its four corners

,will hang up various threads of

different colours,and will recite spells . D uring that time

you must remain hidden somewhere near. But w hen , ashe is performing a ceremony of this kind

,the waters of

the lake begin to see the and overflow,and I come forth

from them,then you must bend your bow against the

serpent-charmer,and run up to him quickly and say

,

‘Reverse the spell. If you do not do so I shall severyour head from your body and send it to the bottom ofthe lake.’ But i f he dies without reversing the spell

,

then,even after his death

,I shall remain bound by its

force all my life long.

” The hunter said,“As I would

have done this o f my own accord, were it merely for thesake of doing you a service , how much the more shall Ibe ready to protect you

,inasmuch as I shall be doing a

service to the whole kingdom. Say no more.The Naga then took up his abode in a lonely spot.

WVhen seven days had passed, the hunter hid himself nearthat place. The serpent-charmer came and began toprepare the offerings and utensil s , driving in the pegs o f

1 See Tar an atha’s

“Histo ry o f by the in se rt io n o f a w edge o f

Buddhism in India ,” p . 70 , w he re Khadira -w ood.— S . The Khadira is

Nagar jun a con ju r es the godde ss the Aca cia Ca techu.

Chandika in to the Man jusr i temple

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50 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

he saw the‘

Amogha-chain at the entrance of the Nagas’

abode,and perceiving that it was the chain which he

wanted,he ente red into the abode. The Naga Jan

machitra and the other Nagas were delighted,and

they gave him jewels . But he said,

“ Jewels I wantnot ; rather give me the Amogha

-chain . Janmachitra

replied,

“What need have yo u of it ? To us it is mostneedful. When the Garuda plagues us , it is to thischain that we are indebted for safety .

” The hunter said,

As ye are but seldom threatened with danger from theGaruda, therefore it i s not so very necessary for you .

But I am constantly in want,o f it. Therefore give i t to

me,i f ye are mindfu l o f the benefit conferred and the

service performed . The Naga Janmachitra said,

“ A s

this man has done m e a great service,I will give him

the chain,after I have asked my father and mother.”

A fter asking his parents, he give him the chain . Thereupon the hunter

,as if he had recovered himself

,returned

home from the Naga’s abode with the Amogha-chain, ful lof happiness and joy.

King Dhana and his wife had neither son nor daughter.I t happened once that he sat

,resting his cheek upon his

hand,absorbed by the thought that, since he had neither

son n o r daughter, his family would be ex tinct after hisdeath

,the treasures heaped up within his house would

pass into other bands,and another king would rule over

all that had been his. A s he sat there thus absorbed inmeditation

,the Sraman as and Brahmans

,his friends

,

companions,and kinsmen

,asked him why he was so

downcast. When he had fully explained the wholematter to them

,they said,

“ Be pleased to pray to thegods . Then will a son be born unto you. As he hadno son

,but desired to have one, he prayed to Siva and

Varuna,to Kuvera and Vasudeva

,and so forth

,also to

v arious other gods, to the gods of the parks , the gods ofthe forest

,the gods of the crossways

,the gods of the

SUDHANA A VADANA .

three ways, the gods who accept oblations, the everaccompanying gods

,and the gods like-minded and iden

tical in date o f birth , It is generally said that sons and

daughters are born in consequence o f such prayers, nototherwi se ; a thousand sons, for instance, may be born toa world-ruling prince when such prayers have beenoffered.

Praying in such a manner,Dhana obtained a hearing,

and a Bodisat of the Bhadrakalpa entered into the wombof his good spouse. Some Women who are endowed withinsight posses s five peculiar characteristics

,one of which

is that they know whether their child w ill be a boy or agirl. If it i s a boy, i t clings to the right side, and if agirl

,to th e left. Full o f j oy, spake the queen to her

husband,“ 0 lord

,as the living bein g which has entered

within me clings to the right side, and w ill certainly be aboy

,therefore rejoice.

The king joyfully drew himself up,and stre tched out

his right arm,and said

,

“ I shall behold the son whom Ihave long been desiring. As he will soon be bo rn untome

,he will carry on my work, extend still mor e widely

what has been acquir ed,and as my heir more widely

propagate my race. And when we shall have died,whether we have presented many or few gifts andacquired much or little merit

,i t will follow after us in

that place in which we shall both be born again , and ourrecompense will ripen through union .

Thus did he joyfully exclaim . As he knew that conception had taken place, he took care , in order that theexistence in the mother’s womb might be allowed todevelop thorou ghly

,that there should be in his palace

during the cold weather preservatives against cold,during

the hot weather preservatives against heat. A ccordingto the directions of the physician

,he provided food which

was not too bitter,too sour

,too salt

,too sweet, too hot,

or too acid — food which was w ithout bitterness, sourn ess

,saltness

,sweetness

,heat

,or acidity. With strings

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

o f pearls of v arious kinds and with other ornaments headorned the body of his wife, like unto an Ap saraswan de ring in the Nandan a grove ; and he made seatsand seats

,stools a nd stools , to prevent her from falling

on the ground,and he ordered care to be taken that she

should not hear the slightest unpleasant n oise.When eight or nine months had gone by, a boy was

born of noble form and lovely aspect,fair andgleaming

like unto gold in colour,w ith a head like a canopy, long

arms,a brow of great width

,i nterlacing eyebrows, a

high-arched n ose,and provided with the full complement

of l imbs and joints . When the joy-drum was beaten a tthe birth

,the king heard it

,and asked what that meant.

His wive s said, “ Be o f good cheer, your majesty ; untothee a son -is born . Thereupon -the king ordered all stones,gravel

,and rubble to be cast forth from the city

,the

stree ts to be swept and sprinkled with sandal-water,standards and banners to be set up

,extremely fragran t

incense to be provided,

flowers to be strewed,as though

he had b een delighted by various dreams, gifts to bebestowed upon the Sraman as

,the Brahmans

,the poor

and the needy, and fre edom to be given to all prison ers. After thrice seven days

,on the twenty-first

day,he a ppointed a great birth-feast. When the ques

tion was raised as to what name should be given to theboy

,the ministers said,

“ As this boy i s the son ofKing Dhana, he must be named Sudhan a ;

” and so thename of Sudhan a was given to him . The boy Sudhan awas handed over to eight nurses

,two to carry him

,two

to suckle him , two to cleanse him,and two to play with

him . As the se eight nurses fed him and brought him upon milk, both sweet and curdled , on butter, both freshand clarified, on butter-foam,

1 and on the best of o therthings , he shot up rapidly like a lotus in a tank. By thetime he was grown up he was acquainted with readingand writing, expert at the eight testings and distinguish

1 Bu tterschaum, pe rhaps a kindof clottedcream.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

and hoarfrost in colour. To this pool in the midst of themost fragrant flowers

,there comes on the fi fteenth day of

the mon th Manohara the daughter of Druma, the king

of the Kin n ari s. Surrounded by five hundred Kin n aris,she comes in order to bathe

,after having washed and

anointed her head . During the time of the bath theydance

,sing

,and make swee t music resound

, such asenchants even the beasts of the forest. Even I myself

,

when I have heard these sounds,experience pleasure and

delight for seven whole days . This maiden, 0 friend,

I have seen .

The hunter Phalaka said to himself,

“As I have obtainedthe Am ogha

-chai n from the Naga,I will cast i t around

the Kinnari Manohara. He came,accordingly

,after a

time,on the fifteenth of the month

,bringing the Amogha

chain with him, concealed himself in a thicket not farfrom the lake

,among fruits

,flowers

,and foliage

,and kept

watch . When Manohara,surrounded by five hundred

Kin n aris,with befitting equipments

,went into the Brah

masabha lake to bathe, the hunter Phalaka straightwaycast the Amogha-chain, and caught the Kinnari Manohara.

Held by the chain , she began to bound and to run inthe water and to utter shrieks of terror. Hearin g these

,

the Kinnari band broke up. Looking upon Manohara,

the Kin n ari s saw that she was taken prisoner, and theyfled away terrified .

The hunter gazed at Manohara, who was of an exquisitelyproport ioned figure and of a lovely countenance

,and hav

ing gazed at her,he was about to draw near and lay hands

upon her ; but she said,“ Man of low station

,touch me

not. I am not destined to marry you . As I am worthyof a king of goodly form ,

you must not lay hands uponme .” The hunter said

,

“ If I do not lay hands upon youyou will flee away. She replied, I wil l not flee away.

I f you wil l not trust me, take this head-j ewel , by means ofwhich I fly heavenwards. The hunter said , Who can

tell that ? ” She gave him the head-jewel and said,

“ I

S UDHANA A VADANA . 5;

shall alw ays be in the power of him whose hand holds thisj ewel.” The hunter took the j ewel

,and led her away with

him,j ust as if she had been secured by bonds .

About this time the youth Sa dhana went forth to thechase one day. The hunter saw the youth Sudhan a ,

who was handsome in form and of pleasant aspect ; andhaving seen him he said to h imself,

“ As this is PrinceSudhan a ,

and as he is o f goodly form and pleasant aspect,and as he

,when he has looked upon this maiden

,will take

her to wife,I will o f my own accord offer her to him as a

present.” So he led her, ju s t as if she had been secured.by bonds, to Prince Sudhan a , and said , after touching hisfeet

,I offer unto you as a present this gem of a wife ;

be pleased to accept the gift.” Prince Sudhan a lookedu pon the Kinnari Manohara. She was of goodly form andpleasing cou ntenance

,with a complexion of remarkable

brilliance and with all good properties, adorned with theeighteen signs of the woman

,more beautiful than the

children of men ; the breasts wide apart, and arched likethe tortoise Hiran yakumbha , firm

,plump

,extremely round

and elastic the eyes light blue,with small red vein s and

of elongated form,like young lo tuses ; the arch of the nose

long and high ; the lips like coral, gems, pearls , in forml ike the Bimba fruit ; the chin ample and firm ; the cheeksmarked by very attractive moles ; the eyebrows beautifully interlacing, black as a swarm of bees ; the arms longand rounded like the spotless full moon the belly a littleoverhanging with three deep folds t he upper part of thebody a little bent from the down-hanging of the breasts

,

the under part beautifully formed like a disk ; the bandslike unto the pith of the banana tree ; the legs beautifu lfrom their delicacy and the rounding o ff of the calves ; theveins scarcely visible and free from all crookedness

,so that

all the limbs were fair to see,proudly moving to the sound

of the richly jewel-studded ornaments o f the head,neck,

and feet,and the many strings of pearls ; the hair black

and smooth,like unto Sachi , the feet adorned with orna

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

ments ; wearing a golden girdle, many s trings of pearlshanging down at the belly

,the complexion gleaming fair

as gold.

No sooner had the youth set eyes on her than he wassuddenly enchained by the bonds of passion— passionwhich

,like the pure and spotle ss moon reflected in water,

i s,on account of its unstable nature

,not eas ily to be

grasped,and like a sea-monster in a billowy to rrent

,i s

not easily to be distinguished , which steps along like theGaruda or the flow of the wind

,which fl ie s about swiftly

with a lightness resembling that of cotton,which

,like a

monkey,is always in motion , never resting in any place.

When the arrow of passion,whi ch is ever connected with

woes and with longing to en joy the bliss of love,without

letting itself be warned o ff from the abyss of misfortunedue to all those woes— when this arrow strikes the heart

,

shot from the careless bow with a scarcely audible soundarising from the longing after a meeting, then , completelybefooled by senses which hang upon the fair one

,a man

falls,like a moth , into the flame . As in summer the

lightning fl ashes from out of the rain-cloud,so did the

dart of love strike Su’

dhan a when he looked upon herwhose countenance was like unto the moon. Then PrinceSudhan a took Manohara and brought her to the city ofHastinapu ra , and to the hunter he gave a Splendid city.

A scending with Manohara to the upper storey of thepalace

,the youth Sudhan a spent his time with her in

pleasure and sport ; and by the hundredfold force o fMan ohara

’

s youth, beauty, and respect for him ,the youth

Sudhan a was immediately and irresistibly captivated.

A fter a time two Brahmans wandered that way,one

of whom attached himself to the king,the o ther to

Sudhan a . The Brahman who attached himself to theking was appointed a Pu rohita 1 by the king

,who also

bestowed much property upon him. But only a little

1 “ A fam i ly pr ie st , a kin g’s dom e st ic chapla in ,a pr iest w ho conducts

all the ce r em o n ia ls a nd sacr ifice s o f the fami ly,

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5 8 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

bu t'

also,as soon as he saw her, forgot the commands laid

upon him by the king. Thereupon the Pu rohita said tothe king

,

“ Your majesty,as there can be no doubt that

the youth Sudhan a is deeply in love with Manohara, le tthe troops be drawn up

,and order the youth

,when he

comes forth from,

the zenana,to set out on the march

without going to see Manohara again.

” The kin g saidto the ministers

,

“ Honoured sirs,equip the host.

”The

ministers obeyed the orders of the king,and equipped the

hosts,elephants

,horses

,chariots

,and infantry

,well pro

v ided with ‘many kinds of weapons and appurtenances .

Then they summoned the youth,saying to him

,

“ 0

youth,as the troops are ready, come forth from thence.”

He said,

“ Your majesty,I will go forth when I have

seen Manohara.

"

The king said, 0 youth , do not go to see her, for thatwould give rise to delay.

”

“ If that ‘be so,I will set out when I have seen my

mother.0 youth, you r mother you may see.Sudhan a took Manchara

’s head-j ewel,went to his

mother,touched her feet

,and said

,

“ 0 mother,as I

am setting out to subdue the mountaineers , do you keepthis j ewel with the utmost secrecy

,and do not give

it to Manohara except in a case of life and death .

”

A fter saying these words to his mother,and taking

leave of her, ,he se t forth with the army to the

‘

soundof mu sic. A fter gradually advancing for some time

,

he halted under a tree at no great distance from themountaineers . ‘Just at that t ime the Maharaj a Vaisravana

’

w asgoing to a Yaksha meeting, together with manyY akshas, many hundreds, many thousands , many hundreds of thousands o akshas. As he drove along

,and

was delayed upon the celestial road,he said to himself

,

“O ften as I have driven along this road, yet has mychariot ' never once been delayed. What c an be thecause of itS‘be in g delayed n ow

S UDHANA AVADANA .

Perceiving the youth Sudhan a, he thought, This is aBodisat of the Bhadrakalpa, who has gone forth to warandwill be in difficulty. I wil l assist him

,and subdue

the’

mou n tain ee rs w ithout living creatures being exposedto danger.” So he summoned Pan chika , the commanderin-chief of the Yakshas, and said to him,

Pan chika,come

here . Contriv'

e so that the youth Sudhan a may subduethe mountaineers without a battle being fought or in jurybein g infl icte d upon living creatures.” The Yaksha commander-in -chief Pan chika l istened to the orders of Vaisravana, and said, t

“ I will ac t in accordance with yourcommands . Then he conjured up the four contingentso f the div ine host, men of the stature of palm trees,elephants of the size of mountains

,horse s as large as

elephants,and chariots as bulky as the palace of the

gods Vimana. Together with his mighty host,spreading

great alarm by means of all kinds of weapons,such as

swords,mallets

,j avelins

,lances

,disks

,maces

,arrows

,

battle axes,and so forth , and through the clang of all

sorts of musical instruments, Pan chika moved onwardstowards the mountaine ers

,whose walls gave way in

consequence of the uproar'

made by the elephants,the

horses,and the chariots,and of the clangings of all kinds,

and of the power of the Yakshas. Seeing these hosts, andperce iving that their walls had given way

,the mountai n

e e rs were greatly astonished,andasked the hosts whence

they came . They replied, f‘Open the gates with all speed .

The you th~

’

Sudhan a i s on the march behind us,and we

are his army. I f you do not open‘

your gates with allspeed , everything wil l be overthrown .

” The mountaine ers said ,

“We did not rebel against the king. Moreover,

the youth is judicious ; but we have been reduced to fearand anxiety by the king’s officials. Then they openedthe gates

,and went forth to meet the youth Sudhan a, with

banners and standards displayed.

with full urns , and tothe sound of all manner of instruments . After he hadtaken rest

,he called them to him

,nominated chiefs,

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

fixed taxes,and took hostages . Then, having subdued the

mountaineers,the youth Sudhan a returned home .

That same night King Dhana dreamt this dream. A

vulture came flying up,tore open the king’s belly

,seized

his entrails,and wound them around the whole city. And

the seven treasures came into the palace . Terrified by thisdream

,with creeping skin and unquiet mind

,he rose

swiftly from his couch,and sat down in his sleeping

chamber,his head leaning on his hand

,absorbed in medi

tation as to whether he was about to lose his sovereignpower or whether he was about to die. In the morninghe told his dream to the Pu rohita

,who came to the con

elusion tha t,as the king had dreamt such a dream, the

youth must certainly have subdued the mountaineers , andthat it was the Pu r ohita’s business to devise some meansfor his destruction

,so he said to the king

,What y our

majesty has seen in this dream is not good. There is nodoubt that e ither you will lose your sovereignty

,or your

life will be placed in danger. There is , however, a meansof averting this evil I have found it in the mystic loreof the Brahmans . t at i s the means of averting it“ Your majesty, let a tank be dug in the park, a man

’sheight in depth , and let i t be lined with mortar, andwhen al l i s smooth

,le t it be filled with the blood of young

roes . Then , when you go there to bathe, you will enterthe tank as far as the first step

,and when you have

descended to the first step you will go down to thesecond s te p, and after you have descended to the secondstep you will go on to the third step

,and when yo u have

descended to the third step you will go down to thefourth step . Then must four Brahmans

,perfectly versed

in the Veda and Vedanga,lick your feet with their

tongues,and anoint them with the fat of a non-human

being (t a ,a demon) . In this wise will all that is sinful in

your nature become purified,and you w il l long retain your

sovereignty. The king said,

“ Al l this may possibly be

carried out, bu t yet demon-fat i s very rare .” The Pu rohita

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

A fter a time,all things having been prepared for the .

bath according to the command of the king, he enteredthe blood-fill ed tank and came forth from it again

,and

then the Brahmans licked his feet with their tongues.When

,subsequently to this

,all things had been se t i n

order for the bath according to the commands of the king,

and he had entered the blood-filled tank and emergedfrom i t again

,then the tongues of the Brahmans licked

his feet. A fter that the supernatural being w as broughtforward. When Manohara was ordered to draw nearer

,

she immediately rose heavenwards, saying, A fter beingseized and bound

,after having laughed and played

,lik e a

cow freed from its bonds,will I flee away. When the “

king saw her sweeping through the air,fear came upon

him,and he said to the Pu rohita

,How comes it that the

Kinnari Manohara has flown away before our preparationsw ere carried in to effect ? ” The Pu rohita said

,Your

majesty,the end is now attained

,and your nature is made

free from sin .

”

While Manohara was wending her w ay t hrou gh the airshe said to herself,

“ The directions of the Rishi were thecause of my passing into this condition. Hadhe no t giventhese d irections I should not have been captured . So Iwill go to him for a while. On reaching the Ri shi’s hermitage she touched his feet and said, “ Great Rishi

,in

consequence of your directions,I have been captured and

exposed to the touch of man,and have nearly lost my life.

Now then,i f the youth Sudhan a should happen to come

here in search o f me,give him my rin g

,and say to him

these Words : ‘0 youth, turn back again , for the way isfull of woe and hard to tread. Bu t if you cannot turnback

,i t is right to show you the way. Thus, 0 youth ,

does Manohara poin t it out. In the north there are threeblack mountains. When these are surmounted, there risethree more. When these three have been surmounted

,

there rise three more again. Andwhen these three alsohave been surmounted

,there remains the prince of moun

SUDHANA AVADANA .

tains,Himav an t. On its north side a

'

re

'

the mountainsUtk i laka

,Jalap atha , Khadir aka , Ekada

-raka,Vaj raka , Kamarfipin , Ki laka, Airav ata , Adho van a, and Pramu chapa .

Over thesemountains. you must make your way. TraverseKhadiraka ,.Ekadaraka , and Utki laka by the cavern . Theking

'

o f the birds will carry you over Vajraka . In such a‘

w aywill you traverse these moun tains . You will overcome magic er eatu res , ram-like andgoat-faced , and also aman having the form of the Rakshasa Pin gala. In thecavern is a huge snake

,which rolls with the force of a

foaming stream . This snake‘you must tame by force .

When you see the b lack snake half coiling in the cavern,

you mus t slay it, bending the bow and shoo ting the arrow.

When you see two rams butting on e another, break a horno ff each of them

,and you wil l find the w ay. If you see

two iron men with fear-inspiring weapons,and you slay

one of them,you will find the way. I f you see an iron

lipped Rakshasi open ing and shutting her mo n th,you must

fl ing a wedge at her forehead. Likewise mus t you springacross the fount with the wild whirlpool, which measuressixty fathoms . Bending your how ,

you must slay Yakshasand Rakshasas with lion-yellow hair and eyes , difficult toresist and hard to approach . Many rivers, also , full of tensof thousands o f. alligators

,must you cross. You will see

the Crocodile , the Butterfly, the Sad, the Gay, the Weeper,the Laugher, a river full o f snakes, and ano ther full ofreeds . In the Crocodil e is Rakshasi -anger, in the Butterflya demon

,in the Sad are many water-monsters

,in the

Gay is a Vidy adhara , in the Weeper is a Kinnari servingmaid

,in the Laugher i s a Kinnari

,in the snake-filledriver

are many snakes, in the river r ich in reeds is Salmali [theSe emu l or silk-cotton tree]. In the presence of the Crocodile [river] you must s tand firm, and be hold in that ofthe Butterfly. On reaching the Sad

,you must bind the

j aws o f the water-monsters. With the Gay you will su eo ecd by the help of some Nagas, with the Weeper bymeans of courage

,wi th the Laugher by

.means of silence .

64‘ TALES

'

FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

The snake- filled river you must -pass by means of snakecharms

,and the r eed-producing river by means of the

charm of sharp weapons beaten together } Having crossedall the rivers, you will come to a wild country whereinfive hundred Y akshas dwell. Opposing these

,overcome

them. Then will appear the capital of the Kinnari king.

To him address yourself. Having spoken these words tothe Rishi, Manohara touched his feet w ith her head andwent away.

Great was the joy when the king heard that the youthSudhan a had returned to Hastinapu ra with the army aftersubduing the mountaineers. As soon as the youth hadrested

,he went to his father

,made obeisance

,and took his

place before h im . The king began to speak with greatjoy

,and said

, O youth, have you been successful ?”

“ Your majesty, thr ough your grace have the mountain eers been overcome, hostages have been taken, andchiefs appointed. Tribute and taxes have al so beenlevied. Be pleased to have all this taken into the treasury.

The king said,

“ O son , as you have done well, I wil lreceive these things.” Then the son made obeisance tohis father

,and was about to depart when the kin g sai d

,

Stay, 0 youth , in order to take food with your father.

”

1 Th is passage is e xtreme ly ob

scu re . It is e viden t that Pro fe ssorSchie fn e r w a s pu zzled by it, fo r hehas o n the she ets prepar ed fo r thepr e se n t tran slation made co n side ra ble a lte rat ion s in his ve rs ion as it

o rigin al ly appe ar ed. The re appe arsto be good r ea son fo r supposin g thatthe Croc odile andthe Bu tterfly, theSad and the Gay, the W e epe r and

the Laughe r , ar e n ame s o f r i ve rs,b u t at pr esen t w e mu st b e con ten ted

w ith a hy pothe sis. The Ge rman texto r igin a lly r an as fo llow s : “V ie leFliisse , die m it zehn tausendA lligato r e n an gefiillt sind, mu sst du ube r

schr e iten . Krokodile,Schmett e r l ing

,

e in Be tr iibte r , e in Bun te r , e in W e i

n ende r , e in Lache nde r , Schla n genre iche r u nd rohr r e iche r Flu ss ; imKr okodil ist Rakshasi Zo rn , imSchmette r ling e in Damo n , in dem

Be tr iibte n vie le Me e ru n geheu er ,”doc . A s a lte r edby Pr o fe sso r Schie fn e r it run s :

“ Kr okodil e, Schmet

te r l in g, e in e Be triibte , e in e Bun t e ,e in e W e in e nde , e in e La chende , e inSchlan ge n r e iche r u nd r ohrr e iche r

Flu ss, ” &c . The w ho le passage hasbe en subm itted to var iou s expe rts ,

w ho a re in clin edto accept the flu v ia lhypo thesis.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

raja.

” In his intolerable grief at being separated fromManohara, the prince renewed his sad wailings, crying,“ A s Manohara i s not here, Manohara who was endowedwith every virtue that could be desired

,

” and so on dow nto the words

,

“ What is there that will make my paindiminish ? ” Then his mother said

,

“ My son,as there

are women in this band of wives who are more beautifulthan she is

,wherefore are you sad The youth replied

,

Mother, how can I be happy if I find her not ?A lthough his mother tried to console him

,he stil l

remained sad ; but as he wandered hither and thither,looking for Manohara. and seeking for informat ion as toher abode, a bright idea occurred to him.

“Where Iobtained her

,he thought

,

“ there will Ii

go agai n andmake inquiries . So he went to the hunter Phalaka

,and

asked him where i t was that he had go t possession ofManohara. The hunter replied , On the slope of suchand such a mountain dwells a Rishi

,in whose hermitage

there is a pool,Brahmasabha by name . Going there to

bathe,I captured her according to the Rish i’s directions .”

Sudhan a said to himself, I will go to the Rishi’s abode

,

and there obtain information .

” Hearing that the youthwas greatly depressed by his separation from Manohara,the king said

,0 youth

,wherefore are you so depressed ?

I will now give you a much more beautiful wife .” Theprince replied

,Father, as she is not here, I shall certain ly

betake me to her tarrying-place.” The king could n o t

dissuade him from this , though he repeatedly attemptedto do so. Then the king ordered watchers to be set a tthe gates and outlets from the walls

,in order to prevent

the youth from going forth. Thereupon the youth couldnot sleep the whole nigh t long. Five are there who o ntheir nightly couch are sleepless all night long

,namely

,

the man whose mind is enchained by love for his wife,

the wife who love s her husband,the red duck

,the robber

chieftain,the Bhikshu who studies zealously. The youth

1 Dharma -raja, kin g o f just ice,’ an epithe t of Y ama .

S UDHANA AVADANA .

said to himself,If I go to the gate

,the king’s gatekeepers

are harsh . A s they would punish me, or even deprive meof life

,I would rather depart by a road which has no

watchers . So he went for th by night to a spot whereno watcher was

,having attached to a standard such blue

lotus garlands as men bind around their heads . Justthen the moon ro

'

se. When he saw the moon,he uttered

this lament for his separation from Manohara,0 full

moon,king of the stars and illuminer o f the night

,thou

who art d ear to the eye of Rohini,

1 excellent caravanleader

,hast thou seen the abiding-place of my loved one

,

the lotus-eyed ManoharaRemembering the joys he had formerly experienced

,he

walked on,and when he saw a gazelle

,he addressed i t

also,saying

,

“ O gazelle,tho u who enjoye st grass, water,

and foliage,wander in peace and quiet

,for I am no hunter.

Hast no t thou seen my deer-like,long-eyed

,beautifully

formed Manohara ? ” Going on farther,and reaching

another spot,he saw bees at work in the interio r of a

wood adorned with flowers and fruits,and to one o f the

bees he said,O bee, thou who art blue, like unto the

mountains,thou who abidest within holl ow canes and

upon lo tuses,hast thou seen my Manohara

,her of the

long hair,dark of hue

,like unto bees ? ” Going still

farther he saw a snake,and when he saw it he said

, O

snake,thou who mov est thy tongue as a fores t tree its

leaves, thou who emittest from thy mouth and eyesmasses of smoke

,hast thou seen her who is unlike thy

poison-fire and the fire of passion ? hast thou seen myManohara ? He went on still farther

,and he heard a

Kokila calli ng in the forest,and seeing it

,he said, O

Kokila, thou who ab ide st on the magnificent trees of theforest, king of the troops of birds, hast not thou seen herwho is endowed wi th the lovely

,spotless eyes

,like unto

Roh in i , n ame o f the n in th Naksha tra o r lun a r ast e r ism (pe rson ifiedas a da ughte r o f Daksha , and the fa vou r ite w ife o f the moon , cal led/the Red on e

,

’

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

blue lotuses hast not thou seen my Manohara ? Goingstill farther on

,he saw an Asoka tree widely spreading

fo rth its leaves , and when he saw it he s aid, Thou whoa rt c alled after happiness,1 and who art the great king ofthe trees

,troubled by grief for Manohara, I clasp my

hands . Do thou dispel my grief.A fter this fashion

,with troubled mind

,he at length

arrived at the hermitage of the Rishi. Andwhen he hadm eekly paid reverence to the Rishi , he said, O thou whoart exalted through endurance

, thou w ho art clothed inthe bark of tr ees and the skins of wild beasts, thou whofeedest on roots and Sprouts

,the Vilva tree and the Ka

pittha tree.2 0 Rishi, I pay thee reverence, bowing my

head . Hast thou seen my Manohara ? Tell me quickly.

”

Then the Rishi said to the youth Sudhan a , Welcome IAnd after unfolding a carpet and making preparationsfor a fr iendly reception, he continued, “ I have seen herwho i s e ndowed with smooth , interlacing eyebrows , whopossesses a comely form

,a face resembling the full moon

,

and e yes like unto blue lotuses . Take your seat uponthe carpet

,and partake of these different kinds of roots

and berries. There i s no doubt in my m ind that y o uwil l obtain happiness in the fu ture. Thus Spake she ofthe beautiful eyebrows : I have learnt that the youth

,

rendered unhappy by longing,although a dweller in the

forest,affected by great sorrow

,wil l come to vou .

’ Thenshe gave me this ring and said

,A s the way which leads

to me i s full of w o e and hard to tread,he can turn

back . But if he cannot bring himself to turn back,then

you must direct him on his way.

’

And she spoke as

follows : In the north there are three black mountains .When these are surmounted , there are three more on theother s ide ; and when these three have been surmounted ,

1 The w o rdAéolca mean s w ithou t so rr ow : no t fee lin g o r n ot caus ingn

so r row .

3 “ The tr e e zEgle Ma rmelos (common ly ca lledBe l), and “ the e lephan to r w ood-apple tr ee , Feron ia elepha ntum.

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70 TALES “

FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

the Weeper, the Laugher, a river full of snakes, and ariver rich in reeds . In the Crocodil e is Rakshasi -anger

,

in the Butterfly is a demon , in the Sad are many watermonsters

,in the Gay is a Vidyadhara , in the Weeper a

Kinnari serving-maid,in the Laugher i s a Kinnari

'

,in the

snake-fill ed river are many snakes,in the river rich in

reeds is Salmali. In the presence of the Crocodile youmust stand firm

,and you must be hold in the presence o f

the Butterfly. On reaching the Sad , you must bind thejaws of the water-monsters. With the Gay you willsucceed by the help of some Nagas

,with the Weeper by

means of courage,with the Laugher by means of silence .

You will cross the snake-filled river by mean s of thecharm agains t snakes

,and the river rich in reeds by

means of the magic of sharp weapons struck together.When you have crossed the rivers and reached a landrich in bushes, you must oppose and overcome fivehundred Y akshas who dwell there . There stands thecapital of the Kinnari king. Go and speak with him.

Thereupon the youth Sudhan a touched the Rishi’s feetwith his head

,and went away in order to seek the

remedies,spells

,and antidotes indicated to him. When

he had obtained all but the monkey,he came back with

them to the Rishi. The Rishi gave him a monkey andsaid

, 0 youth , why do you trouble yourself so muchWherefore is Manohara so necessary to you . A lone

,with

out companions,you will surely lose your life .” The

youth replied,Great Rishi , I shall surely go, and why ?

Where has the heaven-traversin g moon a companion ?The king of the beasts, endowed with strength of tusks ,and the fire which burns the forest— where are theircompanions ? \Vhe r e fo r e should a strength like mine require a companion ? What ! shall not men trust themselves to the great ocean wave Shall not one heal thehand which a snake has bitten ? If a V1go rou s beingstruggles to the utmost, no blame can be fou nd with thepains taken, even though they may not be success ful.

”

S UDHANA A VADANA .

Thereupon the youth Sudhan a , provided with the variousobj ec ts indicated by Manohara, set forth . He passed i ntheir turn the rivers

,the caverns

,and the abysses

,assisted

by the remedies,the spells

,and the antidotes , and he

came into the neighbourhood of the Kinnari king, Druma .

The youth gazed at the city,which was adorned by a park

rich in flowers and fruits of various kinds,the haunt of all

sorts of birds,provided with tanks

,oblong and square

lakes,and surrounded by Kin n aris. He sa w some Kin

n ari s coming to draw water,and he said to them

,What

are you going to do with all that water They replied,

“ The Kinnari kin g has a daughter, Manohara. A s shehas fallen into the hands of human beings

,the smell o f

humanity has to be washed off her.” The youth Sudhan asaid,

“A re all these jugs to be emptied over her at once

or one after another ? They replied,

“ On e after another .He thought

,

“Here i s a good opportunity. I will dropthis ring into one of the jugs . He chos e the jug of oneof the Kin n ari s

,dropped the ring into it

,and said to her

,

“ Le t your jug be the first to begin Manchara’s ablutions .”

YVhereu pon she thought,“ No doubt he will be want-ing

something or other.”

When this Kinnari had been the firs t to empty her jugover Man ohara

’

s head,the ring fell into Manchara

’s lap,who said to her “Has not a man come hither ? ” She

replied , Yes .” Go to him,and bring him to some

retired spot.” A ccordingly the Kinnari brought him inand took him to a retired spot . Then Manohara touchedher father’s feet and said

,Father

,i f the youth Sudhan a ,

who was my husband,were to come here

,what would you

do with him ?”

He replied,As he is a man

,and I have

no need of him,I would cut him into a hundred pieces

and scatter him on all four sides . Manohara said,Father, as he is a man , how could he be here ? I t wasonly my talk .

A fterwards, when the wrath o f the Kinn ari king,

B ruma, was assuaged, he said, If the youth comes,I

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

will have you provided with all kinds of ornaments,and

with many goods and treasures, and surrounded by Kinn ari s

,and will give you to him as his wife .” Thereupon

Manohara,full o f great deligh t

,clothed the youth Sud

hana in divine a rray,and showed him to th e Kinnari

king,B ruma. When the Kinnari king, Druma

,saw the

young Sudhan a ’s stately form and pleasing aspect,his

handsome face and brilliant complexion,he was greatly

astonished . A s he was desirous of having him as hisson-in -law

,he set in order seven golden stems

,seven

palms,seven kettledrums

,and seven wild boars. Now

the youth Sudhan a was a Bodisat, and Bodisats are versedin all arts and in every kind of skill. Moreover

,the

gods take pains to remove all h indrances out of their way.

The Bodisat stepped forth , surrounded by many thousandsof Kin n ari s

,amid dance and song

,and to the sound of the

harps,kettledrums

,cymbals

,lutes

,drums

,and the rest

of the instruments o f various kinds made by the gods.Before the eyes of the Kinnari king

,Drama, he drew nigh

to the golden stems,wielding a sword which looked like

the leaf of .a blue lotus,and began to cut the s tems in

pieces as though he were slicing a plantain. Whereupon he broke them into fragments like grains of sesame.Moreover he shot an arrow uninjured through the sevenpalm-trees, the seven kettledrums, and the seven boars,and remained standing like Sumeru unremoved. Thereupon the heaven-inhabiting gods and many hundreds ofthousands of Kin n ari s se t u p a cry of triumph with noiseand shouting. When the Kinnari king, B ruma, saw andheard all this

,he marvelled greatly.

A fter that the king placed Manohara in the middle of athousand Kin n ari s exactly like her, and said to the youthSudhan a ,

Come hither, 0 youth , and recognise Manohara ” Then the youth Sudhan a , in order that he might recognise her, uttered these verses , Thou who art Druma

’

s

daughter,thou art also my beloved Manohara ; let it

come to pass,in consequence of this truth, that thou, O

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74 TALES‘FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

themselves up to rejoicing. Then the youth, accompaniedby Manohara

,surrounded by many thousands of leaders

of men,made his entry into the city of Hastinapu ra .

When he had recovered from the fatigue caused by thejourney

,he took jewels of different kinds and went to his

father,and remained standing beside the king

,and gave

him a full account of his journey to and from the Kinnaricity. As King Dhana had become aware that the princepossessed remarkable strength

,manliness

,and courage

,he

invested him with regal power. The youth Sudhan a saidto himself

,That I have me t with Manohara and obtained

the migh t of kingly power is the Special resu lt of earlierdeeds. Therefore will I now also bestow gifts and practisevirtuous works .Andduring the space of twelve years he without let

or hindrance offered sacrifice in the city of Hastinapu ra.

PRIN CE[1 VAKA AS THE RING OF PH YSICIANS .

‘

IN Videha ,in a vast, rich , prosperous, fruitful, and pcpu

lous'

land,reigned King Vir i

'

idhaka . He had five hundredministers

,with Sakala at their head , and through his chief

minister Sakala b e ruled in accordance with the law,and

transacted business according to justice. For this reasonall men looked up to Sakala . A fter Sakala had taken tohimself a wife of his own degree

,and had lived with her

,

there was born unto him a son , to w hom, on the twentyfirst day after his birth , the name of Gopala was given .

A fter he had again lived with his w ife,an other son was

born to him,to Whom he gave the name of Simha.

When these tw o sons were grown up,it was with them

just as it had been with their father,who from the very firs t

surpassed all the other ministers in courage and superiorityin the five arts Now these ministers could

.

n o t endurethis . So they took counsel together

,and betook them

selves to the king,and asked him

,when an opportunity

presented itself,who really was king . The king replied

,

Honoured sirs , what is the meaning of such a question ?I am the king. Who else could there be ? They said

,

O king,Sakala i s king, not you. If he could manage

it, he would deprive you of the regal pow er, set thediadem on his own head

,and seize the regal power for

himself.” But the king saw quite clearly that they wereho stile to Sakala because he w as superior to them all.

1 Kah-gyu r , v o l. i i i . pp. 50*

249, a po rt ion o f J ivaka’

s w o nde rSpe n ce Ha rdy ha s give n in his fu l cu r e s, and a lso som e va ryin g“Man ua l o f Buddhism,

” pp. 237 acco u n ts o f his o r ig in — S .

TALES FROM'

TIBETAN SO URCES .

On another occasion , the king was sitting surroundedby the band of ministers, while the first minister, Sakala,was detained in the king

’s palace, surrounded by eigh tthousand plaintiffs and defendants , so that the king

’spalace was quite full. But when the public business wasbrought to an end and the crowd had gone away

,the

palace was left quite empty. The king asked if all thecrow d had left the palace. The ministers , trusting thatthey had found an opportunity

,replied

,

“ 0 king,what

you wished to hear is evidently this : I f Sakala could bringi t about

,he would deprive you of the sovereignty

,set

the diadem upon his own head , and seize the regal powerfor himself.”

As kings,like crows

,live in fear of death

,he thou gh t

that what they said was doubtless true,and he began to

find faul t with Sakala . As every one finds in the worldfriends

,foes

,and indifferent persons

,Sakala’s attention

began to be called to the fact that the king wanted to getu p a quarrel with him,

and that he must therefore takesome precautions. A fter pondering over the matter

,he

considered whither he should betake himself. If he wereto go to Sravasti , he would be in the same danger there,as that also was under regal power. Just the same wouldbe the case if he were to go to Varanasi , to Rajagrha ,

orto Champa. Only in Va isali did the people rule. There

,

i f ten men were contented,twenty were discontented.

He had better betake himself thither.So he sen t a messenger to the Liééhav is 1 of Va isali to

a sk if he might take up his abode under the shelter oftheir power. They replied with all respect that he mightcome to Va is’ali , and would be welcome there. Thereuponthe firs t minister

,Sakala , called his kinsmen together

,

and said to them,Honoured Sirs

,I am about to move to

Va isali . Le t those among you who ar e contented hereremain here ; but he who is not so, let him get ready

For an acco u n t o f the o r ig in and histo ry of these n obles, see Spen ceHa rdy’s Man ua l

,

” p. 235 .

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

among women should not be married to any one,but

should appertain to the people for common enjoyment.As Sakala was a man of position, he was a llotted a

house in the first distric t. When he began to live there,

he could not be induced, although invited, to appear inthe assembly of the people . The Liééhav is asked himwhy he did not appear. He repli ed,

“ As harm mightcome to me from the assembly, therefore I do not go toit.” The inhabitants of Va isali encouraged him to attend

,

saying that no harm could come to him. He then went tothe assembly

,but he never expressed any opinion . They

invited him to do so. But he explained that he neverdid so

,because if he did some evil might come upon him.

They declared that he ought to do so,and that doing so

would bring him into no trouble. So when he afterwardsappeared in the public assembly

,he expressed his Opinion

along with the rest.Up to that time , the Liééhav is of Vaisali , whenever

they sent a missive to any one,wrote it in a rude style.

Bu t after Sakala had giv en his advice they framed theirmissives in a friendly tone. They who received suchfriendly missiv es talked them over among themselves

,

and tried to find out the reason for this friendliness.Then some of them explained that it was since Sakala

,

the first minister of Virudhaka , king ofVideha , came toVa isali and took part in the councils

,that letters of this

kind,full o f

l

friendlin ess,had been issued.

A fter Sakala had arranged marriages for his two sons,

Gopala and Simha,there was born unto Sifiiha a daughter

,

to whom the name of Vasavi was given at her birth-feast.“’hen the seers had inspected her

,they declared that

she would hear a son who would take his father’s life,

set the diadem on his own head,and seize the sovereignty

for himself. A fter Simha had again lived with his wife,

a daughter w as born to him,whose birth also was cele

b rated in the most festive manner, and to whom thename of Upavasav i w as given. Her also the seers in

PRINCE 71VAKA . 79

spe cted, and they declared that she would brin g into theworld a son provided with excellent qualities.Now it came to pass that Gopala

,who was fierce and

of g reat strength , ravaged the parks o f the Liééha v is ofVaiéali . The park-keepers tried to prevent him fromdoing so

,pointing out to him that the Liééhavis were

fierce and of great power. A s the keepers gained nothingthereby

,they betook themselves to his father and besough t

him to restrain hi s son . Sakala sent for him ,and made him

aware of the danger which threatened him on the part o fthe Liééhav is. He replied

,Father

,they have parks ; we

have none.” Sakala said that he would ask the popularassembly for a park. He did so

,and the as sembly granted

them an old park. In the park there was an ancient Salatree

,out of which the one made an image of Bhagav an t,

and the other consecrated the same . The Sthav iras in theSfitras also say that the Buddha Bhagav an t went out fromVa isali into the Sala forest of Gopala and Simha.When Gopala had committed a thousand misdeeds

,and

the Liééhav is had blamed and reproved him and calledhim to account

,Sakala sent for him,

and commanded him,

i n order not to irritate the people, to ret ire to a certainhill district

,and there to practise agriculture on his own

lands . The son obeyed his father’s commands .A fterwards, when the commander of Vaisali died , the

first minister, Sakala, was elected commander. A fter hehadheld this post fo r a short time, he also died . Thepeople of Va isali met together, and held counsel as towhom they should appoint commander. Then some ofthem said

, As the excellent minister,Sakala

,has admir

ably pro tected the people,let u s elect his son .

”

Otherssaid, His son Gop

'

ala is fierce and of great strength . I fwe appoint him as commander

,discord will be sure to

come upon the people . His younger brother, Simha, i sgood, accessible, and likely to render the people contented.

If it so please the people,let us appoint him commander.”

As all acq uiesced in this,the assembly waited upon S imha

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

and offered him the post of commander. He answered.

“ Gopala is my elder brother ; therefore appoint him.

”

They replied,O Simha, is the post of commander here

ditary in your family ? If you are not in clined to takethe post

,we will appoint some one els e commander.” He

reflected that it would no t be well if the commandershipwere to pass to some other family from his own

,so he

decided that it would be better to ac cept it. Thereuponhe was invested with the offi ce in great s tate .Previously to this, when the inhabitants of Va iéal

‘

i’

sent a missive,they used to write

,Thus say the people

,

with Sakala at their head. A little after this a missivearrived at the place where Gopala was practising agriculture o n his lands. When Gopal a had opened it andperused it

,he asked if his father was dead

,seeing that

the inhabitants of Va isali had been in the habit of writing

,Thus say the people

,with Sakala at their head

,

” butn ow there was written

,Thus say the people

,with Simha

at their head.

” When he was told that his father wasdead

,he took offence

,and went to Va isali

,and asked

Simha if it was right that he should have been madecommander

,although he himself

,Gopala

,was the elder

brother. Silhha explained how the whole matter hadcome about. Full of displeasure against the Liééhav is

,

Gopala determined , in conseque nce of this slight, to goto Rajagrha . So he sent a messenger to King Bimbisarato m ake known his desire to place himself under theking’s protection . The king sent back word that hewould be welcome. So he went to Rajagrha , and KingBimbisara made him his first minister.Now after some time King Bimbisara’s chief wife died

,

and as he was sitting depressed, leaning his cheek u ponhis hand

,Gopala asked him what was the cause of his

grief. He replied that his chief wife was dead,and he

could not but be unhappy. Gopala said,“ 0 king

,be

not troubled in mind . My younger brother has twodaughters

,perfect in youth and beauty. They would be

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

she began collecting her ornaments,Vasavi saw her and

asked why she was doing that.I am going to be married .

To whomTo King Bimbisara.Vasavi said this could not be done

,seein g that she w as

the elder sister.In that case do you take the ornaments .While they were sti ll discoursing the bell began tosound . The inhabitan ts o f Va is’ali were in great commotion

,supposing that an enemy had come to Va isali . Full

of anxiety,Si ifiha took with him his elder daughte r,

Vasavi,under the impression that she was Upavasav i , and

went hastily to the park. There Gopala, equally full ofanxiety

,received Vasavi into his chariot and drove away.

The peopl e of Va iéali set out in pursuit of him , overtook him

,and began to fight w i th him . Bu t as he w as

versed in the five arts o f battle,he pierced five hundred

Liééhav is to the heart,and said

,Honoured sirs

,as I

have pierced five hundred of your number to the heart,but am ready to leave the rest of you alive

,do ye n ow

turn back.

”

No living being among us has been killed.

Take o ff your armour.”

When they had taken o ff their armour,fiv e hundred of

them fell to the ground and died. Thereupon the surv iv o rs though t that thisman must be a Rakshasa, andthey fled away full of terror. When they returned toVa isali they began to take counsel together, and theysaid

,Honoured Sirs, on this foe of ours we will let King

l imbisara’

s sons take vengeance . Let us inscribe this ona tablet

,place the tablet in a chest, seal up the chest, and

put i t away.

”All of which they did .

A fter a time Gopala arrived at . Rajagrha and cried,Upavasav i , come forth .

She replied,Uncle , I am not Upavasav i , but Vasavi .

Why didnot you tell me so before ?

PRINCE 71VAKA . 83

She uttered no word in reply. Displeased and troubled,

he went to the king,and the king, as soon as he saw

him,said

,

“ Have yo u come, Gopala ? You are welcome .”

I have come, 0 king.

Have you brough t Upav asav i alon g with you0 king ! I have brought her and have no t brought

What does that mean ? ”

I have brou gh t Vasavi,thinking that she was Upav a

savi“ Bring her here

,that I may see her.

Now when Vasavi was brought,and the king saw her

perfect youth and beauty,he was attracted by her to such

a il -ex tent that he fell in love with her at first sight,and

said,Honoured one

,a son who kills his father must do

so merely for the s ake of the sovereignty. Therefore,in

case a son is born unto me,I will confer the diadem on

him immediately after his birth .

”

Thereupon he took her as his wife. A s she came fromVideha , she received the name of Va idehi .Now there lived in a hermitage a Rishi endowed with

five kinds o f insigh t. On e day when the king had goneto the chase

,a gazelle terrified by the shooting of arrows

took refuge in the Rish i’s hermitage , and being seenthere

,was struck by the king’s arrow. The Ri shi said in

his wrath,Will you

, 0 king of evil, kill the gazellewhich had placed itself under my pro t ection

,when even

beasts of prey respect my hermitageWhile the Rish i was calling the king to account withsuch words as these

,the king’s troops came up and asked

to whom these words were being addressed. The kingsaid that they were levelled at him

,and asked what ought

to be the punishment for such a calling to account. Theanswer was that the proper punishment was that ofdeath.

“ In that case,said the king

,

“ I abandon thei ishi to it. When the preparations were be ing made for

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

putting the Rish i to death, he formulated a curse, desiringthat he

,wheresoever he should be born again, might

take the king’s life,inasmuch as that king of evil had

ordered him to be put to death without his having committed any fault or done any harm. Moreover

,he

reflected that as such kings keep very much out of theway, and are greatly watched over and guarded , hewould scarcely be able to find a fit opportunity if he wereborn again anywhere els e

,and that he mus t therefore be

brought into the world by this king’s chief wife . Bymeans of this curse he was brought into the world byVasavi .On the day of his conception a rain of blood fell.

Vasav‘

i was seized by a desire to cut flesh from the king’sback and eat it. When she had told the king of this

,he

called the soothsayers together and consulted them abouti t. They decided that it was caused by the influence ofa being which had entered into his wife’s womb. Thekin g sat absorbed in thought

,meditating ho w he could

satisfy her longing. Some sagacious persons advisedhim to have a cotton garment li ned with raw meat

,

and to put it on,and then to offer the meat to his wife.

Thereupon the king ordered a cotton garment to belined with raw meat

,and he put it on , and then offered

Vasavi the meat . She thought that it was the king’sown flesh

,and so ate it, whereby she was freed from her

longing .

A fterwards a longing came upon her to drink of herhusband’s blood

,and she told this to the king. The

king had the veins opened in five of his limbs,and gave

her the blood to drink, whereby she was freed from he r

longing.When nine months had passed by

,a fine

,good-lookin g

boy was born , and on the day of his birth there fell arain of blood. The king called the soo thsayers togetherand consulted them. They said ,

“0 kin g so far as we

0 ,

can learn from the words of wisdom,this son will n u

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

caravan leaders . The householder Mahanaman reflectedthat those among them who did n o t obtain her would beo ffended

,and that he had better ask the people for a legal

decision. So when the people of Va isali were gatheredtogether he said

,Honourable Brahmans and house

holders,give ear ! Having obtained a girl from my park

,

I have brought her up. As I am now thinking of givingher in marriage to some man of a family correspondingwith my own

,so let the people cons ider the matter.”

The men of Vaisali replied,

“ O householder,the people

long ago passed a law that a pearl o f a woman was notto be given in marriage

,but should be placed at the dis

posal of the people . Therefore yo u must bring forwardthe maiden

,in order that w e may see what she is like.”

A fter a time he came into the assembly with her.When the perfection of her youth and be auty was seen

,

all the pe ople opened their eyes wide with astonishment,

and when they had critically examined her,some of them

cried ,“ O householder, this is a pe arl of a woman , and

therefore she belongs to the enjo yments o f the people,and

mus t not be married to any one.”

When Mahauaman had retu rned home in displeasure,

and was Sitting absorbed in thought, his cheek leaningupon his arm, Amrapali saw him, and asked why he wasso dejected.

O daughter, you have been recognised as a pearl of awoman

,and therefore you belong to the enjoyments o f

the people,so that my wishes will no t be fulfilled.

”

O father, are you dependent upon any one.O daughter, as the people formerly made a law that

she who is really a pearl o f a woman shall belong to theenjoyments of the people

,and as you have now been

recognised as a pearl of a woman,I am powerless .”

Then she said,

“ If the people will grant five wishes ofm ine

,I will belong to their enjoyments. A house must

be allotted to me in the first district. When a man hase ntered my house , no one else must be allowed the right

PRINCE yrVAKA .

o f entry. Whoever enters must bring with ‘

him fiveht

’

indred Kai‘shapan as. A t the time when houses ares earched

,my house must not be searched till seven davs

have elapsed . A nd no heed is to be taken of thosew ho enter or leave my house. Mahanaman l aid Amrapali

’

s proposal before the people,and they agreed to it

,

sayin g,“ If she asks for a house in th e first district

,a

house in the first district befits a pearl of a woman. I fShe asks that when one man has entered into her house

,

n o o ther man should have the right of entry,that also i s

in st for as no wrath i s so bad as wrath on account of awoman

,in case one man entered in and another came i n

after him,assuredly one of them might kill the other. I f

she makes a stipulation that every one who comes inmust bring with him five hundred Karshapan as, this likew is e i s reasonable she doubtless require s the money forclothing and ornament. I f she a sk s that her hou se Shallnot be searched till after seven days have elapsed

,that al so

is reasonable ; what danger can arise , whether the searchtakes place sooner or later ? If she wishes no heed to betaken of the men who enter or leave her house

,that again

is j ust. A s she i s to be a cour tesan,no man would enter

her’

hou se i f he knew that all w ho went in or came outwould be watched .

”

So when the people had granted herfive wishes, she became the property of the people forenjoyment.A fter a t ime ,1 Amrapali sent for painters living in

v arious regions, and ordered them to paint o n her walls theportraits of the kings

,ministers

,capitalists

,merchants

,

traders , and caravan leaders whom they had seen . Whenthe painters had completed the portraits

,Amrapali put on

ornaments of various kinds and inspected the portraitsone after the o ther

,asking the while

,

“Honoured sirs,

w ho i s thisKing Pradyo ta .

Who is thatl A few l in es ha ve bee n omittedhere.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

That i s Pr asen aj i t, king of Kesala.

And thisUdajan a, king of Vatsa.

And thatSre n i Bimbisara, king of Magadha.

In this way she went on asking,and the painters told

her all the names . When she had looked at all theportraits

,her eyes remained fixed on that o f Bimbisara,

and She began to reflect whether a man of such port andstature would devote himself to love with her.It happened one day that King Bimbisara of Magadha

went ou t on the roof of his palace,and there

,surrounded

by his band of ministers , he indulged in light talk, askingthem what courtesans they had seen. Gopala said, O

king, there are o thers besides, but in Va isali there is oneof exquisite youth and beauty, Amrapali by name. Sheis versed in the sixty-four arts of love, and deserves , Oking

,to be en joyed by thee .” The king replied

,If that

be so,Gopala, I will betake myself to Va isali and enjoy

myself with her.” Gopala called his attention to the factthat danger might threaten him on the part of the Liééhavis

,w ho had long entertained hostile sentiments towards

him.The king was of opinion that men who possessed

manly hearts might always go anywhere . Gopala said,

0 king, i f a man attaches importance to matters o f smallaccount

,let him go . The king mounted his chario t and

betook himself with Gopala to Va is’ali .When they arrived there , Gopala remained in thepark

,but the king went to Amrapali

’

s house. Then thebell began to sound . The Liééha v is of Va isali becamegreatly excite d , thinking that as the bell had rung anenemy must have penetrated into the city. A greatuproar arose

,and King Bimbisara asked Amrapali what

it meant.O king, the houses are being searched.

On what account ? ”

On your account, 0 kin g !”

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

and he told her the whole story. She said to him,

“ I fany one asks you that again , reply, ‘There is not oneamong you who has such a father as I have.’ I f theyinquire who he is , tell them that he is King Bimbisara.

”

So when the children were again at play,and they

questioned him as before, he replied that there was noone among them who had such a father as he had. Whois he ? ” they cried. When he had mentioned the nameof King Bimbisara, they ill treated him all the more,because his father was their enemy . He told all thiswith tears to his mother, who reflected that the Liééhav isof Va isali were very fierce and strong

,and that they might

find an opportunity of putting him to death .

A fter thinking over all this, she found out that a numberof merchants were travelling with goods to Rajagrha , soshe said to them , You and your packages will be able topass in without paying duty if they are sealed with theseal of this ring. Take the boy with you to the king’spalace

,and place him, after stamping the seal o f this ring

on his neck,at the gate of Raj agrha .

” The merchantspromised to act in accordance with these instructions.Then she gave the boy a string of pearls, and said , “

O

son,betake yourself in the way of business to the king ;

lay the string of pearls at his feet and climb up to hisbreast. Shou ld any o n e say,

‘This is a boy who knowsno fear

,

’ ask whether a son has anything to fear from hisfather ?When the merchants had arrived at Rajagrha with the

boy,they gave him a bath , stamped him with the seal,

and took him to the gate of the palace. The boy madehis way to where the king was, laid the string of pearls atthe king

’s feet,and climbed up to his breast. The king

said,

“ This boy seems to be without fear. The boyreplied

,Has a son anything to fear from his father

As the king had in this way given u tterance to thewords without fear,

”

the boy was named Prince Abhaya.

[or fearless ]

King Bimbisara, who w as always longing after strangewomen

,used to mount his elephant and roam through the

streets of the city,turning his eyes this w ay and that.

There lived at that time in Rajagrha a very rich merchant,who told his wife one day that he was obliged to go intoforeign parts with merchandise . A fter he had gone away,his w ife

,who fed delicately and dressed in fine raiment,

was affected by desire . So when King Bimbisara cameriding on his elephant near her house

,she seated herself

at the window and threw him a wreath of flowers. Theking caught sigh t of her and called on her to come down

,

but she said ,“ 0 king, I am afraid . It were better that

you should come in here .

The king entered her house and took his pleasuretherein ; and as all things we re propitious, she becamewith child . When she had made the king aware of this , hegave her a Signet ring and a motley robe , and said to her,I f a son is born un to you, clothe him in thi s robe , stampthis seal on his neck

,and send him to me . But i f a girl

i s born unto you,she can remain with you. Having

thus spoken,he went his way.

No w when the merchant had finished his business andhad arrived in the n eighbourhood of Rajagrha , he sent amessage to his wife saying,

“ Rej oice , good wife I I havearrived here after finishing my business

,and I shall return

home on such and such a day. Then she reflected thatshe had committed so great a fault

,and she knew not what

she was to do when her hu sband arrived. In her troubleshe sent tidings thereof to the king. The king sent herback word that she should be of good cheer

,for he w ould

manage in such a way that her husband w ould not re turnhome so soon . A ccordingly he sent a messenger to thecaravan leader, le tting him know that such and suchprecious stones were required

,and that he must not come

back without bringing them . So the merchant wasobliged to make a long journey on account o f those

precious stones.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

When nine months had elapsed,the merchant’s wi fe

gave birth to a fine,good-looking boy. As women

,even

without receiving instruction,are full of knowledge

,she

fed the babe on butter and honey,stamped the sea l of the

ring on his neck,wrapped him in the robe

,laid him in a

chest,and ordered her serving-maid to deposit the chest

at the gate of the king’s palace,after having set lamps

around i t and lighted them,and then to keep watch till

some one should take the child in .

All this the maid did. When the king had come outon the roo f of his palace

,and was standing there with

Prince Abhaya,he perceived the lamps at the door of his

palace. So he ordered his servants to find out whatwas the meaning of there being lamps burnin g at thepalace door. The servants brought back word thatthere was a chest there . The king ordered it to befetched

,but Prince Abhaya besought the king to give to

him whatever should be found within the chest. Theking acceded to his request. When the chest had beenfetched and laid before the king, he gave orders that i tshould be Opened. When it was Opened a boy was seeninside i t. The king asked if the child w as alive or dead.

He was told that it was alive. Then the king recognisedthe seal and the robe

,and he made over the child to Prince

Abhaya. The prince brought him up, and as the king hadasked i f he was alive

,and as Prince Abhaya had looked

after his maintenance,the boy received the name of Jivaka

Kumarabhanda .

1

When JIv aka had grown up, he was sitting one dayconversing with Abhaya. Abhaya said that i t was incumbent on them to learn some craft

,whereby they might

1 O r Jiv akakumarabhrtya, the fir st ca r e o f a you n g child, ca r e o f a

fo rm in Bu rn o u f, “Lo tu s de la Bon n e pre gn an t o r lyin g-in w oman , m id

Lo i,”

449. the se co nd in Childe rs w ife ry .

”— l\Io n ie r VVilliam s . ] Bo thsub w e . Komdrabha cco . Se e Boht n ame s a r e pe rso n ifica t ion s o f the

lin gk-Ro th u nde r Kumdr a bhr tya , he a l in g a rt . Se e a lso Hardv

,

a bran ch o f the m edica l a rt“ Ma n u al o fBuddhism ,

” p. 238.— S

,

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

When he had studied it well,but had no t as yet learnt

how to open sku lls , he had recourse to the king of physieiau s

, Atreya in Takshaéila, of whom he had heard thathe understood the art of skull-opening. Going to the king

,

he told him that he was about to journey to Takshaéila.

What forThe king of physicians

,Atreya , lives there, who under

stands the art o f opening the skull . I t i s in order tolearn that art that I wish to go there .Do you desire

, O son, to make a living thereby0 king, a man must either not studv the art of healing

at all,or he must study i t thoroughly.

In that case, O son , go thither.

The king wrote a letter to King Pushkarasarin,saying

,

My son is going to A treya in order to study the healingart. Provide him with all things which he may requ ire.”

In the course of time Ji v aka arrived at Takshasila,

and Pu shkarasarin ,after reading the letter

,handed him

over to Atreya , to whom he gave orders to instruct i nthe healing art the prince who had come there on hisaccount. When Atreya began to teach him

,Ji vaka

mastered everything excellently at the slightest intimation . Now Atr eya was wont, when he visited . a patient

,

to take a young Brahman along with him. On e dayhe took Ji vaka also, gave him directions to administersuch and such remedies, and then w ent away. Ji v aka

thought,

“ In the present case the master has made amistake. If the patien t takes this medicine, he will diethis very day. A s the remedy which the master hasprescribed is not good , I will cqn triv e an expedient. Sohe left the house along with A treya , and said when hecame back again ,

“ The doctor has told me not to givethe medicine which he has prescribed, bu t such and sucha remedy.

” When the patient had been treated in thisway

,he became better. The n ex t time A treya visited

the patien t,after asking how he was getting 0 11

,he gave

directions that the same medicine should be given to him

PRINCE 3 7VARA . 95

on the following day. Being asked whether he meantthe medicine which he had prescribed first or that whichhe had afterwards ordered

,he said

,

“What did I prescribefirst

,and what afterwards ? ” He was told , You pre

scribed the o n e when you were present here ; about theother yo u gave orders to Ji vaka .

” He said to himself,“ I made a mistake. Ji v aka is endowed with great insight .” Then he said that the medicine which Ji v akahad pre scribed w as to be giv en.

Atreya became well pleased with Ji vaka, and took hima long with him wherever he went. The Brahmans’ sonssaid

,

“ 0 teacher vou are well pleased with him becausehe is a king’s son

,and you bestow instruction upon him

,

but none upon u s.

” He replied ,“ That i s not the case.

Ji vaka possesses great intelligence , and he is able tocomprehend intuitively whatever I indicate to him . Theysaid

, 0 teacher, how do you know this ?” He said to

the Brahmans’ sons,

“ Go and ask the price of variouscommodities

,you of such a one

,you of such another.”

And having so spoken he sen t them o ff to the market.He also gave orders to Ji v aka to ask the price of acertain article . The Brahmans’ sons did as they werebid . Ji vaka did likewise. But then he said to himself,“ Suppose the master asks the prices of other wares

,

what shall I be able to reply ? I will make myselfacquainted with the prices of other commodities as well .When they had all returned to their teacher

,they ren

dered an account of those things which they had beenordered to do. Then Atreya began to ask the price ofarticles which he had no t mentioned

,saying

,0 Brah

man’s son,what does this or that commodity cost ? ”

He whom he questioned replied that he did not know .

In like manner did the o thers make reply when hequestioned them. But Ji v aka, when he w as asked, toldhim the price of every kind of goods.

O Brahmans’

sons,

” said Atreya , have ye heardWe have heard.

”

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Behold,this is the reason why I said that Ji‘vaka

,

as he i s possessed of remarkable insight, intuitively comprehends any matter o n a slight intimation being givento him. I will give you yet ano ther proof o f this.”

Then he said to his pupils,

“ GO to the pine-hill,and

fetch from it that which is no remedy.

” They wentthither

,and each of them brought away that which he

thought was no remedy. But Ji vaka reflected that thereis s carcely anything which is not a remedy

,so he brought

away only a knot from a reed and a morsel of stone.Halfway back he met a herd-girl

,who was carrying a

jug of curdled milk and a leavening po t,and who was

intending to go to Atreya , as she was suffering greatlywith her eyes . Ji vaka asked her where She was going.

When she had told him,he Showed her a remedy which

was near at hand . She applied it, and was cured a t

once . Full of joy thereat She said,“ Take this pot and

this jug of curdled milk .

” He accepted the pot, but hegave her back the jug of curdled milk . Then he wenton his way carrying the pot.Now the Brahmans' sons saw some elephant tracks in

the middle of the road , and took to inspecting them.

When Ji v aka came up with them, he asked what thosemarks were . Footprints of an elephant

,

” they replied. Hesaid

,

“ Those are the footprints of an elephant,not male

but female,blind of the right eye , and about to bring

forth young to-day. On it a woman was riding. She tooi s blind of the right eye, and She will bear a son to-day.

”

When they had all returned to Atreya , each of themshowed what he had brought away with him. Atreya

said,

“ O Brahmans’ sons , all these things are remedies.This one is o f use in such and such an illness

,and the

o thers in other illnesses. When Ji vaka was askedwhat he had brought

,he said,

“ 0 teacher,a ll thin gs are

remedie s ; there exists nothing which is not a remedy.

However, I have brought with me the knot of a reed,a morsel of stone

,and a leavening po t.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

How did you know that she w as with childBecause the heels o f her feet had made the deepest

impression . All this i s so,but if the teacher does no t

believe me, let him send one of the Brahmans’ sons to

the inn .

”

A treya sent some o f them there, and all turned out tobe just as JIv aka had said . Then Atreya said to theBrahmans’ sons

,

“ O Brahmans’ sons

,have ye compre

hended ? A fter such a fash ion is Ji vaka ’s intelligenceremarkable.”

Ji v aka had learnt the whole art of healing,with the

exception of the operation of skull-opening. Now a man

who was affl icted by a cerebral malady came to Atreyaand asked him to treat him. A treya replied that the manmust dig a pit that day and provide it with dung

,and

that nex t day he would take the case in hand . WhenJivaka heard this

,he went to him and said

, 0 friend , allthat I have learnt have I learnt for the benefi t of mankind . As I have not yet learnt the operation of skullopening, hide me away so that I may see how you performit.” A treya promised to do so, and showed him a place tohide in.

When Atreya came , he placed the man in the pit,

opened his skull,and was about to seize the reptile w ith

his pincers,w hen Ji v aka cried ou t, 0 te acher, be not

hasty in seizing it ° o therwise this son of a good fami lymigh t die to-day.

A re you there , J ivak a asked A treya.

Yes,teacher,

” he replied.

How then ought I to seize the reptileO teacher, w arm the pincers and touch its back

therewith . Then ,if the reptile draw s its arms and feet

togethe r,give it a toss out.

When all this had been done the man was cured.

Then Atreya said ,“ O Ji vaka

,go and bathe

,and then

come to me . As I am much pleased, I w ill communicateto you after what fashion the skull is opened.

”

PRINCE 71VARA . 99

Ji vaka bathed,and Atreya showed him after w hat

fashion the skull ought to be opened . Then A treya said,“ O Ji v aka ,

as I earn my bread thereby, do not practisethe art in this country .

”

0 teacher, I will act accordingly.

With these words Ji vaka paid his respe cts to A treya .

Then he went to King Pushkarasarin ,and informed him

that, as he had n ow learnt the ar t of healing, he wasabout to take his departure .

Now there were in the borderland at that time someenemies o f Pushkarasarin named Pandavas . Then saidthe kin g,

“ O Ji v aka, my enemies the Pandavas are inthe borderland ; bring them to discomfitu re by the forceof your intelligence , and afterw ards come back here .

Then will we proceed after the fashion of the world .

Jiv aka promised to do so . As soon as a fourfold armyhad been equipped

,he set out

,discomfited the Pandavas

of the borderland,took hos tages and tribute from them

,

and then,having returned safely

,handed over to the

king what he had taken. The king was greatly pleased ,and bestowed presents on Ji v aka

,as Ji vaka did on

Atreya .

Ji vaka j ourneyed by degrees to Bhadra ifi kara , andhaving arrived in that city

,spent the summer there .

After learning there the Sastra,

“ Langu age o f all Creatures

,he departed from Bhadraf

'

nkara . Seeing a man

carrying a load of w ood to the city,of whom nothing was

left but skin and bone,and the whole o f whose body was

dropping sweat,he said to him

,

“ O friend, how cameyou into such a plight ? The man replied, I know not.But I have got into this state since I began to carrythis load .

”Ji vaka care fully inspected the wood, and

said ,“ Friend

,will you sell this wood ? ”

“ Yes ! ”

For how much moneyFor five hundred Karshapanas.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Ji v aka bought the wood , and when he had examined it,’

he discovered the gem which brings all beings to belief.The virtue of the gem is of this kind : when it is placedbefore a n invalid

,i t illuminates him as a lamp ligh ts u p

all the objects in a house,and so reveals the nature of his

malady.

When JIv aka had gradually made his way to theUdumb ara land, he found there a man w ho w asm e asu r

ing with a measure,and who

,w hen he had finished

measuring,inflicted a wound upon his head with the

measure. When Ji v aka saw this , he asked him why hebehaved in that way.

My head itches greatly.

Come here and I will look at it.The man lay down and Ji vaka examined his head .

Then he laid on the man’s head the gem w hich brings allbeings to belief

,and it immediately became manifest that

there was a centipede inside . Thereupon Ji vaka said,

“ 0

man,there is a centipede inside your head .

”. The man

touched his feet .and said, Cure me.” Ji vaka pro

m ised to do so , but h e thought , I wil l act according tothe words of the teacher. So he said

,0 man

,dig a pit

to-day and have dung in readiness . I will take your casein hand to-morrow .

” The man touched his feet and wentaway. Next day Jivaka placed the man in the pit, openedthe skull with the proper instrument

,touched the back o f

the centipede with the heated pincers , and then , when thecentipede drew its arms and feet together, he seized i t withthe pincers and pulled it out. Thereupon the patientrecovered . The man gave Ji vaka five hundred Karshapanas

,w hich he sent to Atreya .

A f ter this Ji v aka came to the Rohitaka land . A house;

holder had died there who had possessed a park withbeau tiful flowers

,fruits

,and water

,and who

,as he had been

excessively fond of the garden , had beenborn again thereamong the demons. When his son became master of the

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

carried out to be buried . A vul ture and he r l ittle oneshad their nes t on a tree

,and one young vulture said

,

Mother,give us flesh .

” She replied ,“ Children , where

is flesh to be found ? ” The young birds said,“ Mother

,

as that Malla who was smitten in wrestling is dead andhas been carried out

,flesh is to be found there where

he is.

”

0 children,the king of doctors

,Ji vaka

,has come here

,

and w ill set him to rights again .

”

Mother,in what mann er will he set him to righ ts

By applying a certain pow der to his bowels .”

Ji v aka overheard all this . So he arose and went towhere the corpse was

,and inquired

,saying,

“ Honouredsirs

,whom have ye here ? ”

A man who died after being struck down while wrestling, was the reply.

Lay him down that I may look at him ,said Jivaka.

The dead man was laid down,and Jivaka placed on his

head the gem which brings all beings to belief. Perceivingthat the man’s entrails had been displaced

,he blew some

powder into the body through a hollow reed,and as soon

as the powder had reached the entrails the man recovered.

This man also gave five hundred Karshapan as to Jivaka,who

,as before

,sent them to A treya .

Now there was in Mathura a householder who had awife of consummate youth and beauty

,whom he loved

exceedin gly. A fter his death he was born again as areptile in the lower part of his wife’s body. Whenshe heard that the physician Ji vaka had arrived

,she went

to see him,and said that she w as ill

,and that he must

treat her. He ordered her to lay aside her garments,

and then he expelled the w orm in the way in which,as

will presen tly be described, he got rid of the centipedewhich had crept into a man’s ear. Whereupon the patientrecovered. As her desires were enhanced by passion

,she

made overtures to him, bu t he shut his ears and said,“ You seem to me l ike a Ptakshasi . I w ho have cured

PRINCE yrVAKA .

you am contented with having done so . She also gavehim five hundred Karshapan as, which likewise b e sent toA treya .

A fter this Ji v aka went on by degrees and reached theshore of the river Yamuna. There he saw a corpse which

,

when the fish twitched the sinews of its heel s,opened i ts

eyes and smiled . Observing all this,he became aware of

the connection which exists between the sinews and therest of the body .

Having gradually made his way to Vaisali , he foundthere a wrestler the ball of whose eye pro truded in consequence o f a blow from a fist. Ji v aka paid him a visit,pulled the sinews of his heel

,and restored the eye to its

right place . This man also gave him five hundred Ki ns hapanas

,which he gave to Abhaya

’

s mother.A t Va isali there lived a man into whose ear a centipede

had crept, and had therein given birth to seven hundredyoung ones . Tormented by his pains in the ear, this manwent to Ji v aka and intreated him to cure him . Ji vaka

said to himsel f,

“ Hitherto I have acted in accordance withmy teacher

’s instructions,but now I w ill act according

to my own in telligence.” He said to the man , “ Go andmake a bu t out of foliage

,carpet i t with blue stuff

,place

a drum underneath,and make th e ground warm .

” Theman provided every thin g as he w as told. Then Ji vakamade the man lie down

,sprinkled the ground with water

,

and beat the drum . Thereupon the centipede, thinkingthat the summer w as come , crept out. Then Jivakaplaced a piece of meat on the ear . The reptile turnedback

,but presently came out again with its young ones ,

and they all laid hold of the piece of meat. WhereuponJi v aka flung it into the fl esh—pot

,and the ma n recovered

his health . He gave Ji vaka five hundred Kai'shapan as,and Ji vaka gave them to Abhaya

’

s mother.A fter a t ime Ji vaka came to Rajagrha , and King Bim

bisara, hearing of his arrival , ordered Prince Ajatasatru togo out to meet his elder brother. The prince set out on

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

the way.But when Jivaka heard that Prince Ajatasatru

was coming to mee t him,he reflected that if he consented

to this reception,Ajatasatru , w hen he became king, might

do him some harm . So he turned back, and entered thecity by another gate.On another occasion, w hen Ji v aka was strolling alongsurrounded by a great crowd

,a Brahman who was affl icted

with an eye disease accosted him , and begged him toprescribe a remedy. He replied angrily, Sprinkle theeye with ashes .” The man

,who w as of a simple nature,

did as he was told,and he became well .

Another man , also afl l ictedwith an eye disease, was onhis way to visit Jivaka, when the Brahman saw him andasked him where he w as going. When the man had toldhim

,the Brahman said

,What need have you of JIvaka ?

Do what he told me to do.” The man gave heed to thewords of the Brahman

,sprinkled his eye with ashes

,and

became blind.

At another time, a tumour formed on the crown o f KingBimbisara’s head . He ordered his ministers to summonthe physic ians. The ministers did so, and the king toldthe physicians to treat the tumour; They said, 0 king,as the great physician Ji vaka is here , w hy should we dealwith it ? ” So the kin g ordered Ji vaka to be summoned .

When he had been introduced, the king asked him toundertake the case. He consented to do so , on the condit ion that he should be allowed to give the king his bath .

Then he anointed the tumour with myrobalan and withripening substances

,and he poured over i t five hundred

jugs o f water in which such substances had been infused .

When it was ripe he secretly touched it with a razor andsqueezed it ou t. Then he applied healing remedies

,and

poured over it five hundred jugs of water in which suchsubstances had been infused. Whereupon the woundhea led so completely that the skin and the hair were perfe ctly even. When the king’s bath was finished

,he said

that Ji vaka was now to begin the operation. J i vaka r e ~

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

cure him. Ji vaka said that the remedies which his caserequired were hard to find. Thus the man thought, As

even Ji vaka has given me up, what is there for me to do ?As my time has come, I will die of my own accord.

” Sohe went away to the cemetery. Now a corpse was beingburnt there

,and an ichneumon and a lizard

,which were

fighting with one ano ther,fell into the fire; Being tor

men ted by hunger, he devoured them both . Then hedrank some rain-water which he found in the cemetery,and afterwards he betook himself to a cattle-shed in thene ighbourhood of the cemetery

,where he fed upon kod

rava 1 porridge and sour milk mixed with butter. Thereupon the tumour gave way, and he, after i t had dischargedu pwards and downw ards

,was restored to health.

A t ano ther time Va idehi suffered from a tumour in thegroin . She communicated the fact to the king

,who ordered

Jivaka t o cure his stepmother. Ji vaka undertook the case,

prepared a poultice,and asked her to sit down upon i t.

A fter examining the poultice on w hich she had sat, he

perceived where the dise ased spot was . Then he appliedmaturing means

,and w hen he saw that the tumour was

ripe,he concealed a lance t in the poultice

,and gave direc

tions to the queen-mo ther as to how she w as to sit downupon it and rise up again . She acted accordingly

,and

the tumour gave way as soon as it was pricked by thelancet. He then caused it to be washed with bitter watermixed with healing substances

,and applied healing sub

s tances to i t,after w hich she became well.

Ji v aka went to the king, who asked him if he hadhealed his s tepmother. He replied that he had done so.But you have not looked u pon her without her

clo thingNo 1How then didyou manageWhen Ji vaka had described what he had contrived

,the

Rodi-um ,a spec ie s o f gra in e aten by the poo r

,Paspalum Scrobi

cu lu tum.

”

PRINCE 7 1VAKA .

king marvelled greatly,and gave orders to the ministers

to install Ji vaka a second time as kin g of the physic ian s.

But the man with the swelling of the glan ds , to whomJi vaka had said that it would be difficult to find a remedyfor his ailment

,asked the kin g whe ther h e had ordered

Ji v aka to b e'

in sta lled as k ing of the physicians out oflove for his son or on account of that son’s knowledge ofthings. The king replied

,On account of his knqw ledge

However this may be,he has not cured me .”

0 man, said Ji v aka , I did not undertake your case.I merely s aid that it would be difficult to find you a

remedy.

What is the remedy in my case asked the man .

I f on the fourteenth day of the w axin g moon,

” repliedJivaka, a fair-haired man dies and i s burnt at the cemet e ry ; and if at that time an ichn eumon and a lizard arefighting with one another and fall into the fire ; and i fyou eat both of them

,and then drink of the w ater of the

rain poured down byMahe sv ara on the cemetery ; and ifyou afterwards partake of kodrav a porridge and curdledmilk mixed with butter

,in that case you will recover. I t

was because I thou ght of all this that I told you that theremedy would be a difficul t one to find .

”

Then the man said,

“ Your knowledge is excellent, forthese are the very things of which I have partaken.

”And

he j oyfully exclaimed , 0 kin g, as Ji vaka deserves to beking of the physicians, l et him be appointed to that office.

”

And so Ji vaka was for the second t ime installed as kingof the physicians.A t the time when Ajatasatru , impelled by De v adatta ,

the friend of vice,deprived of his life his father, the law

ful king,he fell ill with an internal tumour. He called

u pon the physicians to cure him . They replied, 0 king,as your elder brother i s here

,JIvaka , the k ing of the phy

sician s,wherefore should we cure you So the king

told his ministers to call in Ji v aka . This was done , and

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

the king charged him to remove the tumour,w hich he

undertook to do.JIvaka reflected that the tumour might y ield to one oftwo influences, e ither that of excessive j oy or that of excessiv e wrath . And that as it w ould be imposs ible toarouse excessive joy within so sinful a man

,it would be

necessary at all risks to excite in him excessive wrath .

So he told the king that he could heal him,provided that

the king .w o u ld feed o n Prin ce Udaj ibhadra

’

s flesh .

When the king heard this he became furious,and cried

,

Very good ! I have killed my father,and yo u want to

put Udaj ibhadra to death. Then if I die of this complaintyou will be king.

Ji vaka replied, Such are the means of effecting a cure ;in no other way can I re store you to health .

”

When the king had given his consent,Ji vaka brought

Prince Udaj ibhadra before the king, robed in all s tatelyarray

,and said

, 0 king, take pains to look well at PrinceUdaj ibhadra , for after this you will not be able to see himagain . Having thus exhibited him,

he took him to hisown house and there hid him aw ay.

He then w ent to the cemetery of Sitav a n a i n search ofhuman flesh . There w as no lack of corpses there

,and

from one of these corpses he took some flesh and carriedi t away with him. This he prepared with the most excellent materials

,and then he served it up to the king at

dinner-time. When King Ajatasatru had received thebowl of fl esh-broth, and was preparing to partake of it,Ji v aka seized it, hit him over the head with i t, and saidto him

,O evil-doer, you have taken the life of your o w n

father,and now yo u want to feed on the flesh of your

ow n son .

”

The king cried in his wrath , If this be so,why have

you put him to death ? ”

A s he thus broke out in anger, his tumour gave way,and discharged upwards and downwards

,its contents

Coming to light mixed with blood from the w ound.

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( 1 1 0 )

MaGADHARA,the first minister of King Prasen aj i t of

Kosala,after he had married a wife of birth like unto

his own,had seven sons . To six of these he gave names

at hi s pleasure,but the youngest one he called Visakha .

A fter his wife’s death b e arranged marriages for his sixelder sons

,but they and their wives gave themselves u p

to dress,and troubled themselves in no wise with house

hold affairs .The householderMrgadhara was sitting one day absorbed

in thought,rest ing his cheek upon his arm . A Brahman

,

who was on friendly terms w ith him,saw him sitting thus

absorbed in thought,and asked him what was the cause

o f his behaviour. He replied, My sons and their w iveshave given themselv es up to dress , and do not troublethemselves about household affairs

,so that the property

going to ru in.

”

“Why do you no t arrange a m arriage for Visakha 7Who can tell whether he will make things better

,or

bring them to still greater ruinIf you will trust to me

,I w ill look for a maiden for

him.

The minister consented , and the Brahman went his way.

In the course o f his researches he came to the land ofChampa. In i t there lived a householder named Balamitra

,whose daughter Visakha was fair to see

,well pro

Kah-gyu r , i i i . 7 1* Cf. B en fey, Auda nd, 1 859, p. 487,“Die klugc

D irn e Spe n ce Ha rdy,Man ua l o f Buddhism , pp. 220 - 227, 364.

— S.

VISAKHA .

portioned , in the bloom of youth , intelligent and clever.Just as the Brahman arrived

,she and some other girls

w ho were in quest of amusement were setting out for apark. On seeing the girls , he thought that he would l iketo look at them a little . So he followed slowly after them ,

occupied in regarding them . The girls , who were for themost part of a frivolous nature

,sometime s ran

,sometimes

skipped,sometimes rolled about

,sometimes laughed

,some

times spun round,sometimes sang

,and did o ther u ndign i

fied things . ButVisakha, with the utmos t decorum,at an

even pace walked sl owly along with them. When theycame to the park

,the o ther girls undressed at the edge of

the tank,entered into it

,and began to Sport. ButVisakha

lifted up her clothes by degrees as she went into the water,and by degrees le t them down again a s she came outof the w ater

,so circumspect was she in her behaviour.

A fter their bath, when the girls had assembled at a certainspot

,they first partook of food themselves

,and then gave

to their attendants to eat ; but Visakha first o f all gavefood to the persons in attendance, and then herself beganto eat .

When the girls had finished their eating and drinkingand had enjoyed the charm of the park, they wen t away.

As there was water to be waded through on the road , thegirls took o ff their boots and walked through i t

,but

Visakha kept he r boots on . They went a little fartherand came to a wood. Into this Amra w ood she entered,keeping her parasol up

,though the o thers had discarded

theirs. Presently a w ind arose together with rain andthe other girls took shelter in a temple

,but Visakha

remained in the open air. The Brahman , who had followed her

,and had noted her characteristics and her

behaviour, marv elled greatly and began to question he r,say ing

O maiden,whose daughter are yo u ?

I am Balam itra ’s daughter.0 maiden

,be not angry if I ask you a few questions.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

She smiled at first,and then said O uncle, why should

I be angry ? Please to ask them .

While these girls,as they went, were all running,

skipping,rolling

,turning round , singing, and doing other

u ndign ified things, you wended your way slowly, decor o usly,

and in a seemly manner, reaching the park togetherwith them .

”

Vis’

akha replied, All girls are a merchandise which

their parents vend . If in leaping or rolling I were tobreak an arm or a leg

,who then would w o o me ? I

should certainly have to be kept by my parents as '

lon gas I lived .

”

Good, 0 maiden ; I understand .

He said to her nex t,These girls took o ff their clothes

at‘a certain place . and went into the water and sported in

i t unclo thed,but you lifted up your clothes by degrees as

you went deeper into the w ater.O uncle , it is necessary that women should be shame

faced and shy,and so i t would no t be well that any one

should look upon me unclothed.

O maiden, who would see you thereO uncle, you would have seen me there yourself.Good, O maiden ; that also I comprehen d .

”

He said to her further, “ These girls first took foodthemselves and then

'

gave to the persons in attendance ;but yo u first gave food to the persons in attendance

,and

then took your own .

O uncle, that was for this reason : we, reaping thefruits of our merits, constantly have feast-days ; butthey

,reaping the fru its of their trouble

,very seldom

obtain great things .Good

,0 maiden ; I comprehend this also .

He asked her, moreover,“ \Vhile all the world wears

boots on dry land,why did you keep yours on in the

WaterO uncle, the world is foolish . It i s precisely when

one is in water that one should wear boots .”

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

holder Balamitra and said, desiring to obtain the maiden ,May it be well ! May it be goodThe people of the house said

,O Brahman , it is not yet

the t ime for asking but what do you ask forI ask for your daughter.On whose behalf ?On behalf of the son, Viéakha by name, of Mrgadhara,

the first minister of Srav asti .

”

They repli ed,It is true that we and b e are of the same

caste,but his country lies too far away .

The Brahman said, It is‘

precisely i'

a a far-awaycountry that a man should choose a husband for hisdaughter.Ho w so

If she is married in the neighbourhood,joy incr eases

when news comes that she is prosperous but if a m isfo rtune occurs , a man

’s property may be brought to nough t,

he being exhausted by gifts,sacrifices

,and tokens of

reverence .They said

,This being so

,we will give our daughter.

Thereupon the Brahman,having uttered a wish for a

happy result,returned to Srav asti , and there, after re

covering from the fatigue of the journey, wen t to see theminister, Mrgadhara , and described to him the maiden

’syouth, beauty, and intelligence, as well as her demeanourand manner of eating. Then he said

,

“Wi th great toilhave I wandered through many lands and cities, and withmuch trouble have I found her. Now go and fetch her.”

The first minister,Mrgadhara , took note of the day and

hour,and found that the stars were propitious. Then he

set forth and fetched away Visakha with great pomp ashis son’s spouse. The mother gave her daughter, when shewas leaving for her husband’s land

,the following counsel :

O daughter, always honour the sun and the moon , payattention to the fire

,wipe dirt o ff the mirror

,and wea r

white clothes. You shall take but not give . You shall

keep your word. When you rise up , y ou s hall yield your

VISAKHA . 1 1 5

placé'

to none . Y ou shall partake of savoury food . Youshall sleep tranquil ly. You shall apply a ladder.

”

When Mrgadhara heard this , he thought that the girlhad

‘

received a quite wrong piece of advice, and that hemust dissuade her from following it and give her properdirections. The loving mother, with troubled heart andeyes full of tears , embraced her ,

daughter,and said with

sorrowful voice,O daughter, this i s the last time that I

shall see you.

”

Visakha replied by way‘ of,admoni tion;

“ 0 mother,

were you born here ? Is not the maiden rather born inthe houSe of her relativ es I s that house your home ? Isit not rather this one here ? Al though I was born here

,

I shall l ive there. As that which unites undoubtedlyu nderlies separation, be pleased no t to wail but rather

to keep silence .”

A fter that Mr‘

gadhara went his way.

Visakha and her husband with the attendants from her,house went on board a ship . Soon afterwards a mare whichhad thrown a foal was to be brought on board the ship. As

it felt that its foal would be restles s on land, it resisted, andcould no t be got on board. This gave rise to much noise .When Viéakha heard it she asked what was the cause.Being toldhow it arose, she gave directions that the foalshould be brought on board first

,in which case the mare

would follow of its own accord.

’

Her orders were obeyed,

and the mare went on board. Mrgadhar a asked the menwhy they had come so late.Because the mare would not come on board .

Then how was it induced to comeIt did so after the Champa maiden had told us how to

manage, and we had embarked the foal before the mare.The Champa maiden is wise .On their way

,the travellers had on o n e occasion chosen

their quarters for the‘

night, and Mrgadhara’

s.tent w as

“

pitched under the proj ecting part of a hill. When Visakha saw it she asked to whom it belonged. To l\Irga

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

dhara, was the reply.

“ Move it away from there, she

said. Why should it be moved?” “ Because ,

”

she

replied,

“ i f the projecting part of the h ill were to fallwhile he was asleep, he would certainly be crushed todeath. Then I should all my life be exposed to theannoyance of having people say that my husband marrieda wife

,whose father-in-law died on the way before she

entered his house.A fter the bed had been moved away the projecting

mass of the hill fell down . A great crowd came runningtogether, full of anxiety lest the householder should havebeen crushed. But he exclaimed, “Honoured sirs

,here

am I ; be not afraid, but look after my bed .

” It has beenremoved

,

” was the reply.

“ Who did that ? ” he asked .

“ Visakha, they replied. He sai d,The Champs. maiden

is wise .Later on

,when they had taken up their quarters in an

old park,and Mrgadha ra

’

s couch had been prepared inan empty temple

,Visakha saw it and asked whose i t was .

“ That is the master’

s couch,” was the reply.

“ Move itaway

,she said .

“Why so ? ” “ Because,she replied,

“ if the temple were to fall down he would be crushed tode ath

,and trouble would c ome upon me.”

A fter the couch had b een r emoved the temple fell down ,and people came running up

,and so forth as before.

By and by they reached Srav asti,and after they had

recovered from the fatigues of the journey and presentedornaments to friends

,re latives

,and connections

,Visakha

began to attend to the domestic affairs o f the family. As

Mrgadhara’

s daughte rs-ia -law to ok it in turns to look afterthe food for the household

,Visakha received instructions

to provide i t on the seventh day. As the time drew nearfor her turn to come

,she daily rolled into pellets and

desiccated what remained over o f the perfumes used byher husband and his parents. Of the powder which she

'

thus each day obtained she took some out of the boxthe rest she mixed with oil and divided it into equal

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TALES FROMTIBETAN SOURCES .

the roofs ofRajagrha. The king distributed them among theministers

,andMrgadhara gave his share to Visakha. She

placed them in a box and afterwards handed them over tothe husbandmen. They were greatly please d, and prepareda small field for them. Andafter i t had been sowed withtheir seed at the fitting time and the deity had sent downrain

,there grew up splendid rice

,answering to the seed.

Next year,moreover

,they had a very abundant harves t

,

and in the following year a still more abundant one. . Con

sequently all the granarie s were filled with the rice broughtby the geese.When it came to pass that Prasen aj i t, the king o f

Koéala,was attacked by an illness

,and all the physi

cian s were summoned and consulted,they gave i t as their

opinion that if some of the rice brought by the geese coul dbe fou nd

,o and soup were to be made of it

,and the king

were to partake thereof,in that cas e he would recover.

So the king called the ministers together,and asked them

what they haddone with the ears of rice which the geesehad brought,and which he had given to them. . Some ofthem said

,0 king, we gave them to the temple ;

” ando thers

,

“We threw them into the fire ; or others , Wefastened them up in the vestibule.” But Mrgadhara said,“ I

'

gav e them to Visakha. I will inquire what she has'done wi th them. When he asked Visakha she replied

,

0 master, does some one wish to partake of the geeseb rought rice

As theking is ill , the doctors have prescribed for himthe rice which the geese brought hither.ThenVisakhafilled a golden vase with the geese-brought

rice and sent it to the king. The king ate thereof andrecovered .

On another occasion some country folks came bringing amare and her foal. As they could not tell which was themare and which the foal

,the king ordered the ministers to

examine them closely,and to report to him on the matter.

The ministers examined them both for a whole dav , became

VISAKHA .

weary, and arrived at no conclus ion after all. When Mrga

dhara w ent home in the evening,Visakha touched his feet

'

and said,

“0 master, wherefore do ye return so late ?

He told her everything that had occurred. Then Visakhasaid

, 0 master, what is there to investigate in that ?Fodder should be laid before them in equal parts . Thefoal

,after rapidly eating up its own share

,wi ll begin to

devour its mother’s also but the mo ther,without eating

,

will hold u p her head like this . That is the proper test.”

Mrgadhara told this to the ministers, who applied thetest according to these instructions

,and after daybreak

they reported to the king, “ This is the mother, 0 king ,

and that is the foal. The king asked how they knewthat .

O king , the case is so and so.How was it you did not know that yesterday ?0 king

,how could we know it ? Visakha has in

structed u s since .Said

'

the king,“ The Champa maiden is wise.

It happened that a man who w as bathing had left hisboots on the bank . Another man came up, tied the bootsround his head

,and began to bathe likewise. When the

first man had done bathing and came out of the water,

he missed the boots. The other man said, “Hey, man,what are you looking for

“My boots.

Where are your boots ? When you have boots, yo u

should tie them round your head,as I do

,before going

into the water.As a dispute arose between the two men as to whomthe boots belonged to

,they both had recourse to the king.

The king told the ministers to investigate the case thoroughly, and to gi v e the boots to th e proper owner. Theministers began to investigate the case

,and examined

first the one man and then the other . Each of the men

affirmed that he was the owner. While these assertionswere being made

,the day

,

came to . an end, and in the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

evening the ministers returned home wearied out,without

having brought the matte r to a satisfactory conclusion .

Visakha ques tioned Mrgadhara , and he told her all aboutit

,whereupon she said

,

“ 0 master, what is there to inv estigate ? Say to one of them,

‘Take one of the boots,

and to the other man,

‘Take the other boot.’ The realowner will say in that case

,

‘Why should my two bootsbe separated ? ’ Bu t the other, the man to whom theydo no t really belong

,will say

,

‘What good do I gain bythis if I only get one boot ? ’ That i s the proper test toapply.

Mrgadhara went and told this to the ministers , and soforth as is written above, down to the words, “ The kingsaid

,The Champa maiden is wise.’

It happened that some merchants brought a stem ofsandal-wood to the king as a present

,but no one knew

which was the upper end of it andwhich the lower. Sothe king ordered his ministers to settle the question.

They spent a whole day in examining the stem ,but they

could make nothing of it. In the evening they returnedto their homes. Mrgadhara again told Visakha all aboutthe matter

,and she said

,

“ 0 master, what i s there toinvestigate ? Place the stem in water. The roo t endwill then sink, but the upper end will float upwards.That is the proper test.”

Mrgadhara communicated this to the ministers, and soforth

,as is written above

,down to the words

,The king

said,The Champa maiden is wise.

’

There was a householder in a hill-village who,after he

had married in his ow n rank, remained without either sonor daughter. As he longed earnestly for a child

,he took

'

unto himself a concubine . Thereupon his wi fe, who wasof a jealous disposition, had recourse to a spell for thepurpose of rendering that woman barren . But as thatwoman was quite pure

,she became with child

,and at the

’

end of nine months bare a son. Then she reflected thus

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TALES FROM '

TIBETAN SO URCES .

the physician gave him something whi ch was not a remedy,and he was the worse for it. Visakha thought, “Why doesthe minister find relief one day a

’

nd on the‘

next day feelworse ? ” So she examined the remedy which broughtrelief

,and employed it again . Then she closed the door

to the physicians and treated the patient herself. Whereupon he recovered. Mrgadhara considered why i t was thathe had . felt better one day and Worse the next

,and that

now that no physician came he had recovered,so he asked

Visakha, and so forth as before .

Prasen aj i t, king of Koéala, had an overseer of elephants

named Sri v ardhan a . The king reprimanded him one day.

When Viéakha heard of thatD

she said t o Mrgadhara ,“ 0

master,i t i s r ight that Sr1v ardhan a should be pardoned .

”

He replied ,“ O

c)

dau ghter , do you bring about the pardon.

Thereupon she said to the king, “ 0 king, Sr1v ardhan a has

been guilty of an error. Be pleased to forgive him. Theking forgave him .

“ 0 king, i f you forgive him,be pleased to restore him

his position .

”

The king did so. Sr1v ardhan a knew that he hadViéakhato thank for his pardon

,and b e res olved to make a r e tu i n

for that.

At another time Mrgadhara was attacked by a diseaseof the private p arts, and he was ashamed to let Visakhatreat him for it. She said t o herself, “Wherefore is themaster ashamed May not a daughter nurse her father ?Still he is ashamed. Then she thought that

,as he would

not let himself be nursed by her, he must take to himselfa wife . So she betook herself to Sri v ardhan a’s house

,and

there,after a greeting, took a seat. Sr1v ardhan a , who had

one daughter, bade her touch Viéakha’a s feet

,but Visakha

said,

“i ather ought I to touch your feet. And she added

thereto,

“ May i t be well ! may it be well ! ” Thereupon

Sr1v ar'

dhana inquired what it was she asked for.

Q

For your daughter.”

On behalf o f w hom ?Of my father-in l aw.

”

He said nothing 1n reply.

Sri vardhan a’s wife asked what there was to prevent he rbeing given to him .

O goodwife , as we owe a debt of gratitude toViéakha ,let her

o

be given .

”

“ Such being the case , we will give her.Thereupon

c

Mrgadhara , with great pomp, took her tohimself as his wife. A fter which she

,and not Viéakha ,

nursed him.

Mrgadhara once said toVisakha,“Answer

, 0 daughter.She said

,0 master

,have I done anything wrong ? ”

" 0 daughter, have you no t utterly neglected to obeythe directions which your mother gave you

“ O master, I have obeyed them all. Inasmuch as thewords

,Honour the sun and the moon ,

’ s ignify that thefather-in -law and the mother-in - law must be consideredbythe daughter-in -law as the sun and the moon, thereforehave I testified my respect for those relatives . Inasmuchas the words, ‘Pay attenti on to the fire

,

’ signify that thehusband ought to be valued by the wife like fire

,im

possible to ' be too well‘

cared for and fostered,therefore

have I taken care of my husband as one would of the fire .Inasmuch as the words

,

‘Wipe the mirror clean,

’ signifythat the house ought to be swept and cleansed like amirror

,therefore have I cleansed the house every day.

The words,Wear white clothes

,

’ signify that when one isengaged in housework one wears other clothes

,but must

put on White clothes “

for a sacrifice or when about to passinto the husband’s presence to all this I have paid attention .

’

The words,

‘You shall take but not give,

’ signi fythat one shoul d never say a bad word to any one. In

thi s matter also I have followed my instructions.“ Thewords, Take heed to your speech,

’

signify that no secret

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

ought to be divulged. To this also I have adhered . Thewords

,When you stand up

, y ield not your place to anyother person

,

’ amount to this : ‘As you are a becomingdaughter-in -law

,you must sit in a special place .

’

And Ih ave sat apart . The words,

‘Ea t savoury meats,

’ meanthat one should eat when one has become very hungry.

I have never taken any food until after giving theirs tothe household. The words, You shall sleep softly,

’ meanthat at night

,after all the household work i s finished and

all implements put away,as there i s no need of staying

up, one should sleep. I have acted accordingly,always

reflecting that this thing was well done and that thingbadly. The words

,You shall apply a ladder

,

’ have thismeaning. Lik e as one who , having in an earlier statefollowed the path of the ten virtuous works

,has arrived

amon g the gods,so must you

,born here in t he human

world,attain to that by deeds

,be stowing gifts

,gaining

merits, and avoiding sins. This treasure-ladder i s likeunto a staircase to heaven. All this also have I followedas well as I could.

Excellent,Visakha, excellent ! Your mother is a wise

mother ; and as you have guessed the meaning of whatyour mother said enigmatically

,you are s til l wiser than

she.”

Then Mrgadhara thought,“ If Bhagav an t allows it, I

will call Visakha my mother. Going to Bhagav an t, b etouched his feet and said

,

“ O worthy of reverence,is

i t allowable for a man to call his daughter-in -law hismother ? ” Bhagav an t replied, If she has five qualities.If she i s a nurse to the sick, i f she lives in wedlock as adecorous wife

,if she protects l iving creatures

,i f she is

a good guardian of property,and if she has inherited

wisdom— in that case she may be called mother.”

Thereupon Mrgadhara went to King Prasen aj i t ofKesala and asked for leave to call Visakha his mo ther.The king said

,

“ As Visakha has taken care of me also, Iwill

,after consul tingmy grandmother, call her my sister.

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TALES FROM‘TIBETAN SOURCES.

chariot andwere returning home, they came int o collisionw ith the chariot of the, Pu rohita

’

s son, who had alsodriven out and was on his way back , so that the poles o fthe two carriages clashed. The Pu rohita

’

s son called ou t

to them to make way,but they bade him do so himself.

Then,as the Purohita’s son began to use abusive language,

Visakha’

s sons sei zed the pole of his chariot and upsethim on a heap of rubbish . When he had come to hisfather, with his robe drawn over his head, he said withtears

, O father, thus have Visakha’

s sons treated me .”

O son , wherefore have they done soThe son gave a full account of the matter. Then said

his father,

“ O son, as this i s so, we must contrive somemeans for making these men keep their mouths shut andnot complain.

” So he carefully sought fo r a pretext forcalumniating them.

A fter a time the hillmen rebelled against King Prasen aj it, who sent a general against them ,

but he wasbeaten by the rebels and he turned back. A fter the kinghad in this way sent out the general seven times , and thegeneral w as alw ays beaten and obliged to

‘retire

,the king

determined to take the field himself with a fourfold army,Visakha

’

s sons,as they came in to the city

,saw the king,

and asked him whither he was going.To subdue the hillmen .

”

0 king, stay here. We will go forth.

Do so .

”

The king le t them go forth with the fourfold army,and

they overcame the hillmen,to ok from them hostages and

tribute,and then came back . Then the Pu rohita said,

0 king, as these men are of remarkably great strength,reflect that they will accomplish what ought to be doneonly at the king’s command .

A s kings are afraid of being killed, the king took thisto heart

,and once more asked the Pu rohita what was to

be done. The Purohita said,

“What i s to be done, 0king ? If these men desire it, they can deprive you of

your regal power and exercise it themselves. The king,

greatly incensed, considered how,i f that was going to be

the case,he could put them to death. He wished to

contrive a means of doin g so,but was anxious that the

secret should not be betrayed,and so he resolved to

undertake the affair without asking any one about it.Having come to this conclusion

,he determined to

invite them to his palace and rid h imself of them . Heinformed Visakha that her sons would eat with h im onthe following day. Visakha thou ght, As my sons areto eat to-morrow at their uncle’s

,I will entertain Bhaga

v ant and the clergy .

So she betook herself to Bhagav an t and touched hisfeet. He gratified her with discourse regarding the doc~ .

trine. When Visakha rose from her seat, she invitedBhagav an t and the clergy into her house .The king’s messen ger invited her sons to come to the

palace.Now the king had

'

cau sed a strong poison to beput i nto the food. When they were stupefied thereby,b e ordered their heads to be cut off.

VIII.

MAIIA USHADHA AND VISAKHA.

‘

IN olden times Janaka ru led as king in the land o f

Videha. He took unto himsel f a beautiful spouse,who

bore'

him a son, to whom, as food and drink were abundantin the land, the name of An n apan a [Fcod-Drink] wasgiven. When he had grown up, he proved strong, resolute,and irascible . The queen became arrogant on account o fher son

,and no longer complied with the ki ng’s wishes.

This greatly troubled the king, and b e , by the adv ice o f

his ministers, dete rmined to choose another wife. Theministers called his attention to the daughter of the kingo f Aparan taka . Al though he was not on friendly te rmswith that king

,his ministers gave him encouragement

,

and undertook to arrange the matter. The king'

o f

Aparan taka granted his daughter, on the condition thati f she gave birth to a son, that son was to be recognisedas the heir to the throne . Her loveliness made her veryagreeable to the king, and he promised her the fulfilmento f her wishes . So she likewise demanded that the sonwhom she expected should enjoy the succession to thethrone . To the king this was as it were a stab in theheart

,and he suffered great disquiet at the thought of

how he should pass over An n apan a, his bold and comelyson

,the fruit of a marriage with one o f equal birth.

The ministers remarked his anxiety, and he informedthem o f its cause . They stated that as the king o fAparan taka had granted his daughter only on this con

Kah-gyu r,v o l. xi. fol. 53—87.

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1 30 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

Purohita heard these words, and, after asking the Brahmansome questions

,took the cock and killed i t. Then he

said to his wife,Have this cock cooked immediately. I

wil l eat it when I come back from the king’s palace.Then he betook himsel f to the palace.While he was there

,the boy Bahv an n apan a came back

from school hungry,and could not find his mother. He

said to himself,What has been cooked for us ? what

sort of food ? In his mother’s absence he looked about,

and saw the cock in a sau cepan with its head uppermost.So he cut o ff the head and ate it. His mother came inpresently and said

,

“ Who has eaten the head ? ” Theboy replied that he had eaten it. His mo ther gave himsome food and sent him to school.A fter a time the Purohita also came and asked for

food. When he saw that the cock’s head had disappeared,he asked where it was. His wife said, “ The boy haseaten it. He ate up the rest o f the cock, but remainedin doubt as to which of the two would become king

,he

who had eaten the bir d’s whole body, or he who had eatenonly a bird incomplete as to the parts o f its body. Inorder to remove this doubt

,he called in for the second time

the Brahman who was skilled in omens . The Brahmanasserted that he who had eaten the head would becomeking

,but that he also woul d become king who should kill

him who had eaten the head, and should eat his head.

Therefore the Purohita determined to put the boy todeath . But as he saw that he could not do this withoutthe boy’s mother remarking it, he resolved to take heropinion about the matter. With many friendly wordshe addressed her in a cajoling manner : 0 good one

,i s

it better that your husband or your son should becomeking ? ” Q uickly recognising the complicated nature o f

1 864, i . 227. Das golden e Ha hn : ge l : Miklo sich, l’

eber ( lie Mu n .

Ha lt r ieh,"Deu tsche Vo lksmar che n . do r ten der Z ig euner , IV. N0 . v i. ,

Be r l in , 1856. Der se ltsame Vo Die Diamenten legende Hen na — S.

1 3 1

the situation, she reflected that i f she said it would bebetter for her son to become king, she would be atvariance with her husband . So she said, 1n accordancewith his view o f the matter

,that i t would be better for

her husband to become king. But as she was very shrewdand intelligent

,she perceived that he wished to kill her

son on account o f the eo ck’

s head , and she determinedto save her son at any rate . So she told her son that, ashe had acted wron gly in eating the co ek

’

s head, he mustleave the country with all speed

,and betake himself to

his grandfather’s land,where he had relatives. The son

fled to Videha,and there, tormented with hunger and

thirs t, he lay down one day in order to sleep under atree in a park.

A little before that time Bfijyabhin anda had beenattacked by a malady o f which

,in spite o f the efforts o f

the physicians,he could not be cured . He succumbed

to it,and thereby was the reign ing family brought to an

end.

Now i t was part o f the royal statutes that until a newking had been chosen the co rpse o f the late king couldnot be honoured with funeral ceremonies . A ccordinglythe ministers

,the other official s o f the court

,the Brah

mans,and the interpre ters o f signs, set out to look for a

person distinguished by the force o f his virtuous merits.Under a tree outside the city

,a tree the shadow of

which never moved from his body,they found an

extremely handsome you th with a lion-like breast.NVhen the six minis ters had looked at him

, theyexclaimed in astonishment

,

“ Never have we seen anyone who equalled this man in force of virtuous merit.As he is ex tremely handsome

,and i s well provided with

signs,we wi ll invest him with the sovereignty.

” Hav

ing thus spoken,and having agreed thereupon, they

aroused him from his sleep . He awoke and asked,“Why must I get up They replied,

“ In order to be

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

proclaimed king . He said,Ought a slumbering king to

be awakened in this manner ? The ministers said,How

then ought he to be awakened ? The youth replied,

He ought to be awakened with song and cymbals andbeat of drum .

”

On hearing this,they came to the con

e lus ion that he truly sprang, not from an inferior, butfrom a noble family

,and they asked him

,Who are

you whose noble son are yo u ? Then the youth roseup lion-like and said

,An n apan a was the son o f

Janaka,king o f Videha

,and I am An n apa

'

n a’

s son,Bah

v an n apana .

” Thereupon the six ministers smiled andsaid

,We have actually lighted upon our own prince .

In the midst of a great multitude,with conjurations

,

and w ith song and cymbals and beat o f drum,they

conducted him into the city,and there they consecrated

him as king. As the extinct royal family was renew edin him

,he also received the name of Janaka

,and his

former name o f Bahv an n apan a fell into disuse . A fterthey had thus invested him with the sovereignty

,they

came to the conclusion that he was of a simple nature,

and they despised him to such a degree that he had nopower at all.

King Bahv an n apan a once went forth in order toinspect his realm. Whenever he asked to whom villages

,towns

,and hill -places belonged

,he was always

told that they belonged to the six ministers . Thereuponhe perceived that he could command only food andclothing

,but that beyond that he had no power. When

he had plunged into a sea o f thought,trying to think out

what he should do,a deity consoled him

,saying that he

o ught no t to be sorrowful. In his o w n country,in the

h ill-village Pfirn akatshtshha , a son named Mahau shadha

was about to be born to the head-man,Pfirn a . This so n

he ought to make his ministe r, who would gain possessionof the realm and restore it to him

,and turn out fortu

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1 34 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

On another occasion . the father went to the r iv erGanges to bathe

,carrying h is son as before on his

shoulder. When they had le ft their clothes on theshore and had gone into the water, they saw a metal ba sinfloating on the water with a goose sitting upon it. Thensaid Mahau shadha , The river Ganges support s them etal basin

,o n the metal basin rests a goose . Look

, 0

father dear,at the metal basin with the goose ca rried

along by the river Ganges .Another time

,when Mahau shadha had gone to the

shore to bathe,he saw how a po t, on which was a water

hen , was borne along by the current of the river Ganges .Then he said

,

“ The river Ganges bears along the pot,0 11

the pot sits a water-hen . Only look, father dear, at thepot with the water-hen and the Ganges.”

Again , o n another occasion , he saw a ram ca rried alongby the current o f the river Ganges with a heron standing upon it

,and he said

,The river Ganges bears along

a ram,and likewise the heron which stands upon it .

Look,father dear

,at the ram and the heron bo rne al ong

by the river Ganges.”

A fter this it happened one day that Mahau shadha wasat play with the childr en

,and they chose him as their

king.

1 He named some of the boys as his ministers,and they went o n playing together. There came alongthe r ead an old Brahman with his young wife, on theirway to another country. The Brahman stepped asidefor a time

,and during his absence a rogue , full o f desire

for the wife,came up to her and said, “ Goo d woman

,

whither has y our father gone“Who ? ” said the wife .He is apparently your grandfather, re plied the

What do you mean ? she said .

1 C f. “Ardschi-Bo rd chi-Chan in Julg’

s Mongol . MdrchensammlungInn sbru ck, 1868, pp. 197, et seq.

— S.

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

He is apparently your great-grandfather, said the

rogue .“ He i s not my father

,n o r my grandfather, nor yet

my great-grandfather, but my husband ,” said the wife .

Thereupon the rogue said with a smile,

“ O foolishwoman

,are you no t ashamed to say in the presence o f

your friends or any other decorous person that this manis your husband ? Have you not on this stately earthseen men of divine beauty ?Such men are no more to be found .

Take me as your husband,and we will liv e together.

Should the old Brahman put in a claim for you,then

say to the great assembly,

‘This man is my husband.

’

A fter the rogue had said this she went o ff with him.

When the Brahman came back,he could n ot see his

wife. He climbed a height,and saw her walking off

with . another man . He ran after her, and seized oneof her hands, the rogue holding on to the other. TheBrahman said

,

“Why are you taking away my wife ?She is my wife ; do no t trouble yourself about her,

replied the rogue .As the Brahman persisted in saying that she was his

wife,a quarrel arose between the two men on the high

way,and they pulled the woman this way and that way.

But as the rogue was you nger and stronger than theBrahman

,he dragged her away from him . Being over

come, the Brahman called out in that lonely place fo rhelp. A t that time Mahau shadha and the other childrenwere at play in the forest

,and they heard his cries fo r

help. The children said to Mahau shadha,

“ As you wishto be ca lled the king

,and that Brahman is shouting for

help, why do not you save him from danger ? So hebade the children bring the partie s before him, and heasked them what had occurred. The Brahman saidthat the other man had forcibly torn aw ay his wife fromhim

, the weaker of the two. On the other hand, the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

rogu e declared that the Brahman lied, and that thewoman was his own wife . The woman hersel f affirmedthat the rogue was her husband. Mahau shadha

,who

perceived that the Brahman had not become excite dwithout due cause

,determined to apply a test.1

Say, 0 man, where do you come from along with you rwifeFrom my father-in replied the rogue.What did you eat and drink there ?We had meat

,cakes

,sorrel

,and wine

,replied the

rogue.Vomit then

,if that be so

,said Mahaushadha

shall see then i f that be true or not.”

The rogue put his finger down his throat and vomited,but no such food came to light. Then Mahau shadha

asked the Brahman whence he had come.From my father-in replied the Brahman.

What did you eat thereCurdled milk, porridge, and radishes .Him likewise Mahau shadha ordered to bring up what

he had eaten, and the result was that he produced thefood in question . As Mahau shadha now perceivedthat the rogue had deluded and carried o ff the Brahman

’

swife, he gave orders that he should be chastised byblows from sticks and fists

,and that he should then be set

fast up to the neck in a hol e a man’s stature in depth ,and that there should be written on his forehead withpeacock’s gall these words

He who thus steals a wife,him does Mahau shadha

punish in this wise . He who,l ike unto the wife-stealer,

has stolen a child,an ox

,a coverlet

,yarn

,or the like

,

such thieves as this shall be arrested up to the numbero f five hun dred

,and shall be chastised by blows from

sticks and fists, and shall be set up to their necks in a

1 Cf. Sukasaptate , i n the Gr e ek ve rsion of Ga lan os, 4th n ight, p. 10 .— S.

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TALES FROMTIBETAN SOURCES .

messenger to Parna, the head-man of the hill-village Pfirn akatshtshha

,with an order to send a rope made of sand

o nehundred ells long. When the messenger had arrivedand communicated the order

,Pfirna was greatly alarmed.

From his birth upwards he had never seen or heard o fsuch a thing

,and he would therefore have to expect a

reprimand . He became so depressed that Mahau shadha

asked him why he w as so ill at ease. The father repliedthat he was not sure that the king did not mean topunish him

,the demand being o f such an t u nheard o f

kind . Mahau shadha asked him to send fo r the messenger

,saying that he woul d reply to the king. Thereupon

he said to the messenger,

“Make known to the kingthis my request

,without forgetting it. As the people

Of our country are slow-witted,u nintelligent

,and stupid

,

may it please the king to send an ell o f that kind o f

rope as a pattern,li ke unto which we will twine a hun

dred,nay

,a thousand ells, and will send them to him.

”

When the messenger had reported this to the king,the

king asked whether it was Pfirn a or his son who hadgiven this answer. The messenger said that it wasMahau shadha. The king was astonished

,and perceived

that the commands of the deity were being executed,and that Mahaushadha would re -establish his power.As the king wished to put Mahau shadha a second time

to the test,he sent to Pfirn a, and ordered him to supply

some rice which had not been crushed with a pestle,

and yet was no t uncrushed,and which had been cooked

n either in the house nor out of the house , neither withfire nor yet without fire ; sending i t n either along theroad nor yet away from the road

,without its being shone

upon by the daylight, but yet not in the shade , not together with a woman

,but also n o t with a man

,by one

not riding,but also not on foot. The messenger came

to Pfirn akatshtshha , sent for Pi’

i rn a, and, after holdingmerry converse with him on various subj ects, informed

MAHA USHADHA AND VISAKHA . 139

him of the king’

s orders . Pfirn a wasgreatly discomfited.

But Mahau shadha , having found out the cause o f hisdejection

,comforted him

,declaring that he would manage

the whole affair himself.Having dried some rice in the sun , he sent fo r a num

be r of women , and made a man give each o f them ahandful of

'

gr ain s. These they shelled with their nails,

picking out the kernel o f each grain without breaking it .When the women had done this

,he threw the rice into a

pot,and cooked it on the threshold of the house. As

he was to cook i t without fire and yet not w ithout fire,

he cooked it in the su n . In order that it might be conv eyed neither along the road nor ye t away from the road,he ordered the man who carried it to walk with one footon the road and the other foot by the side o f the r e ad.

As i t was to be brought neither in the sunlight nor inthe shade

,he bade the man fasten the pot which held i t

to the end o f a stick,and cover it over with a thin cloth .

As the be arer was neither to ride nor to go afoot,he

told him to put a shoe on one o f his feet and leave theo ther unshod. And as the bearer was to be neither aman nor a woman, he sent a hermaphroditeWhen the messenger presented himself before the kin g

,

and,on being questioned by King Janaka

,gave him a

full account o f the whole matter,the king was greatly

pleased,and asked i f he had been sent by Parna or by

Mahau shadha . The messen ger replied that he had beensent by the latter

,whereupon the king said

,

“ Mahaushadha is clever

,resolute

,sharp-witted

,and ingenious .”

Some time afterw ards the kin g sent to Parna,and

ordered him to supply a park with kitchen-gardens,fruit

trees,and tanks . When the messenger came to Pfirn a

and told him what were the king’s orders,Pfirn a agai n

fell'

into very low spirits. Mahau shadha begged hisfather not to distress himself

,promising to arrange every

thing to the king’s satisfaction . Then he sent for the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

messenger,and told him to give the following reply to

the king“As no one among the mountains knows anything

about a park o f that kind,and therefore no one can con

struct one,may it please the king to send hither one o f

the parks belonging to his palace . When my father hasseen it, and learnt o f what nature it is, he will send on e

like unto it.When the messenger returned with this reply

,the king

was highly pleased,and when he learnt that it was again

Mahau shadha who had sent it,he perceived that he was

very intelligent.Some time later the king agai n sent a messenger to

Pfirn a , ordering him to plant a tree,and to send it to

him at the end o f a year,bearing blossoms and fruits.

When the messenger had executed his commission,Pfirn a

again became dejected,but Mahaushadha comforted him,

saying that the matter would not be a difficult one tomanage . And he sent a Ricinus shrub

,which at the end

of a year bore blossoms and fruits . When the king sawit

,he asked whether the idea was Pfirn a’s or Mahau

shadha’

s. The messenger named the latter,and the

king found nothing more to say in the matter.Some time later the king sent five hundred oxen to

Pfirn a . These he was to feed and to milk,and he was

to send to the king milk,curdl ed milk

,butter

,cream

,and

cheese . When the messenger came to Pfirna with theseorders

,Purna was greatly troubled, and said to the

villagers,

“ Surely in this matter the king wishes topunish me

,seeing that he requires me to milk oxen .

”

When Mahau shadha perce ived his distress,he comforted

him,saying that he would contrive a reply with which

the king would be pleased without this thing beingaccomplished . Then Mahau shadha gave full dir ections

to a fat-her and son , ordering them to betake themselvesto the capital, near the king

’

s palace. He told the father

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

messenger brought the mule to Pfim a,and warned him

that he would forfeit his life and limbs in case the muleescaped. When Pfirna heard that, he w as terrified andfell into very low spirits

,as he did not think he was

equal to the task . But Mahau shadha bade him be ofgood cheer. By day the mule was to be allowed tograze at its will , but at night it was to be guarded bytwenty men

,five o f whom were to look after it during

each o f the night-watches,one of them sitting o n its

back, the others holding a leg apiece . A fter this fashionthe twenty men watched it without taking it under aroofA fter a time King Janaka sent a messenger to see

ho w Pfirn a was treating the mule. He reported to theking the precautions which had been taken. The kingperceived that the mule could not escape while it wasguarded in that way

,so. he said that he wished one o f the

men to be sent for. The minister asked which man w as

to be summoned. The king said that they were to sendfor the man who was sitting on the mule’s back. Forwhile the others were asleep he ' could ride off with themule . So the king had the watcher sent for who sat o nthe mule

,and the man came away together with the

beast.When Pfirna was told next morning that the mule had

gone o ff,he saw that his life was forfeited

,and he took

to wailing from fear. When Mahau shadha saw how

m iserable Pfirna was,he began to reflect that hitherto he

had found a means o f escape on each occasion,but that

this time there was none. Of this,however

,he said

nothing. Al though he w as much alarmed , ye t he deviseda plan

,and said to his father

,There is still one expedient

left for settling this business . His father asked what itwas

, andMahau shadha replied that he could manage theaffair provided Pii rn a could endure being jeered at.Pfirn a declared that he was ready to do anything which

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

would prevent his life being taken . Thereupon Mahau

shadha cut the hair o f his father’s head ' so as to formseven strips

,and he daubed the head itsel f with red

,

black,brown

,white

,and other paints . Then he andhis

father mounted an ass and betook themselves to the

capital .When they arrived there

,the n ews spread abroad that

Mahau shadha had come riding upon an ass, and that he

had cut his father’s hair into seven s trips . When the

king and the ministers heard this,they asked

,

“Whyhas he

,who has the reputation of being so discreet and

intelligent,performed so unbecoming an action ? ” The

king and the ministers went out to see if Mahau shadha

had really come in the manner alleged,or i f the report

was false. When the king and his followers saw that i twas really so with him

,the ministers said

,

“Wherefore

is Mahau shadha praised for his j udgmen t,intelligence,

and wisdom ? In Spite o f all that, how unbecominglyhe has acted !The king asked Mahau shadha why he had thus dis

honoured his father. He replied,

“ I have not dishonouredhim

,but have honoured him . As I stand much higher

than my father on account of my great knowledge, I haveshown him honour.

”

The king asked ,“Are you the better o f the two

,or is

your father the better ? ”

He replied ,“ I am the better

,my father is the worse .

The king said,

“Never have I se en or heard that theson is better than the father. As i t i s the father throughwhom the son becomes known

,while the mother feeds

him,takes care o f him

,and brings him up

,therefore we

hold that the father is altogether the better o f the two.Then saidMahau shadha to the king

,

“ Tes t the matterthoroughly to see i f the father i s really so or no t.”

As the king and the ministers affirmed that it was so ,and not otherwise

, Mahau shadha fell at the king’s feet

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

and said, 0 king, this bein g the case, as the mule which

you sent us to watch e v e r has run away, but as according to the testimony o f the king and the ministers thefather is considered better than the offspring

,and the

father of the mule is the ass,accept this ass as a set

o ff.”

When the king and the ministers had heard his speech,

and perceived the cunning contrivance which it carried out,

they were astonished. Whether he had acted becominglyor unbecomingly

,it was clear that he was clever. Hav

ing thought the matter over, the king was much pleased ,and he arrayed Mahau shadha in fine robes o f variouskinds

,and bestowed upon him the power o f a minister

,

and on the father he conferred that village .A fter Mahau shadha had been appointed a minister,

his fame spread abroad throughout the whole city as thatof a wise and intelligent man.

Now a very learned Brahman had gone abroad in orderto increase his property, after he

' and his wife had spentall that she had brought along with her ; and he returnedhome with five hundred gold pieces o f ancient date.Before entering his house he w as desirous of disposing o fhis money, for none could tell whether his wife mightnot have taken up with another man during his absence .His wife was o f remarkable beauty, and therefore he conside red that she might have found favour in the eyes o fother men during his absence . So in the evening twilighthe went to the cemetery, dug a hole under a Nyagrodhatree

,put the money into it, and then went to his home.

Now the wife had a lover, the Brahman Mahakarn a

(Great Ea r). The pair had about that time partaken o f

delicate food,and she had anointed herself with fragrant

ointment,and was reposing upon the couch of enjoyment.

Just then came the Brahman and called to her to openthe door. The woman asked who was there. When he

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

cemetery,dug up the money

,and then betook himsel f to

his own house .When the Brahman went to the cemetery the next

day,and found that his money was no longer there

,he

beat himself on the head and breast , and returned home.His wife , his friends, his brothers, and his relatives askedhim what had happened

,and he told them everything.

They advised him to have recourse to Mahau shadha.

Then the Brahman went wail ing to Mahau shadha,his

face streaming with tears,and told him his misfortune.

Mahau shadha remained s ilent for a moment. Then heasked

,

“ Brahman,at what spot and at what time did

you hide the money ? Did any one see it ? or have youtalked about it to any one ? The Brahman gave afull account o f the whole affair. Mahau shadha came tothe conclusion that the Brahman’s wife had some otherman as a lover

,and that what had taken place was due

to that man’s contrivance. But he spoke words o f comfort to the Brahman

,saying that i f the money was not

found he would pay it to him out of his ow n purse . Thenhe asked him if there was a dog in his house . TheBrahman replied that there was. Then said Mahaushadha, Go and invite eight Brahmans to your house.Invite four o f them yourself

,and let your wife invite

the o ther four. Tell her that you have made a vow tothe god S iva that if you should accomplish your returnprosperously you would en tertain eight Brahmans.”

The Brahman followed these instructions,and when

the Brahman s had been invited,he went to Mahau

shadha in order to acquaint him with the fact. Thensaid Mahau shadha ,

“ When you are about to receivethe Brahmans into your house, call this man of mine ,and station him at the door when they enter. And

during the meal let him stand inside w ithout beingoccupied in any way.

”

And to his man he said,Take

n ote of everything significant. When the Brahmans

”MAHA USHADH’

A AND VISAKHAZ

come in,see which o f them the dog barks at

,and

be fo re '

w hom i t wags its tail ; for such is the nature o f

dogs .” Moreover,he ordered the Brahman not to set the

food before his guests with his own hands,but to leave

that to his wife . He told his man also to pay heed tothe Brahman’s wife while she was serving the food

,and

see to whom she made a sign,at whom she gazed with

out changing countenance,whom she addressed with a

smi le,and to whom she served the best fare

,and to

make him acquainted with all this .These instructions having been given

,the Brahman

took the servant home with him and stationed him at thedoor. Then he told his wi fe to summon the guestswhom she had invited

,while he summoned those whom

he had invited. As the other guests entered the houseone after another

,the dog barked . But when Maha

karna came in,the dog looked at him

,

‘

drooped its ears,

wagged its tail, and followed after him. When he hadentered in and called the dog

,the servant learnt that he

was Maha'

karn a . A fterwards the se rvan t saw the fooddistributed, and remarked that the Brahman’s wife

,

while taking part in the distribution,made a sign with

her eyebrows to Mahakarn a,smiled slightly

,fixed her

eyes upon him, and supplied him with the best o f thefe ed. All that he saw he afterwards reported to Mahaushadha .

A s soon as Mahau shadha heard these things,he sent

for Mahakarn a, asked himif i t was a Brahman’s business

to lay hands on the property o f others,and ordered him

to restore what he had stolen . Makakarn a said hethough t that Mahau shadha ou ght to make himself easy

,

as he , Mahakarn a,knew nothing at all about the matter.

Thereupon Mahau shadha gave orders that the evil-de ershould be thrown into prison

,and left there until his ?

bones became visible. At this threat Mahakarn a was

so terrified that he begged for mercy with a contrite ;

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

heart,promising to repay all. Going home

,he fetched

the money,tied up just as it had been

,and handed it

over to Mahau shadha,who gave it to the Brahman. The

Brahman rejoiced greatly, and seeing that his havingrecovered what he had lost was entirely due to Mahaushadha

’

s powerful assistance,he wished to make manifest

his gratitude to him, so he brought him half o f themoney as a present. Mahau shadha accepted the presentand then returned it to him. When the news o f all thisbecame Spread throughout the city, the king, the ministers

,and the citizens praised Mahau shadha highly o n ao

count of his wisdom,and esteemed themselves fortunate

in having such a mini ste r.

A fter a time it happened t hat a certain man who hadgone on business into another land came back to his owncountry. Havi ng come .to the edge of a tank

,he opened

his meal-pouch,took out some of the meal

,and mixed it

with water and p artook thereof. A fter feeding b e tiedup his pouch and went his way. Now while he wassitting there a snake had crept into the pouch

,one of

those snakes which emit poison when disturbed. Butwhen the man turned to his pouch after his repast

,he

tied it up without examining it. Then he flung it acrosshis shoulder and went on to the capital. There a soothsayer informed him .that he was in imminent danger oflosing his life.Some time after he had received this information

,he

regretted that he had not asked the soothsayer on whatground it was based. Having thus reflected

, be determined not to go home till he had consulted the ministerMahau shadha . When he had gone to him and had toldhim the whole story

,Mahau shadha came to the conclusion

that the soothsayer must certainly have given him thisp iece o f information because his pouch contained one ofthe snakes which emit poison when disturbed. There

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURcES .

him. Much harm had been done to them by thoseministers

,who had levied out of covetousness immoderate

rates and taxes. I f they would act in accordance withhis instructions

,he would be mindful thereof

,and would

fix moderate taxes,set all other things in order

,and

help them to secure their welfare. In any case,they

ought to revolt,and when the king came with the other

ministers,they ought to say that they would not submit

until the minister Mahau shadha Should come, but thatwhen he came

,they would obey him but no one else.

When he had given them these instructions,and had

stirred up the people in all those parts and instigatedthem to rebellion

,so that they recalled their allegiance

,

the other ministers petitioned the king,and King Janaka

sent forth those Six ministers together with a great army ;but they did not succeed in getting possession of a singlevillage or hill-town . So they sent a messenger to theking with the statement that they could not enforcesubmission unless the king came himself ; but the kingalso could not obtain the submission o f a single hill-town .

So,as many men had fallen in battle

,the king and the

ministers became dej ected. Then said the inhabitants o fthe hill-villages

,If the first minister Mahau shadha were

to come, we would obey him and submit ourselves tohim . We have not rebelled against King Janaka

,but

we have behaved as we have done because the ministershave wrought us injury.

Thereupon the king sent a messenger to Mahau shadha ,

saying, As we canno t reduce the land to subm ission , doyou come hither.” When Mahau shadha had looked atthe king’s letter, he went at once to the king. Whenthe people of that land saw him, they all paid reverenceto him

,and he spoke words o f encouragement to them

,

and fixed their taxes according to law,and succoured the

poor and lowly and helpless. To the townspeople andthe country-folk he gave presents

,gr eeting and embracing

“MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

them as if they were his parents, brothers , and kinsmen .

The old men of the land,and the young people and the

women,looked upon him as a son or a brother. To all

of them he gave great satisfaction ; and then, after he hadfinally united all the lands together

,he went back to the

seat of royalty,together with Kin g Janaka. By means

o f these deeds he gained an honoured reputation amongother kings also. King Janaka was so highly pleasedthat he gave his daugh ter in marriage to Mahau shadha ,

who lived with her happily.

A fter a time there came unto King Janaka a king 1

who had los t his possessions. As King Jan aka did no tcare for him

,he betook himself to Mahau shadha

,who

received him with compassion and supplied him withmeans of subsistence .

Some time afterwards a Brahman came to Mahau shadha

and asked him for a measure o f barley . Maha ushadha

promised it to him,but intrus ted the del ivery o f it to the

overseer o f the gran ary, who kept putting the matter o fffrom day to day and gave nothing.

Now it came to pass one day that the king was sittingsurrounded by the ministers and the town and countryfolk at a certain spot where many people paid reverenceto him . He asked the ministers to what person a secretmight be intrusted

,on whom it migh t be safe to rely.

The ministers began to consider. On e of them said thata man might intrust a secret to his friend ; another, to hiswife ; a third, to his mother ; a fourth, to his sister ; a fi fth,to his brother. When Mahau shadha was asked by theking why he did not in his turn express an opinion , hereplied

, O king, my opinion i s that a man ought not tointrust a secret to any one

,but least of all to his wife.

This will I prove unto you,O king.

Some time after this the king’s peacock was missing.

Pr ope r ly speaking a Ksha tr iya , as w i ll be se en fa r the r ou .— S .

1 5 : TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Mahau sha dha found it but hid it away. The n he tookanother which resembled it and said to his wife

,

“ Haveyou heard that the king’s peacock up at the palace ismissing ? She replied that she had heard about it.Then Mahau shadha said to her, Say nothing about i tto any one

,but cook it quickly

,and I will eat it.” 1 She

said to herself,See now

,this man from the hill-village

wants to eat the king’s peacock . My father places theu tmost confidence in him

,and he acts to the king’s

hurt.”

Some time afterwards,Mahaushadha dressed in full

array a courtesan who bore a likeness to one of the king’swives

,and brought her to his wife . A nd he said to his

wife,

“This is such and such a wife of the king’s. As I

am very intimate with her,and you are dear to me

,do

not mention it to any one. Thinking that She andMahau shadha were living together, the king

’s daughterbecame very angry . And She considered that as he wasd ishonouring her father

,who was quite unaware thereof

,

i t was not right to appoint as first minister a man Sprungfrom a lowly family in a hill-village

,and to intrust the

whole of the king’s affairs to him,the shameful one. So

with a View to seeing that he was put back again intohis former place, She went to her father and said , “

O

father,you have unadvisedly appointed this miscreant

first minister,and you placed reliance upon him in an

unbecoming manner. He has sinned against the king’swife

,having had to do with such and such a wife of

yours . And besides, it is he who has eaten the king’s

peacock . Moreover, he has received in a friendly man nerand has supplied with all necessaries men coming from aforeign land . But you , O father, have always held himdearer than all others, and no one save him has pleased

I )you.

1 A s r ega rds the kin g’s peacock, see the Sukasaptat i, 2 18t n ight,in

G a lan os’

s tran sla tion , p . 34.-S.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

said so with reference to earlier times, when you hadabsolutely no influence over villages

,towns

,and cities ?

When they had gone somewhat farther,it was sug

gested to King Janaka that he Should again ask Mahaushadha what he had to set forth . Then the king calledto him and questioned him. He replied

, O king, frombeing one who had merely food, drink, and service, youhave by my means become a king ruling the earth

,with

a realm,an army

,and treasures . But you

,without re

cognis ing what I did for you in early days,are sending

me to death , on which account I uttered the words, A

king does not become a friend .

’ I said also,

‘A hang

m an has no acquaintances.’ This hangman,i f he were

to go without bed and clothing to the king in order toobtain the means of l iving from the king

,when he had

drawn nigh unto the king,would not be received by him

but I have bestowed land on the hungry fugitive, bym eans of which he has by this time become prosperous.Now he conducts me to my death

,on which account I

said,A hangman has no acquaintances . ’ As regards the

words,

‘To women ought no secret to be intrusted,

’ Iuttered them for the followin g reason . When you

,0

king,sitting one day in the midst of your court

,asked

whom one might venture to trust , and the ministersreplied one

’

s father,or mother

,or sister, or comrades, but

you, 0 king, said that a man should intrust a secret to

his wife,because a man’s wife i s the half of his body

,

then did I entertain the idea of bringing the wholematter before the eyes o f the king. In order to providea test

,I hid away the king’s peacock, and took another

peacock,which I ate . Then I took from the chamber of

the women the ornaments belonging to a certain woman,

and hung them around the neck of a certain courtesan,and led her into my house. Be plea sed, 0 king, to lookupon that courtesan.

”

When the king had placed side by side the courtesan

;MAHA USHADHA AND VISAKHA .

and the designated inmate o f his women’s chamber, andhad looked u pon them both

,and had found that there

w as a remarkable S imilarity in their appearance, figure,

behaviour,and characteristics

,so that it was impossible

to distinguish one from the other,then the king

,after

some consideration,perceived that Mahau shadha was

innocent .“As to the words [continued Mahau shadha],

‘To theBrahman’s wife Atmav ira a man ought not to admit thathe possesses a measure o f barley ,

’ I uttered them for thisreason. When you had senten ced me to death, and theexecutioners were leading me away

,she called out

,

‘Giveme the measure o f barley,

’ and on its account seized meby the skirt of my robe.”

When all this was made clear to the eyes of the king,

he rej oiced,and gave orders that Mahau shadha should

be released,and he heaped upon him tokens o f honour.

Mahau shadha made obeisan ce to the king, and then said,0 king, have you learnt what the secrecy o f wives isI have no longer any need of your daughter. I wil lseek me a wi fe like unto mysel f

,in race

,beauty

,character

,

and wisdom.

”

When the king had granted him permission,he went

to the mountain forest Kaksha,

1 in order to find for himsel f a maiden . He had put on the dress o f a Brahman ,and carried a water-jug in his right hand, his body beingadorned w ith the string of sacrifice and covered with theskin of a gazelle

,and his face marked with three lines of

ointmen t. When he had gone half-way, darkness cameon A Brahman asked him whence he came.From the Videha land

,

” he replied.

Whither do you intend to go ?To the Kaksha forest.”

Amo n g the e xplan at io n s o f [ca lc a fo re st , a fo rest of deadtree s, a dryaha give n in Mo n ie r W illiams

'

s San w o od, 8m.skr it Dict iona ry a re

“the in te r io r of

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Do you know any one in whose house you can findshelterMahau shadha said that he did not. Then the Brah

m an to ok him into his own house and entertained himin a becoming manner. But Mahau shadha suspectedthat his host’s wife

,who loved another man

,was a worth

less woman. When he took his departure nex t day theBrahman said to him

, Consider this house as your ownwhen you come here on your journeyings to and fro.”

“ That will I do,

” replied Mahau shadha, and went hisway.

About half-way there was a barley-field,and in it he

saw a very beautiful maiden,o f high race and o f great

modesty.

A S soon as he saw her a longing after her enteredinto his mind.

“ Good maiden,he asked

,

“ who are you ? Whosedaughter are you ? What is your name ?

“ I am Visakha, she replied .

Whose daughter are you ?His who works in wood for all the village.Then thought Mahau shadha

,

“ He r form is fair, but Iwill n ew test her intelligence a li ttle ”

He wen t into a wheat-field,lifted up his hands

,and

while he flourished his hands on high,he trampled on

the wheat with his feet. Then said Visakha,

“ O Pundit,as you have flourished your hands on high

,so also ought

you to flourish on high your feet.“ This maiden is clever

,

” he thought. Then he saidwith a smile, You are very brilliant

,O maiden

,seeing

that you have earrings and armlets.”

The reason is,O Pundit

,that both have little oxen,

said ViSakha.

1

1“ This seems to re fe r to the still r ema in s obscu re . The same

shape o f the ea rr in gs,” says Pro r ema rk m ay b e made abo u t se vera lfesso r Schie fn e r bu t the r epa rtee of ViSakha

’

s w ise sayin gs.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

He set forth. Coming to the house of Viéakha’

s

father,he found that her parents were not at home . So

he said to the village head-men,“ If you allow it

,I wi ll

take this woman to be my wife.”

When the head-men of the village heard these words,

they immediately with one accord began to upbraid him,

saying,You wretched mendi cant Brahman

,are not you

ashamed to want such a maiden as our .Viéakha ? Getaway w ith you at once from this spot. Or must wehand you over to be devoured by fierce dogsDriven away by them

,he returned to Visakha. While

he was still at a distance, she bade him welcome. Whenhe told her of his interview with the village head-men

,

who had been on the point of beating him,she said

,

How and in what manner did you speakWhen he had told her everything

,Visakha said to

him,

“ 0 Brahman, you are not expert in such matters .Have you behaved in the way in which a man ought topropose for a maiden ?

“ How else,then

,ought one to act ? asked the

Brahman .

First o f all,replied the maiden

,

“ the man mustdraw near. Then he must gain favour. And if thatis gran ted

,he must offer hospitality and organi se an

entertainment,after which he may bring forward his

desire .”

He went away and acted in accordance with thisadvice

,entertaining the village head—men at an excell ent

banquet. Then he arose and asked for Visakha. Thist ime they gave their assent. Jus t as this point wasreached her parents arrived. Then Mahau shadha andthe village head-men asked her parents for her. Theparents were of opinion that the matte r required consideration.

Then said the vil lage head-men,“What is there to

consider about ? He i s a young, shapely, handsome,

.

'

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA . 159

learned Brahman,perfectly versed in the Vedas and

Vedangas . So give him your daughter without furtherconsideration .

”

Thereupon Mahau shadha offered hospitality to theBrahmans

,and he received the maiden as his wife. The

next day he invited his wife’s parents,paid them honour,

bestowed upon them raiment and gifts in return for thebride

,and then went his way to King Janaka in Videha .

On the way a Brahman entertained him at the festivalof the fourteenth day of the hal f-moon

,and gave him !as

a present a measure o f barley,whi ch h e poured into a

corner of his robe. When he came to the house of hi sfriend he knocked at the door. The Brahman

’

s wifesaid

,

“Who is there ? ” He replied,“ It is I, your hus

band’s friend. She replied,My husband is not at

home,and as there is no one else here

,I canno t admit

any man during his absence . Seek for shelter elsewhere .”

Soon afterwards,while Mahau shadha was considering

how it was that she did not admit him,he saw ano ther

man admitted . Then said Mahau shadha,There was a

reason for my not being admitted .

”

Whi le he was still thinking the matter over, theBrahm an himself came up from a village and calledaloud at the door. When his wi fe heard her husband’svoice

,she considered what she should do

,and with some

misgivings hid her visitor away in a basket.A fter this the two men who were outside entered in

and sat down . Then saidMahau shadha to the Brahman’

swife

,Where shall I put this barley

On the floor,she replied.

The Brahman said,Mice might come and eat it

He looked under the bed and searched all the endsand corners o f the house

,but nothing came to light. All

at once he saw a baske t laid aside,into which he thought

the corn might be put.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Into this basket wil l I pour the barley, said Mahau

shadha .

That basket contains a treasure o f mine,said the

Brahman’s wife. “ How can barley be put into it ?“ Set aside the treasure in some pot

,

” said the husband,then we can pour the barley in here.Mahau shadha also said, In order that the mice may

not render the barley useless, it must be poured in here."

Then said the Brahman’s wife,who became terrified

at the thought of the consequences,The basket is

damp ; the barley will get spoilt inside it.“ You need not be uneasy

,

” replied Mahaushadha tothe Brahman’s wi fe. “ I will take care that no dampness remains in it, and that the barley is not spoil t.

”

Then he s tood up,reversed his gazelle skin

,and tied

the string of sacrifice twice round his neck . Then hewent out to fetch wood and water

,with the intention of

cleansing the basket.The Brahman’s w ife

,experiencing the pain of parting

from her lover,and fearin g that he would be killed

,sent

a messenger with all speed to his house, in order that,things being so, some one might come from thenceimmediately. As soon as his father heard the news, hecame to Mahau shadha and said,

“ I want to purchase this

basket.”

Be of good cheer and take it,was the reply.

On what termsOn payment o f five hundred gold pieces

,not otherw ise.

While thus speaking,Mahaushadha lighted a lamp close

by the basket. But the father, thinking that it wou ld notbe well to let the matter become known

,opened the door

of the house,and had the basket taken up by a strong

man and conveyed to his own house.

On the following day Mahau shadha gave a hundredgold pieces to the man to whom the house belonged

,

told him what his wife’s character w as like, and advised

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

woman and Mahau shadha are two demons . Two greatdemons have combined together.” And he paid her theresidue . Then her parents came in

,and he said

,showing

them the gold,

“ The man is no Brahman . He is theking of Videha

’

s principal minister,Mahau shadha.

”

When the maiden’s parents and kinsmen heard that,

they said that they were alli ed with a man of power,

that they were in that respect very fortunate,and that

their family would be made famous by means of Mahaushadha .

When Mahau shadha arrived in the city,and the king

heard of that,he and the old mini sters were greatly

pleased.

How have you fared ? asked the king.

I have chosen me a wife,

” he replied.

What kind of wife ? ”

A very beautiful one, replied Mahau shadha , ofperfect intelligence

,suitable for me.”

And he asked the king i f, as she was of such a nature,he might n ow marry her.

Except me,said the king

,i s there any man equal

to you ? Andwhy ? Because you are my chief minister.Therefore marry her to my great pleasure.

”

0 king. I will do so .

”

Surrounded by the band of ministers,Mahaushadha

invited the Brahmans,householders

,and populace to be

his guests. Collecting together the rest in great numbers,

the elephant-drivers,the horse-drivers

,the chariot-dr ivers ,

and the goers on foot,he went to the house of his father

in -l aw in the mountain forest Kaksha. Havin g arrivedthere

,he celebrated a great wedding- feast, and after a

time he returned to the city with his wife,and lived

with he r there in love’s delights .

After this there came from the north to Kin g Janakain Videha five hundred merchants with goods and horses.

MAHA USHADHA AND VISAKHA .

In that city lived many courtesans , who were wont, bymeans o f their wiles

,to despoil o f their goods . the mer

chants who came thither. As soon as they heard thatmerchants had come from the north

,they fastened upon

them. Bu t the chief o f the merchants was very cautious.The most attractive o f the women took him in hand

,but

with no success . Then she called the merchants together,

and requested them to render their chief well disposedtowards her. But although the merchants and thewomen took great pains day after day,

ye t he did notyield to enticement. Then that courte san went to thechie f and joked and laughed .

Why do you trouble your sel f said the chief. Youwill no t entice me.”

What will you give me,she asked

,

“ if I do enticeyouI will give you five of our best horses. But i f you

fail to entice me , and you have no money, then you mustfollow after me .”

Thus ran their talk. But in spite of all her effortsshe could not attain her end.

On e day the merchants said to their chief,

“ Do asother people do

“ I have enjoyed the woman by night in a dream,

replied the chief. 1

The merchants repeated this to the woman,who called

upon the king’s men to arrest the merchant,saying

,As

yo u have enjoyed my love, pay me five first-rate horses . ”

You lie,disreputable female

,

” replied the merchant.So they two carr ied up their dispute to the palace.The king and his cour t attempted to settle the question .

Evening came,but still they did no t succeed. Worn and

fre tted by hunger,they resolved to postpone the decision

o f the question,and wen t to their homes .

Compa r e Ben fey, Pa n tscha tan fu r r om . u nden gl . Lite r atu r , i ii . 147,tra, i . 1 27, andLiebrecht in Jahrbu ch andin Pfe ifi e r

’

s Ge rman ia,v . 53.

-S.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

When Mahau shadha came home that evening,Visa

kha said,“ My lord, why have you tarried so long

to-dayHe gave her a full account o f the whole question which

they had not been able to settle .“ If a question remains unsettled by all o f you

,she

said,after being thus considered and discussed

,how

comes it that you hold such a position ? ”“ Such bein g the state of affairs

,

” said Mahau shadha,

can you,perchance

,decide the question ?

“ I can,she replied .

“ See how great i s my judgment ! Go and order the five good horses to be placedat the edge of a piece o f water. Then le t the king andthe ministers meet together at that place and give theiropinions on the matter. I f it turns out that

,as the

woman says,the merchant has really enj oyed her

,then let

the five good horses be given to her. But i f it be provedthat he did so only in adream,

then let her be shown theimage o f the horses in the water. I f she says that shecan neither grasp nor use them

,then let her be told that,

just as it is impossible to grasp that image,so is it also

with the fruition o f love in a dream .

A ll this was carried out. All were astonished at thisdecision , and the king asked who had been the discovererof this way o f escape. Whereupon Mahau shadha repliedthat Visi kha had discovered it. Then all perceived thatthe carpenter’s daughter was exceedingly clever

,and her

fame spread abroad throughout all lands.

After that a merchant from the north made a presentof two mares 1 to the king

,and said

,These two mares

,

0 king, are dam and foal, but which the dam is andwhich the foal

,nobody knows .” When in this case also

the king and his court were in difficulties,the carpenter

’

sdaughter Visakha settled the question as before

,saying

1 Cf. Sukasaptati, 37th Night, in the tran slat ion o f Ga lan os.—S .

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

custom o f the country that every young and handsomewoman should be cajoled by o ther men . He replied thatthis took place everywhere

,for men were greedy after a ll

women,and they were instructed by the women

'

themselves ; but that if a woman was prudent, she did notgive her consent. Then said Visakha,

“ If I were tobring a man of that kind to harm or disgrace

,would any

danger arise out o f it ? Mahau shadha said,

“ Do so,

and fear not.‘

So she told him that he w as to feign anillness

,and she would turn it to good account. He did

so . Then she sent messengers to inform the ministers,

who had become acquainted with his indisposition,that

she would grant them the fulfilment o f their des ires .Havin g caused an image o f Mahau shadha to be madeo f wood

,she dressed it and laid it in his bed. To each

o f the'

min iste rs she sent word to come to her at a certain hour

,without letting the others know anything about

it. She had also caused six chests to be made,and had

distributed them in six o f her rooms. Each o f the ministers , on his arrival, she hid away in one of the chests.Next day she let the report spread abroad that Mahaushadha was dead. Thereupon the king and his court, aswell as the rest o f the people

,broke forth into lamenta

tion . But Visakha locked the chests and took them tothe king

,and said

,

“ Now that Mahau shadha i s dead,

here are his treasures o f gold,silver

,and precious stones

,

sealed with his own signet. While the king was grieving that these presents should have been made to himon the very day of their owner’s death

,Mahau shadha

came into the palace by another way, laughing andadorned with flowers . Having made obeisance to the '

king,he said

,Do you mean now to take possession of

my property,0 king, although you have never shadowed

me with the canopy of your grace ?I havenot taken it, said the king. I t was brought

here from your own house .”

Great king and Mahau shadha, said Visakha, thereis another world besides this . These are pre cious stonesfrom it. Take them as a pledge . Great king, these arethe men w ho have dishonoured me, the widow separatedfrom her husband, and have stolen from me my treasure .Thereupon Mahau shadha pointed out the excellent

intentions in the minds o f the first ministers . When theking had looked in

,and had seen the six ministers with

their hair and beards shorn,and their hands and “ feet

drawn together,he laughed and said to Mahau shadha

,

Tell me,whose c ontrivance i s this ?

It is Visakha’s contrivance , he replied, and then heproceeded to tell the whole story . The king marvelledat the a cuteness and resolution shown by Visakha, andthe cleverness o f the carpenter

’s daughter Visakha oh

tain ed praise i n all lands .The king resolved thatMahau shadha should try to find

him a wife o f similar discretion,in which case everything

would be placed on a good footing both at home and asregards affairs exterior to the palace .

“ Where shall I look for her ? ” asked Mahau shadha .

The king o f Panchala has an exceedingly beautifuldaughter called Au shadhi

,

” replied King Janaka. Sheis endowed with knowledge and memory

,and I have

heard that in acuteness she resembles Visakha. Obtainher for me as my wife.”

0 king,

” said Mahau shadha ,

“ in this matter must‘some stratagem be employed, for there is enmity betweenyou and him .

”

Then King Janaka sent his ministers and his Pu rohita

in order to make proposals o f marriage . The king o f

Panchala called his ministers together and asked themwhat he should do. They said

,As Kin g Janaka for

merly r efu sed'

to listen to your orders,we must manage

so that they may fall into our power. Tell them thatyou w ill give your daugh ter

,and that an appointment

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

must be made for the purpose of receiving her, at a certain hour

,on such and such a day o f the half-moon, at

such and such a place.”

Having thus spoken , they went forth and announcedthat King Janaka was to receive the Princess Au shadhi.When and where ? asked the envoys .On such and such a day, at an appointed hour, was

the reply.

Thereupon the king of Panchala sent forth invitationsto the wedding. And he prepared food and drink, andinfused into it divers kin ds of poisons. When a ll wasready

,he sent out messengers to the people to come

forthwith.When Mahau shadha heard that

,he said to King

Janaka,It is not fitting that we should act hastily.

For what reasonThis king is a neighbour who has alw ays been op

posed to us, at variance with us. We must send a spyin advance .

”

Whom shall we send ? ” said the king.0 king, said Mahau shadha

,be at ease. I have a

parrot called Charaka ,’ who is clever and honest. Him

will I send. He will return afte r he has held conversewith all .”

Do so,said the king.

The parrot fl ew o ff,and considered to whom he should

draw nigh,with whom he should make friends and hold

converse. In spite o f looking around on all sides,he

could detect nothing, and he had to consider how heshould begin the usual style of business . Entering the

palace,and there lookin g about him

,he saw a maina 2

sittin g on some timber-work, and flew up to her,and

the two birds took pleasure in each other’s company.

1 This appe ars to be a corr e ct r esto rat io n o f the San skr it n ame , thoughthe pa r r o t ’s n ame is give n fu rthe r o n a sMatha ra .

— S.

2 S'

drikci , Gracu la r el igiosa , Predigerkrahe.— S .

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

merchant who has succeeded in obtaining gains. But tothe maina he said

,re ferring to King S ibi

,

“ Now must Igo

,0 good one , in order to let King Sibi know that I

have fo und a so ft-spoken maina like u nto my wife .0 lord,

” said the maina,

“ when you have gone away,

and have informed King Sibi,let it be made know n after

a space of seven days,after no longer lapse o f time. Le t

King'

Sib i know what are my descent,my family

,and

my means. For my sake be not lost.”

The parrot flew away,and gave a full account o f all

these things to Mahau shadha ,w ho made King Janaka

acquainted therewith .

When the king o f Panchala saw that Janaka was notcoming

,he equipped a complete army

,and went for th

against King Janaka,and besieged his capital. The

first minister, Mahau shadha

,perceived that there was no

withstanding him in fight,so he considered how he

could excite discord. By means o f sending divers presents to King Sibi’s five hundred ministers he produceddissension . When this had been brought about, Janakasent envoys to the king of Panchala with a message tothe effect that

,although he was in a position to fight the

king of Panchala,yet he wished to be reconciled with

him, and not to fight with him who was his fatherin -law. The king of Panchala should know that inKing Janaka’s hands lay life and death. But though hecould fight w ith him

,yet he would rather not do so . If

the king of Panchala was i n doubt,let him consider that

Janaka had sent such and such presen ts to such and suchm inisters .The king of Panchala laid hands on those ministers

with the presents,and that same evening he returned

home. On his arrival there, he ordered the five hundredministers to be executed

,a ndmade their sons ministers

in their stead,and he became reconciled with King

Janaka.

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

WhenMahau shadha learnt that the ministers had beenput to death

,he rejoiced at having brought this about.

They being dead , he said to the king , Now will I go

mysel f to see if I can obtain the princess or not.”

When he had arrived in the land o f Panchala, theking invited him to en ter the city.

’'

But he replied thathe would stay where he was in the park , or in case heentered the city

,he would go to the house of a certain

minister. The king of Panchala was alarmed at thesewords

,thinking that Mahau shadha might be wishing

again to sow dis cord between him and his ministers, sohe sent to tell him that he migh t stay where he was ifhe wi shed it.Now the m inisters reflected that Mahau shadha had

deprived their fathers of life,and they thought

,r e

membe ring the old grudge, that i f they brought thematter energetically before the king

,Mahau shadha would

never return home . So after they had me t together,

they . sa id to the king, I t i s Mahau shadha in whomKing Janaka has such a source o f mental power. When

he is at home by the king’s side, no one can inj ure theking

,but while he is here

,we might well go forth again

to attack King Janaka.”

The king consented thereto,and they set out for King

Jan aka’

s capital with a fully equipped army. KingJanaka also made himself ready. Now Mahau shadha

le arnt that the king of . Pan chala had invaded KingJanaka’s country by such and such a road . A fter re

maining a little longer where he w as,he learnt that

the treasures o f the king o f Panchala w ere kept in acertain place

,and that the king’s daughter

,Au shadhi by

n ame,lived there also. So he wen t thither wi th a small

troop of trusty adherents and surrounded the treasury.

Entering therein,he emptied it o f its contents andcarried

o ff the princess along with the gold and precious things .Then he got his army ready

,and entered K

'

ng Janaka’s

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

country from a different s ide. Thereat King Janakarejoiced

,and so did the ministers, the villagers, and the

rest of the people, saying that he had accomplished a

great work,and they made him many demonstrations o f

honourWhen the king o f Pan chala

’

s ministers heard thatMahau shadha had arrived with the maiden and the treasure

,they abandoned the siege of the capital and returned

to their own country ; and King Janaka, having obtainedthe maiden as his wife

,lived with her in happiness and

love.A fter a while

,the king of Panchala sent a messenger

to his daughter,and asked for information as to who it

w as by whose coming the matter had been found out,and

who it was who had brought . about the dissensions . Shesent word back that it was Mahau shadha

’

s parrot namedGharaka, which, being endowed with human speech, hadspied the matter out . Then the king of Panchala desiredthat it should at any rate be delivered up to him. Sowith great difficulty she contrived to catch it in a net

,

and she sent it to her father. The king flew into apassion

,upbraided the bird in divers ways, and then

ordered it to be killed. The parrot Gharaka fell at theking’s feet

,and besought him to allow it to die as its

father and grandfather had died The king gave his consent

,and asked in what manner its father and grand

father had been put to death . When its tail had beenwrapped in cotton and drenched with mustard-oil

,and

when all this had been set on fire,and the bird was let go

to fly up into the air,it set the whole o f the royal palace

in a blaze,

1 and then dived under water. When it hadreturned home

,and King Janaka andMahau shadha asked

1 Cf. Pabst , Bu n te B i lde r , d. i . bu rn in g o f La n ka in the Ramayan a,Ge schichten in Ehstlands, du e to the a ttempt to pu n ish theR e va ], 1856 , i . 14, andMan nha rdt

’s mon ke y -gen e ra l Han umat by settin g

G e r in an ische Mythen fo rschu n gen ,

”his ta i l on fire .

Be r lin,1858, p . 39.

— S . A lso the

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

had grown again, it became capable o f flying,and fel t a

desire to take to flight. Then it said, “ You, 0 king,

together with the commander of the army,the queen

,the

prince,and the ministers, must appear before me with

b eads shorn as smooth as pestle s. I f ye do so,then will

I vouchsafe forgiveness.”

The king took this to heart and behaved accordingly,

and the whole party,with beads shorn like pestles

,pro

ceeded to the abode of the deity,fell at its feet and

begged fo r pardon . Then the parrot flew alo ft,u ttering

thi s verseThe doer of the deed is requited . See how the plucker

in his turn i s plucked ! Now he who by himself wasplucked has thoroughly well plucked the enemy and allthe rest.Having thus spoken

, Gharaka flew away to Mahaushadha , who asked it whence it came , as he had notseen it for so lon g a time. It gave a full account of whatkind of trick it had played. Mahau shadha was delightedtherewith

,and he reported it to King Janaka

,who like

wise rejoiced greatly,and considered himsel f fortunate

in having so intelligent a minis ter.

At another time the king, in order to see which of hisministers was the cleverest, took it into his head tosummon them

,and to give to each o f them a dog

,with

directions to train i t to speak with a human voice withina given time . The ministers took the dogs home withthem

,and managed to rear them properly

,but not to

te ach them to speak .

Mahau shadha took his dog home, and gave i t a placeat a little distance from the table

,fastening i t to a

peg. The dog was accustomed to see various kinds ofmeats

,drinks

,and soups prepared for Mahau shadha , but

could not get at them. By means of giving it little foodand that bad

,Mahau shadha brought it about that the

MAHA USHADHA AND VISAKHA .

dog was neither dead nor alive, and was lean and gauntwith exhaustion.

A fter a time the king ordered the dogs to be brought,whether instructed or not instructed. The other ministers

,who were not versed in the sciences

,had not been

able to teach their dogs to speak. Then the king ordered

Mahau shadha to bring the dog which had been handedover to him . When the gaunt, famished dog appearedbefore the king

,he asked why it was so thin. Mahau

shadha repli ed,“ 0 king

,I have given it the same

kind of food that I ate myself. But the dog exclaimed ,0 king, that is not true. I am all bu t dead with hunger. Thereupon Mahau shadha said

,

“ A fter this fashionhave I taught the dog to speak.

” Whereat the king washighly pleased.

Another time,when the king wi shed to make a simi

lar trial,he ordered each o f the ministers to feed and

water a sheep in such a manner that the sheep shouldbecome strong without waxing fat.1 Five hundred o fthe ministers were unaware how to set about this matter.They reared their sheep

,but the sheep became fat. But

Mahau shadha,while he placed delicate food before his

sheep,set up in front o f it a wooden wol f which he had

provided for the purpose. The sight o f the wolf frightenedthe sheep so much that it grew up strong w ithout becoming fat . When the king saw that the sheep of the otherm inisters were flourishing and very fat

,but that Mahau

shadha'

s sheep had become strong without growing fat,

he highly commended his wisdom.

On another occa sion the king was again desirous o ffinding out who was possessed o f wisdom . The fivehundred sons of the ministers were holding a feast inthe park . As they sat there eating and drinking

,they

took to describing marvellous things,each one being

called u pon to state whatever wondrous thing he had1 Cf. “Les A vadan as

,trad. par Stan . Julien ,

”Pa r is, 1859, n . 48

-S.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

either himsel f experienced or had heard described w hiletarrying at home. Then out of friendship they told oneanother the marvels they had w itnessed at home andelsewhere. Along with the rest Mahau shadha

’

s son wascalled upon by the young men to relate something. He

said that there was a stone in his father’s house which,

although it formed the base o f a column,would yet

,if

thrown into water,swim to and fro

,and lend itself to

rubbing and kneading, and so fort h . The youths expressed their Opinion that no such marvel existed in anyof their houses . As he would no t give way, and theydoubted his word

,he said that he would stake upon i t

five hundred pieces o f gold . He told this to his father,who said

,

“ Son,do not show them the stone.” So when

the youths came,he did not show them the stone

,and

his five hundred gold pieces were forfeited .

A fter a time Mahaushadha took some monkeys andgave them a musical training. Then he said to his son

,

Go to your .comrades and tell them,i n reference to

your former undertaking about marvels seen at home,

that yo u are willing to stake twice as much money asbefore on the fact that you can show in your housemusical monkeys

,capable o f dancing and singing and

playing on the drum .

” In a ccordance with these instruotions the young man

,after speaking of other things

,

passed on to that subject, and said that he had seen suchcreatures . They declared that they had never eitherseen or heard o f monkeys which performed musically.

“What will you give me if I show you some ? ” he said.

They replied,You have already lost five hundred pieces

of gold,and

.n ow you will lose a thousand i f you cannot

show us these monkeys, but have been talking nonsenseas before . But if you do show them to us, then we.wil l payyou that sum. When they had settled this wager

,the

monkeys were brought into the royal palace,where they

played and sang and danced before the king. So the

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

it,and the woman

,tormented by hunger, begged to have

some too. Then Vir i'

i pa took a handfu l o f meal andpartook of it by himself.

“ As I also am sorely tormented by hunger, said

Udumbarika, I would fain partake of that water.As the early Rishi s and law-teachers have forbidden

women to partake of such water,I will not give you

any,

” replied Virfipa .

While they were suffering from hunger in a desertduring a time o f dr ought, Vir iipa found some dog

’s flesh,

which he roasted and ate . When Udumbar ika wantedsome too

,he would not give her any

,because the Rishis

had forbidden women to partake of such food. Thereupon she gave way to all kinds o f wailing, lamentingthat she

,unhappy one that she was

,should be tormented

by the pangs of hunger,and asking wherefore

,on accoun t

o f what fault of hers , had her parents wedded her tosuch a man.

They proceeded farther, and saw a ripe Udumbara tree.Virfipa climbed it and feasted on its fru it. Udumbar ika

said he ought not to eat i t all himsel f,but ought to give

some to her also . He ate the ripe fruit and threw downto her only what w as unripe. She told him he oughtnot to fling her the unripe fruit only

,but ought to give

her the ripe fruit also. He replied,“ If you want ripe

fruit,climb the tree yourself and pluck and eat.”

Tormented by hunger, she climbed up into the treewith difficulty

,and there ate some fruit. But Virfipa

thought,

“ What can such a wretched man as I am dowith such a wife— I

,who can scarcely support myself ?

She will not so much as look at me.Comin g down from the tree, he surrounded it with

thorns and then went his way.

Now it happened that just at that time King Janakawen t out hunting

,and he heard in the forest the wail

in g of Udumbarika deserted by her husband. Following

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

the sound,he caught sight of the bright-eyed

'

on e,who

seemed to him like a goddess o f the forest. When shehad come down from the tree he reposed by her side

,

and then set her in his chariot,conveyed her to the

I

city,

and gave himself up to pleasure with her.Meanwhile Virupa, as he walked along by himself,

repented o f having deserted his wife . So he returnedto the Udumbara tree

,but found that his wife was not

there,and learnt that King Janaka had taken her away

with him,and had made her one of his wives . Thereat

he was sorely grieved .

He went to the gate o f the palace, but he was notadmitted within . Then he saw that there were men atwork in the courtyard o f the palace, and he resolved tocarry stone along with them. By this means he gainedaccess to the palace

,where he saw his wi fe and the king

in loving converse . He hit upon a plan o f speakingwi th his wife

,and he and she discoursed in verse as

follows

He. Golden is the corner-stone. Dost thou rej o ice in blaming ? Fair one, lovest thou me not ? Take

, 0'

car

p en te r , the stone 1”

She.

“At that spot did I beseech thee. In .my memory dwellthe words

,

‘To womenkmeat is forbidden.

’ Me didstthou forsake.

He.

“ Beside the Udumbara tre e , 0 fair one, hast thou askedme

,born beside the river Ganges. Take

, 0 carpenter,

the stone.Size. “When I asked for meal andwater

,thu s was I answered

It is not right tha t a woman should partake thereof.’

Therefore have I hither come.”

He. “ Much has the learned mouth spoken. Speak of thecountless golden glitter. Fair one

,lovest thou me

not ? Take,0 master

,the stone ?”

She . Unripe was what thou didst give me . The ripe' didst

thou eat thyself. Mindful of ha rsh speech do I n o wsit dallying here.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

He.

“ Down from the mountain will I dash,poison also will

I drink,0 Brahman woman. Wailing for thee am I

here. Take,0 carpenter

,the stone ! ”

She .

“Dash thyself down from the mountain, drink thypoison

,O Brahman ! In love’s time thou didst n o t

love. At home must dalliance take place.”

While they two thus held converse,the king became

suspicious,and said

,

“ 0 queen, as I do not understandwhat ye are saying to each other

,speak to me without

fear,that I may hearken to your words.” As the king

was completely under her influence,she gave him a ful l

account of everything. The king asked her i f she wishedto go away with her husband. She did not like to sayopenly that her husband was repulsive to her

,for she

was afraid that he,as he was a Brahman

,might bring a

curse upon her by means of evil spells . Then the kingasked Mahau shadha what was to be done. Mahau shadha

promised to arrange so that the king would not have topart with her.

How so asked the king .

A s this Brahman,replied Mahau shadha

,

“ is a manof very small means

,but these women are exceedingly

grand,I will speak to him after such and such a fashion.

I f I suggest it to him,he will look for his wife among

your women,without identifying her.

The Brahman was summoned, and was asked what hewas looking for

,and why he had entered the palace . He

replied that he was looking for his wife,whom the king

had brought there .Shall you be able to identify your wife ? asked

Mahau shadha .

“ Yes,

” repli ed Virupa .

I will bring the five hundred women be fore you,said Mahaushadha . I f you pick out from among themone who does not belong to you, your bo dy shall be ou tto pieces with weapons .”

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

it had been carried off to the top o f a tree by a femalemonkey.

The king ordered his men to hasten to the forest andbring back

c

the necklace. They went there,but they did

not find it. Now a beggar had gone there in search ofthe remnants of the food o f which other men had made ameal . As he came forth from the forest after partakingo f such food

,the king’s men arrested him. As no one

else was to be seen there,they call ed on him to render

up the necklace. A lthough he protested that he hadnot taken it

,had n o t even seen it

,yet he was beaten

with fists and stakes,and then thrown into prison .

Tormented by hunger,he reflected that

,unless he

contrived some cunning way o f escape, he would diethere of starvation . So .he said to the jailer that he had

,

it w as true,taken the pearl necklace

,but that he had

given it to such and such a young merchant. Him alsothe king’s men summoned

,and the two men were set

fast connected by wooden fetters .The merchant used to receive from home dainty food .

While he was partaking o f .it the beggar asked him forsome . But the merchant reviled him

,saying, I t i s all

very well for you to accuse me of theft in order that Imay nourish you with my food . I will give you noneo f it.” And having thus spoken

,he ate it all u p .

A fter this,when the merchant wi shed to change his

place,and said

,

“ Le t us stand up and move,

” thebeggar replied

,I will n o t listen to your words ; I shall

n o t get up.

” Then said the merchant,

“Henceforwardwill I behave so that you will be con tented.

” Thuswith friendly words and with an oath he won over

'

thebeggar

,and was able to do as he wished .

The next day the merchant sent home orders to provide in future food enough for two persons. Thereat thebeggar was highly pleased, and b e reflected that informer times he used to wander about the whole city

MAHAUSHADHA AND VISAKHA .

without being able to find the means o f fi lling his belly,but n ow food and drink in plenty were at hand, and i twould be well to call in a courtesan . Accordingly, heaccused one o f a share in the theft

,and the king’s men

set her also in the prison. When the beggar was sittingin company with these two prisoners and enjoying foodand drink

,he said

,Good is it i f we ge t free from here

after the space o f a dozen years .While they so enjoyed themselves a further desire

arose within them. They though t that in order to havestill more pleasure they must call in a lute-player. Sothe beggar accused a lute-player also of having taken thestring o f pearls . Then the king’s men cast him alsointo the prison .

A fter some time the others besought the beggar tofind some means whereby they might become free

,saying

that in that case he should want for nothing. He prom ised to do so

,and bethought himsel f that no one could

be of use except Mahau shadha. So he told the king’smen that Mahau shadha

’

s son had likewise taken par t inthe affair

,and they sent for him also .

When Mahau shadha heard that his son had beenimpri soned , he felt that he must certainly go to thepalace, for i f he did not do so hi s son would frethimself. On arriving there

,he asked the king what

offence his son had committed . The king replied that hehad been imprisoned on the testimony of the beggarwith respect to the stolen pearl necklace . WhenMahau shadha had become fully acquainted with the contr iv an ce o f the captives

,he said to the king

,The the ft

has not been committed by any o f these people. Le t

them all go free on my word.

” So they were released.

A fter this he went out to the park,and came to the

spot, to the very tree, where they had been before.When he looked closely at the tree

,he perceived a

female monkey sitting at the top of it. Then he felt

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

sure that this animal had taken the string o f pearls,and

that it must be enticed to come down by some artifice .So he asked the king to go there with his wife

,and when

there,to hang a necklace round her neck. When that

was done,the monkey, as it sat on the tree-tOp , hung

the pearl necklace round its neck . Then Mahau shadha

told the king’s wife to dance . When she did so,the

monkey on the tree-top also began to dance ; bu t s tillthe string of pearls did not fall from o ff its neck . Inorder to bring that about

,Mahau shadha asked the king

to make his wife,as she danced

,hang down her head.

Then the monkey also began to dance about with itshead hanging down

,whereupon the string of pearls fell

dow n from o ff its neck . Full of j oy,the king embraced

Mahau shadha and bestowed much property upon him.

A fter a time the six ministers assembled together andheld counsel as to what was to be done

,seein g that

whereas they had formerly been esteemed,honoured

,and

exalted by the king,they had now lost their credit on ao

count of a hal f—starved,gross-witted upstart. Then some

of them said,Inasmuch as we have hi therto been at

variance one with another,therefore have we become

destitute of power. No w let us go into the park,and

when we have gone there,let us take an oath and bind

ourselves by a vow. By that means shall we once morerecover our power.”

Mahau shadha saw them going thither, and reflectedthat

,as they had gone somewhere as if by common con

sent,they probably had in hand something never seen

before . Having suspected this, he sent the parrotMathara 1 after them,

i n order that it might find outw hat they were about

,what they said and did.

When they had reached the park and there met to

gether, they began to communicate to each other their1 Se e n o te o n p . 168.

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MAHAKAS YAPA AND BHADRA.

1

WHILE Bhagav an t was dwelling in the region of Tu shita,there lived in the city o f Nyagrodhika a highly respectable Brahman named Nyagrodha, whose means were so

great that he rivalled Va iérav an a in wealth . He possessed sixteen slave villages

,thirty agricultural villages ,

sixty vegetable-garden vil lages,nine hundred and ninety

nine pair of plough oxen, six hundred millions o f goldpieces

,and eighty golden earrings capable o f vying with

those o f King Mahapadma . He had married a wife o fbirth like unto his own

,but their union remained child

less . In order to obtain offspring he appealed to all thegods

,but without result.

As he sat one day sorrowing, his mother advi sed himto go to the park and have recourse to the deity of thethick-foliaged Nyagr odha tree from which the city tookits n ame

,a tree provided with wide-spreading branches

and a splendid crown .

Your father also remained childless [she said], al

though he had appealed for offspring to many hundredsof thousands o f gods . At length he betook himself tothat Nyagr odha tree, and after he had implored its aid

yo u were born , and for that reason was the name ofNyagrodha bestowed upon you .

So Nyagrodha al so betook himself to that tree,and

caused the ground arou nd it to be sprinkled,cleansed ,

and adorned . He then filled the space with perfumes ,flowers

,and incense, and set up flags and standards .

1 Kah-gyur,vol. ix . pp. 26-

42 .

MAHAKASYAPA AND BHADRA .

Then,after having entertained eight hundred Brahmans

and bestowed u pon them materials for robes, he prayedthus to the tree-haunting deity

“ Be pleased to bestow upon me a son . If a son isborn unto me

,I will pay thee boundless honour after thi s

fashion for the space o f a year . But i f no son is bornunto me

,then will I cleave thee down to the l evel o f

beard-grass 1 and Split thee into chips. These will I burn,

when they have been dried by the wind and the sun,and

their ashes will I s catter to the storm-wind or cast intothe rolling stream .

The deity,who was one of but small power

,was wel l

pleased with the prayer,and moreover was afraid o f being

possibly driven away from that haunt. So, being in favourwith the four Maharajas

,the deity went to the Mahar 'aj a

Rashtrapala , and besought him to fulfil Nyagr odha’

s

request . Rashtrapala considered that he could not dothis

,in asmuch as the birth o f sons and daughters takes

place only in consequence o f former actions . So hebetook himself

,alon g with the deity o f the tree

,to

Vir i'

idhaka, to Vir t'

ipaksha , and to Vaiérav an a . But theylikewise declared their incompetency. Then the fourMaharajas betook themselves to Sakra

,the prince o f the

gods,and said

,

“O Kauéika

,a deity belongin g to our

company is in danger o f bein g driven from home . Be

pleased on that account to bestow a son on Nyagrodha ,the respected Brahman o f the city Nyagr odha .

”

Sakra replied that it did not lie in his power to bestowa son or daughter

,seeing that sons and dau ghters are

born as a result o f their own [previous] merits . Justthen the court of the gods was illuminated by a greatradiance , at the sight of which Sakra begged the fourMaharajas not to go away yet

,for Mahabrahma was

doubtless about to appear. Then appeared Mahabrahma

in youthful perfection,and took his place on Sakra’s

1 Andropo gon mur icatus.— S.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

bosom. He it i s who fulfils all things which shall beaccomplished. Then Sakra

,the prince o f the gods

,laid

the palms of his hands together,and thus prayed to

Mahabrahma

O Mahabrahma , art thou not Brahma, Mahabrahma,

the ruler,the worker

,the bestower

,the spell-wielder

,the

lord,the most hi gh

,and

,as father o f the worlds

,the

creator of all beings ? Lo,a deity belonging to our court

,

a dweller upon the earth,is in danger of being driven

away from a tree-habitation. Be pleased,therefore

,to

bestow a son upon the respected Brahman Nyagrodha ofthe city o f Nyagrodhika .

”

Mahabrahma reflected that he really could not conferon any one a son or a daughter

,but that

,i f he stated

that he could not do so,then al l the designations would

be discredited which it was customary to apply to him,

such as Brahma,Mahabrahma

,the ruler

,the worker, the

bestower,and the spell-wielder. In case he should say

that he would bestow a son or daughter,inasmuch as he

had no power to do so,it would be requisite for him to

take heed as to ho w he should accomplish that bestowing.

With that end he said privately to Sakra,the prince of

the gods,O Kauéika

,neither has the world made me

,

nor I the world.

”

Sakra replied,

“ O Mahabrahma,since this is so

,in

spect thy region,and if a being i s found there in the

act of being subj ected to the law o f death,induce it

to enter into the womb in -the house of the respectedBrahman.

”

Brahma asked him why he did not inspect his ownregion . Sakra replied

,

“ In the region o f Brahma thegods are known to be powerful

,but those of this region

are considered powerless,and on account of their feeble

ness they would no t venture to make their entry.

”

XVhen Brahma had given his consent, and had returned

into his own region, he perceived that the life o f a cer

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190 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Thereupon the god’s son gave his consent and enteredthe womb o f Nyagrodha

’

s wife. A fter the lapse of eightor nine months a fine boy was born and his birth-feastwas solemnised. In the city of Nyagrodha all stones,gravel

,and rubbish were swept aside

,sandal-water was

sprinkled,

flowers of all sorts were strewn,incense was

burnt in censers filled with perfumes,standards

,flags

,

s ilken ribbons and streamers were hung out,markets for

goods were provided, gifts were bestowed and benefitsconferred at the four gates and the cross-ways inside thecity

,food being bestowed upon those who wanted food

,

drink upon those who desired drink,clothes upon those

w ho needed clothes,and garlands

,perfumes

,and ointments

upon those by whom garlands,perfumes

,and ointments

were required.

A fter many gifts had been given and benefits conferred in this way during the space of thrice seven

,

consequently of twenty-one days,the kinsmen assembled

together,and bestowed upo n the boy the name of Nya

g rodhaja, inasmuch as he had been obtained in con se

qu en ce of the prayer addressed to the Nyagrodha tree ;but the Brahmans named him Kasyapa

,as his father was

o f the Kasyapa' race.When he had grown up

,and had partaken of instruo

tion in all Brahman learning,his father intrusted him

with the instruction of five hundred Brahmans’ sons .

A fterwards his father refle cted that it was the custom forBrahmans to live for forty-eight years in chastity

,and

only in adv anced life to enjoy their wives. But hewished to choose a wife for his son betimes

,in order

that the great and rich race might be transmitted. Sohe said to his son

,

“ 0 son, as this is the law of theworld

,a wife must be taken for the maintenance of the

race.“ 0 father, replied the son,

“ what shall I do with aw ife ? I will go into the forest o f penitence.

MAHAKA SYAPA AND BHADRA . 191

However,as his father repeatedly maintained that the

race must be transmitted,Kasyapa hit u pon ' a means

whereby he would seem not to be opposing the demandsof his parents

,and yet would avoid consorting with his

wi fe. He said to his father, “ O father, order gold fromthe river Jambu 1 to be given to me . His father sen tfor the treasurer

,and ordered him to give his son Nya

grodhaja as much Jambu-river gold as be required . Thetreasurer promised to act in accordance with this command. Thereupon Nyagrodhaja called in an experiencedsmith

,and ordered him to make out o f this gold the

likeness o f a woman . Then he gave this image to hisfather

,and said

,

“ O father,if a maiden can be found

resembling this image,she shall become my wife . No

other can I take as my wife.”

A s his father sat sorrowfully reflecting that it wouldbe hard to find a maiden. whose appearance was like thato f even ordinary gold

,the young Brahmans saw him

,

and asked what w as the cause of his depression . Heexplained to them tha t it arose in consequence o f hisson’s desire

,one which his parents had never anticipated.

They bade him be of good cheer. A man thus disposedmust be treated by similarly framed wise measures . As

he had caused an image o f that k ind to be prepared,his

father ought to have three others prepared in addition .

With these four images they ought to be sent out intothe four quarter s of the world . There could be no doubtthat they woul d discover the maiden .

The Brahman followed their advice, and cau sed threeadditional images to be prepared. The young Brahmanstook the four images

,and began wandering through

v illages,mark et-towns

,cities

, and other places, and inthem as they went they played u pon divers musical

1 Jambu :“Name o f a fabulo u s of the fru its o f a n imme n se Jambu

r i ve r , sa id to fl o w from the mo un ta in tre e on that moun ta in .

”

Mer u, andto be formedby the ju ice

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

instruments. The Brahman Nyagrodha had given themdir ections not to choose a likeness to the image out ofan inferior caste and family. As they considered itwould be impossible for them to go from house to house

,

they determined to find o u t some other way of proceeding.

In the villages,market-towns, cities, and other places at

which they arrived, they always set up the image in thecentral point

,and paid it reverence

,offering up incense

,

perfumes,

flowers,and so forth

,and lettin g music r e

sound,and they gave notice that i t was the Goddess of

Virgins who had arrived . To virgins who paid herhonour would she grant five w ishes : birth in an exaltedrace

,marriage into an exalted race

,residence in a ful ly

provided house,submission on the part o f the husband

,

and the possession o f children. When these words o ftheirs had become known, crow ds o f maidens arrived, andwith sacrifices and testimonies o f honour they addressedtheir prayers to the image.A fter some time, the young Brahmans who had gone

towards the east,the n orth and the south

,came back

without having met with any success."

When the Brahman Nyagrodha saw them return , he remained sittingwhere he was absorbed in thought. But hi s son Nya

grodhaja was exceedingly joyful and said,“ It is good

that ye have found nothing.

”

Meanwhile the young Brahmans who had travelledwestwards went on wandering through villages

,towns

,

lands,and capitals

,till at length they came to the city o f

Kapila,situated in the land o f Kapila. In it lived a

very rich Brahman named Kapila, to whom there hadbeen born

,after he had married in his own degree

,an

extremely beautiful daughter. To her, in accordance withthe .custom prevailin g in Madhyadesa, the name of Bhadrawas given on account of her beauty ; and so, as herfather’s name was Kapila, she was called Kapilabhadra.

She had grown up by the time when those young Brah

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194 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

colour o f maluta flowers, oil, grapes , pomegranates, andtamarinds . Now it is the custom in Madhyadesa for giftsfrom a father’s house to be distributed by his daughters .This is done because people suppose that they obtainwhat is costliest by means o f the gift from the father’shouse . So Kapilabhadra came with the gifts to the spo twhere the young Brahmans were beggin g

,and offered

them the gifts . But the young Brahmans refused toaccept them . Hearing this

,the Brahman Kapila asked

the young Brahmans what it was they desired. Theyreplied

,

“ You should give u s your daughter ; we do notw ant the gift of meal.” Then the Brahman Kapila an

gr ily told those young Brahmans that he would not givethem his daughter. They explained that it was no t forthemselves that they had requested the bestowal of hisdaughter. Thereupon the Brahman Kapila declared thathe could not understand the matter. Then the y oungBrahmans asked him if he had never heard o f theextremely rich and respected Brahman Nyagrodha , andhis exceedingly handsome and intelligent son

,versed in

all sciences,and said that i t was in that son’s behal f that

they had asked for the daughter’s hand. Kapila repliedthat he had in truth heard a full account of the virtuesand attributes o f the respected Brahman, but that he didnot see how an alliance could be entered into at such adistance. The young Brahmans said in reply to this

,

Honoured sir, have you never heard what men are wontto say

,

‘Fire,wind

,a horse, a poison that runs along the

veins,and a Brahman of firm resolution

,do not allow

themselves to be stopped .

’ That Brahman is very rich,

and you too are the same. You both have men andbeasts for coming and going. Moreover

,enduring is the

friendship which is contracted afar off.”

When the Brahman youths had succeeded in rendering the Brahman Kapila well disposed towards the Brahman Nyagrodha,he bestowed upon allo f them tow els,bricks

MAHAKASYAPA AND BHADRA . 195

powder, sesamum-oil

,combs

,and other things used in bath

ing. The youths set out with these things for the bathingpools outside the city of Kapila.

While they were bathing, the Brahman Kapila bethought himself of taking counsel with his friends and

r elations. So he went back into his house and told thesethings to his wife and his kinsmen . They said

,

“ ThisBrahman is highly distinguished

,and therefore we should

be ready to take great pains in order to give him thedaughter

,even if he had no desire to obtain her. All

the more unreservedly, therefore , ought she to be givento him n ow that he himself asks for her. If he entersinto an alliance with us and becomes her husband

,the

daughter also will be fortunate .

Thereupon the parents betrothed their daughter to theBrahman youth Nyagrodhaja ,

ha v ing previously bathed andput on white garments

,and the prayers for good fortune

and happy results having been uttered by the Brahmans .The Brahman youths then informed the maiden’s parentso f the month , day, hour, and constellation at which theyouth would appear and then

,having completely attained

their end,they joyfully set out for Nyagrodhika .

When they arrived there,the Brahman youth Nyagrod

haja,who had descried them from afar

,perceiving that

they were joyful,said to himself that they had doubt

les s found just such a maiden as he had though t of. Theyoung Brahmans be took themselves to the Brahman Nya

gr odha , paid him reverence, and sat down . He welcomedthem and asked

,Have ye

,O Brahman youths, obtained

that which we proposed and hoped ? ”

O Pandit,they joyfully replied

,

“ be of good cheer ;we have obtained what is fa r more excellent than whatyou imagined. You instructed us to pay attention, notto the maiden’s caste

,family

,and descent, but to her

beauty. We have obtained one who is endowed withbeauty, cas te, family, descent, and property.

”

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

The Brahman youths then gave a full account o f a ll

the questions which had arisen, and o f ho w the name,

day,hour

,and constellation had been settled

,adding

,

As we, 0 Pandit,have accompli shed everything

,and

have returned back,now know, 0 Pandit

,that the time

has ar riv e c .

” When the Brahman Nyagrodha had heardthis report

,he rejoiced greatly

,and bestowed upon the

Brahman youths food,drink

,clothes

,and ornaments of

the very best kind .

But when the Brahman youth Nyagr odhaja heard o fthe beauty and great brilliance of this maiden

,he was

greatly disturbed,and he refl ected that i f her beauty

was so great,great also n o doubt would be her passions .

So he resolved to go and inspect her beforehand . Hesaid to his parents

,O my parents, I will bathe first

at a bathing-place,and will get married afterwards.”

His parents gave their consent. Thereupon Nyagrodhaja

,accompanied by one) young Brahman

,set out from

the city of Nyagrodhika for the city of Kapila .

When he had arrived there,and had recovered from the

exertion s o f the journ ey,he took the leaf o f a tree

,and

began collecting alms throughout the city. Going fromhouse to house

,he came to the door o f the Brahman

Kapila’s house . Thereupon Kapila’s daughter Bhadracame forth with a gift

,and the Brahman youth Nyagr od

haja looked upon her,and guessed that it was she .

Whose daughter are you ?” he said to the maiden .

I am Kapila’s daughter,

”she replied.

Ar e you betrothed to any one ?I have heard

,

” she replied,

“ that my parents havegiven me in marriage to the son , Nyagrodhaja by name,o f the respected Brahman Nyagr odha , who dwells in thecity of Nyagrodhika .

O Bhadra,said Nyagrodhaja , what need have you

o f such a husband ? Know that she whose husband hew ill be wi ll be just as if she had no husband.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

son , a son with his mother. When the Brahman andhis w ife heard this

,he said

,That is our fault

,not the

fault of those two . Why did we provide them with twobeds ? Then he gave orders that only one bed and

one stool should be provided . Nyagrodhaja saw that hisparents had taken this step

,which w as antagon isti c to

the vow that had been taken,and Kapila’s daughte r

Bhadra perceived the intention of the parents . Then shesaid to Nyagrodhaja , 0 lord, on our account have thesesteps been taken ; but be mindful o f the previouslytaken vow.

” He replied, Be o f good cheer,and have

n o fea r.” Then during the first part of the night,

Kapila’s daughter Bhadra slept in the bed,and Nyagrod

haj a sat on the stool . During the second nigh t w atch,

Nyagr odhaja slept while Bhadra occupied the seat. Inthe last watch Bhadra again slept

,but Nyagrodhaja re

mained awake sitting on the stool .The old people next took aw ay the stool too . Then

Kapila’s daughter Bhadra again admonished Nyagrodhajaas before . He replied,

“ Be without fear or care,and

remain mindful of the v o w .

” Thereupon Bhadra sleptduring the first night-watch

,but Nyagr odhaja walked up

and down . During the middle watch Nyagrodhaja slept,bu t Bhadra walked u p and down ; and in the last watchBhadra again slept

,but Nyagrodhaja walked up and

down .

Thus for the space of twelve years they occupied thesame single-bedded room without an amorous thou ghtever arising in their minds . Then the king of the gods,Sakra

,thought

,As it i s a very wonderful thing to see

such a freedom from passion,I will put these two to the

test.” With this purpose he assumed the form of asnake

,which glided into their bedroom and coiled itself

u p u nder the bed . When Nyagrodhaja caught sight o fthe black snake with terrible poison fangs under the bed,he feared that it might do some harm. Now in her sleep

MAHAKASYAPA AND BHADRA . 199

Bhadra had let one of her hands hang down . Nyagrod

haja considered what could be done,and lifted up her hand

with the j ewelled handle o f the fl y-fl apper . Aw akenedand alarmed by the touch of the handle, Bhadra cried outin displeasure

,

“ My lord,what means this touch Surely

you have not touched me with amorous intent lOh no

,Bhadra ! he replied, but because I feared

that this poisonous snake migh t bite you did I lift upyour handWith what did you do so ? sh e asked.

With the j ewelled fl y-fl apper’

s handle,

” he replied .

My lord,

” she said,

“ better would it have been thatthe snake should have bitten me than that you shouldhave touched me with the jewelled fl y-fl apper

’

s handle.”

Why so ? ” he asked.

A s a fair tree clasped by the maluta creeper perishes,

she replied,

“ so do men go to ruin from a woman’s touch .

Therefore i s it better that one should be swiftly bittenby the snake of death than that the hand of a man

should touch an honourable woman . In consequence ofthe contact o f the king’s daughter’s body was the greatascetic Bishyaérin ga l ong ago deprived o f the power hehad gained by penance . On the path of the storm-wind

did he approach the king’

s palace. He went back to theforest on foot.”

A fter the you ng couple had gone on li vmg for sometime in this fashion

,the two old people died . Then the

Brahman youth Nyagrodhaja thought, So long as myparents were alive we had no cares

,but n ow that they

are dead we must manage the affairs of the householdourselves . So he told Bhadra that she mus t take heedto the indoor affairs, but that he would go and look afterthe fields .Now when he regarded th e work don e afield , he saw

how the nine hundred and nine ty-nine pair of ploughoxen were tormented by small insects

,ho w the oxen had

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

their nostrils bored through,their shoulders w orn

,their

loins torn by the iron,and how the labourers

,long-haired

and long-bearded,attired in garments o f hemp

,had wales

0 11 their hands and feet,and

,w ith bodies covered with dust

,

were like unto burnt-out tree-stumps,and how

,looking

like Pisachas,they abused and struck one another for the

sake o f a plough or a ploughshare,on account o f the use

o f the oxen or the goad . So he w en t up to them andasked them to whom they belonged . They replied thatthey w ere the labourers o f the Brahman youth Nyagrodhaja . He asked by whom they had been taken intoservice. They replied that they had been engaged

,not

by him,but by his father

,for the cultivation o f his

estate . Then said Nyagrodhaja to these labourers,“ O

s irs, if ye were engaged by Nyagrodhaja’

s father for thecultivation o f his estate

,wherefore do ye labour with

blow s and abuse ? l f ye ce i nm it such misdeeds withyour bodies and your speech , are ye n o t afraid of su fle rin g in a round o f long pains through the maturing o f

such conductThen Nyagr odhaja resolved that he , sinning neithe r

with the body nor in speech or thought,would acquire

merit. So when he had returned home,he said to

Bhadra, O Bhadra, manage the household with care.0 lord, what a re you going to do ? she replied .

I am goin g into the fores t of penance,

” he said .

Then he added the following verse“ A small measure of cooked rice , a lonely couch ,

ensures bliss . A cotton double garment i s to be worn .

All else is tinged with gloom .

For some time Bhadra took charge of the household .

Seeing the slave-women with w ales on their hands andfeet

,clad in hempen garments , with dishevelled hair,

striking each other with pestles on accoun t of morta1s ,

pes tles,cooking-pits

,and the like, she a sked them to

whom they belonged. They replied, To Kapila’

s daughter,

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

ge ther. A fter they had journeyed fo r a short time together,

the husband said to the wife,0 Bhadra

,go and live

in whatever way pleases you .

”

A t that time there lived in Rajagriha the Nirgran thaParana

,who asserted that he knew all that i s unknown

,

and who was surrounded by many Nirgran thas1 and

Nirgran tha s tudents . To him Bhadra betook hersel fand said,

“ Reverend sir,I wish to be received by you

into the clerical order.” He received her, and she enteredamon g the Nirgran thas. When the Nirgran thas saw

Bhadra’

s exquisite beauty,they said to each other

,All

we who have entered the clerical order have doneso by reason of the five powers o f divine love . NowKapila’s daughter Bhadra looks like unto a divine being

,

but we know not whether she has acquired the powerso f divine love or not . So we desire to enjoy the companyo f Kapila

’s daughter Bhadra. Betaking themselve s tothe Nirgran tha Pfiran a , they explained the whole matterto him

,and asked for Kapila

’

s daughter Bhadra. As afavour to his pupils he granted her to them . Thereuponthe five hundred Nirgran thas, in consequence o f formeractions

,enjoyed her company every day. Disquieted

,she

consulted Parana. He said, Whom the lot betokens, withhim have to do.”

At that time Bhagav an t, after enjoying himself inlove as the Bodisat for twenty-nine years, and thengazin g u pon age. d isease, and death, had risen up at themidnigh t hour

,and betaken himsel f on the good steed

Kan thaka to the forest,

and,after enduring for six

years a penance o f no avail,bathing in the river

Na iranjan a, partaking o f the milk-food sixteen timespurified by Nanda and Nandabala, had been p raised inverse by the Nagaraja Kala, had received the Svastika

1 Nirgra n tha ,“ Fr e ed fr om a ll v o te e , w ho has w ithdra w n fr om the

t ies o r hindran ce s ; a sa in t , a de w o r ld,

MAHAKASYAPA AND BHADRA .

grass from the grass- seller,had be taken himsel f to the

Bodhi tree wi thou t allowin g him sel f to be disturbed, andhad withou t fear strewed the litter, takin g his seat w ithcrossed legs as the sleepin g Nagaraj a coils himself together

,and there had remained in this position til l

purification was attained,and had uttered words stirring

his soul. A fter he had there overcome Mara and a hosto f thirty-six tens o f mi llions of demons

,he attained to

the most complete insight,

and. became the perfectBuddha. Admonished by Brahma

,he betook himself

to Varanasi, and after he had set in movement thewheel o f fa ith

,he confirmed Ajnan a Kau ndinya and

eighty thousand gods in the truth,al so he converted the

troop o f the Five,and the followers of the Five

,and

fifty village youths . Having reached the cotton-treeforest

,he converted the sixty Bhadrav argiyas ; having

reached Senani,he confirmed in the truth the two

maidens Nanda and Nandabala ; having reached Uru

vilva, he converted Uru v ilv’

a-Kasyapa and five hundredothers by means o f the eighteen magic tran sfigu ration shaving reached Gaya, he converted Nadikz

‘

téyapa and athou sand wearers o f matted hair by m eans o f three

metamorphoses ; having reached the Yashti forest, h econ verted King Bimbisara with his son and his court

,

eighty thousand gods , and many hundreds o f thousandso f Brahmans and householders o f Magadha. FromVen u v an a Bhagav an t betook himsel f at that time toBahu pu trachaitya . There Kas

'

yapa saw Bhagav an t undera tree

,and w as received by him . Kasyapa gave him the

costly cotton robe, and received the Buddha’s robe in

return .

A t the time of the festival of the meeting of theNagarajas Girika and Sundara, m any Nirg ran thas cameto Raj agriha . When Kasyapa perceived Kapila’s daughterBhadra, as he remarked that her appearance was altered,

he asked he r whether she had preserved her chastity.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

A fter she had informed him of what had taken place;he invited her to turn her mind towards the teaching ofBhagav an t. As she hes itated, he assured her that thisteaching contained in it no thing sinful

,for i ts followers

experience no desire for the love of gods,no t to speak of

that of men . He sent her to Mahaprajapati , who receivedher.When she nex t me t him as she was collecting alms

,

she complained that,like a fat sheep

,she attracted uni

versal attention on account of her beauty. Thereupon hetold her that she need not go out collecting alms in future ;he would give her every day half of what he himselfCollected. Thereat the Six scoffed . At length Bhadrabecame an A rhan tin , and MahakaSyapa gave her backher liberty to collect alms for herself.

Now,w hen Ajatasatru had killed his father

,and nothing

sufficed to rouse him from his sorrow,an evil minister

,

who remarked the beauty of Bhadra, conceived the ideathat she might be able to gladden his heart. So hecaused her to be se ized while she was out in quest ofa lms , and had her washed in one of the royal bath-houses ,and provided with royal perfumes, flower Chaple ts

,raiment

,

and brilliant ornaments . Then he conducted her to theking

,who fell passionately in love with her as soon as

he saw her, and enjoyed himself with her.As Bhadra w as not present a t the fi fteenth Upav a

satha,

1 Mahaprajapati ordered Utpalav arn a to see afterher. Utpalav ar na introduced hersel f into the palacethrough a window by means of magic, and instructedBhadra in magic. Then Bhadra betook herself

,adorned

with all her ornaments, to the summer residence of theBhikshu n is, where the Twelve mocked at this magnificen tarray. Mahaprajapati ordered her to give the ornamentsback to the king and to put on again the brown clerical

1 “ A fast-day, day o f prepa ra t ion fo r the Soma sacr ifice , &c

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( 206 )

UTPALA VARIVA .

1

THERE lived in Takshaéila a very rich householder,to

w hom his wife bore a daughter o f great beauty. As thechild’s eyes were like blu e lotu s blossoms

,a nd as she

exhaled a lotus-l ike fragrance,while the colour o f her

body resembled that of the lotus stamen,her relations

gave her the name of Utpalav arn a.

2As her father had no

son,he determined that

,when his daughter was grown up

,

he would give her in marriage only to one who,on b ecom

ing his son-in -law,would take up his abode with him .

There was also in Takshasila ano ther householder, whodied leaving a son behind him. This son , wh ile wandering about after the death o f his parents , entered thehouse o f Utpalav arn a

’

s father,who proposed to him that

he should take up his residence with him as his son-inlaw

,whereto he consented .

A fter the death of Utpalav arn a’

s father, her mother,who had food and clothing in plenty

,experienced amorous

desires . But she had scruples about inviting a strangerinto the house, so she determined to allure her own sonin -law. Understanding the hints she gave him, he complied with her desires.Being j ust on the point of being confined

, Utpalav arn a

told her maid to call her mother. But when the maidcame to the mother’s chamber

,she found her and her

son-in -law alone together,so she determined to wait

1 Kah-gyu r , v o l . vii i . pp. 2 16—273 .

1 From utp ala , the blue lotu s, ca raa , co lou r, &c.

UTPALAVARNA

awhile . When the mother came forth from the chamber,the maid told her that Utpalav a rn a had ordered her tobe called . When the maid got back, she found that hermis tress had given birth to a daughter

,and she was

asked what had detained her. The ma id replied, “ Mayyour mother and your husband remain well '

” Beingasked what she meant by that

,the maid related what had

taken place . Utpalav arn a imagined that the maid calumn iated her husband and her mother ; but the maid saidthat

,as she was n o t believed

,she would make the matter

manifest to her ; so when the mother and her son-in -law

were a lone together,the maid called inUtpalav arna. When

U tpal av arn a saw those two together she thought,“Has this

wretched woman seen no other man in Takshaéila,that

she keeps company with her son-in -law ? And has thiswretched man seen no other woman in Takshaéila

,that

he keeps company with his mother-i h -law Ful l o fwrath

,she cried aloud to her husband

,

“Wretched man,

henceforth do what yo u please with her !” With these

words she flung her new-born daughter to her husband .

The babe glanced off from the father’s body and fell onthe threshold

,whereby its head was wounded . But

Utpala v arna veiled herself and left the house .Seeing a caravan s tarting fo r Mathura, she j oined it.

The caravan-leader,becoming ardently enamoured o f her

on account o f her beauty,asked her to whom she be

longed . She replied that she belonged to him who gaveher food and clothing. So he took her to wife

,and when

they at length came to Mathura, he left her there.When he had sold his goods

,and had returned to

Takshasila with the money,the other merchants ex

changed hospitable invitations and entertained oneanother. As the caravan-leader offered no such entertainme n t, the merchants asked him why he did not doso. He replied

,

“ Ye who have your housew ives withyou are indeed able to entertain, but as I have no one

TALES FROM T IBETAN SOURCES .

who could undertake the trouble for me, I do not knowhow I can entertain . The merchants were o f opinionthat

,under these circumstances

,he ough t to look out for

a damsel . He repl ied ,“ If I can find a damsel l ike my

wife,I will marry her. They begged him to describe

his wife’s appearance . He did so

,and they perceived

that he had a j ewel o f a wife,but they said that they

would bestir themselves to discover one like her. Pe r

ce iv i ng that Utpalav arn a’

s own daughter answered to thatdescription, they asked for the maiden

’s hand on behal fof the carav an ~ leade r . He r relatives said , Honouredsirs

,we are ready to give her ; but in case he discovered

anything to find fault with in her after you hav e receivedher from us

,he migh t send her back and go away.

” Themerchants gave an assurance that this would not be thecase

,and then the girl was made over to them

,and the

caravan-leader marriedher.Having disposed of his goods , he set off with the

proceeds for Mathura. Coming to a certain rock not farfrom the city

,he left his goods there

,together with the

girl,saying that he was obliged to go for a short time to

Mathura.

There Utpalav a rna greeted him and a sked after hiswelfare . He began to complain that he hadbeen robbed.She was delighted that he himself had arrived in safety,and said that the god of weal th would assist him lateron . A fter some time he said , 0 fair one , I must go tolook for the goods o f which I have been robbed. Shegave her con sent. Scarcely had he gone w hen one o f

the friends of his you th arrived and asked Utpalav a rn awhere he had gone. She told him that he had gone tolook for the goods which had been stolen from him.

Thereupon he informed her that her husband had n evercompleted a journey with such freedom

,

from loss as onthis occasion

,and that he had deceived her . Moreov er,

he related to her how her husband had brought with him

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Then Utpalav arna thought,“ As there I was mother

and joint-wife,and here my daughter is joint-wife

,I

must anyhow depart. So she veiled her head and wentaway from the house .Seeing that a caravan was starting for Va isali she

attached herself to i t,entered into intimate relations

with the merchants,and arrived at Va isali together with

them . When the courtesans residing in Va isali askedwhy the merchants from Mathura had no thing to dowith them, one o f their number said, Is it no t becausethey have brought with them a Gandhara woman ofsuch beauty that we are not worthy to wash her feet ? ”

Then they all assembled and betook themselves to Utpalav arn a and invited her

,a her vocation was the same

as theirs, to enter among them. Utpalav arn a laid asideher head-dress and straightway went unto them .

As they sat one day at the drinking-board they discoursed about the various merchants whom they hadrelieved o f divers sums. Now there lived in Va isalia young grocer named An ishtaprapta , whom none ofthem had as ye t been able to allure . They said

,Who

ever amongst us succeeds in alluring the young grocer,he r will we style a capable woman.

”

Utpalavarn a askedwhether in case she succeeded in alluring him

,they

would recognise her as their mistress. They rep liedthat they would ; in return for which she promised thatif she failed she would pay sixty Karshapan as.

Having hired an apartmen t near the grocer’s dwelling,she gave her maid instructions to buy perfumes from himevery day. In case he asked her for whom she bough tthem

,she was to reply that a young man of good family

had come to Utpalav arna’

s house,and that it was for him

that they were intended. The maid acted in accordancewith these instructions . A fter a time , Utpalav arn a toldher maid to procure from the same young man , bitter,acid

,and tart drugs. If he asked for whom they were

UTPALAVARNA .

intended,she was to say that the young man o f good

family was ill,and that she had bought the drugs for him .

If he asked whose money it w as that was paid, she wasto say that U tpalav arna paid it. The maid did as sheordered . When the grocer saw that .Utpa lav arna wasprovidin g for the invalid out o f her own means

,be con

ce iv ed a liking for her, and told her maid to le t her knowthat he wished to pay her a v i sit. She executed thecommission

,but Utpalav arn a told her to say to him that

the young man of good family was not yet cured .

As the grocer repeatedly inquired on w hat day hemight come

,Utpalav arna perceived that he had conce ived

a strong passion for her,and she resolved to carry out an

elaborate piece o f deceit. She made a man’

s figure o f

grass,andhad i t taken to the cemetery and there burnt.

Then she went,wailing and with dishevelled locks

,close

by the shop of that grocer, where he w as able to see her.A ccording to the words o f Bhagav an t, women enchainmen in eight ways ; by dancing, singin g, playing, laughing,weeping

,and by their appearance

,their touch

,and their

questions . Excited by strong passion , the gr ocer sa id tothe maid

,

“O maiden , n ow will I go .

” The maid askedher mistress

,who repli ed

,Go, maiden , and say to him ,

‘The young man o f good family died to-day,and the

mourning is no t yet over. How then can you pay me a

visitWhen the maid had executed her commission

,the

young man’

s longing to see Utpa lav arna increased. Thenshe sent to tell him he was no t to V1s1t her in her house .But she made an appointment with him at a spot in thepark . The grocer went to the park

,taking with him

quantities o f food,drink

,raiment

,and garlands . A fter

he had eaten and drunk for a while with Utpalav arna,and was no longer master o f his senses , being overcomeby the power o f wine

,she determined that she would

let him be seen by the public. So she set a wreath on

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

his head,threw her arms round his neck

,and convoyed

him home . When the courtesans saw this,they were

astonished and said, This Gandhara woman hassp lendidly beguiled the young grocer, and they namedher their mistress .A fter having for some time led a life o f pleasure in

the company of the other courtesans,she became in the

family way. Now there w ere two gate-keepers at Vaisali,

one for the east gate, the other for the west gate . As

they were on very friendly terms with each o ther,and

they wished this state of th ings to be continued as muchas possible, even after their death, they agreed that theirchildren should be united in marriage . When at theend o f nine months Utpalav arn a had given birth to ason

,she reflected that women who had young children

were avoided by men . So she said to her maid,“Go

,

maiden,take this child and a lamp, and deposit them

both at a certain spo t by the roadside,and then wait till

some one takes up the child .

” The maid took the child,

and laid it down at a spot near the abode of the easternwarder. Then she placed the lamp beside the child, andremained on the watch . When the eastern warder sawthe lamp

,he suspected what had taken place , and betook

himself to the spot. Seeing the child,he took it up in

his arms,and carried it to his wife

,sayin g,

“ Good wife,

there is a son for you. Thereat she was greatly pleased.

When the morning came, and found sounds of rej oicingstill continuing

,the neighbours asked one another why

there was such rejoicing in the eastern warder’s house .

Some said that a child had been born therein, othersasked where the child could have come from

,seeing that

his wife had certainly not been in the family way. Whenthe western warder heard of it

,he reflected that

,i f a

daughter should be born to him,the eastern warder’s son

would become his daughter’

s husband ; so he sent a

present o f raiment and ornaments. As for the boy, he

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

being assured to him , was no longer alarmed, and madeUtpalav a rn a his wife.His father afterwards said to the western warder

,0

friend,give your daughter to my so n as his wife”. The

other replied,

“ What does your son want with anotherwife

,seeing that he i s already married.

” The easternwarder answered , Inasmuch as we have already agreedthereto

,give your daughter to him . As I have suffi cient

means,I w ill set the house o f my son’s wife 0 11 an

excellent footing.

” So the western w arder,in accordance

with the agreement,gave his daughter to the eastern

warder’

s son as his wife . About that time Ayu shman tMaudgalyayan a

1 came to the eastern warder’s house.Andwhen he saw the warder’s daughter-in -law

,he cried

,

O daughter,your fellow-wife is your mother. Your

husband is your brother. But be not over troubled, andentertain no thoughts about hell .”

When Utpalav arna had lived some time with herhusband

,there was born unto her a son . The daughter

[o f the western warder] used to set the babe in sport,before the door o f the house. There came along theroad a Brahman who

,after looking at her

,asked her in

verse,how the boy was related to her. She answered

him,also in verseO Brahman , he is my brother, the son of my brother,

my so n step-son], and my bro ther-ih -law. Hisfather is my father step-father], my brother, andnow my husband .

Overhearing this, Utpalav arna a sked the maidservantwhat those two were saying. The maid replied

,

“Whatthose two are saying is the truth and no lie.What then

,is the truth asked Utpalav a rna.

Your son,

” replied the maid,

“ whom I exposed at theeast gate i s now your husband. Your daughter

,whom

I exposed at the west gate,is n ow your fellow-wife.

”

Thereupon Utpalav arn a reflected that formerly she1 Maudgalyayana w as the n ame o f a pupi l o f Sakya -mun i ."

UTPALA VARNA . 2 1 5

had been mother and fellow-w i fe,and her dau ghter had

been her fellow -wife,and that her son was n ow her

husband,wherefore

,she must at any rate depart. So

she veiled her head,and left the house .

As a caravan was jus t setting out for Rajagriha, she attachedherself to it, and travelled along with it to Raj agriha,where she lived as before as a courtesan. An associationof five hundred youths

,who were going to a park one day

,

i nvited the Gandhara woman to go there with them,o n

the payment of five hundred karshapan as. There theyate and drank and enjoyed themselves with her.Now Ayu shman t Ma udgalyayan a knew that the time

for Utpalav a rn a to be converted was at hand, and hewandered up and down at a littl e distance from thoseyoung men . Then said the young men

,

“ This worthyMaudgalyayan a i s freed from the bonds of sin

,but we

are sunk in the slou gh o f passion .

”

“ In Vaisali ,” said Utpalav arna, I beguiled the young

grocer An ishtaprapta .

Will you beguile this man also ? asked the youths.She asked how much they would pay he r in case she

beguiled him . They promised her five hundred karshapanas . And in return she bound hersel f to become theconcubine o f one of the members o f the association if shefailed . All this was agreed to. Then Utpalavarna hetook herself to the spot where Mahamaudgalyayan a was ,and employed all kinds o f feminine tricks and artifices.

But Mahamaudgalyayan a’

s senses remained unbeguiled.

Then she reflected that a woman’s touch i s of the natureo f poison , so she determined to embrace him ,

and therebyto bring him into her power. But when she tried to doso, Mahamaudgalyayan a soared aloft with outstretchedwings l ike a fl am in go -king. And by the words whichhe spoke w as Utpalav a rna so affected that she besoughthim to instruct her in the doctrine . He did so, and sher ecognised the four truths.

( 2 16 )

KRISA GAUTAMI.

1

A RICH householder o f Varanasi named Gautama,who

travelled with goods to Takshaéila,contracted a friend

ship there with another householder,and the two men

made an agr eement that their children should marry eachother. To Gautama was born a daughter

,w ho received

the name of Krisa Gau tami . A fter she had been taughtto read

,she had to apply hersel f to learning such work

as women do. Now her father had been in the habit o fassociating with courtesans

,so he entrusted his daughter’s

instruction to a woman of that class . The daughter beganto study with her. A fter she had done so for some timeshe said

,As I have acquired what was to be learnt

,I

will go away. But th e woman objected that she mustfirst complete her studies properly ; it w as too soon forhe r to go away yet. The girl replied that she had alreadystudied enough

,and that she would go away. Then the

woman took a paint-box and said that she would giveherself a broken head if the girl was determined to goaway. The girl begged her not to do that

,and promised

to remain . Then said the woman,Krisa

'

,you believed

that "

you had learnt everything,and yet you did n ot

1 Kahgyu r , x i . , pp. 1 22—1 30 . The Capta in Roge rs from the Bu rmesepr in cipa l theme o f this ta le o ccu rs in u nde r the t itle o f Buddhago sha

’

s

the 25th chapte r o f the Dsa ng lu n , Pa rable s ” (Londo n . 1 870 , pp. 98,bu t the Bhikshuni U tpa la v ar n a is andhas a ffo rded a subject fo rthe he ro in e o f the sto ry. Kristi compa r ison s w ith ce r ta in po in ts inG au tami (Kisago tami amon g the Gr e e k ta le s t o Pr o f. Ro hde (se eSo u the rn Buddhists) ha s be en made Ze itschr ift fu r da s Gymna sialwesen ,kn o w n by the w o rk tran slated by 1876, Feh.

,p .

— S .

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

came to Madhyadesa with merchandise . In the presenceo f these traders the merchan t constantly spoke againstwomen . Those traders had previously consorted with thecourtesans of that place . But the courtesans now foundthat they and their leader only scoffed at women

,and

visited no courtesan’s house. So they held counsel together,

saying that whereas the traders who formerly came fromTakshaéila u sed to have convers e with them

,they were

now entirely devoid of all passion . And so no man consorted with the women . Some of the courtesans said thatthey had heard that the merchant

,who knew how to

repress passion,blamed women severely

,and that the

traders,who were devoted to him

,had therefore discon

tinned all converse with them . On e o f their number,an

old woman,asked

,If I

,by means o f my daughter

,effect

a change in him,will ye make me your superior And

,

in case she did not succeed,she promised to pay a penalty

of fiv e hundred karshapan as.Thereupon the old woman hired a house in the

neighbourhood o f the traders, and provided it with agreat quantity o f domestic implements . The merchant’sservants used to go there and borrow some of thoseimplements . She said to them :

“Who are ye,young

m en

They replied : We serve the merchant from Taksha

Sila.

”

She said : O youths, my son also is a merchant, andhe has travelled into another land with merchandise .As I suppose that his servants, like yourselves , areborrowing implements from other people

,ye are at

l iberty to use all the utensils which are in this house,just as i f they were your own.

”

So the servants made daily use o f those ute nsils,and

when the merchant had asked them whence they obtain edthem

,and they had repeated to him the old woman’s

words,a friendly feeling was excited within him,

and he

KRISA GAUTAMI.

said : “ As she has shown you kindness, she shall bemy mother. They told the old woman that theirmaster prized her kindness highly, and regarded her ashis mother. Thereupon she said that it would be desirable for her to become acquainted with him , and sheasked them to invite the merchant to her house . Thereshe received him with friendly words , saying that she

found that he was like her son in appearance, and thathe also bore the same name as her son , so that therewas no difference between the two . A fterw ards shetold the wife o f the master o f the house to sen d for herdaughter

,whom she ordered to manifest her respect for

her [adopted] brother. When the .maiden appeared,and

the merchant perceived her beauty,he desired to obtain

her as his wife. The old woman said that there w as

only this drawback that,as he was not regularly known

to her,he might

,if he married her daughter

,leave her in

the lurch . And so , for her security, she demanded thathe should bring all hi s goods into her house . Agreeingto this

,he brough t his goods into her house . But the old

woman immediately took them out o f it by an other door.When this was done

,she promised to give him her daughter.

On the appointed day, and at the appointed hour, sheinvited the courtesans , adorned with all kinds of ornaments , to the wedding feast, during which they wanderedto and fro. The merchant said : Mother dear, are thereonly women here

,and not a single man ? She yawned .

On e of the others secretly whispered into his ear : “0

merchant, do you not perceive what i s going on here ?All these women are courtesans . How should there beany man present ? ” Then he perceived that he hadreally taken a courte san to wife

,and consequently that

he had been duped . Moreover the girl demanded payment from him for her society . But he replied that thewhole o f his property had been taken away, and that hehad no money besides.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

When he had gone fast asleep, the old woman wrappedhim u p in a mat and deposited him in the middl e of themarket~ place . When the dayligh t arrived, and many ofthe people who dwelt in the city began to come and go

,

he awoke,and

,seeing how he had been treated

,he gave

way to despair. With eyes filled with tears,he wandered

through the squares , the streets, and the roads o f

Varanasi , and, plagued by hunger, in order to obtain food,he went to the Spot where the day-labourers betookthemselves . At that time the householder Gautama wasbuilding himself a house. As he was looking for daylabourers

,the young merchan t was brought up to him

by one of the others. But the youth seemed to him tooyoung and too little accustomed to work of that kind

,

so he ordered another man to be sought for. But theyouth looked Gautama in the face with tearful eyes.Then Gautama asked him who he was

,and whence he

came . Full o f grief at his pitiful condition, with tearfuleyes and choking voice

,he slowly said : “ O father, as

the result of former deeds did I prosperously arrive herefrom the northwards lying city of Takshasila. But nowI know not whither I shall go

,nor do I know how I

shall get back there. When the householder Gautamaperceived how cast down he was

,and understood what

he said,he felt kindly disposed towards him

,and asked

him‘

i f he knew many persons in Takshaéila. Receivingan affirmative reply

,he asked him if he knew such and

such'

a householder. O father,I know him

,for . he is

my own father,

” answered the merchant. The householder Gautama was greatly pleased

,and told the youth

that he must not mourn or weep,adding

, A s you shallbe my son-in -law

,this house shall belong to you .

” Thenthe youth took courage

,and gave up being mournful .

Gautama conferred“

upon him food,drink

,clothes

,and

ornaments,a dwelling-house and a storehouse

,and friendly

words. And he said to his wife,“0 good one, your

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

goods which he had brought with him . A fter that themerchant

,with very great j oy, took Krisa Gau tami to

w i fe.The householder Gautama possessed some arable land

in a hill district,a nd he bade his son-in -law go thither

with his wi fe . When the time came for the wife toexpect her confinement

,her husband allowed her

,at her

request,to go to her parents’ house

,in order that she

might there be cared for by her mother. A fter herconfinement and the naming o f her boy

,she returned

wi th him to her husband.

When the time o f her second confinement drew near,

she again expressed a desire to go to her parents’ house.He r husband set o ff with he r and the boy in a waggon ,but when they had gone hal f-way she gave birth to aboy. When her husband saw that this was about totake place

,he got out of the waggon

,sat down under a

tree,and fell asleep. While he was completely overcome

by slumber,a snake hit him,

and he died . When hiswife in he r turn alighted from the waggon, and wen tup to the tree

,in order to bring her husband the joyful

t idings that a son was born unto him,he

,as he had

given up the ghost,made no reply. She seized him by

the hand,and found that he was dead. Then she began

to weep. Meantime a thief carried o ff th e oxen .

A fter weeping for a long time and becoming very ~

mournful,she looked around on every side

,pressed the

newborn babe to her bosom, took the elder child by thehand

,and se t out on her way. As a heavy rain had

unexpectedly fallen,and all lakes

,ponds

,and springs

were full o f water,and the road was flooded by the

river,she reflected that i f she were to cross the water

with both the children at once,she and they might meet

with a disaster,and therefor e the children had better be

taken over separately. So she seated the elder boy onthe bank o f the river

,and took the younger one in her

KRISA GA UTAMI.

arms,walked across to the other side

,and laid him down

upon the bank . Then she wen t back for the elder boy.

But while she was in the middle o f the river,the

younger boy was carried o ff by a j ackal . Standing inthe middle of the river

,the mother waved her hands

,

trying to scare away the j ackal. The elder boy thoughtthat his mother was call ing him

,and sprang into the

water. The bank was very steep,so he fell down and

was killed . The mother hastened after the j ackal, w hichlet the child drop

,and ran o ff. When t h e looked at it

,

she found that it was dead. So after she had wept overi t , she threw it into the water. When she saw that herelder son was be ing

‘car r ied along by the stream

,she

became still more distressed . She hastened after him,

and found that he also was dead. Bereft o f bothhusband and children

,she gave way to despair

,and sat

down alone on the bank,with only the lower part of her

body covered. There she listened to the howling of thewind

,the roaring o f the forest and of the waves

,as well

as the singin g of various kinds o f birds . Then wanderingto and fro

,with sobs and tears o f woe

,she lamented the

loss o f her hu sband and the two children .

A s every action by gradual steps approaches maturity,

so it came to pass that at that time her parents,along

with their numerous domestics,were destroyed by a

hurricane,only one man escaping with his li fe. “Then

she,weeping and wailing

,suddenly came upon that man

,

and saw him all aghast,she asked what Was the matter.

He smote his breas t before her , and, sobbing and weeping,told her w hat had happened . WVhen she had heard that

,

she again began to weep and wail,and asked what sin

she had committed in her earlier existence,that she

should have lost all at once her husband and‘

her children,

a s well as all her relatives. And she came to the conclu sion that she ought no t to l ive any longer at home

,

seeing that her misery would only become greater there.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

So she wandered about till she came to a hill vill age,where she took up her abode with a n old woman whospan cotton . And after recovering from her fatigue shetook to spinning along with her.There was in that village a young weaver who li ved

by his craft,and who w as i n the habit, from time to

time,o f buying cotton yarn from that old woman. On e

day,when she had served him with fin e yar n ,

he askedher whence that came

,seeing that she formerly span him

only coarse yarn . She told him about the woman w ho

was living in her house ; thereupon he expressed a wishto take that woman as his wife

,and to provide her with

food and clothing and other necessaries o f life . The oldwoman

,after having rece ived from him the money for

the yarn and food,bade him wait for an answer ; then ,

perfumed,and adorned with fl owers

,she went to Krisa

Gau tami and told her the whole s tory, praising the

qualities of the weaver,saying that he asked her to be his

wife,and advising her to accept his proposal. A lthough

at first she opposed the idea, ye t at last she gave in , andthe marriage took place. No w the weaver was a rough

,

passionate man,who used constantly to beat her w ith his

fist andwith a stick ; so she told the old woman thatshe had married her to a Rakshasa, and that she didno t know what she should do

,for he beat her every day

with his hand and with a stick. The old woman comforted her

,and said that he would beat her only so long

as no son was born to him, but that later on she and herson would hold their own . When she was in the familyway the weaver began to treat her kindly

,but she treated

him with contempt : w ith that, however, he put up.

On e day the weaver, whom his friends had liberallytreated with intoxicating beverages, came home dazedwith drink. He fou nd the door closed : his wife was juston the point of being confined, and when he called out toher to open the door

,her p ains prevented her from being

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

was transferr ed to the king’s zenana, The king

’

died,andshe w as buried a live in his tomb, after having had greathonour shown her by the women, the princes, the ministe rs, and a vast concourse of people. Some men fromthe north country, who were wont to rob graves

,broke

into this one also. The du st they raised entered intoKris’a Gau tami

’

s nostril s,and made her sneeze. The

gr ave-robbers we re terrified, thinking that she was aVe tala , and they fled ; but Krisa Gau tami escaped fromthe grave through the open ing which they had made.Conscious o f all her troubles, and affected by the absence

o f provisions, j ust as a violent storm arose, she went outo f her mind. Covered with merely her underclothin g,her hands and feet foul and rough

,w ith long locks and

pallid complexion,she wandered about until she reached

Srav asti .There

,at the sight o f Bhagav an t, she recovered her

intellect. Bhagav an t ordered Ananda to give her anover robe

,and he taught her the doctrine, and admitted

her into the ecclesiastical body,and he appointed her the

chi ef of the Bhikshun is who had embraced discipline.

‘

227

S USR OIVI.

A MERCHANT who had married in Varanasi determined togo to sea again with merchandise. His wife refused tostay behin d . While they were on the voyage their shipwas u pset by a sea-monster. The husband perished

,but

the wife escaped on a plank, and was driven by the windto Kaée rudvipa, where dwelt the bird-king Suparn a, whomade her his wife . She bare him first a very beautifulboy

,and then a young bird Suparn a , who, after his father

’sdeath

,was installed king o f the birds. His mother in

sisted on his installing his elder brother '

as king in Vara

nasi, so he carried o ff King Brahmadatta in his claws,

and flung him into the sea then he set on the throne inhis place his own brother

,arrayed in all splendour

,and

he warned the ministers that he would treat exactly likeBrahmadatta any one of them who did the leas t thingwrong. The name o f Brahmadatta was given likewis e tothe new king

,who begged his brother to assist him from

time to time .A fter some t ime it happened that the king’s elephan t

,

which was parturient,was unable to bring forth its young.

The ministers advised that it should be led into thezenana

,in order that it might be relieved o f its pains by

1 Kah-gyu r,xi . 93- 99. When fragran ce w hich e xhaled from he r ,

Utpa la va r na appeared in the fo rm the Buddha r e lated this ta le , w itho f a Cakra va rt in to the Buddha r e fe r en ce to the fact that

.

Udayin

Sakya -mumo n his r etu rn from the hada lr eady r e cogn isedhe r 111 a pr e

re ahn o f the Thirty-thre e Gods,and Vi o u s existen ce by that fragran ce.

Udayin recogn isedher by the lotus S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

the asseverations o f the king’s wives. But although theelephant was introduced there , and the wives pronouncedthe ir asseverations

,the pains did not come to an end

,and

the elephant uttered the most fearful cries . They wereheard by a woman who was looking after some oxen nearthe palace , and who declared that by means of her asseveration the pains would be brought to an end . Whenthe m inisters had told this to the king

,and he hadordered

her to be brought i nto the zenana,she said

,

“ If it is truethat one husband is su fl icien t for me

,and I have no t two

husbands,then as the result o f this truth let the elephant

be eased o f its pains . Immediately after this utterancethe elephant brough t forth. When the king was informedof this

,he declared that all his wives were o f vicious

habits,and ordered the herdswoman to be summoned.

When she had replied in the affirmativ e to his questionas to whether the elephant had been relieved o f its painsin consequence o f her asseveration

,the king came to the

conclusion that she must have a daugh ter like unto herself. This daughter

,named Susron i

,he took as his w ife ;

but fearing that,i f he left her in the company o f the

other women of his court,she would undoubtedly con

tract bad habits,he begged the bird-king Suparn a to

convey her every day to . Kase rudv ipa , but to bring herback to him every night . Su parn a agreed to this

,and

sent him every day wreaths of the odorous flow er Timira,

which grew at Kase rudv ipa.

A Brahman youth who had gone in to the forest forfuel was seen there by a Kinnari

,who hid him away in

a rocky grot, where she used to enjoy his company.

Whenever he left the cave,in order to fetch flowers and

fruits, she closed its entrance with a great block

'

o f stone,

which the Brahman youth was unable to remove . Shebore him a son

,who was called Asuga (Swiftfoot), because

he ran everywhere so swiftly.

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n o t go'

to his mother,for she was weeping and wailing.

He.

said that he could not hold converse with his mother,

for she was so hot-tempered Thereupon they gave himthe lute

,by means o f which he would be able to keep

himself alive . But they told him that,in order that

no misfortune might arise,he was not to touch its upper

mos t string. Aéuga took the lute to where the Brahmanyouths were. When he had played and sung to themthere

,always without touching the top string

,they

asked him why he did not touch it. When he had toldthem the reason

,and in spite o f that they touched the

top string,they all began to skip and dance. As this

dancing made them late,it was only in the evening that

they returned to their Pandit,who asked them why they

had remained out so long. When the youths had toldthe whole s tory the Bandit asked the young Aéuga i f hereally understood how to play the lute and to sing.

When he said that he did, he was thereupon obliged toplay. A nd when at the instigation of the Pandit hetouched the top string

,the Brahman and his w i fe began

to skip and dan ce ; moreover, the whole house skippedwith a crash

,and all the pots and crockery were broken

to pieces . The Brahman in a rage seized the youth

Aéuga by the neck and turned him out of the house.After that Asuga go t his living by lute-playing and

singing. Five hundred merchants who were putting tosea took him on board with them as a musician . Whenhe was playing on board ship one day b e touched thetop string at the request o f the merchants

,whereupon

the ship began to bound in the air and capsized, wherebythe whole of the merchants lost their lives . But Aéuga,w ho got hold o f a plank, w as driven by a storm toKaserudv ipa .

There he took up his abode in a park where therewere no other men. And there

,having seen Suéron i

,he

held dalliance with her. In this fashion she was at the

"

SUSRONI.

diSposa‘

l o f Asuga -by day and of King Br ahmadatta bynight. Now Asuga besought her to take him with herto Varanasi . She acceded to his request

,asked him

his name,and told him her own . Every day after that

she carried with her,when mounted upon Su parn a , more

and more stones,until she had brought their weight to

that of a man’s body. Then she and Asaga got onSuparn a

’

s back together. She told Aéuga to shut hiseyes

,saying that i f he opened them a misfortune would

occur. But when they drew near to Varanasi,and

Asuga heard the voice s and clamour o f many people,

he thought that he had reached the journey’s end . Sohe opened his eyes ; whereupon he immediately becameblind . Susroni le ft him i n the park

,and betook her

self to Kin g Brahmadatta’

s zenana.Now when the king had come

,and the trees were

putting forth their leaves in the thick forest,and the

voices were heard o f geese,cranes

,peacocks

,parrots

,

ma in as,kokilas

,and pheasants

,King Brahmadatta

,sur

rounded by his women,betook himsel f with Su sron i to

the park . There the Brahman youth Asuga, scentingthe odour of the Timira flower

,was chanting a song after

this fashion“ Set in movement by the wind the odour of the

Timira is perceptible. This is Kaserudv ipa, whereSusron i dwells .”

Hearing these w ords the king ordered his women tofind o u t who had sung them . After Asuga had beendiscovered and brought be fore the king

,and had been

obliged to repeat his song,the king asked him how far

o ff Kaserudv ipa was. He replied in a slokaThe waters o f the ocean stretch well nigh a hundred

yojanas from here to where lies Kaserudv ipa , whereinSuéron i dwells.”

The king’

an swered likewise in a slokaIf it be sai d that .thou hast looked in sinful fashion

on my dear Susroni , say then what marks her bodybears.

”

Asuga replied in a slokaOn her thigh is the svastika. Her breast is Spiral.

Over her spread wreaths o f Timira blossoms.When in this way the king had become aware that

Susron i had sinned, he was of opinion that she was notnecessary to him

,and that he would give her to the blind

man . In his an ger he uttered this slokaSuéron i is given to you

,arrayed in all splendour.

Let her mount on an ass,and get ye gone swiftly

,exiled

from this city.

Then he ordered Susron i and .the blind man to bedriv en ou t o f the city

,riding upon the same ass.

A fter wandering hither and thither they came atsunset to a hill town

,and there they took up their

quarters in an empty temple . That same evening therecame five hundred robbers in order to plunder the town .

But its inhabitants perceived this,and overcame the

robbers . The r obber chief, on whom they failed to layhands

,escaped in to that same temple. The townsmen

surrounded it, but the c hief closed the door . When thetownsmen asked who was dwelling there

,Asuga replied

that some travellers were there. The townspeoplethreatened to make an e nd of him i f h e did not give upthe robber. The robber chief said to Susron i

,

“Whyshould you have to do with a blind man ? We will turnhim out and then live together.” She agreed to this .The robber chief flung the blind man down from thewall

,and the townspeople struck o ff his head .

Next day Susron i and the robber chi ef reached the

river Karada,and found no boat in which to cross it .

1

The robber chief bade her lay aside her finery,saying

that she must swim across the river,and he would bring

her things after her. She handed over to him all her1 Compare Pa ncha ta n tra , i v. 7.

— S.

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234 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

fled. Wherefore gr iev est thou not, yogini , that thou.

art

bereft o f both ? ”

Suéron i replied,“When I have returned home I wil l

take unto me an excellent husband . When I haveobtained a husband

,I shall not dishonour the house .

The jackal answered,

“When the Ganges flows u p

wards,when the raven has the colour of curdled milk

,

then shalt thou be virtuous. When the snake and theichneumon dwell in the same hole

,and put up with each

other,then shal t thou be virtuous. When a man , making

clothes out o f the hair o f a tortoise,shall be able to pro

v ide himself thereby with a winter garment,then shalt

thou be virtuou s. When one shall have made a ladderout o f the fee t o f fl ies

,and climbed up i t into heaven

,

then shalt thou be virtuous. When a bridge shall havebeen made out of the stalk of the jessamine , and anelephant shall have walked across it

,then shalt thou be

virtuous. When fire shall burst forth in the middle o fthe sea

,and men shall enter therein

,then shalt thou be

virtuous . O Susron i ! now that I have scoffed at theeenough

,I ask thee what reward wil t thou give me if I

restore thee to thy former position 1

She replied, Uncle, if thou wilt do that, I will givethee a piece o f meat every day.

”

I will do it,see i f I do not. Go into the water

,

immerse thyself in it up to thy neck,and remain there

with thy face turned towards the east. I will go andpetition the king.

”

So the jackal drew near to the royal palace,and made

his request to the king, saying that it would be meet andfitting to send for Susron i at once

,seeing that she was

piously and righteously performing penance . KingBrahmadatta understood the language of the jackal , and

1 Compa r e w ith this the var ian ts Ma rcher», II.,p. 242, e spec ially the

w hich Re in ho ldKohie r has suppl ied Bu lgar ian on p. 245.— S .

to Lau ra Go n z e nbach’s Sicilia n ische

SUSRONI.

he ordered his m inisters to send for Susron i at once .The m ini sters made their appearance with clothes andorn aments

,and the king restored her to her former posi

tion . Every day she gave the jackal a piece o f meat .This she did for some long time. But at length she gaveu p doing so . Then the jackal came close to the royalpalace

,and threatened that if she fail ed to bring the gift

,

it would lay hold o f her,and set her back again in the

place she occupied before. She was alarmed,and con

tinned to give it a piece o f meat every day.

XIII .

THE 0 VER -REA CHED A CTOR .

1

THE Buddha Bhagav an t was abiding in Rajagriha i n

Ven u v ana in Kalandakan ivasa . In Rajagriha lived thetwo Nagarajas Girika a nd Sundara

,through whose in fl u

ence the five hundred warm springs in Rajagriha,the

rivers, lakes , and pools received from the deity, from timeto time

,a rich copiousness o f waters

,whereby the grain

thrived in the most excellent manner. As Bhagav an t

had brought under his influence the two Nagarajas,Nanda and Upan anda , they used to come to the slopes o fSume ru and manifest their respect to Bhagav an t on theeighth, fourteenth, and fi fteenth days o f the month.Thereupon the tw o Nagarajas, Gir ika and Sun dara, consider ed that, as the two Nagarajas, Nanda and Upan anda .

visited the Sumer u slopes on the eighth,fourteenth

,and

fi fteenth o f the month in order to show their respect forBhagav an t , they themselves who dwelt on the spot ought totestify their respect for Bhagav an t. So they went to Bhagavant

,paid honour with their heads to his feet

,and seated

themselves on the ground. Then Bhagav an t confirmedthem in refuge-seeking and in the basis of doctrine,whereby they felt themselves very much elevated. Thereupon they formed the intention of betaking themselv esto the ocean . So they went to Bhagav an t, paid himhonour

,and spoke to him thus : O worthy o f reverence,

inasmuch as Bhagav an t has led us to the search afterrefuge and the principles of the doctrine

,we have become

1 Kah-gyu r v u . fl . 22 1 -229.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

Not by him who is beside '

himself, who is excited by

passion,can the excellent doctrine taught by the per

fe ctedBuddha be comprehended. But he who repressesthe commencement o f sins, who lays aside anger, andwho has given up passion

,he can comprehend the ex

ce llen t words.”

The king thought that Bhaga v an t took the side o f thetw o householders, and therefore would not teach him thedoctrin e ; so he went away thence. When he had departed from Ven u v an a , he said to his servants, So soonas those two householders go away from Bhagav an t, tellthem in the name of the king that they mus t not remainin the country.

” Having received this order from theking

,the servants remained there

,and communicated the

king’s order to the two Nagarajas when they made theirappearance. The tw o Nagarajas perceived that theirlong fostered wish was going to be fulfilled. So theyproduced o n the spot a mighty j e t of water, and betookthemselves into small canals

,and from the small canals

into great canals,and from the great canal s into small

rivers,

‘

and from the small rivers into great rivers,and

from the great rivers into the ocean . When they tworeached the ocean

,they were far more elevated than

before.At that same time the five hundred warm springs in

Raj agriha, the rivers, lakes, and pools, inasmuch as thedeity no longer sent them from time to time a fulness o fwater

,began to dry up

,and the crops began to perish.

Then the king reflected that by the power of the Nagaraj as the water-courses used to be kept constantly full

,and

,

as this was no longer the case,he considered that those two

Nagaraj as were perhaps dead, or had been carried off or shutup by a snake charmer. He determined then to obtaininformation on this point from the omniscient Bhagav an t.Bhagavan t replied that the two Nagarajas had not beendestroyed

,nor had they died, and that they had not

THE 0 VER-REA CHED ACTOR . .

taken themselves away s ecretly, nor had they been im

prisoned by a snake charmer,but that they had been

banished from the country by the king himself.

Venerable sir,so far as I can remember, I have never

seen,much less exiled

,the two Nagarajas Girika and

Sundara .

”

0 great king, I will recall the fact to your memory.

Thereupon Bhagav an t in formed him that those twohouseholders whom he had sent out o f the country wereprecisely those two Nagarajas, and recommended him,

inorder to obtain help for his land

,to ask for the ir for

giv en ess. The king observed that he was not in aposition to do this

,as they had departed into the ocean .

Then Bhagav an t informed him that they were accustomedto come

,in order to show him honour

,on the eighth

,

fourteenth,and fi fteenth days o f the month. And that

when he was teaching them the doctrine,the king might

ask their forgiveness.Venerable sir

,how should that be done ? Ought I to

touch the feet of them twain !N0

,great king

,that is what men of inferior degree

do,who touch the hand o f their superiors . Bu t you

should stretch out your right hand,and say to the tw o

Nagarajas : Forgive me !’

SQ when the king met the two Nagarajas in thepresence of Bhagav an t, he followed his instructions , and

received the par don he asked for.Then he said : “ O Nagarajas, having accorded me

forgiveness, retur n back to my country.

” They repliedthat they would do so then only when he had erectedtwo temples, the one for Girika and the o ther forSundara, and had provided them with the necessaryattendants

,and had founded a festival to be held every

six months,at which they would appear in person and

accept hospitality. The king obeyed these orders. He

bui lt the two temples, the one for Girika, and the other

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

for Sundara,and he founded a festival to be held every

six months. When this festival took place, vast 'multitudes of men came together from the six great cities.

On e day there came an actor from the south,with the

intention o f discovering something whereby he mightimu se the company, and obtain a large reward for himsel f. He hoped to attain both ends if he glorified themost excellent of men . Inasmuch then as the multitudes were fu ll of faith in Bhagavan t, he wished to takehim as the subject o f glorification, s o he be took himselfto Nanda and said

“ Venerable sir,when Bhagav an t dwelling as the

Bodisat in the Tu shita region had arranged the fiveconsiderations respecting caste

,race

,country

,time and

wife,and had let the . six Kamavachara gods three times

perform the rites of purification,and in the form o f an

elephant had consciously entered the mother’s womb,at

that time the great earth quaked violently,and those

regions o f the world which enjoy the light neither of thesun nor of the moon , and therefore are filled with utterdarkness

,were illumined with the greatest brilliance ;

so that when the beings, w hich otherwise could not seetheir own hands when they stretched them out

,saw each

other by means o f this light, they cried : Honouredsirs

,there are other beings besides ourselves born here .

When after the lapse o f ten months Bhagavan t theBodisat was born, leaving the mother

’s womb,then

l ikewi se did the great earth quake, and the brightradiance ensued. On the day on which Bhagav an t the

Bodisat was born, on that same day were born also sonso f four great kings. ’ In Srav asti truly to King Aran emiBrahmadatta there was born a son whom he called

Prasen aj it, because the whole world was filled withradiance at his birth . In Raj agriha there was born toKing Mahapadma a son whom he called B imbisara

,

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

heard thereof, they reflected that i f they exalted the

prince , they would gain thereby, and that if they honouredKing Suddhodan a, the prince would thereby be honoured ;so they began to pay honour to King Suddhodan a

,and

to send him in due season envoys and caskets o fj ewels. As King Suddhodan a reflected that all thingshad attained their ends in consequence of the birth o f

his son,that son ought to receive the name of Sarvartha

siddha,and he called him by that name accordingly.

When the prince had been taken to pay reverence to theSakya-god, the Yaksha Sakyav ardha , but was receivedwith reverence by him, the Sakya-Mighty-On e , he receivedthe names of Sakyamuni and God of gods (Dev atidev a ).When Bhagav an t the Bodisat had attained perfection

in all sciences, and had enjoyed himself in youth, butthen had looked upon old age

,sickness

,and death

,and

his mind had been agitated thereby,he retired into the

forest and devoted himself for six years to penance. A t

that time were two hundred and fifty men sent everyday

,who made known the words o f King Suddhodan a

and of Suprabuddha , and daily carried the words spokenby Bhagav an t the Bodisat.When Bhagav an t the Bodisat had practised penance

for the space o f six years , and had attained to the knowledge that it was all of no avail, he desired to restorehimself completely. So he took rice soup, and warmfood in abundance

,anointed his body with oil and

melted butter,and bathed it with warm water. And

when he came to the village o f Senani,the village

maidens Nanda and Nandaba la gave him sixteen timespurified milk mixed with honey, and the Nagaraj aKalika extolled him . From the Svastika grass-dealershe received gold coloured grass . When he arrived at

Bodhimanda'

,after he had prepared himself a couch o f

indestructible grass,and had taken up his seat upon it

with crossed legs, and had made s traight his body, and

THE 0 VER-REACH—

ED‘

A CTOR.

strengthened his memory, he said with emotion , “ Until

I shall have attained sinlessness wi ll I not change mysitting position . How then Bhagav an t the Bodisat, afterhe had

,at the m idnigh t hour by means o f the Wheel o f

mildness overcome Mar a and the host of three hundredand sixty millions of demons

,attained to the supreme

perfection o f insight— all this he pleased to relate to mein fu ll.”

Nanda asked,

“ What do you want it for ? Theactor replied,

“ Venerable sir,I wish to compose a

drama. Nanda said,Wretched man

,do you W i sh us

to portray the Teacher for you ? Begone,for I will tell

you n othing. Then the actor betook himself to Upa:nanda

,but received from him the same answer , and the

result was the same when he had recourse to Asuga ,Rav a ta , Ohb anda, and Udayin . Thereupon the actorbetook himsel f to where the company of Twelve Bhikshu n is was . First of all he had recourse to Sthfilan anda.

When she had inquired what he wanted the informationfor

,and he had replied that it was for a drama

,she

asked whether he would give her a recompense for hertrouble . He promised that he would . Then as Sthii lan anda was very learned

,and knew the Tripitaka

thoroughly,she related everything to himin full o u t o f

the Abhin ishkraman a-Satra, how Bhagav an t the Bodisa t,while dwelling in the Tu shita region

,appointed the five

meditations with respect to caste,race

,country

,time ,

and wife,and having appointed these considerations

,and

having’

allowed the six Kamavachara gods to receivepurification three times

,he consciously entered the

mother’

s womb,transformed into the shape o f an

elephant. Whereupon the great earth quaked greatly,and the intervals o f the world in which the sun andmoon are looked upon as great wonders , and the darkness is exceedingly great

,in asmuch as no light is em

joyed there, were profusely illumined anew, so that

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

the beings born therein,which had not been able to see

their own hands when they stretched them out,looking

upon one another by means o f this light,exclaimed

,

“ Honoured sirs , other beings also have been born here .”

Then she related to him all that had taken place up tothe time

,when at midnight Bhagav an t the Bodisat over

came Mara and the attending three hundred and sixtymillions of demons by the force of mi ldness

,and attained

to supreme insight.The actor then composed his drama

,and

,as he knew

that by means o f it he could exalt the faith still higher,

amid the masses of believers , he considered how hemight create faith also among unbelievers. And

,as he

bore a grudge against the Six Bhikshus, and desired tofind a cause of reproach against them

,he betook himself

to them. Now Ayushman t Chhanda had just preparedsome food

,but let it stand over. With the hope

,how

ever of partaking o f sweet food, in case he met with any,he had washed his hands . With such food Ayu shman t

Udayin had supplied himself, so Chhanda sa t downbefore him with crossed legs and begged him to think o f

him,saying

,I,the Bhikshu Chhanda , had prepared

food,but I le t it stand over

,as I was fully satisfied.

Bu t now that I have found food I desire to eat,and I

beg you to leave me something, A fter taking two orthree morsels of the food

, Udayin said, Take and go.”

When the actor heard that,he thought that he might

thereby convert even unbeli evers to the faith . So hepitched a booth in Rajagriha on the day when the festival of the Nagarajas Girika and Sundara was celebrated,and sou nded

'

a drum. And when a great crowd hadcollected

,he exhibited in a drama the above-mentioned

events in the life o f Bhagav an t, in harmony with theAbhin ishkraman asatra . Thereby the performers and theassembled crowds were confirmed in the faith . Andtheyuttered sounds of approval , and he made a large profit.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

When the Six went aw ay,after finishing the perform

ance and changing their clothes,the actor followed after

them,in order to find out who they were

,waiting for

them at the door as they went out. When Udayin cameforth

,whose ears seemed to be smeared as though with

orpiment, the actor asked him if he had been performingin the play. Udayin replied that they had wished todo him a hurt in t hat way

,saying

,You w retch

,who

live by our art ! as you have brought us on to the stage,we will go to every place where you perform

,and we

will annoy you. We have no need to provide ourselvesw ith drums and strange properties .The actor begged for pardon

,for he got his l iving by

his performances . Udayin demanded in return for thisthat the actor should give up to him the whole o f hisrece1pts. To which demand the actor yielded, from fearo f farther interference .

THE D UMB CRIPPLE .

1

IN long past days,King Brahmadatta lived in the city

of Varanasi. His wife’s name was Brahmav ati , and a

lake also bore the same name . Now the king was childless, and l onged to have a son . With that intent heimplored the gods in all manner o f ways. At lengthhis entreatie s were heard

,and a being of firm resolve

,

departing from hell,entered into the queen’s womb.

A t her desire the kin g ordered presents to be given atall the gates of the city. Later on he had to go withher into the penance forest, and in the third place toembark with her on board a ship

,which was constructed

at her request,and placed in the above-named lake.

There she gave birth to a fine boy,who was endowed

with recollection of his previous existence. As he wasborn on the water

,the n ame o f Abja (water-born) was

given to him .

As he rapidly grew up under the care of n urses andfemale attendants

,b e reflected that

,i f he were to be in

vested with sovereign power,this would no t be a good

thin g, seeing that in consequence o f a sixty years reignwhich he had accomplished in a previous state of existence, he had been born again in hell, and that he nowran the ri sk o f going to hell a second time. So he determined to evade the sovereign ty by mean s of an artifice

,

and he pretended to be a cripple . As the five hundredministers

’

sons who were his playfellows, having all been1 Kah-gyu r , vi . fo l. 89-99.

TALES FROM’

TIBETAN SOURCES .

born at the same t ime with him,were in the habit of run

ning and jumping,King Brahmada tta reflected that his son,

i f he were not a cripple,would take part in those exercises.

However,he determined to invest him with the sovereign

power, although he was a cripple . When Prince Abjaheard o f this

,he thought that it was very unkind of his

father to do him such an injury,and he determined to

pretend he was dumb. So he was commonly calledThe Dumb Cripple.”

When his father heard the five hundred sons ofm inisters speak

,while his son remained dumb, he

became exceedin gly sad._When the ministers remarked

this sadness o f his,he explained to them that it was his

son’s dumbness which was troubling him. The ministersconsulted the doctor

,who declared that the prince was in

perfect health,and was troubled by no complaint

,and

that he must be acted upon by threats . So KingBrahmadatta sent for the executioners, and let themknow privately that he was going to hand over theprin ce to them in the presence of a great assemblage,but that they were not to put him to death. Inobedience to the king

’

s commands,the executioners put

the prince in a cart,and took him out o f the city. When

the prince saw the extent and the wealth of Varanasi,he asked : “ Is this city o f Varanasi deserted or inhabited ? ” The executioners took the prince back to hisfather

,to whom they reported the words he had uttered.

King Brahmadatta threw his arms around his son and saidto him :

“0 youth, whom ought one to kill ? Whom

ought one to order to be killed ? From whom ought lifeto be taken To whom ough t a gift to be granted, andwhat sort of a gift ? To these questions his son madeno reply

,but remai ned dumb. Then King Brahmadatta

Spake again to the executioners, saying, “ I deliver untoyou this prince, do ye carry him away.

” The executionersagain, in obedience to the king

’s commands, set the prince

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250 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

all that had occurred . The king said,

“ I f the princewishes for the sovereignty, that also will I yield to him.

Joyfu lly did he give orders to the ministers to clear thecity with all speed of s tones

,and to provide incense

,

perfumes,

flags,standards, and flowers of all kinds. The

ministers carried out the king’s commands,and many

hundreds of thousands of people crowded together inorder to witness the entry o ft he prince

,and to hear him

speak. The prince entered the city on foot,and when

he came to where the king was,he showed him reverence

,

and said in SlokasI am neither dumb nor crippled

,I am neither dull

nor senseless . With clear words am I able to speak, 0

prince of men. I am neither dumb nor crippled,I am

n either dull nor senseless. Sound and clear and brigh ti s my mind

, 0 prince of men !”

When the king asked him w hy he had not spokenbefore , and why he had not used his legs, he replied

Hearken unto me,0 king ! In a former life I

reigned as a king for six ty years,and then fo r six ty

thousand years I suffered incessant torture s in hell.Remembering those terrible pangs , I do not wish to reignagain

,and therefore I beseech you , O my father, to allow

me to renounce the world.

”

The father replied,“ But

,my son , it i s for the sake of

supremacy that the Rishis undertake penance and offersacrifice. Wherefore will you

,my son

,give up that

which is in your hands, and renounce the world ?”

The prince replied that he did not wish to live inenjoyment

,which is provocative o f discord and contest

,

and that he preferred a life o f penance ; the formerresembled the Kimpaka fruit, the latter possessed theAmrita flavour. The king observed that the royal powerguaranteed the enjoyment o f all good things

,and asked

why he wished to give up the throne,and take to the

ascetic life. The son replied that we ought to consider

THE DUMB CRIPPLE . 2 5 i

that as true pleasure from which pain ensues, and shoul din like manner esteem that as pain from which pleasureensues

,and that his father ought to allow him to go

into the forest of penance . The king represented to himall the comforts o f life in the palace, with incense, andodorous powders and flowers

,with repose, free from all

perils,on a soft couch

,with awaking to the sound of

music,with soft clothing

,and savoury food and drink.

On the other hand, he brought before his eyes the life o fpenance in the forest

,the resting on leaves spread under

a tree,amid all sorts o f dangers , among wild gazelles, the

awaking to the sound of the jackal’s how] , the raiment ofbark

,the nourishment composed of roo ts and fru its

,and

the tepid,turbid water. The son replied that it would

be better to live in the forest with raiment of bark,and

roots and fru its for food,and wild gazelle s as companions

,

that the wise pre fer all this to a sovereign ty,the charac

teristics o f which are killing, binding, and smiting, andwhich is accompanied by danger with respect to the lifeto come ; and that his father ought therefore to allowhim to go into the forest o f penance. The king said

,

O son ! an swer these three question s of mine . Thenyou may renounce the world. When you saw the wealthand the extent of Varanasi

,you asked

,Is Varanasi

deserted,or is the city inhabited For what reason did

yo u say this ?Hear

, 0 king, wherefore I said that. It was because ,when you had condemned me to death without any cause

,

no one ventured to put the direct question as to ho w thatcame about .”

O so n, you were right. But when you saw a corpse

being carried along,you asked whe ther it was the body of

a l iving or a dead person. For what reason ( lid you askthat ? ”

“ Hear, 0 king, the reason w hy. I said that becausethe corpse of him who has commi tted a crime is the corpse

252 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

o f one who is dead. But the corpse of him who has aecom

plished a good action is the corpse o f one who is alive .”

O son,you were right. But when you saw the heap

o f grain you said,If this heap of grain were not continu

ally consumed a t its base,it would wax great.’ Wherefore

d id you then say that ? ”

Hear, 0 king, the reason why. I said that because

the tillers of the soil, after they have borrowed corn, andhave used it

,are obliged to give a large heap of corn to

the faithful after the labours of the field, so soon as thecorn is ripe

,and therefore do they consume it at its base .

In like manner,when man has reached the path of the te n

works of virtue,but continues on it no further, the roots

o f his earlier virtue are severed,and when they are

severed,he passes from the path of bliss into perdition.

For that reason have I thus spoken .

When the king heard these words of his son he embraced him with tearful eyes

,and n ot only bade him

behave according to his wish,but also allowed him to take

all his young companions with him into the fores t . Therehe who had hitherto been called the Dumb Cripple re

ce iv ed the name of the Dumb Teacher. On the death ofthe Rishi under whom he had taken the vows he succeededto his privileges

,and he was able to man age so that his

disciples,who had too great a quantity of mats

,clothes

,

and utensils,at last followed his example

,and contented

themselves with that only which was most necessary.

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254 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

hermitage from all manner of regions, you must from loveto me welcome them with the customary greeting

,receive

them in a friendly manner,invite them to repose on the

couch, and set before them roots and fruits according toyour means.

”

Then, according as it is said that the end of collect ionis diffusion , the end of the high is to fall, the end ofcoming together is s eparation

,and the end o f life is

death,so he discharged his obligations to this law. The

youth burn t the Rishi’s corpse in the usual manner,and

then, as he mourned , being depressed by grief at the lossof his father, he became possessed of the five kinds ofinsigh t .On e day, when he had gone to fetch water in a pitcher,

the deity began to le t rain fall. A s he walked along withthe pitcher

,which was quite full o f water

,he let it fall

,

so that it broke . Rishis are very quickly moved to wrath.

So spilling the little water there w as le ft,he reproached

the deity,saying

,As my full water pitcher has been

broken in consequence o f your bad behaviour,you shall

n o t let rain fall for twelve years from this day.

”

On

account of this curse the deity let no rain fall. A greatfamin e consequently arose in Varanasi , and its inhabitantsemigrated in all directions . The king sent for the divinersand said to them ,

“ Honoured sirs to whose power is itdue that the deity sends no rain ? They replied

,To a

Rishi’s anger. If he can be disturbed in his penances the

deity will again send rain . Otherwise it is not possible .”

The king sat absorbed in thought. His wive s, the princes,and the ministers asked him,

“ Wherefore,0 king

,are you

displeased He replied, On account of a Rishi’s angerthe deity sends no rain. The diviners have declared thati f the Rishi can ’ be disturbed in his penances the deitywill send rain again , but that otherwise it i s impossible.On e of the king

’s daughters , Santa by name , said, 0

king,if that be the case , be not disturbed . I will contrive

so that the Rishi shall be completely distracted from this

RSHYASRINGA .

penance . The king ‘sa id

,

“ By what means 7 She re

plied,Le t me and other women be taught mystic lore

by the Brahman s . And let a hermitage , providedl

w ith

flowers,fruits

,and water

,he prepared on a ferry-boat.

The king allow ed her and other women to be taughtmystic lore by the Brahmans

,and a hermitage to be con

structed on a ferry-boat. Then she gave orders for thepreparation o f tempting obj ects

,and fruits filled w i th

wine,and o ther very bright fruits of various kinds . And

she made hersel f look like a Rish i, dressed herself in barkand grass

,and betook herself to that Rishi’s hermitage,

attended by the women to whom the Brahmans hadtaught mystic lore . His pupils said to the Rishi, 0

teacher, many Rish is have come to the hermitage .” He

replied , It i s well that Rishis should have come bringthem

' in . When they had come in and he had lookedat them

,he said in verse,

“ A las ! a Rishi’s appearancewas never like this of old— a loosely flowing step

,a face

free from beard,a ris ing and falling breast .

” His minda prey to doubt

,he offered his visitors roots and fruit.

They partook of them , and said to the Rishi, “ Your fruitsare harsh and acid . The fruits which are to be found inour hermitage on the water are Amrita-l ike . Thereforedo we invite you to our hermitage .”

He accepted their invitation and went wi th them tothe pleasure-ground on board the ferry-boat. There theySpread before him stupefying substances

,cocoa-nuts filled

w ith wine,and other fruits. When he had become in toxi

catedwith w ine,and seduced by the alluring substances

,

he gave himself up to pleasure with the w omen,and his

magic power vanished . The deity rejoicing in rain calledthe clouds together from every side and go t the betterof the Rishi. Santa said

,

“ No w,do you know what the

power is ? ” Having fettered the Rishi with amorousbonds she brought him to the kin g and said, 0 king

,

this is the man .

”

As the deity n ow began to send rain a good harvest

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

ensued . The king gave Santa to the Rishi as “

his wife,

together with her attendants . But when the Rishi,

deserting her,began to indulge i n love with other women

,

she also began to treat him with small respect,her good

humour being destroyed by jealousy. On e day,when

during a wrangle with him,she hit him a blow

‘

on thehead with a shoe

,he said to himself

I,who used not to allow power to the thunder o f the

cloud,mus t now

,being fettered by love bonds

,allow my

self to be set at nough t by a woman ! ”

Thereupon he again dev oted himself to ascetic exerg

tion , and once more became possessed of the five kindso f insight.

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258 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

had grown up and learnt writing,coun ting

,and hand

reckoning,he applied himsel f to all the arts and accom

plishmen ts which b efit one of the Kshatriya class whohas been consecrated to be a king

,a ruler provided with

riches,might

,and heroism

,a subduer of the whole orb.

Such ar e riding on elephants and horses,driving in a car

,

handling of a sword and bow,advancing and retreating

,

flinging an iron hook,slinging

,shooting miss iles

,striking

,

cutting,stabbing

,seizing

,marching

,and the five methods

of shooting. The young Viév an tara , in whom dwelt purefaith and virtuou s feelings, was considerate as to his ownwelfare and that of others

,compassionate and addicted

to magnanimity,kindly towards men

,of a y ielding and

generous n ature,bestowing presents freely and quite dis

passionately,and assiduous in giving aw ay. When menheard of this excessive generosity on his part

,numberles s

crow ds came to beg of him,whom he sen t away with their

expectationscompletely fulfilled .

On e day the Bodisat ViSVan tara drove out of the excellent c ity to the park, in a Splendid chariot, gleaming withj ewels

,gold

,silver

,s teel

,coral

,lapis-lazul i

,turquoises

,

rubies,and sapphires , cons tructed of sandalwood , covered

with skins of lions,tigers

,and bears

,its four horses rush

ing along with the swiftne ss of the wind , resonant withbells of gold and silver. Some Brahmans versed in theVedas me t him and said

, O Kshatriya youth,may you

be victorious ! ” And they added thereto,Through the

whole world are you renowned as one who gives allthin gs away. Therefore it i s meet that yo u should conferthis chario t as a gift on the Brahmans . When they hadthus spoken

,the Bodisat Viév an ta ra swiftly alighted from

the chariot,and

,w hile with joyful heart he gave the

chariot to the Brahmans,he said

,As I have given away

the chario t with the greatest pleasure,so may I

,giving

away the three worlds,become possessed of the greatest

sight ! ”

A nother time he was riding on the elephant Rajya

VISVANTARA .

v ardhan a,

‘which in whiteness equalled j asmine blossoms,

white lotuses,snow

,silver and the clouds, which was of

a remarkable size and provi ded with well-formed feet andtrunk

,and which strode along like the elephant A irav ana ,

marked with the signs o f distinguished gifts,and remark

able for i ts capacity. On it,followed by the troop of very

devoted slaves,friends

,and servants , like un to the moon

surrounded by the starry host,he rode

,as the spring was

come,to the forest park

,wherein the tree s and the flowers

were blooming,and the fl am ingo e s, cranes, peacocks, par

rots,ma in as

,cuckoos, and pheasants , were call ing. There

came up hastily unto Prince Viév an tara,certain Brahmans

who were engaged in discuss ion , and said to him,Ksha

triya p rin ce ,may you be victorious !”

Andthey added thereto

,In the world with beings d ivine and not divine you

are renowned as an All-giver. Therefore it i s meet thatyou should give us this splendid elephant. When theyhad said this

,the Bodisat swiftly al ighted from the splen

did elephant,and having presented that most spl endid

elephan t to them with the utmost good humour,he said

,

As I have given the elephant to the Brahmans with the

greatest pleasure,so may I , after I have given away the

thre e o w o rlds,become possessed of perfect insight ! ”

When it became known that King Viévamitra’s son,

Viév an tara ,had given the splendid elephant

,Rajyav ar

dhana,to the Brahmans who were en gaged in discussion

,

and King ViSvamitr a heard the news,he became angry

,

and he sent for Prince ViSv an tar a, and ordered him to quitthe country. Discarded by his father, Viévan tara reflectedthat he

,striving after completest insight, clothed with

the armour of virtue out of good wi ll towards the wholeworld

,had given away even his elephant ; that so long

as he dwelt at home he had bestowed gifts according to his

1 In the r e ce n sion given byHardy, ndga cau sed a cha racte r istic o f the

the e lephan t is accr edi ted w ith the Nagas to b e attr ibu tedin tha t casepo w e r o f produ c in g ra in . Has n o t to the e lephan t — S .

the do uble me an ing o f the w o rdI

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

means ; that dwelling in the penance-forest he had tostrive intensely ; that as he was not capable of refusingrequests

,he would rather quit his home and go into the

penance - forest . Thereupon the Bodisat, afte r having pron ou n ced .a strong v o w

,went to his wife , Madri , and told

her everything. As soon as she had heard his words shej oined the palms of her hands

,and

,with heart fearful of

being parted from the loved one,she said to the Bodisat

,

0 lord, if this be so, I too w ill go into the penance-forest.Parted from you

, 0 lord, I am not capable o f- living asingle instant longer. Andwhy ? As the sky when it isdeprived of the moon

,as the e arth when it is deprived of

water, so is the wife who is deprived of her husband.

”

The Bodisat said,“ There is no doubt that we must

ultimately be parted,for such is the way of the world .

You are accustomed to e xc ellent foo d and drink,clothes

and couches,and therefore you are of a very delicate con

stitu tion . In the penance forest i t is necessary to sleepon gras s and leaves, .to feed on roots,flowers , and fru its,and to walk on a ground which is covered with millet andthorns and splinters

,to keep constantly to one kind of

food,to practise magnanimity towards all beings

,and to

offer hospitality to those who appear u nexpectedly. As

even there I sh all undoubtedly bestow gifts according tomy means

,you must feel absolutely no regret on that

account. Therefore you ought to think this over well fora nmaMadri replied, “ 0 lord, so lon g as I am able, I will

follow after you . The Bodisat said,

“ I f this be so,be

mindful of your vow.

”

Then the Bodisat went to h is father,paid him reverence

with his head,and said

,O father, be pleased to forgive

me my fault,the giving away of the elephant. As I am

now going forth from the city into the forest,your trea

sury, 0 king, will not become empty.

” The king,losin g

his breath from grief at the partin g said with tremulous0 ,

voice,O son

,give up making presents and remain here.

”

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

heart. Does no pity arise within him when he sees theprince fallen from his royal splendour ? The Bodisa tsaid

,Find no fault with the Brahman .

”

Why notMadri

,i f there were no people of that kind who long

after riches there wou ld also be no giving,and in that case

how could we,inhabitants of the earth

,become possessed

of insight ? As giving and the other Paramitas (or virtuesessential to a Buddhaship) rightly comprise the highestvirtue

,the Bodisats constantly attain to the highest in

sight.”

Thereupon the Bodisat bestowed the chario t and horseson that Brahman with exceeding great j oy

,and said

,O

Brahman,by means of this gift of the chariot

,a present

free from the blemish of grudging,may I be enabled to

direct the car of the sinless law directed by the most exce llen t Rishi When Viév an tara had with exceedinggr eat joy bestowed on the Brahman the Splendid chario the took Prince Krishna on his shoulder

,and Madri took

Prin cess Jalin i .

1 They went forth into the forest,and at

length arrived at the forest of penance.In that penance-forest Viév an tara dw elt, after he had

taken the vow which pleased his heart. On e day,when

Madr‘

i had gone t6 collect roots and fruits in the penanceforest

,a Brahm an came to ViSv an tara , and said, O prince

of Kshatriya race,may you be victorious As I have no

slave,and wander about alone with my staff

,therefore is

it meet that you should give me your two children .

”

As

the Bodisat,Viév antara , after hearing these words , hesi

ta ted a little about giving h is beloved children, the Brahman said to the Bodisat

O prince of Kshatriya race, as I have heard that youare the giver of all things

,therefore do I ask w hy you still

ponder over this request of mine. You are renowned allover the earth as the possessor of a compassion which

1 In Hardy’s So u the rn Re ce n sion ,the boy is ca lledJaliya and the gi r l

Krishn ayin a (Man u a l, p. I — S.

VISVANTARA .

gives away all things you are bound to act constantly inconformity with this renown .

A fter hearing these words the Bodisat said to the Brah e

man,

“ O great Brahman, if I had to give away my ownlife I should not hesitate for a s ingle moment . How

,

then,should I think differently i f I had to give away my

children 0 great Brahman, under these c ircumstances Ihave bethought me as to how the children, when given byme

,if I do give away these two children who have g rown

up in the forest,will l ive full of sorrow on account of their

separation from their mother . And inasmuch as manywill blame me

,in that w ith excessive merciles sness I have

given away the children and not myself, therefore is itbetter that you

,O Brahman, should take me .

Then said the Brahman to Viév an tara , O prince ofKshatriya race

,descended from a great kingly family

,as

I have perceived how all over this earth your virtue i sextolled

,your goodness which takes pity on all beings

the presents,the hospitality

,and the honour with which

you welcome Sraman as,Brahmans

,and strangers

,and ful

fil all the expectations of the poor and needy, the helplessand the hungry— it is not right that I

,after having come

to you,should remain without a present and deprived of

the fruit of my journey, and that, with the knowledge thatI have n o t obtained it, all the hopes which my mind hadcherished should be brought to nought. Therefore is itmee t that you , fulfilling my hopes, should give me thechildren . And why ? On e who gave away the earth

,

clothed with the ocean as with a garment,posses sing the

corn-fields as its incomparable eyes,the mighty hills as

the upper par ts of its body with breasts,and supporting

towns and villages,would no t be equal in might to you .

”

When the Bodisat Viévan tara had heard these wordsof the Brahman , he laid aside the longing which clungto the children , saying to himself,

“ If I g ive the tw ochildren to the Brahman , Madri and I will feel the paino f partin g with the children . But i f I do not g ive them

264 TALES FROM TIBETAN-

SOURCES .

to him,then I shall prove faithless to my vow

,and the

Brahman,disappointed in his hopes, will go away as he

came . If he receives them ,despairing grief for the loss

of my children will b e my lot upon earth . If I act otherwise

,I break my promise and my vow disappears .

”

Then the Bodisat Viév an tara determined to give uphis beloved children

,and he said

,Well

,then

,this takes

place in order that,by means of a hundred kinds o f pen

ance,I,like a pillared transit bridge resembling the ful l

moon with spotles s visage,may save from the sea of

troubles,containing manifold terrors

,those who sink into

its bottomless depths .” A fter he had uttered these wordswith an untroubled countenance

,his eyes filled with tears

,

and he gave his two children to the Brahman,and said

,

As I am to obtain a very great recompense in return forthe gift of the children

,I shall save the world from the

ocean of revolution.

Immediately after the surrender of the children, theearth quaked in a sixfold manner. When the asceticswho dwelt in the forest

,terrified by the earthquake

,asked

one another by whose power the earth had been shakenin so intolerable a manner

,and wished to know who i t

was who possessed such power,an old ascetic of the Vaé

ishtha race,who was versed in the meanings of signs,

made the matter known to them,saying,

“ The earth hasdoubtless been set in movement because Viév an tara , inorder that he may completely redeem men reduced todespair by trouble

,has given up his two bright-eyed

,

beloved children,who dwelt in the penance-forest

,par

takin g o f fruit a ndwater.”

Now,when the two children saw that their father was

about to give them away,they touched Viév an tara’s feet

,

uttering mournful cries, and j oining the palms of theirhands

,and saying

,

“ O father, will you give us away inthe absence of our mother ? Be conten t to give us upafter we have seen her.” Then the Bodisat gave w ay underthe grief which had laid hold of his mind

,and his face

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES.

render which the Bodisat proposed to make for the salvat ion of the world

,assumed the form of a lioness

,and

barred her way. Then Madri said to this wife of theKing of the Beasts

, O wife of the King of the Beasts,full of wantonness

,wherefore do you bar my way ? In

order that I may remain truly irreproachable, make wayfor me that I may pass swiftly on . Moreover, yo u are thewife of the King of the Beasts

,and I am the spouse of the

Lion of Princes,so that we are of similar rank. Therefore,

0 Q ueen of the Beasts, leave the road clear for me.When Madri had thus spoken

,the deity

,who had

assumed the form of the lioness,turned aside from the

way . Madri reflected for a moment,recognising in

auspicious omens, for the air resounded with wailingnotes

,and the beings inhabiting the fore st gave forth

sorrowful sounds, and she came to the conclusion thatsome disaster had certainly taken place in the hermitage

,

and said,

“ A s my eye twitches, as the birds utter cries,as fear comes upon me

,both my children have certainly

been given aw ay ; as the earth quakes, as my hearttrembles

,

‘as my boo y g rows weak,my two children have

certainly been given away .

”

With a hundred thousand s imilar thoughts of woe shehastened towards the hermitage . En tering therein shelooked mournfu lly around

,and, not seeing the children,

she sadly with trembling heart fo llew ed the traces lefton the ground of the hermitage . Here the boy Krishnaand his sister were wont to play with the young gazelles ;here i s the house which they tw ain made out of earth ;these are the playthings of the tw o children . As theyare not to be seen

,it is possible that they may have gone

unseen by me into the hu t of foliage and may be sleepingthere

.

” Thus thinking and hOp ing to see the children,she laid aside the roots and fruits

,and with tearful eyes

embraced her husband’s feet, asking,“ 0 lord

,whither

have the boy and girl gone ?'

ViSVan tara replied ,“ A

Brahman came to me full of hope. To him have I given

-VISVANTARA

the two children . Thereat rejoice. When he had spoken

these words,Madri fel l to the ground like a gazelle pierced

by a poisoned arrow,and struggled like a fish taken out

of the water. Like a crane robbed of her young ones sheuttered sad cries . Like a cow,

whose calf has died, shegave forth many a sound of wailing. Then she said,Shaped like young lotuses

,with hands w hose flesh is as

tender as a young lotus leaf,

1 my two children aresufferin g

,are undergoing pain

,wherever they have gone.

Slender as v oung gazelles,gazelle-eyed

,delighting in the

lairs o f the gazelles,what sufferings are my children n ow

undergoing in the power o f strangers ? With tearfuleyes and sad sobbing

,enduring cruel sufferings

,n ow that

they are no longer seen by me,they live downtrodden

among needy men . They who were nourished at mybreast

,who used to eat roots

,flowers

,and fruits

,they who

,

experiencing indulgence,were ever wont to enjoy them

selves to the full,those two children of mine n ow undergo

great sufferings . Severed from their mother and theirfamily, deserted by the cruelty of their relatives, throwntogether with sinful men

,my two children are now under

going great suffering. Constantly tormented by hungerand thirst

,made slaves by those into whose power they

have fallen , they will doubtless experience the pangs ofdespair . Surely I have committed s ome terrible sin in aprevious existence

,in s evering hundreds o f beings from

their dearest ones . Therefore do I now lament like a cowwhich has lost its calf. If there exists any exorcism ,

bywhich I can gain over all beings

,so shall my two children

,

after having been made slaves,be by it rendered free .

”

Then Madri,looking upon the thick-foliaged trees which

the children had planted and tended,embraced them

tenderly, a nd said, The children fetched water in small

pitch ers, and dropped water on the leaves. You , 0 trees,did the children suckle

,as though ye had been possessed

1 Pr o pe r ly lo tu s-a rr ow . Acco rdin g to Maximo w icz , the yo u ng lotuslea ves are r e ed-l ike o r ar ro w -l ike in appe aran ce — S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

o f soul s. Further on,when she saw the young gazelles

with which the children used to play,standing in the

hermitage,she sadly said

,gently wailing

,

“ With thedesire of seeing their playfellows do the young gazellesvisit the spot, searching among the plants, offering com

pan ion ship with my never - ending woe .”

A fterwards,

when the footprints on the road along which the childrenhad gone became interrupted

,and she saw that their foot

prints did not lie in a straight line,but in al l sorts of

direc tions, she was seized by bitter anguish, and cried,As the footprints point to dragging along and some ofthem to swiftness o f pace

, yo u must surely have driventhem on with blows

, 0 most merciless Brahman . How

have my children fared with tender feet,their throats

breathing with difficulty,their voices reduced to weak

ness,their pretty lower lips trembling

,like gazelles

timidly looking around ? ”

Observing how she bore herself and u ttered complaints ,the Bodisat exerted himself to exhort his wife with aseries of such and such words about instability

,and said

Not for the sake of renown,nor out of anger, have I

given away your two children ; for the s alvation of allbeings have I given the children

,whom it w as hard to

give. By giving up the obj ects which it is hardest to giveup

,children and wife

,may one

,like the great souls

,attain

to the completest insight. O Madri , as I cling closely togiving

,I have given for the redemption of the world the

children whom it was hard to give . My purpose i s tosacrifice all things

,to give myself

,my wi fe, my children,

and my treasures .”

When after a time Madri had recovered her strength ofmind

,she said to the Bodisa t : “ I will in nothing be a

hindrance to you. Le t your mind be constant. If yo uwish to give me too

,give me without hesitation . As soon

as, O courageous one, you have attained to that, for thesake of which you give up that which is connected withdifficul ty

,save all beings from revolution.

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270 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

absolutely given away Madri too, she shall by no meansbe recalled .

” Then he took Madri by the hand,and said

to that Brahman : Receive , 0 most excellent Brahman,this my dear wife

,loving of heart

,obedient to orders

,

charming in speech,demeaning herself as one of lofty

racef’

When , in order to'

attain to supreme insight,he had

given away his beautiful wife, the earth quaked six timesto its extremities like a boat on the water. AndwhenMadri had passed into the power of the Brahman , overcome by pain at being severed from her husband

,he r son

,

and her daughter, with faltering breath and in a voicewhich huskiness detained within her throat

,she spoke

thus : “What crime have I committed in my previouse xiste n ce

'

that now, like a cow whose calf is dead,I am

lamenting in an uninhabited forest ? ” Then the King ofthe Gods

,Sakra

,laid aside his Brahman’s form

,assumed

his proper shape,and said to Madri : O fortunate one

,I

am not a Brahman,n o r am I a man at all. I am the King

o f the Gods,Sakra, the subduer of the A suras . A s I am

pleased that you have manifested the mos t excellentmorality

,say what desire you would now wish to have

satisfied by me .

”

Rendered happy by these words, Madri prostrated herself before Sakra

,and said : O thou of the thousand eyes

,

may the lord of the three and thirty set my children freefrom thraldom and let them find their way to their grandfather.” A fter these words had been spoken the Princeof the Gods entered the hermitage and addressed theBodisat . Taking Madri by the left hand, he thus spake tothe Bodisat : “ I give you Madri for your service . Youmust not give her to any one . . If you give away whathas been entrusted to you, fault will be found with you .

A fterwards the King of the Gods, Sakra, deluded theBrahman who had carried o ff the boy and girl, so thatunder the impression that it was another city, he enteredthe selfsame city from which they had departed

,and there

VISVANTARA .

set to work to sell th e ch ildren . When the ministers saw

this they told the king, saying, “ 0 king,your grand

children , Krishna and Jalin i , have been brought into thisgood city in order to be sold

,by an extremely worthless

Brahman .

” When the king heard these words,he said

indignantly,Bring the children here

,forthwith .

”

When this command had been attended to by theministers

,and the townspeople had hastened to appear

before the king,one of the ministers brought the chil

dren before him . When the king saw his grandchildrenbrought before him destitute of clothin g and with foulbodies

,he fell from his throne to the ground

,and the

assembly of minister s,and the women

,and all who were

presen t began to weep. Then the king said to theministers : “ Le t the bright-eyed one

,w ho

,even when

dwelling in the fore st,delights in giving

,be summoned

hither at once,together with his wife .”

A fter this the King of the Gods, Sakra, having paidreverence to the Bodisat

,returned to his own habitation .

Now,when King Viévam itra w as dead

,the Brahmans

,

the ministers,the towns-people

,and the country people

,

went to the hermitage and with entreaties invited theBodisat to come to the city. There they ins talled him as

king. Thereafter King Viév an tar a w as known by thename of Viévatyaga (all-giver) . And after he had madepresents of various kinds to the Sraman as

,Brahmans

,the

poor and needy,his friends and relations

,his acquaint

an ces and servants, he uttered these Slokas In order toobtain supreme insigh t have I fearlessly bestowed gifts onKshatriyas , Brahmans , Vaisyas, Siidras, Chandalas, andPukkasas

,with gold and silver

,oxen and horses

,j ewelled

earrings,and labourin g slaves. For giving i s the most

excellent of virtues . With a heart free from passion haveI given away my wi fe and children

,and obtained thereby

power over men in this and the other world .

”

As King Viévamitra had, for Viévan tara’

s sake, be

272

s towed great treasures on the Brahman Jujaka , w hothereby attained to great wealth, Jujaka

’

s friendsrelations

,and those who were dear to him

,came to him

and said : “ Your property a nd wealth and high fortuneall depend upon ViSVan tara .

” He replied : What haveI to do w ith Prince Viév antara ? As I was born in thefirst caste

,I have obtained the recompense of the world ,

and therefore have I become so wealthy.

”

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274 TALES FROM TIBE TAN SOURCES .

fell ill,and when his illness could not be cured

,although

remedies o f all kinds were applied,he reflected

,after he

had learn t the state of his body,that it would be n eces

sary to take precautions in order that Sfiryan emi, afterbecoming king on his decease

,should not cause Dharm ika

to be put to death . So he determined to entrust her tohis minister, Goshthila, whom he had supplied with valuable property. Having sent for him

,he said to h im

“Dharmika is my firs t wife,you are my first minis ter.

A s I am aware of my position,and I am undoubtedly

about to lose my life, yo u must out of love for me take

care that Sfi ryan emi does not put Dharmika to death .

”

The minister gave him a consoling promise . WhenSarjarasin had died and his body had been burned withall pomp, Sfiryan emi was consecrated as king . He gaveorders to his ministers to put Dharmika to death. Gosh

thila remonstrated against thi s , saying“ 0 kin or is i t

0 ,

just to put her to death rashly ? Who can tell whethershe will bear a son or a daughter ? If a son is born, heshall be put to death .

” King Suryan emi ordered him toact in accordance w ith this saying

,and to keep watch

over the queen . So Goshthila took her to his own house,

where,after eight or nine days

,she gave birth to a son.

That same day a fishe rman’

s wi fe gave birth to a girl .Immediately after the confinement Goshthila, who hadgained over the fishe rman

’

s wife with money,exchanged

the children, and told the king that Dharmika had been

delivered of a girl. The boy was suckled and brought upby the fisherw oman . When he had grown up he learntreading and writing

,and as he took to making verses

,he

was called the verse-writing fishe r-lad.

Goshthila informed Dharm ika that she had a son whowas a poet

,and she felt a desire to see him. The minister

tried to dissuade her from that,but she could no t ov er

come her longing. Goshthila saw how dangerous thematter was

,and perceived that some precaution must be

taken,and he sent the lad to the queen with a fish.

THE FULFILLElj PROPHECY.

When.

the youth entered the palace the king becameaware that this poetic fishe r-lad was he of whom of thediviners had predicted that he would take the king’s life

,

place the diadem on his own head,and usurp the regal

power. So he ordered the ministers to lay hands on himin order that he might not escape. The youth heard ofthis as the order passed from mouth to mouth

,so he ran

this way and that way until he came to the house of a nold woman who hid him away . From thence , after hisbody had been anointed with oil of mus tard and sesame

,

and laid upon a bier as i f it had been a corpse,he was

carried ou t to the cemetery and deposite d there . A manwho was looking for fruits and flowers there saw him ge tup and run away. The men who were sent in pursuit o fhim asked this man if he had seen a person of such andsuch a height

,and such and such an appearance

,going

that way. He told them in what direction the youth hadgone

,and they followed after him.

The youth reached a hill-town,entered into the house

of a dyer,and told him his story. SOwhen his pursuers

began to search the town,the dyer placed the youth in a

clothes chest,which he set upon an ass

,and so took him

out of the town to a bath-house,where he left him. The

youth stood up, looked around on all four s ides and wentaway. But there also he was seen by a man , who disclosed the fact to his pursuers

,and showed them the road

which he had taken. The youth came to another village ,and entered the house of a shoemaker to whom he toldhis story

,and whom he asked to make him a pair of shoes

,

the toes of which should be where the heels generally are .The shoemaker declared he had never made shoes of thatkind. The youth replied in verseManifold is the mind

,numerous are gifts. They

cannot be weighed in the same scale. So make me , O

shoemaker, what I have ordered , with the heels in front.According to these instructions, the shoemaker made

him shoes of that kind. As the town was surrounded

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

by a wall,the youth put on the shoes

,crept out through

a cistern,and got away. His pursuers , following the

traces left by his shoes , were led back by them to thev illage

,and they perceived that he had escaped. He

took to the water,and was conveyed by the Nagas to

their residence.As the news of this passed from mouth to mouth , King

Sfiryan emi learnt that the Nagas had received the youthinto their dwelling - place. Thereupon he ordered hismini sters to summon into his presence all the snakecharmers who lived . in his realm . When they haddonethi s, the king said to the sn ake a charmers,

“ Honoured sirs,

go and question the Nagas in such and such a Naga residence . ” In compliance with the king’s orders

,the snake

charmers all betook themselves thither.Now a Yaksha named Pingala

,who lived upon flesh

and blood,dwel t in a certain wilderness . As the wild

beasts,not to speak of human beings

,had deserted this

wilderness from fear of him,it was called the Pingala

w ilderness. When the snake-charmers made their preparations for the purpose of endangering the Nagas by spells,the youth became frightened

,and

,knowing no other way

of escape,

fled into the Pin gala a w ilde rn ess. The Nagastook counsel together, and decided that it would not beright if they were no t to save the youth from the Pingalawilderness

,and that it would do them a hurt if he were

to be killed by Pingala ; but they did no t know what todo. However

,the Naga king told them to give informa

t ion to the snake-charmers . The Nagas said to. them,

Honoured one s, he on whose account ye have troubledus has been put to death by our con trivance

,for he has

fled into the Pingala-wilderness.

” The snake-charmersreported the matter to the king, who gave orders to continne the search after the youth . Meanwhile the youthtook to wandering about in the Pingala-wilderness .The Yaksha Pingala was sitting at a certain spot sur

rounded by his dogs. When he and his dogs saw the

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

A fter a while a deity, who dwelt in the Rish i-grove,Saidto that Rish i, “ Do no t you take any interest

,then

,in your

nephew,who is reduced to despair, subjected to intolerable

woes The Rishi replied , If I keep him in mind nom ore

,may I die Upon the spot ! The Rish i was in pos

session o f spells and magic formulas, and knew one spellby which a man might be turned into a woman and backagain into a man . This spell he taught to h is nephew,

and said to him,Now

,go away, and be fearless and free

from anxiety.

” The youth,by means of the spell

,assumed

the form of an incomparably beauti ful woman,and betook

himself to Varanasi . While abiding in the king’s park hewas seen by the keeper, w ho was astounded , and set o ffinstantly and informed King Sfi rya n emi, saying, O king

,

a woman of supreme beauty and youth is dwelling inthe park . The king ordered him to fetch the woman .

By the powerful dispensation of fortune the womanwas brought to the palace

,and King Saryan emi became

violently enamoured of her. But when an Opportunityoccurred

,the youth pu t the king to death in a solitary

spot . Then he reversed the spell andbecame a man again.

A fterwards he set the crown o n his head,and

,after mak

ing the minister Goshthila acquainted with the matter,

assumed the regal power. A deity said in a Sloka, He

whose head has not been cut o ff,h e is not dead . He gets up

again and completes his w o rk . Like unto the poet,when

he found his opportunity and slew the son of Sarjarasin .

”

XVIII.

THE TWO BR OTHERS .

1

IN long past times,a king came to the throne in the palace

of a country well provided with riches,prosperity

,good

harvests,and numerous inhabitants . Some time after

wards his wife be came with child,and

,after the lapse o f

eight or nine month s,gave birth to a very handsome bov

complete i n limbs and joints,whos e skin was the colour

of gold,whose head s tood out l ike a canopy

,and who had

long arms,a broad forehead

,interlacing eyebrows

,and a

high-arched nose . At his birth there occurred many thousands o f happy events . When his birth-feast was held,and the ques tion arose as to giving him a name , the ministe rs said, 0 king, as many thousands of happy eventshave taken place at his birth

,l et him be called Ksheman

’

kara.

2 This name was given to him,andhe was entrusted

to eigh t nurses,two to carry him

,two to suckle him

,two

to cleanse him,and two to play. w ith him. These nurses

brought him up on various milk products and other excellen t forms of nourishment

,so that he shot up like a lotus

in a pool .The king’s wife again became w ith child

,and after the

lapse of eight or nine months a boy was born,at whose

bir th many thousands of unfortunate events took place, onwhich account there was given to him the name of Papan '

kara.

3 He also thrived apace and grew u p .

1 Kah-gyur , i v . fi . 186—189.

2 Ksheman'

ka ra,

“ promo t ing w e ll-be ing, cau sin g pe ace and secu r ity,

The o ppo site o fK shema n'

ka ra , from papa , bad.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

The youn g Ksheman k ara,who was of a friendly and

merciful nature,and compassionate towards al l living

creatures,loved to give

,taking his del ight in bestowing

,

and conferred gifts upon the Sraman as and Brahmans,the

poor and the needy who begged of him. His father saidto him

,O son

,do not be constantly making presents . If

you give aw ay so freely,where are we to find the n e ces

sary richesNow

,in accordance with the nature of things

,many

men take delight in gifts and giving,and when they thus

delight themselves their fame is extolled in words andverses

,and celebrated in all parts of the world . The king

of another country,who had heard of the great virtues of

the prince,wished to give him his daughter. The prince’s

father was highly pleased,and wanted to go to meet her.

But Kshem an kara said, Until I have acquired wealth I

will not marry. Al low me,O father, to go to sea.

” He

replied,

“ Do so. When he set forth for the sea with hismerchandise

,his brother

, Papan°kara

,said to himself

“ As he is n ow liked and loved by many men,he wil l

be still more likedand loved by many men when he shallhave equipped a sea-ship and have returned home. And

as there will be an opportunity of his being invested withthe regal power during our father ’s lifetime

,therefore I

,

too,instead of remaining here to see whose turn will come

,

will go to sea along with him,and will take away his life

out there,and then I shall be invested with the heirship

even against my father’s will.” With these thoughts inhis mind he went to his fa ther

,and said to him

, O father,

as Ksheman kara is going to sea I will go with him. His

father said,Do so.

”

Now Ksheman'kara ordered proclamation to be made

throughout the land as follows : “ Listen,0 honourable

merchants inhabiting the city. As Prince Ksheman kara

is going to sea with merchandise,and as he among yo u

who is inclined to go to sea under Prin ce Ksheman'kara

’

s

guidance will be freed from tolls, taxes, and freight

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

girdle,and thought : Ought I to return with empty hands

while he.

comes back with such j ewels ? ” Then he tookaway the jewels from his soundly sleeping brother, putbo th his eyes out with a thorn

,and left him sightless on

the ocean shore.By a fortunate chance some oxherds who were tending

their cattle came to that spot. When they saw the prince,they said

,

“Ho , friend, who are you ?” He told them

e verything that had occurred. When they hadheard hisstory they were filled with compassion, and they led himto the house of the chief herdsman . There he took toplaying on the lute . The chief herdsman’s wife, who wascharmed by his youth and beauty

,heard the sound of his

lute and tried to allure him. But he, thinking of a courseof li fe acquired by good deeds

,closed his ears and did not

s tir. As there is nothing which they may not do who areseized by desire

,she said to her husband : This blind man

i s trying to tempt me,wi ll you put up with such people 7

”

The prince reflected that,of all kinds of anger

,the worst is

the anger of a wife,and perceived that there was nothing

left for him,in order no t to be smitten thereby, but to go

away. SO he left the house,and along all manner of streets

,

market places,and by-roads, he gained himself a liv ing by

his music.On the death of his father his brother

,Papan

'kara,came

to the throne. And after a time he himself arrived at thetown of that neighbouring king who had formerly wishedto give him his daughter in marriage . She had by thistime grown u p ,

bu t when there came to woo her the sonsof kings

,ministers

,and pu rohitas, dwelling in many lands ,

her father said : O daughter,Prince Kshem an kara

,for

whom I had intended you,went to sea and there died in

consequence of a mis fortune. As suitors have now arrived,and as those who do not obtain yo u will be discontented,the question arises

,what is to be done ? She replied

“O father, i f thi s be the case, let orders be given to havethe city swept and garnished ; I will choose a husbandfor myself.

”

THE TWO BROTHERS .

Then the kin g ordered proclamation to be made in thedifferent l ands and cities that his daughter was going tochoose herself a husband . He also gave orders that hisown city should be cleared of stones

,potsherds

,and

rubble,sprinkled with sandalwood water, and perfumed

with odours,and that canopies

,standards

,and flags

,

should be se t up,and numerous silken han gings displayed

,

together with flowers of many kinds,giving the appear

ance o f a grove of the gods, and that joy-inspiring pr o clam ation should be made to this effect : “ 0 honourabledwellers in town and country, and crowds of men assembled from variou s lands, give ear ! To-morrow theking’s daughter will choose herself a husband . So doye assemble as i s fittin g.

Nex t morning the king’s daughter, adorned wi th manyornaments and surrounded by numerous maidens

,came

to a grove made brigh t with flowers by the deity of thegrove

,rendered extreme ly beautiful by the dispensation

of great good fortune. A ndwhen several thousand menhad assembled in the midst of the city

,she came into the

ass embly in order to choose herself a husband . Somewhat removed sat Ksheman

'kara playing on the lute .As men by their deeds are reciprocally connected, and

the force of e ffect i s constrained by the great power ofcause

,so i t came to pass that the king’s daughter

,when

her feelings were moved by the sound of the lute,be

came closely attached to Ksheman 'kara’

s playing,and

she threw him th e crown of flowers,cryin g

,

“ This manis my husband.

”

The assembled people were discontented,and some of

them in bitterness o f heart began to find fault with her,

saying,What sense is th ere in this . that the royal prin

cess,who has so much beauty

,and who is so supremely

young and accomplished,should slight the sons of kin gs

,

m inis ters,and pu rohitas, w ho have come from many lands,

besides excell ent householders,and should choose a blin d

man to be her husband

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

With reluctance and discontent did the officials conveythe tidings to the king

,saying

, 0 king,the princess has

completed the choice of a husband.

” The king said ,What man ner of man has she chosen ? They replied ,O king, a blind man. The king also was displeasedwhen he heard this

,and he sent for his daughter and said ,

O daughter, wherefore have you chosen such a man asyour husband

,in spite of there being extremely young

,

rich and handsome sons of kings,proprietors

,merchants

,

caravan leaders,ministers

,and pu rohita s ?

” She replied,

O father, this is the man I want. The king said, O

daughter,i f that be so

,then go to him . Wherefore do

you delay She went to him and said,I have chosen

you as my husband .

” He replied,Therein you have not

acted well. Perhaps you have thought,

‘as such is thecase and this man is blind

,I can give myself to another.’

She replied,

“ I am not one who does such things . He

said,What proof is there of this ? ” She replied

,com

m en cing an asseverationIf it be true , and my asseveration is righteous, that I

have been in love only with Prince Ksheman'ka ra and

with you,but with none else , then through the power of

this truth and my asseveration shall one of your two eyesbecome sound as before .”

So soon as this asseveration was uttered,one of his eyes

came again just as it was before . Then he said,

“ I amKsheman k ara . My brother Papan

°kar a reduced me to thestate I was in . She said

,What proof is there that you

are Prince Ksheman'kara ? Then he too began to asse

‘

v e rate,saying

“ I f it be true,and my asseveration righteous

,that

although Papan°kar a put out my eyes, I do not in the

least bear him malice,then in consequence of the truth

and affirmation may my other eye become sound asbefore .

So soon as he had pronounced this a sseveration,his

othe r eye also became as it had been o r igin allv . Then

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( 286 )

THE P UNISHMEN T OF A VAR ] CE .

1

IN long past times a hunter wounded an elephant with apoisoned arrow. Perceiving that he had hit it

,he followed

after the arrow and killed the elephant. Five hundredrobbers who had plundered a hill-town were led by an evilstar to that spot

,where they perce ived the elephant. As

it was just then a time of hunger with them,they said

,

Now that we have found thi s meat, let two hundred andfifty of us ou t the flesh o ff the elephant and roast it, whiletwo hundred and fi fty go to fetch water.”

Then those among them who had cut the flesh off theelephant and cooked it

,said among themselves

, Honouredsirs

,now that we have accomplished such a task and

collected so much stolen property, wherefore should wegive away part of it to the others Le t us eat as much ofthe meat as we please , and then poison the rest. Theothers will e at the poison ed meat and die, and then thestolen goods will be ours.”

So after they had eaten their fill of the meat,they

poisoned what remained o ver. Those who had gone tofetch water

,likewise , when they had drunk as much

water as they wanted,poisoned what was left. So when

they came back,and those w ho had eaten the flesh drank

the water, and those who had drunk the water ate the flesh,

they all of them died .

Now there came to that spot a jackal,fettered by the ties

1 Kah-gyu r i ii. f. 10 3. The endo f w e ll-kn ow n theme . Se e Liebre chtthis may b e compa red w ith Pa ncka on

“ Die ve rgifte te n Ge fahrten in

ta ntra , i i. 3 . The begi n n ing is a ' 0r ient and Occiden t, i . 656.—S.

THE PUNISHMENT OF A VARICE .

of time,and it saw all those dead bodies. With a joy that

Sprang from greediness it thought,As an extremely large

amount of booty has accrued to me,I will take each part

of it in its turn . So it seized the bow with its j aws,and

began to knaw at the knots of the bowstring. The stringsnapped , and the end of the bow struck the jackal in theroof of the mouth so hard

,that it died. The jackal

uttered this sloka“ I t i s good to accumulate

,but no t to accumulate

immoderately . See how the jackal, infatuated by greedafter the accumulated , was killed by the bow.

”

288

THE MA GICIAN ’S P UPIL I

IN long past times, King Brahmadatta lived in Varanasi .There also a Chandala 2 l ived , who was versed in spellsand magic lore, and who, employing the Gandhara-Mantra,was wont to obtain by Spells from the Gandhamadan amountain 3 such fruits and flow ers as were not in season

,

and to present them to king Brahmadatta . The King whowas highly pleased thereby

,made him presents . Now

there was a Brahman youth who longed after a knowledgeo f spells . And in his search after them,

in accordancewith what he heard spoken thereof, he came from his owncountry to Varanasi . A fter he had recovered from thefatigues of his journey

,he betook himself to the Brahman

who was versed in spells and magic lore. And when hecame before him

,he said

I wish to serve the Pandi t .WhyFor the sake of learning magic .The Chandala repli ed in verse,

“ Magic lore is commu n icated to no man . It dies with its possessor. Or itis vouchsafed to him who has knowledge and means andrenders service .”

The youth said, O Band1t, i f such is the case, and I

1 Kah-gyu r , i v. f. 1 71 . w ith fr agran ce . Name o f a

2 Candci la ,“the gen e r ic n ame fo r pa rt icu la r mou n ta in , fo rm in g the

a. m an o f the low e st a nd mo st de div isio n betw e en Ila-vr ita a nd

spised o f the m ixed tr ibe s, bo rn fr om Bhadrasva,o r to the e ast o f Me ru ,

S udra father andBrahman m o the r .

”r en ow n edfor its fragran t fo rests.

”

3 Gandhamdda na ,

“ in tox ica t ing

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

There is a Brahman youth here from a dist ant country. He it is who gave them to me . As he is extremelywell versed in spells and magic lo re

,and as the Brahman

i s of a bette r nature than the Chandala ,who is despised

by the whole world, the question arises of what i s to bedone with the Chandala. Be pleased t o take away hisemployment from the Chandala, and to confer it upon theBrahman you th.

”

The king replied, DO so. A ccordingly the Chandalawas deprived of his employment by the pu rohita , whoconferred i t u pon the Brahman youth . But in couse

qu en ce of the youth’s ingratitude his magic power de

ser tedhim .

xxr.

H0 W A WOMAN RE Q UITES LO VE .

1

IN lost past times,in a palace in a land every way blest, there

reigned a king to whom hi s wife bore four sons, namedSakha

,Gulma

,An ugu lma

,andVisakha . A fter having all

grown up,and taken to themselves as wives kings’daugh

ters from o ther lands,they began to behave disre spectfully

to the king. The king banished them,and they departed

,

along with their wives,and came to a desert place

,where

their means of sustenance ran short. So they made anagreement among themselves to put their wives to deathone after another

,and by feeding on their flesh to make

their own way through the desert. Visakha , however, wasof Opinion that it would be better to sacrifice his own lifethan ‘to take away another’s

,and instead of waiting to see

who was to die he de termined to escape along with hiswife . So he fled away with her. But after a time shesaid

,being exhaus ted by the want of food and drink

and by the fatigue of the journey, 0 lord , I am dying.

Visakha thought that i t would be sad if she were to dienow

,after he had saved her from the hands of the Rak

shasas (or cannibals) . So he sliced some flesh off his hamsand gave i t to her to eat

,and then he opened the veins o f

both his arms and gave her the blood to drink. In thisway they made their way to a mountain

,on which they

supported themselves wi th roots and berries .A t the foo t of this mountain ran a river

,into which a

‘S

Kah-gyur , v o l. i v. ff. 183- 19 1 . Se e Ben fey, Pa n cha ta n tra , i . 436, &c.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

man happened to fall,whose hands and feet had been

cut o ff. Carried away by the stream he uttered cries o fdespair. Visakha , who w as gathering roots and berriessomewhere thereabouts

,heard his cries for help. Hismind

being stirred with compassion he climbed the mountain,and

began looking about on all s ides. As soon as he saw theman being swept away by the waters, he ran swiftly downfrom the mountain

,sprang in to the river

,seized the man

,

and conveyed him ashore. Affec ted by the sight of hismisery he said to him

,

“ 0 son , w hence do you come ?”

When the man had told him the whole story, Visakha

spoke words of solace to him,satisfied his hunger with

roots and berries,and then handed him over to his wife

,

thanks to Whose care he recovered ent irely. Wi th thiscare there was associated pleasure

,which induced her to

pay him frequent visits, passing the t ime in varied talk.

I t i s part of the nature of th ings that Bodisats are notremarkably addicted to the passion of love

,and so it

happened that Vis’akha indulged only from time to timein amorous pleasure . As

,in consequence of the Bodisat’s

power,trees

,roots

,and berries possessed a special force

,

l iving upon them excited the desires of the wife,and she

began to allure the man who had no hands or feet. Thecripple was unwilling to respond to her advances

,pointing

out that he,when as good as dead , had been saved and

restored to life by her husband ; and that i f he were tobehave in such a way he would be putting himself into aposition like u nto that of a murderer . But as she re

p eatedly tempted him ,and it w as hard for him to master

passion,he finally acceded to her request.

Although in the fruition of love passion increased , yethe reflected that

,as she was now so possessed by passion,

and as of all enmities that of the w oman is the worst,he

was going to ruin . In accordance with these ideas, hebegan to take counsel with her

,saying

,If your husband

finds out that w e have lived together, he will undoubtedlydo you some injury and put me to death . She was of

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

provided with the marks o f sovereignty,they betook

themselves to the ministers , fu ll of joy and bliss , and toldthem that they had found in their researches a being prov ided with much virtuous merit

,whom the sovereignty

would befit. Thereupon the ministers caused the roadand the city to be cleansed, and prosperously conductedhim into the city

,and installed him as king on the fitting

day,at the fitting hour

,unde r the fitting constellation .

As he had no wife , the minis ters , the pu rohitas, and thekings of other lands

,as well as other people

,proprietors

,

merchants,and caravan leaders

,all brought their daughters

to that city,adorned with all sorts of ornaments

,in order

that they might be received into the palace. But theking

,who had been so shamefully treated by his wife

,did

no t consent to that. The ministers said, “ 0 king,it is

not customary for kings to be without wives,princes

,

ministers,and inhabitants o f tow n and country ; so be

pleased to nominate a spouse. Kings and grandees l ivingin a ll manner of districts

,and grandees from foreign

lands,have their daughters in readiness to be exhibited

to you. But he was no t to be indiiced to consent thereto,

and he reviled women without ceasing.

Now as al l things good for fruition derive their forceand completeness from the power of the virtuou s meritsof beings

,i t came to pass that

,after the Bodisat was

thrown down from the mountain through the misdeed ofhis wife

,the roots and berr ie s of that mountain shrivelled

and lost their power“Thereupon the woman

,fearing to

perish in the hour of hunger, having taken the cripple onher back

,betook herself to the villages

,and asked for alms

i n the streets,market-places , cross-roads, and by-roads.

When she was questioned she always replied,My hus

band has never found fault with me. And as a wife,

with whom her husband has never found fault, i s wont tobe highly respected in the world

,she obtained alms whet

ever she wen t. When she arrived at the capital, and theinhabitants heard of her, they were seized with astonish

HOW A WOMANi

REQUITES LO VE .

ment. Some of them went forth full o f wonder to see her.And the dwellers in the city took to asking if that king

,

who always had something to say against all women,ought

not to look upon this excellent female wanderer,whose

husband had never found fault with her,and who carried

on her back the handless and footless cripple. When the

pu rohita had made the king acquainted w ith these sayingsthe king thought the matter over, and gave orders thatthis woman should be summoned

,as he wished to see her.

When she had been sent for,and he had seen her, he

l aughingly uttered this verse“ Thou who hast eaten the flesh of my loins

,who hast

drunk my blood, and hast taken the cripple on thy back ,wilt thou not now be blamed by thy husband ?

“ A fter having, for the sake o f wolf’s-milk

,flun g me

down the precipice, after having taken the cripple on thyback

,wilt thou not now be blamed by thy husband ?

She s tood still with drooping countenance and heart ful lo f shame . When the ministers had asked the king aboutthis matter

,and he had given them a full account of all

that had taken place, they drove the woman out of thecity w ith contumely .

( 296 )

XXII .

THE FLIGHT OF THE BEASTS .

‘

AT a long distant per iod there stood on the shore of a lakea vilva 2 fore st. In this forest dwelt six hares .3 Now avilva tree in that forest fell into the lake

,thereby produc

ing a great noise. When the six hares heard this noise ,they began , as they had but small bodies, to run away fullof fear . The jackals saw them running, and asked,

“ 0

honoured ones,wherefore do ye run The hares replied

,

There was a great noise.” Thereupon the jackals alsotook to flight. When the monkeys saw them runningthey asked

,O honoured ones, wherefore do ye run ?

”

The jackal s replied,

“ There was a great noise . Thereupon the monkeys also took to flight. When the gazellessaw them running they asked

, O honoured ones,where

fore do ye run ? ” The monkeys replied,

“ There was agreat noise .” Thereupon the gazelles also took to flight.When the boars saw them running they asked

, O honou red one s, wherefore do ye run The gazelles replied

,

There was a noise .” Thereupon the boars also tookto fl ight. When the buffaloes saw them running theyasked

, O honoured ones, wherefore do ye run Theboars replied

,There was a noise .” Thereupon the buf

falo es also took to flight. When the rhinoceroses sawthem running they asked, O honoured ones

,wherefore do

ye run ? ” The buffaloes replied,“ There was a noise.”

1 Kah-gyu r , v n . 194 .

3 The n umber six is cho se n , beVilva ,

“the tr e e d yle Ma rmdos cau se it ha s r e fe r e n ce to the gr ou p

(common ly ca lledB e l o f Bhikshu s . kn o w n a s the Six.— S .

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298 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

rhinoce r oses,“Who was it told you ? The rhinoceroses

replied,

“ The buffaloes.” I t asked the buffaloes,

“Whowas it told you ? ” The buffaloes replied

,

“ The boars .”

I t asked the boars , Who was it told you The boarsreplied

,The gazelles.” It asked the gazelles

,Who was

i t told you The gazelles replied,The monkeys.

” I tasked the monkeys, Who was it told you ?

” The monkeys replied

,The jackals.

” It asked the jackals,

“Whowas it told you The jackals replied

,The hares.

” I tasked the hares

,Who was it told you ? The hare s

replied,

“We saw the terrible thing with our own ey es .Come, we will show you whence the noise came.

” Sothey guided the lion

,and showed it the vilva forest

, say

ing,

“ That is where the noise came from .

” Inasmuch asthe noise was caused by the fall of a vilva tree out of thatforest into the lake

,the lion said : O honoured ones

,be

not afraid,for that was only an empty sound .

”

Con se ~

quently they were all tranquillised . Anda deity utteredthis verse : Le t not men believe in words. They oughtto see everything for themselves . Observe how, throughthe fall of a vilva, the forest lost beasts .

”

29599

XXIII.

THE FIVE L O VERS .

1

A MERCHANT had a wife wi th whom four of the city stipendiaries and their superior officer fell in love

,and they all

sent go -betweens to he r. She listened to what they said ,and appointed a time for a meeting. But when they askedwhere the meeting-place was to be

,she directed them to

a fig-tree which s tood not far from the city, the head ofwhich soared alo ft towards the sky

,the branches of which

were widespread,and the foliage o f which was thick. Up

this tree the y were to climb,and there to await her. She

herself awaited an opportunity of going out of the house .

Bu t her husband became suspicious,beat her

,and bound

her to a pillar. She had told one of the four loversthat he was to climb on to a branch on the eastern sideof the tree

,and she would come by daybreak. He did so

j oyfully . The second one, likewise by her instruction ,climbed on to a branch on the south side of the tree

,the

third mounted on the western s ide,and the fourth on the

north side , and the superior officer clambered on to abranch in the middle of the tree. They spent the wholen ight on the tree in expectation , terrified by the wind, allby themselves . For the woman did not come althoughthe day dawned . Then he who was waiting on the easternbranch uttered this verse : The sun has risen, from thevillage comes the ploughman. The fig-tree mus t learnthat the false do no t come .

”

He who was waiting on the southern branch said : The1 Kah-gy u r, ix. if . 67

—69 .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

woman '

w ho was to come i s truly false . This sun fu ll o fSplendour i s now about to rise.”

He who was on the eastern side said : “Wilt thou come,excellent one Being asked this

,she replied , Yes .

’

Then he who sat on the western branch uttered thisverse : A s the sun has risen on the right hand, theploughers go forth from the village. As I knew not theappointed time

,I have not closed my eyes during the

night.”

A fter a while he who sat on the northern branch saidThe wind has shaken me the whole n ight long. He

who goes after stran ge women suffers thus and in otherways .”

Then said the superior officer : “ I f the wind has shakenyou well

,I shall not complain. The fig-tree , in nough t to

blame,complain s that its branches are broken .

”

The deity who dwelt in the tree,seeing that they were

tri cked,said : "You wil l complain

,and the four others

too . When the Va isakha month 1 comes, the tree whichme n have maimed recovers.”

Having given up their hopes with respect to the woman,

the men came down from the tree and went homewards.But the woman had been released by her husband

,and

she betook herself secretly to that tree . When they saw

her they asked her why she haddeceived them. She toldthem the whole story. They said , So yo u are n ow cometo light ! A s she reflected that she could no t have todo with five men after the fashion of dogs

,she said that

she would yield hersel f to him among them who shouldbring her the most beautiful flowers . Now there was inthe royal castle a keeper of the king’s lotuses

,whose nose

and ears had been cut off. To him they betook themselves.But they thought that they would certainly get nothingfrom him by way of purchase , though they might if theyflattered him . So one of them said : “ As the bulrush

1 “ The fi rst o f the tw e l ve mon ths con stitu t in g the Hindu sola r year(an sw e r in g to A pr i l

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XXIV.

THE VIR TUOUS ANIMALS 1

IN the long past times there lived in a dense forest fouranimals a partridge

,

2 a hare, a monkey, and an elephant.A s they had become attached to each other, they livedtogether in harmony and full content

,and spent their

time joyfully,without fear or strife. But after some time

it occurred to them that al thou gh,actuated by a reciprocal

attachment,they lived without stri fe in full content

,yet

as they did not know which of their number they oughtmost to esteem

,honour

,and revere, they mus t for that

purpose investigate their several ages. So they beganto take counsel with one another, in order to find outwhich of them was the oldest . Then the partridge pointedo u t a fig-tree, and said : O honoured ones

,at what periods

of its growth has each of us seen this fig-tree ? Theelephant said: When I came this way with our herd Isaw this tree of the size of my body.

” The monkey saidWhen I came this way with our troop, I saw that its sizewas the same as my own .

” Then said the animals : You

are older than the elephant. The hare said “When thetree had only two leaves

,I licked the dew-drops off them

n ot o ccur . The same is the ca se inthe Chin ese r e ce n sio n in L e s A v a

1 Kah-gyu r , i i i. ff. 1 89 193.

He r e w e ha ve the Tittira Jataka ,w hich is a lso pr in ted in Fau sboll ’sJataka (Lo ndon ,

p . 2 18. [Se eBuddhist B ir th Sto r ies Tran

sla ted by T. W . Rhys-Da vids. Lon

don , 1880,p. 3 1 0 , No . In the

latte r on ly the pa rt r idge , the mon

key, a nd the e lepha n t take pa rt inthe qu e st io n a s to age , the ha r e do e s

dan as t r ad., pa r Stan islas Ju lien ,”

i i. p. 1 7.— S .

2 In the Ge rman versio n the birdis ca lled a Ha se lhuhn .

”Fo r the

sake o f co n ven ie n ce, the n ame given

in the “ Titt ira Jataka ”has be e n

adopted he r e .

THE VIRTUOUS ANIMALS .

with my tongu e Then the an imals said : “ You areolder than both the others. The partridge said : Soye have seen the fig-tree when it was of a certai n Si zeThey said that they had . But I

,

” it continued , havingeaten seed

,let fall that from which this tree has sprung.

”

The animals said : If that i s so,you are the oldest among

u s.

” Thereupon the elephant began to pay honour to al lthe others

,and the monkey to the hare and the partridge

,

and the hare to the partridge. In this way they showedeach other reverence according to their respective ages .In the dense forest they were wont to wander to and

fro, and when they came to ‘

open spaces and brokenground

,the monkey used to ride on the el ephant

,and the

hare on the monkey,and the partridge on the hare. Now

when their feelings of mutual attachment and reverencehad still more increased

,there occurred to them thi s

thought,that as their attachment and reverence had

increased,they ought to strive a little after other virtues

as well. In reply to the question as to what was to bedone

,the partridge said

,

“ On e should abstain from putting living creatures to death .

” The other said,

“ Whatlike are those among us who put living creatures todeathThe partr idge replied,

“ There are leaves,

flowers,and

fruits, which are endowed with life, as well as those whichare devoid of it. In future we will en joy those which arelifeless

,giving up those which possess life . So they took

to giving up what possessed life,and partaking of what

was lifeless . Then they thought,Since we have re

n ou n ced the putting to death of what i s living,but not as

yet the acquisition of th e unbestowed,therefore will we

also renounce the acquisition of the unobtained .

” “Whatlike are those among us who acquire the unbestowed ? ”

said the others . The partridge said,

“ There are in ourpossession , roots , leaves , flowers

,and fruits

,but there are

also such as are unpossessed ; therefore will we in futuregive up those which we posse ss

,and feed only on the

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

unpossessed . So they took to giving up what was possessed, and feeding on the previously unpossessed.

Then they thought, “ We have now renounced theacquisition of the unbestowed

,but n ot as yet illicit inter

course.” In what does our illicit intercourse consistThe partridge said

,

“ As w e enter into allowable unionsand also unallowable

,we must henceforth enter into

allowable unions a lone,and not unallowable. So they

followed the lawful paths and gave up those which wereunlawful . Then they thought, We have now renouncedu nlawfu l love

,but not as yet falsehood . Well

,we will

also renounce falsehood .

” “Wherein then consists ourfalsehood ? ” asked the others . The partridge said

,

“ Whereas we have been in the habit o f speaking all atrandom

,we will in future speak at random no more

,but

will utter only well-considered words at the right time.”

So they no longer spoke at random,but uttered merely

well-considered words at the right time. Then theythought

,

“ We have renounced falsehood , but not as ye tshameless intoxication

,by means of intoxicating drinks .

Well,we will also renounce shameless intoxication by

mean s‘o f intoxicating drinks.” “What like are tho se

among us who shamelessly intoxicate themselves withintoxicating drinks The partridge said , A s there arefruits w hich intoxicate

,and also such as do no t, we w ill

in future,giving up the intoxicating fruits, partake of

those only which are not intoxicating. So they beganto partake of only the non-intoxicating fruits , giving upthose w hich intoxicate.Now when they were duly set fast in the five vows, thepartridge said

,

“ O honoured ones, as we are n ow dulyset fast in the five vows

,we will confirm others also in

the five vows.” The others said,

“ We will do so . Butwhom shall each of us confirm in them 7 The monkeysaid

,

“ I will confirm all monkeys therein . Then saidthe hare

,

“ I will confirm therein all hares and furrybeasts.” The elephant said, “ This being the case

,I wil l

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TALES

'

FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

The B ishi repl ied, 0 great king, it i s not your power

w hich has brought this about, nor yet that o f your wives,princes

,ministers

,warriors

,towns-people

,or country-folk.

But there are four living creatures in your realm whosepower has done so. The

.

king said, If this be so, I willgo to see them . The Rishi said

,Wherefore do you wish

to see them Rather adopt the course of life which theyhave adopted

,and

’

live according to it.”“ What course of life have they adoptedThat of the five vows.”

O great Rishi, what i s the nature of these five vows ?0 great king, they are these : Not to take the life o f

any living creature ; no t to steal the property of others ;not to enter into unlawful unions ; not to lie ; not to drinkintoxi cating liquors.

“ 0 great Rishi ,” said the king

,if this be so

,I also

w ill observe these five vows,and live in accordance with

them .

”

Thereupon the king began to observe those five vows,

and to behave accordingly. As the king observ ed the fivevows

,and lived in accordance with them

,his wives did

the same,and the princes

,ministers , warriors, towns

people, and country-folk, accepted the five vows,and took

to behaving in conformity with them. When the tributary kings heard that King Brahmadatta

,together with

his wives,princes

,ministers

,warriors

,towns-people

,and

country - folk, had undertaken the five vows,an d were

living in conformity with them, they also, along with theirwives

,princes

,min isters , warriors, towns people, and

country-folk,accepted the five vows and observed them .

The greater part of the inhabitants of Jambudv ipa acceptedthe five vows

,and began to observe them . Whosoever

then died in Jambudv ipa , after his body perished, w asbornagain in the Tu shita region of the thirty-three gods.When the king of the gods

,Sakra

,saw the circle o f the

g ods so enlarged, he uttered this verseThe partridge

’

s disciples,dwelling in the penance

VIRTUOUS ANIMALS . 30 7,

forest esteem and reverence,have instru cted the

world in the doctrine .”

Bhagav an t said,“ O Bhikshus, think ye ? I my

self was the partridge of that period,the hare of tha t

period was Saripu tra the monkey Maudgalyayan a, andthe elephant Ananda .

( 30 8 )

X X V.

THE l CHIVE UMOIV’

,THE MOUSE, AND THE

A VERY long time ago,i t once rained unseasonably seven

days long,and an ichneumon took refuge in a mouse-hole .

Into the same hole came,after wandering to and fro

,a

snake,alarmed by the rain . Now the ichneumon was

preparing to kill the mouse,but the snake said

,O hon

our ed ones, as we have all su fl ered from the agony ofintolerable w o e , therefore we ought to remain here without exposing each o ther to danger and free from disturbance .

” The snake was named Nandasen a,the ichneumon

Nanda,and the mouse Gangadatta .

Nandasen a and Nanda said to Gangadatta, Go s tealthily ,

and try to find some food for us .” As the mousewas hones t and well-disposed

,i t zealously began to look

for food for those two,but could not find any . Nanda

said to Nandasen a,

“ If Gangadatta comes back withoutfood

,I shall eat Gangadatta .

” But Nandasen a thought,

Even during the anguish of intolerable woe did thisichneumon intend to kill that mouse ; there is no need tosay

,then

,what will happen if the mouse returns without

bringing food. I had better give it notice beforehand.

”

So the snake informed the mouse,saying

,Nanda has

spoken thus : If Gangadatta comes back without bringing food

,I will e at Gan gada tta . Gan gadatta , who,

after seeking for food,hadfound none

,thought

,Without

doubt he will devour me,and said to Nandasen a

,

“ As

one who is weakened and oppressed by hunger becomesmerciless therefore say to the ungrateful creatur e thatGangadatta will return no more .

1 Kah-gyu r,i v. ff. 2 13, 214. J

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

a nd touched his feet, and gave him the gazelle . A t

another time King Brahmadatta had gone into the parkwith his Spouse, and , after enjoying himself there, hadlain down to sleep . Left at their ease

,the women took

o ff their clothes and exposed them to the air. And theylaid aside their ornamen ts in divers place s and roamedabout, or sat, reposed, and slept in the grove. When on eof the wives had laid aside her ornaments at a certainspot

,and had gone to sleep

,the falcon carried them o ff

,

and gratefully presented them to the hunter. When theking awoke from his Sleep he went swiftly to Varanasi .A nd away went quickly also the wives

,princes

,ministers

,

towns-people,and country-folk. The wife

,who looked for

her ornaments but .could not find them,said to the king

,

0 king, my ornaments are lost in the park . The kinggave orders to his ministers

,saying

, 0 honoured ones, asthe ornaments are los t

,find out who has carried them o ff.

”

\Vhen they began to make inquiries,the black-headed

man, who had visited the hunter from time to time andknew that he was in possession of the ornaments

,came

w ith ungrateful heart and told the king . Then the king wasvery angry. And the king’s men summoned the hunter,and said to him

,Ho

,friend

,you stole the ornaments out

of the park .

” The hunter was terrified and related whathad taken place . The ornaments were restored to theking. But the hunter was bound and cast into prison.

Then the mouse went to the snake and said, By thecontrivance of the black-headed sinner has our benefactorbeen bound and cast into prison .

” The snake said,

“ O

hunter,I will bite the king to-day. Then do you heal

him with this spell and this remedy. I f that is done , nodoubt the king will set you at liberty

,and will confer upon

you gifts and good things .” The hunter said,Good

,so ,

be it ! ” The snake bit the king,and the hunter came and

healed him with the Spell and the remedy. Then the kingjoyfully released him from the prison

,and bestowed upon

him gifts and good things.

XX VII.

THE UNGRA TEFUL LIOIV.

1

IN long past times the Bodisat,his accumulations 2 as yet

incomplete,was born again among birds as a woodpecker

,

dwelling in a villageless solitude in a hil l distric t,rich in

mountain streams,fruits

,and flowers . In the same dis

tr ict there lived a king of the be asts , a lion, which wasin the habit o f killing and devouring gazelles a t i tspleasure. On e day it had been eating meat ; a bonestu ck fast between its teeth

,and the lion

,which had

never known fear or anxiety,n ow that toothache was

plaguing its body,was quite prostrated and could eat

nothing.

By good fortune a woodpecker,which was won t to fly

from one tree-top to another, came to the place wherethe king of the beasts was . When it saw the lion sotormented by pain

,it said

,

“ Uncle, where fore are youcast down The lion replied

,Nephew

,I am tortured

by pain .

” What sort of pain ? ” asked the woodpecker.When the lion had told the whole s tory

,the woodpecker

said,

“ Uncle,I w ill treat your case . A s you are the

lion and the king of all four-footed beasts, and can be o fservice

,therefore you must from time to time be o f service

to me.” The lion replied,I will a ct in accordance with

your words .”

The woodpecker thought,

“ I will manage so that thelion Shall not perceive what I am doing to it

,and shall

1 Kah-gy ur i v. f. 18 1 . r epr esen ted the mass o f the me rits

An iya ta rdéi . Se e Childe rs on o bta in edby mean s o f ea r lie r de eds.

the w o rdrdai. By this w o rdmay be-S .

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES.

find it out only after recovering. Anxious to assist thelion

,the woodpecker remained there observing its way

of going on. The violence of the pain having abated,the

king of the beasts passed into a happier mood,and went to

sleep with its j aws apart on a great,broad

,flat rock. The

woodpecker drew near to the king of the beasts,and

thought that,as it found the lion in so convenient a

position,this was the proper moment for treating it.

A fter making a careful examination , the woodpecker ,by means of a continued flut tering of its wings

,extracte d

the bone which had stuck between the lion’s teeth . And

the lion sat up,with eyes opening after surmounted

slumber. Then the woodpecker, knowing that theking of the beasts was freed from pain and discomfort

,

came up to it in high glee , and said, herei s the bone which caused the pain .

” The king of thebeasts was greatly astonished and said

,

“ O nephew,as

I wish to recompense you for this service, come to mefrom time to time in order that I may be of use to you. ”

The woodpecker replied,“ Good

,I will do so

,

” and fl ewaway.

A t another time, while the king of the beasts wasdevouring flesh

,the woodpecker, which had been seized

by a falcon,and had only just escaped from death

,appeared

before the king o f the beasts in a state of suffering fromhunger. Hav ing described its need, it s aid to the lion,0 uncle , I am tormented with hunger

,so give me a

piece of flesh.

” The lion replied in a verse“ Having torn to pieces a living creature, I am nowsavage and a misdoer. A re not you

,who passed between

my teeth,thankful for remaining alive ? ”

The woodpecker answered likewise in verse

Profitle ss are forms seen in dreams and accumulationsflung into the ocean . Profitle ss are intercourse with a

bad man,and benefits conferred on the ungrateful.”

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3 14

XXIX.

THE WOLF AND THE SHEEP.

1

IN long past times there lived a householder in a certainhill-village. His shepherd went afield to tend his flocks .As the shepherd returned to the village at sunset fromtendin g them

,an old ewe which lagged somewhat behind

was seized by a wolf.A unt

,au nt,

” said the wolf,

“ i s it we ll with you ?Aunt

,aunt

,do you seem to find yourself comfortable all

alone in the forest ? ”

Moreover the wolf said,

“ Do you think, 0 sheep, whomI have addressed by the name of aunt

,that yo u will

escape after having pinched my tail,and also plucked

hairs out of my tail ?The sheep replied

,How could I pin ch your tail

,seeing

that it is behind you,and I have been going in front

‘

ofyou ?But the wolf said

,

“Which w av then did you come,

seeing that my tail spreads all over the four parts o f theworld

,together with the ocean and the hill-villages ?

The sheep rejoined : “ As I had heard beforehand frommyk insmen that your tail

, 0 best one, spreads everywhere ,I came through the air ”

The wolf replied,0 mother, i f you came through the

air,you must have scared away the herd o f gazelles which

I meant to feed upon .

”

Having thus Spoken , the malefactor made a spring, toreo ff the sheep

’s head,and having killed the sheep , devoured

i ts flesh.

1 Kah-gyu r , N . f. 287.

( 3 1 5 )

XXX.

OX EN AS WITNESSES .

1

IN a certain hill district there lived a householder, towhom

,after his marriage

,a dau ghter was born . He was

a till er of the soil,and ploughed his corn-fieldhimself.

The orphan son of a householder, who w as bringing aload of wood from the forest

,happened to draw near to

that corn-field one day. Andhe threw down the wood hewas carrying

,rested awhile

,and then said

,O u ncle , why

9do you plough yourself You must certainly have villageaffairs

—

éf Why,then

,do you work like a

forester in the forest ? ”

O nephew ,I have neither sons nor brothers.

O uncle,give me the plou gh . Do you take rest

,and

I will plough for you .

With these words he began to plough .

A fter a time the householder came bringing rice-soup,and in vited him to eat. When the meal was finished thehouseholder’s son said

,

“ O u ncle,I do not know your

house. Go aw ay n ow ,and I will con tinue ploughing ; but

come to meet me in the evening.

”

The householder went away,and the youth went on

ploughing for a time . Then he turned out the two oxento graze by the side of the corn-field. In the evening hetook a load of grass

,and set o ff to go to the village . The

householder came to meet him,and brought him to his

house. The youth took the oxen to their stall, shookdown straw

,and placed grass before them. The house

holder thought that the youth would be useful to him,and

1 Kah-gy r,vi . if. 228—23 1 .

3 16 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

that he would give him his daughter to wife . So he saidto him

,O nephew

,do everything satisfactorily

,and I will

give you my daughter to wi fe.”

He began to build a house there. On e of his oxen raninto a rice-field, and he could not drive it out, so he reviledit

,and then flung a log at it

,whereby one o f its horns was

broken o ff. In consequence o f this,the ox received the

name of Ho rnbreak.

Another time , the ox ran again into the field,and he could

not drive it back,so he reviled it

,and then flung a sickle

at it,whereby its tail was cut off on account of which it

received the name of Stumptail. These two names wereafterwards contracted into that of Bre akstump .

A fter some time the youth said to the householder,Uncle , fulfil what you have promised.

” The householdersaid to his wife

,Good wife

,make all the preparations for

a wedding. I am going to give my daughter in marriage.”

The wife said, 0 lord, as our daughter has not been pro

m ised to any one, how can she be given in marriage ?He replied, I shall give her in marriage .

”

To whom ?To this householder’s son .

The wife said,Shall I give my daughter in marriage

to this fortuneless one,forsooth , who has grown up like

white pepper ? I shall marry her there where I find food

and clothing .

The husband rejoined,Good wife

,the y outh has done

me excellent service . I f he goes away, I shall be obligedto plough my land myself.The wife replied

,

“ I cannot give my daughter to thispaltry fellow.

”

Then the householder said to himself,

“ If I tell theyouth that I am not going to give him my daughter

,he

will go away this very day,and I shall be reduced to great

straits .” So he tried putting him o ff from time to time.When the you th again called upon him to fulfil his promise he replied

, O nephew,first o f all make an end of

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

Ye have not wronged me in the least,but‘your master

has wronged me .”

In what way ?He promised me his daughter, but he has not given

her to me .

”

Why do no t you go to the palace of the king ?I have n o witnesse s .You j ust go ; we will be witnessesWill ye Speak with the lan

guage of men ?

No . Bu t this is ho w you must make your asseveration . You must tie us up in our stalls for . seven days

,and

give us neither grass nor water ; and on the seventh dayyou must let us go free to a spot where grass and watera re plentiful. Andyou must appear before the king, andsay to him

,If I am speaking the truth

,may these oxen

neither eat grass nor drink water.’

The householder’s son went to the palace of the king,and said

,0 king

,that proprietor has promised me his

daughter,b u t he has no t ye t given her to me to wi fe.”

The king sai d Have yo u any witnesses ?Yes

,0 king .

Are they human beings or no t ?N0

,they are not human beings

,but oxen.

Can they speak the language of menNo

,bu t my words will in this way be proved to be

true . I will tie up these oxen in their stalls during sevendays

,and leave them without grass or water. But on the

seventh day I will let them go free to a place where grassand water are plentiful. Then the oxen

,in order to prove

the truth of my words,wil l neither eat grass nor drink

water so long as the king refuses to believe me .”

The king said to his ministers,

“ O honoured ones, letthe matter be so arranged .

”

The ministers ordered the oxen to be tied up in theirs tall s. Breakstump asked , Does the sun rise in the Westwhy are not we se t free ? ”

The others said,

“We have promi sed the householder’

s

O X EN A S WITNESSES .

son,that if he keeps u s

’

tiedup'

in our stall,for seven

days without giving us grass and water, and lets us gofree on the seventh day in a spot which is rich in grassand water

,and if he makes asseveration before the kin g

that if he speaks the truth thes e oxen will neither eatgr ass nor drink water

,then we w ill n either eat grass nor

drink water so long as the king refuses to believe him.

”

Bre akstump said , I f I were set free I should eat even

stones,no t to speak of grass.”

The oxen sai d,The householder

’

s son has alw ays acted ‘

towards us l ike a father and a mother. So do not behavein that manner.”

Breakstump said,“ I t i s indeed true that he has behaved

towards us like a father and a mother ; still, as he has givenme the name of Breakstump , I will no t consent, but wouldmuch rather that his belly should burs t.”

The householder’

s son visited the oxen from time totime

,and asked, O oxen

,how do ye fare ? They

replied,

“ We fare well,but you do not.

Why not ? ”

Breakstump here has declared that if he be let loosehe will devour the very stones

,not to speak of grass .”

Then ought I to give in ? ”

Do not do that,but bore Bre akstump

’

s nose . Then,

when he wants to eat grass or drink water,we will seize

his nose with our horns and hold it up in the a i r . At

the same time you must say,

‘They are pointing to thesun

,because they wish to show that the sun, as the fi fth

guardian of the world,i s a witness .

So the youth set to work to bore the nose of the ox .

Bre akstump said , Honoured ones, see how scandalouslyhe i s treating me ! ” They replied

,

“ Hold your peace,he

w ishes to embellish you .

”

On the seventh day the king,after calling his ministers

together,had these oxen driven to a spot rich in grass

a ndwater. Bre akstump was about to pluck a mouthfulo f grass

,when the other oxen seized his nose with their

320 TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

horns and looked up towards the sun. The king askedhis ministers, “ O honoured ones, wherefore look theseoxen towards the sun ? ” Then one of the ministers said,“ That is done because they wish to Show that not theyalone are witnesses

,but the sun

,the fi fth guardian of the

world,i s also a witness . The king w ondered and said

to the ministers , “ O honoured ones,as the beasts have

thus borne witness,do ye take care that the householder

gives his daughter to this young man .

Overcome by the householde r 4son,the householder

bestowed upon him his daughter.

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

chants beat them and lacerated them with thorny rods,

and yoked them dripping w ith blood to the waggons.But the others submitted to the yoke without resisting

,

so no harm came to them. Thereupon a deity utteredthis Sloka

“ See how the steers which the ox misguided , bleedingand woun ded

,suffer hunger and thirst. See

which the ox rightly advised,after leavin g the

quaff cooling water.

( 323 )

XXXII.

THE ASS A S A S INGER .

1

WHEN in long-past times the Bodisat,in consequence of

his aggregation of merits remaining incomplete,had been

born in a herd of horned cattle as a bull,he used to go

out of the city in the evenings to a bean-field belon gingto the king

,and there take his food . But by day he lived

in the city. There an as s j oined him. It said one day,O uncle

,your flesh and your blood and your hide thrive

,

and ye t I have never seen you change your abode .”

The bull answered,

“ 0 nephew,I feed at eventide in

the king’s bean-fie ld.

The ass said, Uncle

,I will go with you too .

The bull objected, O nephew ,as you are wont to let

your voice resound,we m ight

'

r u n a risk .

”

The ass replied, O uncle, let us go, I will not raise my

voice.A fter they tw o had broken through the enclosure of the

bean-fie ldand reached the interior,the ass uttered no sound

u ntil it had eaten its fil l. Then it said, Uncle,shall n o t

I sing a little ? ”

The bull replied,

“ Wait an instant, until I have goneaway. Then do just as you please.

”

The hu ll ran o ff,and the ass lifted up its voice . As

soon as the king’

s people heard that, they seized the ass,and in order to punish i t

,as in their Opinion it had devoured

the whole produce of the king’s bean-fie ld, they cut o ff itsears, fastened a pestle to its neck, and then set i t free.

1 Kah-gyu r, i v. f. 293 . Cf. Pa ncha ta ntra , v . 7, and Ben fey’

s rema rkson the pass age , i . 494.

— S .

324 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

As it wandered to and fro,the bull saw it, and pronounced

this verseExcellently hast thou sung forsooth , and therefore

obtained thy recompense . In consequence of thy song Ialso well-nigh lost my ears.He who knows not how to keep his word, to him may

easily happen some such thin g as this ; to wander to andfro

,adorned with a club and destitute o f ears .”

The ass also gave utterance to a verse,

“ Keep silencethou with broken teeth , be silent then , 0 old bull ; forthree men are searching for thee w ith clubs in theirhands .

”

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3 26 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

beasts,was followed about by an old

,very greedy

,

remainder-devouring jackal. When the lion had killedgazelles

,and having devoured their good flesh and drunk

their good blood,tranquilly rested

,none of the rest of the

small er beas ts dared to draw nigh. Only the old jackalused to approach

,in order to enjoy what remained over

o f the good flesh andblood,thanks to which his hide

,his

flesh , and his blood all thrived .

On e day,w hen the lion had eaten the good flesh of

gazelles and drunk their good blood,he hastened to his

la ir, where he played with the bull . In the meantimethe smaller beasts devoured the remains . The jackalthought “ First

,I will go to see w hither the lion has

gone.” Having followed after the lion, the jackal saw

him playing toge ther with the bull, and came to the conclu sio n that the bull was the adversary of his maw

,and

that therefore he must set those two comrades at variance .So with droopin g ears he appeared before the bull. Thebull said

, O uncle, has any hot wind arisen ?”

The jackal replied,O nephew,

a very glowing w ind hasarisen .

What is it then that has happenedThe lion has asked

,Whither has gone the bull which

belongs to my store s of flesh ? If I find no other flesh,I

shall devour that bull .’

The bull replied,O u ncle, our dying mother said to

u s twain,

‘0 children , as y e have both sucked the samedugs

,be brothers. The world is fu ll of evil calumniators .

Take heed that ye li sten to none of them after my death .

’

A s she has le ft behind he r such a legacy as this,do not

talk in that w ay .

The jackal said, O nephew, as you will not listen to

my well-meant w ords,you w ill go to perdition .

”

The bull asked, O u ncle, w hat then w ill be the courseo f eventsThe jackal replied

, O n ephew,the lion w il l come

forth from his lair,andwill stretch himself, and a fter he

THE }AGRAL AS CAL UMNIA TOR. 327

has stretched himself he will yawn , and after he has

yawned he will look round on all four s ides, and afterhe has looked round on all four sides , he will roar threetimes

,and w hen he has come to where you are

,he will

think,This creature w ill k ill me be sure o f that.”

A fterwards the jackal be took himself with drooping earsto the lion . The lion asked ,

“Uncle , has a hot wind arisen ?

”

The jackal replied, O nephew

,a very glowing wind has

arisen .

“What has happened thenThe bull has said , Whither has my lion-gras s gone

As his mother killed my mother,I will sl it up his belly.

The lion said ,“ O uncle , our mother, before she died ,

thus spoke to us twain , As ye two have sucked the samedugs

,be brothers . The world is full of evi l calumniators .

Take heed that ye do not liste n to any of them .

’

As shehas left such a legacy behind , do not speak in such amanner.The jackal replied

, O nephew,if you do not now listen

to my well-meant words,you w ill go to perdition .

”

The lion said, O uncle , what will take place ?

The jackal replied , O nephew,the bul l will come forth

from the meadow,and will stretch h imself

,and when he has

stretched himself he will bellow, and when he has bellowed he will tear up the ground

,and when he has torn

u p the ground he will come snorting into your presenceand will think

,This one will kill me know all this .”

A lthough those two animals w ere constantly in thehabit of acting in this way according to thei r natures

,

they had never taken any no tice of the fact. So when oneday after this the lion, the king of beasts , came forth fromhis lair

,after stretching and yawning and looking around o n

all four s ides,and roaring three times

,he appeared in pre

sence of the bull. Likewise the bull had come out fromthe pen

,and had stre tched himself

,and bellowed

,and

torn u p the ground and snorted , a nd then i t appeared inpresence of the lion . A lthough they had both been

TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

accustomed to act i n this way according to their natures,

they had n ever taken any notice of the fact. But theyn oticed it now that the seed of discord was sown . Thehull thought, “ He will kill me

,and the lion thought

just the same . The lion seized the bull’s breast with hisclaws

,the bull slit up the lion’s belly with his horns.

And so they both perished .

A deity u ttered the following verse : Men who payregard to what i s good

,ought no t to hold converse with

bad men . See how the jackal set at var iance the lionand the bull who had been friends.

B.

In long-past times there lived in a forest a liones s withher cub and a tigress with her cub. While the lionesswas absent one day, her cub, while wandering about, cameinto the n eighbourhood of the tigress. When the tigresssaw it

,she was going to kill i t, but she changed he r mind,

seeing that the youn g lion might be a playfellow for hero w n cub

,a nd so she began to give it suck . The lioness

,

on her return from her outing, not finding he r young one,

set to work to look for it,and at length saw the tigress

su cklin g it. When the tigress perceived the lioness, shewas frightened and began to r un away . But the lionesscried out to the tigress, O sister

,run not away. Le t us

dwell together,so that

,when I go out

,you can take care

of my youn g one, and when you go out, I will take careof yours .” So they took to dwellin g together

,and they

called the lion cub Sudan shthra , and the tiger cub Subahu .

A nd the two cubs grew up.

A fter a time the lioness and the tigress fell ill, and whenthe time for their departure came ,they said t o the two youngbeasts

,0 children , as ye have both sucked the same du e s

,

be ye brothers. The world is full of evil calumniators, takeheed after our death not to listen to any of them .

”

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

The jackal said,

“ As you will not listen to my wellmean t words

,you will come to ru in .

”

The lion said ,“ O uncle , what w ill be the course of

eventsThe j ackal replied

,O nephew , the tiger will come

forth from his lair,and will stretch himself

,and after

s tretching he will yawn,and after yawning he will look

round on all four sides,and after looking round on a ll

four sides he will roar three times , and then come intoyour presence and think

,

‘He will kill me .’ Be sure ofthis .A fterwards the jackal went with drooping ears to the

tiger. The tiger asked, O uncle, has some hot windarisenThe jackal replied

,O nephew ,

a very scorching windhas arisen .

What has happened thenThis lion has said

,

‘Where has my tiger-grass goneI will assuredly kill him.

’

The tiger said,O uncle

,our two mothers said to us ,

jus t before they died,0 children

,as ye have sucked the

same breast,be brothers. The world is full of evi l calum

n ia to rs. Take heed that ye do not l isten to any of them .

A s the v have left us this legacv do not vou speak in thatway.

”

The jackal repl ied,O nephew

,as you w ill no t listen

to my well-meant words,v o u will go to ruin .

”

O uncle, what then w 1ll be the course of eventsO nephew,

this lion w ill come forth from his lair andwill s tretch himself

,and after stretching he will yawn

,

and after yawning he will look round on all four sides,

a nd after looking round on all four sides,he w ill roar three

t imes,and then come into y our presence

,and think

,He

wi ll kill me .

’ Be sure of all this .”

Now although both of them were in the habit of actingin this way

,according to their n atures , they had never

taken any notice of that . But one day the lion,the king

THE j AGRAL AS CAL UMNIATOR. 3 3 1

o f,beasts, came forth from his lair and stretched himself,

and yawned,and looked round on all four sides

,and

roared three times,and then wen t into the presence o f

the tiger. The tiger also came forth from his lair,and

stretched himself and yawned,and looked round on a ll

four sides,and then w ent into the presence of the lion .

Al though both of them had always been in the habit ofdoing all this

,yet they had never taken any notice of the

fac t. But n ow that the seed of dis cord was sown,they

did notice i t. Just as the l ion thought that the tigerwanted to kill h im , so also the tiger thought that the lionwanted to kill him . But then the lion thought

,I am

strong,but the tiger is not. As he cannot then master

me,I will investigate the matter further.” So he uttered

this Sloka“ O Subahu

, to strive with Sudan shthra , possessor o fcomplete excellence

,agility

,and force

,i s no t right.

The tiger also replied in a Sloka, O Sudan shthr a

,to

strive w ith Subahu ,posse ssor of complete excellence

,

agility, and force, i s not right .

”

The lion asked,Who Spoke to you abou t this ?

The tiger replied , The jackal .Then the tiger asked

,Who Spoke to you about this

The lion replied,The jackal.

Then the lion thought,

“ This creature wanted to set ustwo at variance

,and struck the jackal dead with a slap

in the face . Then a deity uttered this SlokaFriends ought not to be abandoned on account of the

words of others,but the words o f o thers ought to be

tested . No reliance ought to be placed upon calumniators ,who seek opportunities for sowing discord . See how thejackal

,who desired to set friends a t variance by means o f

lie s . w as put to death as a calumniator, w hile the friendswere happy and rej oiced.

332

XXXIV.

THE TPVO OTTERS AND THE j A CKAL.

1

IN long-past times there lived on the bank of a river tw oo tters

,which from time to time used to enter the water

and bring fish ashore. But while the otters were on thedry land

,the fish used to get back into the water.

Finding there was nothing left,the otters took counsel

together one day,and determined that in future one o f

them should go into the water while the o ther remainedon land

,and that they should share the spoil in common .

So one of them went into the water while the otherremained on land. The one which went into the waterfrightened the fish

,and drove them ashore

,while the one

which remained o n land killed them ; the fish also whichremained in the water were killed by the otter whichhad gone into the water.Now when the heap of fish had become great

,on e of

the otters said,Divide the heap .

”

The other replied,I will not divide it.

Why not ?I should not l ike

,to make a mistake.

Then the other said,

“ For the matter of that,I too

m ight make a mistake.While they stood there absorbed in thought, the jackal

Mukhara came up to them and said, “ O nephews, why

a re you so abSO1bed 1n thoughtO uncle, we have caugh t some fish .

Why do not y ou divide themO uncle

,for fear of actin g unrighteously.

1 Kah'

gyu r : fi ' 95°

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334 TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES .

So Mukhara divided the heap’

into three parts, o n e

containing the heads o f the fish, and another their tails ,and the third the rest of their bodies. And he utteredthis verseThe goer on land receive s the tails

,and the goer into

the depths the heads ; he who i s conversant with the lawreceives the middle parts .”

Moreover,Mukhara said to h imself

,Having deluded

these two,I will secure the booty.

” So he seized themiddle part of a large fish

,and went o ff to his mo ther.

She joyfully addressed him in a Sloka,

“ Mukhara,whence dost thou come that thou hast

brought a large fi sh w ithout head or tail ? whence dostthou come so highly blessed ?

“Even as the king

’

s cat,he replied ,

“ that knowsn either right nor wrong, in that fools strive with oneanother, gains thereby, so shall we obtain food in

plenty.

”

The mother also uttered this Sloka,O Mukhara

,fine

and fair exceedingly art thou who hast been too muchfor the o tters. They twain are content, and thou hastsecured a rich booty.

( 335 )

xxxv .

THE j A GRAL SA VES THE LION.

1

IN lost past times, when the Bodisat remained in anincomplete state of merit-accumulation

,he lived in a

certain hill dis trict as a lion,king of the beas ts . In

the neighbourhood of the hill there dwelt five hundredjackals

,which followed after him and devoured what he

left. When the lion had killed any animal, and had eate nof i ts good flesh and drunk of its good blood

,he used to

leave i t lying o n the ground and go away. This state o fthings lasted a long time.Once when the lion, king of beasts , was hunting beasts

a t night,he fel l into a well

,and all th e five hundred

j ackals,with one exception

,dispersed in divers direction s .

Only one of the j ackals paid any attention to the lion,s itting by the edge of the well , and thinking in what wayhe could draw the l ion out. While running to and fro i nthe neighbourhood of the w ell

,he saw a small lake at no

great di stance. Having observed i t, he dug a canal onone side

,and filled the well with water from the lake

,s o

that the lion was able to get out. A deity uttered thisv erseThe mighty as well as the rest must make themselves

friends . See how the jackal rescued the lion from out ofan old well.”

1 Kah-ygur , i v. f.

THE BLUE j A CKAL.I

IN times long past there was a very greedy jackal, whichused to roam in the forest

,and even in places uninhabited

by men . At length he made his way into the house of adyer, and fell into an indigo vat . After he had escapedhe lay dow n to sleep on a neighbouring dunghill. Havingtossed about thereon

,so that his body became ever so u n

shapely, he jumped into the water. When he had comeout, and had been exposed to the rays of the sun , heacquired the colour of cyanite .

When the other j ackals saw him,they dispersed and

stood afar off, and asked,“ Who are you ? where do yo u

come from ?He replied,

“ My name is Sataga, and I have been ap

pointed king of the fourfooted beasts by Sakra,the king

of the gods.”

The jackals considered that,as his body w as of a colour

never before seen , this must be true, and they made allthe fourfooted beasts acquainted with the fact. The lionsthought

,If some one is exalted above us and made the

king of the beasts , we must go and carry this n ews to thechief of o ur band . So they told the news to the manedchief of their band

,who dwelt in a certain hill district. He

ordered the o ther beasts to go forth and find out whetherany animal had seen this chieftain of the fourfooted. Sothey betook themselves to where the jackal was

,and made

1 Kah-gyu r,i v. f. 255. Cf. Pan padeéa , i i i . 7 ; A . W ebe r , Indische

cha ta n t ra , i. 1 0 , and Ben fey’s t e S tudic n, i i i . , 349, 366.

— S .

marks the reon, pp. 224—5 ; Hito

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338

his voice, the elephant perceived that it was a j ackal that

was riding on his back,so he flung him o ff and trampled

him under foo t. A deity uttered this verseHe who keeps at a distance those who should be n ear,

and brings near those who should be at a distance,wi ll

be cast dow n,as the jackal was by the elephant.”

‘

339

XXXVII .

THE j A CKAL HANGED B Y THE 0 2 0

IN long-past times,there lived in a certain hill-town

a householder,who possessed an ox marked with signs.

Sraman as,Brahmans

,kinsmen

,the poor

,the helpless

,the

needy, and the sick provided it with sustenance, and itcould wander about at its pleasure . On e day

,as it was

roamin g about, i t got into a certain swamp . Towards sunset came the householder

,who had heard of this

,and was

looking for i t . A s he could not get it out at the moment,

he det ermined to do so next morning. But the ox said,

Fling me a noose,and then go away. If a j ackal comes

,

I will pick up the noose with my horns and throw it overhim . The householder flung a noose in front of the oxand wen t away.

In the course of the night up c ame a j ackal , and said ,Who is it that is tearing up these lotus roots and whit elotusesThe ox replied

,I t is I . He re I am,

stuck fast in theswamp .

”

The jackal thought i t had found a feast, and preparedto do the ox an injury. The ox said,

“ Get away fromhere harm and disgrace might come upon you .

” But asthere was no driving away the j ackal

,and he was stil l

bent upon injuring as before,the ox uttered this vers e

No lotus roots do I tear up,nor white lotuses either.

If thou w ishest for food mount upon my back, there wiltthou find food .

1 Ka li-gym , iv . f. 293.

TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES.

Full of glu ttony,the j ackal go t on the back of the ox.

But the ox flung the noose with its horn,caugh t the j ackal

round the neck,and let him hang in the air. The ox

uttered this verseAr t thou Jakara the dancing-master

,or art thou one

who is learning to dan ce In the fore st are no fees paid ;a rts are taught in cities.”

The jackal also u ttered a v e rse i n replyNo t the dancing-master Jakara am I

,nor one who is

learning to dance . A s Sakara has provided a ladder,I

betake myself to Brahma’s world.

”

The ox rej oined likewise in vers eSakara has not provided a ladder ; still less is there

any question about going to Brahma’s world . As thou has tbeen laid in the fetters of contrivance

,thou wilt never see

thyself saved .

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XXXIX .

THE G UIL TY D OGS.

l

IN long-past times,King Brahmadatta came to the thron e

in Varanasi,at a period when the land was bles sed with

riches,profusion

,prosperity

,and crops

,and had a large

population . Now there were two dogs,Ganda and Upa

n anda by n ame,whi ch u sed to gnaw the king’s horse-gear.

Once when Kin g Brahmada tta was goin g to take the field

against the Liééhav is,he ordered his ministers to inspect

the horse-gear. When they had done this, and found thati t was all torn and tattered

,they said to the king

,

“ 0

kin g, the dogs have gnawed the horse-gear to pieces.”

The king said,Honoured sirs

,i f thi s i s the case

,I give

up the dogs altogether.”

Thereupon some of them were kill ed and others ranaway. A dog

,which came from another country

,seein g

them running o ff,asked them what had frightened them so

much . They gave a full account of all that had occurred.I t said

,Why do n ot you implore the king ? ”

They replied, We who ar e running away h ave nopower of imploring the king

,and the others have been

rendered mute .”

It said,Wait awhile I will implore the king in your

behalf.”

Encouraged by him they turned back ; and after theyhad made a halt they expressed their prayer in a verse ,uttered at a distance from which they could be heard,saying

1 Kah-gyu r,i v . f. 2 12.

THE GUILTY DOGS .

These two dogs,Ganda and Upaganda, full o f force

and health,li ving in the king’s stronghold

,ought to be put

to death . We are not deserving of death .,

0 king,it is not

right to let the innocent be put to death .

Having heard this,the king said next day to his minis

ters,

“ Honoured sirs,

find out those who implored meyesterday in verse .”

The ministers gave orders to the body-guards,s ayin g

,

Find out those who implored the king yesterday inverse .The guards said

,

“ I t was the dogs of the land thatdid so.The king said

,Honoured sirs

,find out whether the

horse-gear was devoured by Ganda and Up aganda , or byother dogs .

”

The ministers assembled,and began to take counsel

toge ther,saying

,Honoured sirs

,the king has ordered us

to find out about the dogs. Ho w sh all we manage it ? ”

Then some of them said,

“ There is only one way offinding out. What need is there to seek out others ?The dogs must be given a hair-pelle t and made to vomit.When the pellet of hair had been given to the dogs

,

and they had been made to vomit, Ganda and Upagandabrought up fragments of leather. When the king hadbeen informed of this

,he delivered those dogs over to

death . But he rendered the o thers free from fear.

THE H YP OCRITICAL CA T.

1

IN long-past times there was a chieftain of a company ofmice who had a retinue of five hundred mice . And therewas also a cat named Aguij a. In his youth he had beenwont to kill all the mice in the neighbourhood of hisdwelling-place . But afterwards, when he had grown old ,and no longer had the power of catching mice

,he thought

In former t imes,when I was young

,I was able to catch

mice by force . But now that I can do so no more , I mustuse some trick in order to make a meal o ff them . So hebegan to watch the mice by stealth . By means of suchwatching he found out that there were five hundred micein the troop .

At a spot not far distant from the mouse-hole,he took

to performing fictitious acts of penance, and the mice , asthey ran to and fro

, saw him standing there with piousmien . So they cried out to him from a distance, Uncle ,what are you doingThe cat replied

,

“ As in my youth I have perpetratedmany vicious actions

,I am n ow doing penance in order to

make up for them .

”

The mice fancied that he had given up his sinful life,

and there grew up within them confidence nourished byfaith .

No w as they returned into their hole every day aftermaking their rounds

,the cat always se ized on and devoured

the mouse which came last. Seein g that th e troop wasconstantly dwindling

,the chief thought : There mu st be

‘

1 Kah-gyu r, 1v . ff . 247, 248.

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( 346 )

THE GAZELLE AND THE HUNTER .

1

IN long-past times, when the Bodisat was in a state o findefinite merit-aggregation

,he was the prince of a band

of five hundred gazelles . Now a hunter had prepared agreat many traps

,nets

,and springs

,for the purpose of

catching gazelles. As the gazelle prince carelessly enjoyedlife

,wandering about the forest with a troop of five hundred

gazelles, he was caught in a net one day while headingthe troop of gazelles . When the other gazelles saw himcaugh t in the net

,they all fled away

,except one do c which

remained beside the prince . A lthough the gazelle princestruggled hard

,he was not able to tear the net. When

the doe saw that,as she ran to and fro

,she said

,AS the

hunter has prepared this n e t,exert thyself

, O blessed one,exert thyself

,O head of the gazelles.”

He replied,

“ A lthough I press my hoofs firmly againstthe ground

,yet as the net which binds me is strong, and

my feet are sorely wounded, I cannot tear the net. Whatthen is to be done ? ”

Presently came the hunter towards that Spo t, dressedin brown clothes and bearing a bow and arrows . The doesaw the hunter draw nigh in order to kill the gazelleprince . Having seen him,

she hurriedly exclaimed inverse

As this is the hunter who prepared this net, exertthyself

, 0 highly blessed gazelle prince, exert thyself.”

He replied, also in verseA lthough I set my hoofs hard against the ground, yet

1 Kah-gyu r, i v. ff. 244*—245’

THE GAZ ELLE AND THE HUNTER .

as the net which binds me is strong,and my feet are

sorely w‘ounded,I am no t able to tear the net. What,

then, i s to be done ?”

Then the doe approached the hunter with courageou sheart

,and coming up to him uttered this Sloka

O hunter,draw thy sword and first kill me

,and then

k ill the gazell e prince .When the hu n ter asked her with astonishment what

she had to do with the gazell e prince,sh e replied ,

“He

i s my husband . The hunter replied in a verse“ I will kill neither thee nor the gazelle prince. Thou

shalt keep company with thy beloved spouse. ”

She answered,l ikewise in a verse

A s I, O hunter, take pleasure in my dear spouse, so

mays t thou,O hunter

,en joy thyself wi th all that belongs

to thee .The hunter

,whose astonishment became still greater

,

went away together with the gazelles,whom he left at

liberty .

XLII.

THE MONKE YS SA VED FR OM DEA THZ1

IN long-past times there lived in a hill-place a troop offive hundred monkeys

,which

,when the corn was ripe

,

devoured the crops . The men w ho lived in that placeassembled and began to take counsel together

,saying

“Honou red Sirs,what shall we do

,seeing that the

monkeys endanger the corn ? ”

Some of them held that the monkeys mus t be killed.

Bu t how were they to set about doing that ? All the treeswhich stood around the place must be cut down , oneTinduka 2 tree only being all owed to stand. And a hedgeof thorns mus t be drawn around

,and the monkeys must

be killed inside the enclosure,when they climbed the tree

in search of food. A ccordingly all the trees growingaround that place were cut down

,only one Tinduka

tree being allowed to stand ; and that tree was surrounded by a hedge of thorns

,and a watchman was se t

there,with orders to give notice as soon as the monkeys

assembled .

Now one day when the Tinduka tree had put forthflowers and fruits

,and these had grown ripe

,the monkeys

said to their chiefO chief, as the Tinduka tree is ripe , let us go to it and

eat.Thereupon the chief

,with a troop o f five hundred

monkeys; climbed the Tinduka tree , and they began todevour the fruit. The watchman brought word to the

1 Kah-gyu r , 11 . ff. 1 1 5— 1 16. This 1 853, p . u nde r the t it le of

sto ry is given in Spe n ce Hardy’s “ The Tindu ka Jataka .— S .

“Man ua l o f Buddhism ”

(London , Diospyros embryopte r is .— S.

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XLIII.

INGRED ULIT Y PUNISHED .

‘

IN long-past times, in a Spot well provided with flow ersand fruits

,in the neighbourhood of a hill-town

,there

lived two chiefs of monkey troops,each of which was

composed of five hundred monkeys . On e of the tw ochiefs dreamed one nigh t that he was placed alive in acaldron

,together with a retinue of five hundred monkeys.

At this he was greatly alarmed, and he gave way tolamentation. Before the break of day he arose and calledthe monkeys together, and began to relate to them hisdreams .Honoured sirs

,last night I dreamed an evil dream

,in

consequence whereof we will leave this place .”

The monkeys said,Let us do so and set forth .

As Bodisats have dreams which are full of sign ifi

cance,the august being said to the chief of the other band

of monkeys,As I have dreamed such a dream

,it is to be

hoped that you will move somewhere else.”

The other chief answ ered incredu lo u sly, “Do dreamsthen turn out true ? If you wan t t o go, in that casego. But as I posses s a widely extended domain , I shallnot go.

”

When the first monkey-chief saw that the other didnot believe in him

,he himself

,together wi th his band,

went away.

On e day after this, as a servant-maid was roasting barleyon the ear th in one of the houses of the hill-town , a

1 Kah-gyur , iv . 246 .

INCREDULITY PUN’

ISHEI) .

w andering sheep came by bad luck that way, and beganto eat the grain. The maid struck the sheep with a firebran d, and the sheep ran blazing into the king

’

s elephant

stable. From its fl ames the elephant s table caught fire,

and many elephants were scorched. The king sent forthe doctor

,and asked ho w the elephants which had been

scorched by the fire ought to be treated. The doctorprescribed monkeys cooked in barley-meal. A ccordinglyorders were given to the hunters

,who caught all the

monkeys residing in the neighbourhood . These monkeys,whose flesh had increased in the cour se of time, thedoctor threw into the caldron alive.A deity uttered this verse It is not good to dwell ina town or a village in which di scord exists. On accountof discord between the sheep and the servant-maid, themonkeys perished .

”

XLIV.

THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH MONKE Y

CHIEFS .

1

IN long-past times there lived in a certain country twomonkey chiefs

,each ruling over a band of five hundred

monkeys. As one of them wandered about with his bandhe gradually came to a hill-village . A kimpaka treegrew there

,the branches of which were bowed down to

the ground by the fruit,so the monkeys said to the chief

of their band : O chief, as the tree is very rich in fruit,and the fruit weighs its branches down to the ground

,let

us after our fatigues enjoy the fruit.”

A fter looking at the tree,the chief of the band said in

a verse : “ A lthough the tree stands near the vill age,yet

have the children not partaken of the fruit. From thati t may be concluded that the fruit o f this tree i s not condu civ e to enjoyment.A fter he had thus spoken, they went away.

Following after him,the leader of the other band also

gradually drew near to that village. And when themonkeys saw the kimpaka tree , they said to the leader oftheir band O leader, as there i s fruit on this tree, andwe are fatigued

,we would like to enjoy the fruit and gain

strength .

”

He replied,Good do so .

The monkeys partook of the fruit,and unfortunately

suffered agonies in consequence.

1 Kah-gyu r, i v. f . 247.

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XLVI.

THE PEA CO CK AS BRIDE GROOIV.l

IN long-past times liv ed the fl am ingo-king, Rashtrapala.

The birds which dw elt in the different countries , havingheard that his daughter was going to choose herself ahusband, assembled themselves together, each hoping thathe would be her spouse.When she had looked at the peacock

,she said

,

“ He

shall be my husband .

Thereupon the o ther birds told him that she had chosenhim as her spouse . He expanded his tail and began todance .Basht rapala saw him

,and asked

,Why does he

dan ce ?The o thers replied

,

“ It i s because he is to be yourdaughter’s husband.

”

He said,To him I wi ll not giv e my daughter

,for he

i s shameles s and bold .

When the peacock heard of this , he went to Basht rapala, and asked in a s

’

loka Wherefore dost thou refu se togive me thy daughter

,although I have a lovely voice

,a

beautiful colou r,wings set with eyes

,and a neck like unto

lapis lazul i ?Rashtr apala replied, A lthough thou hast a lovelyvoice

,a beautiful colour

,wings set w ith eyes

,and a neck

l ike unto lapis lazu li,yet I will not give her to thee, for

thou art affl icted with impudence .”

1 Kah-gyu r, i ii. f. 90.

( 35 5 )

XLVII.

THE CROW WITH THE G OLDEN

IT happened long ago,that a crow uttered agre eable

sounds in the presence o f a woman,whose husband had

undertaken a long journey.

The woman said,

“ Ho there, 0 crow ! if my husband

returns home safe and sound,I will give you a golden

cap .

”

A fter a time her husband returned home safe andsound

,when the crow appeared before her with an eye

to the golden cap,and uttered agreeable sounds . She

gave it a golden cap .

The crow put it on,and fled hither and thither.

But on account of the golden cap a falcon to re o ff thecrow’s head.

A deity uttered this verse : “A possess ion, which has

no necessary cause, will be taken away. The gold on thecrow’s head was looked after by a robber.

1 Kah-gyu r , i v. f. 22 1 .

XLVIII.

THE RE VENGEFUL CR OW’

.1

IN lon g-past times the men of Rajagriha and their kingdetermined

,on account of some occurrence or other

, to

e stablish two cemeteries,and to bury men in one of them

and women in the other. I t happened once that a hermaphr odite died and could find room neither in the onecemetery nor in the o ther. In a certain locality in Rajagriha there was a park full o f roots

,fruits

,splendid

flowers,and various singin g-birds . There a Rishi dwel t

with shaven head,who fed upon roots

,fruits

,and water

,

and was clothed in a hide and the bark of trees . A

ricinus shrub grew there in a three-cornered field, andthere the body of the hermaphrodite w as left. Perceivingthe smell o f the body

,a jackal came and began to devour

its flesh . Now a crow had built her nest on the top o fthe ricinus tree, and was nestling in it. It occurred toher to flatter the jackal

,in order that he might give her

the remains of the feast,so she began to sing his praises

i n a verse : As I testify my reverence for thee,who art

provided with the neck of a lion and the back of a bull,so deign to be gracious to me for the benefit of theasker.”

The jackal looked up and said,likewise in verse : “ 0

most excellent of birds,wanderer through the air

,lighter

u p of all places, now like unto a gem dwelling upon thesummit of a Splendid tree.The crow continued

,As I have descended in order to

1 Kah-gyur , i v. f. 23 1 .

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XLIX.

THE UNITED PHEASANTS .

1

IN lon g-past time there lived on the sea-coas t two pheasants

,named Dharmika and Adharmika

,whose bodies

were united in their growth. Once while Adharmikawas asleep

,Dharmika kept awake

,and saw an amrita

fruit driven ashore by the waters . He took i t out andconsidered whether he should wake the o ther or eat thefruit by himself. Reflecting that i f h e ate it

,the bodv

they shared in common would be nourished thereby,he

did not wake the other.When the other awoke of his own accord

,and perceived

thatDharmika’s breath smel t of amrita fruit, he said,“Whati s it your breath smells o f ?

“Amrita fruit

,replied Dharmika .

Where did you get i t ? ” asked Adharmika .

Dharmika replied,

“ I found an amrita fruit while youwere asleep

,and I ate it without wakin g you

,because I

considered that our common body would be n ourishedthereby.

”

Adharmika said,

“As you have not acted rightly the1 e in,

I also will bide my time.”

On another occasion , when Dharm ika hadgone to sleepandAdharm ika was awake , the latter perceived a poisonousfruit which the waves had brough t ashore. He ate it

,and

both of the birds became insensible. Affected by thepoisonous fruit

,Adharmika said,

“Wherever I may be

36o .— S

THE UNITED PHEASANTS . 3 59

bOrn again,there may I be thy antagonist

,O enemy and

slayerDharmika said

,Wherever I may be born again

,may

I Show you kindness

1 This is a va r ia n t o f the fou rt e e n th sto ry o f the fi fth bo ok o f the

Pa n cha ta n tr a ,in w hich figu r e s a bird

n amedBha randa,ha vin g o n e body

b u t tw o be aks. The first be a k de vo u r sa n ambro sia -like fr u it , w hich it t efu se s to sha r e w ith its compa n io n .

The aggr ie ved be a k,o u t o f spit e ,

e a ts a po iso n o u s fru it and the birddie s . W ith this m ay b e c ompa redthe fo llo w in g pa ssage , qu o t ed fr omthe Mu ndaka Upan ishad by P ro f.Mo n ie r W i lliams (India n \Visdom

,

p.

“ Tw o b irds (the Paramatma n a ndJ i vatman

,o r su pr em e a nd

indiv idu a l so u ls), a lw ays u n ited, o fthe sam e n am e , o ccu py the same

t r e e (abide in the same body ). On e

o f them (the J i vatman ) en joys thesw e e t fru it o f the fig (o r fr u it o f

a cts), the o the r lo oks o n a s a. w it

n e ss . Dw e ll in g o n the same t r e e

(w ith the su preme so u l ), the de lu

ded (individu a l ) so u l , imme r sed (inw o r ldly r e la t io n s), is gr ie ved by thew an t o f po w e r ; bu t w hen it p e r

ce iv e s the Ru le r , sepa r a te (fr omw o r ldly r e la t io n s) and his glo ry ,the n it s gr ie f ce a se s. W he n the

beho lde r se e s the go lde n -co lo u r edmake r (o f the w o r ld), the lo rd, thesou l , the so u rce o f Brahma

, the n ,

ha vin g be come w ise,

shakin g o ff

v ir tu e a nd vice , w itho u t ta in t o f

a n y kind he obta in s the highe stiden t ity .

THR E E TA L E S A B O U T A R T I S TS .

1

1 . THE IVORY CARVER AND THE PAINTER.

2

THERE lived an iv ory carver i n Madhyadeéa who, after hehad carved a fe w grains of rice made of ivory

,travelled

with them to the Yav an a land, and there took up his abodein the house of a painter. In the absence of the husband

,

he said to the wife,

“Wife of my friend,cook this rice and

serve it up to me .

The woman began to cook the rice,but he r store of

wood came to an end,and yet the rice remained uncooked .

When the painter came home, he asked, Good wife, whatis the meaning of that 7She told him the whole story. The man looked at the

rice,perceived that the separate grains were carved o u t of

ivory,and said to his wife, while setting her right

Good wife, the water is salt. He must bring us freshwater ; the rice will t hen get cooked.

1 In S . Be a l’s “Roma n t ic Legendo f Sakya. Buddha ,

” pp . 93—96, it is

r e lated ho w the so n o f a m an o f

qu a l ity in Varan a si, in o rde r to

o bta in the ha nd o f a blacksm ith’sdau ghte r , appliedhimse lf to makin gfin e n e edle s, a ndmade su ch pr ogre ssin the a rt tha t he in cluded, amo n gthe n e edle s w hich he sho w edto the

sm ith, o n e w hich cou ldfloa t o n the

su r face o f w a te r . This ta le o ccu rs

in a some w ha t di ffe r en t shape inthe Makandikav adan a in the Div

yavadan a , p . 239 o f the St . Pe te rs

bu rg MS . A B rahman’

s son in a.

hill-place , e n te r in g the hou se o f a

sm ith in o rde r to co lle ct a lms,fa l ls

in lo ve w ith the sm ith ’s da ughte r ,bu t lea r n s tha t he r fa the r w i l l givehe r to tha t man o n ly w ho ca n equ a lo r su rpass him in a rt . The Brahman yo u th a ppli ed himse l f to the

a rt o f makin g n e edle s, and the ncame to the sm ith’s hou se , a nd

Offe r ed him n e edle s fo r sa le . Al l

the se ven n e edles w hich he produ ceda s a te st o f his skill a re o f su ch a

n a tu r e tha t they flo a t u po n w a te r ,

e ve n the la rge st amo ng them n o t

be in g e xcepted— S .

2 Kah-gyu r , 11. f. 283 .

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TALES FROM TIBETAN SO URCES .

that the artificial maiden had collapsed and turned into aheap o f chips. Thereupon he fancied that the painterhadhan ged himsel f ou t of vexation at havin g been madea fool of.Now it was the cu stom in the Y av an a land

,that when

ever any one died suddenly in an y house,the funeral

could not take place u ntil information thereof had beengiven to the kin g. So the mechanician wen t to the kin gand told him that a painter from MadhyadeSa had put upat his house

,and that he had sen t an artificial maiden to

wait upon him,and that the painter had seized he r by

the hand and tried to draw her towards him,whereupon

she had turned in to a heap of chips ; and that the painter,out of vexation at being made a fool of

,had hanged

himself. A nd he besought the king to have the corpseinspected

,in order that he might be able to bury it.

The king ordered his official s to undertake the in spection . When the officials reached the spot, and began toconsider how they should get the hanged man down

,

some of them recommended that the rope should be cut,

and accordingly an axe w as fetched . But when theyw ere about to cut the rope

,they perceived that what was

before them was only a door,and that the mechanician

had been made a fool o f. Then the painter came forthfrom his hiding-place and said

, O inmate of this house,you made a fool o f m e i n private . But I have made afool of you in the midst of the royal re tinue.

3 . THE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE TWO ARTISTS.

1

In olden times a dispute arose between two painters ina hill-place

,each of the two affirming that he was superior

in art to the other. They went before the king, and fella t his fe et. Then each of them explained how he wasa better a rtist than the o ther. As the king could notsettle their dispu te , he pointed to the entrance hall , and

1 Kath -gyu r,i i . f. 283 .

THREE TALES ABO UT ARTISTS .

Ordered each of them to paint one of i ts walls. Whentheir work w as finished

,he would be i n a position to

decide w hich o f them was the better artis t.They set to work

,divided f rom one ano ther by a cur

tain . On e of them painted a pictu re , and comple ted it ins ix months . But the other i n six mon ths covered thesurface of his wall with mosaic work. Having finishedhis picture

,the first artist came before the king and said

,

0 king,my picture i s finished

,may it please you to set

eyes u pon i t. ”

When the king,attended by his ministers

,had passed

through the doorway and gazed u pon the picture,he was

well pleased and said,The painting is excellent .” Then

the other artist fel l at his feet and said,Now vouchsafe

to look a t my picture . When he had drawn the curtainaside

,and the king saw severa l figures standing well out

,

he marvelled greatly and said, Of the two paintings this

is th e most excellent .” Then the artist drew the curtainonce more in front of his work

,a nd fell at the king’s fee t

and said, O king, this i s no paintin g. I have decorated

the wal l in mosaic .Thereupon the kin g’s astonishmen t waxed sti ll greater

,

and he said,This i s the one w ho i s th e best artis t.”

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366

Dha na,King, 44, 5 1 , 60

Dha rma -raj a , 66Disease -r e ve a l ing g em , 10 0

Do g , in t r igu e disco ve r ed by, 147 ;ta ugh t t o spe ak , 1 75

Drama t ic pe r fo rm a n ce , 240- 6

D re am,w oman e n j oy ed in a

, 163D ro psy pe rso n ified, 10 1Dsan glu n , the , 29Dum b cr ipple

,sto ry o f the

,247

-

52

Di'

i rva grass, 30 1

EAR-SPLITTING she l l,23, 27

En igmas, 1 38

Eggs, thir ty-tw o pr in ces bo rn fr om1 25

Eu r opea n fo lk-ta le s,xxxv i- lxv

FEMALE beau ty, de scr ibed, 55Fiv e lo ver s, sto ry o f the , 299Five sle e ple ss be ings , 66Fl igh t o f the be as ts, s to ry o f the

,

296

Fo lk-ta le s, Eu ro pe an , xxxvi—lxvFu lfilledp ro phe cy, sto ry o f the , 273

GANDHAMADANA mo u n ta in,288

Gaze l le and hu n te r , sto ry o f the,

347Gaze l le-Ho rn ,

boy n amed, 253Gir ika , the Naga raj a , 236Godde ss o f v irgin s , 193Gods

,the dish-be a r i ng, gar land

w e ar in g, a nd e ve r-e le va t ed,1 2

1 3 the c ity o f the t hir ty-th r e e14

- 16 ; w a r w ith Asur as,1 7 ;

du rat io n o f l ife , 20Go pala , so n o f S aka la , 75, 78—9,82

,89

G ra te fu l an imals,sto ry o f the

, 30 9Gu i lty dogs, sto ry o f the

, 342

HASTINQPURA , 44Hodgso n , Br ian H.

,xxi i i -xxv

Human fle sh e a t ing, 84Hu sband fre e ly cho se n by pr in cess,283

Hypo cr it ica l ca t, sto ry o f the , 344

ICHNEUMON, mo use,and sn ak e s,

sto ry o f the , 30 8

In c r edu l ity p u n ished, sto ry o f, 350

Indra , Kusa a ided by , 23, 28

Insight , the fiv e k inds o f, 3Ivo ry c a r v e r and pa in ter

,sto ry o f

the , 360

INDEX .

JACKA L and l io n,sto ry o f the , 335

Jacka l as ca lumn iato r,sto ry o f the ,

3 25Ja cka l hangedby o x, sto ry o f the ,

339Jacka l in e le phan t's

sto ry o f the, 34 1

Jambu R ive r, 19 1

Jan aka , ki ng o f Videha, 1 28Janmachitra , the Naga , 46-50Je w e l-str e w mg , 2Jivaka

,Pr in ce , birth , 9 1 ; be comes

a physic ian , 93 ; his in te ll igence ,95

- 8 ; his cu r e s, 1 0 0—9

fo o tpr in ts,

KAH-GYUR, the , xxv-xxxuKaksha fo r e st

, 1 55Ka pittha t re e , 68

Khadira w o od, magic pow e r o f, 48

Kin n a r is as c e le st ia l n ymphs, 54Kodr av a gra in

, 106

Ko ti, 7Krisa Gau tami , adven tur es o f, 2 16226

Ksheman 'kar a, Pr in ce , bl inded by

bro the r ; 282 cu red by asse ve rat io n s, 284

Kusa , Pr in ce , his u glin e ss, 22-3 ;his adve n tu r e s

,24

- 8

Lréés a v rs, o f Vaiéali, 76—80 , 82,

2 13Li fe o f gods, du ratio n o f

, 20

MADRI, so r ro w s o f,262—9

Magic, 288 m agic lut e , 229- 30Magic ian ’

s pu pil,sto ry o f the

,288

Mahaka r n a , his in tr igu e , 144-7

Mahak i éyapa , his bir th , 190 co n

t in e n ce,197-20 1 ; pio u s life , 20 3-4

Mahapu r usha , 1

Maharajas, the fo u r , 1 87Maha u shadha , bir th o f

, 1 33 his

w isdo m, 33-54, 1 59, 1 68, 1 74-6 ,

1 80,1 84

—6 ; his ma rr iage,1 55

—62

Maho ragas, 245Man

, i ngr a t i tude o f, 30 9Mandhata r

,King

,his bir th ; his

W ishing—po w e r s , 4—6 ; his co n

qu ests, 7- 14 l ive s w ith gods, 16c o nqu e r s Asu ras, 1 7 i lln e ss a nd

de ath, 18-20Man o ha ra, the Kin na r i , captu r ed by

a hun te r , 54 ; r e tu rn s to he a ve n ,62 ; r eco ve red by he r hu sba nd,63

-74

INDEX .

m m,243

Ma r r iage , pro pe r w ay o f pro po sing,1 8

Mausdgalyaya n a , co n v e rts Utpa la

v a rnzi , 2 1 5Me cha n ic ia n a nd pa in te r , sto ry o f

the, 36 1

Medic in e , sc ie n ce o f, 93

- 109Mi ldn ess, w h e e l o f, 243Mo nkey chie fs, st o ry o f

, 3 2

Mo nkeys,the in cr edu lo u s, sto ry o f,

3 0

Mo r

ikeys and m o o n , sto ry o f

, 353Mo n keys sa ved from de a th, st o ry o r

,

348

Mrigadha ra, Min iste r o f King l’r ase n aj i t , 1 10—1 25

Mu sic, mag ic,230

Na o as, 1 2, 46—50 , 236

—9, 244 , 276

Nyagrodha , n am ed a fte r a t r e e,1 86

OTTERS a nd ja cka l,sto ry o f the

, 332

Oxe n as w itn e sse s,s to ry o f the , 3 1 5

PANC BX LA , k ings o f No r th a nd

S o u th, 44Pa pa n

'ka ra , Pr in c e , 2 79-85Passio n o f lo ve

,de sc r ipt io n o f

, 56

Pea co ck as br idegro om,sto ry o f the ,

354Pe a r l o f w ome n , t r e atme n t o f a,

77, 86Pingala

,the demo n , 276

Po pu la r ta le s, xxxvi— lxvPr ase n aj it , Kin g, 1 10 , 1 27Pu n ishme n t o f gre ed

,sto ry o f, 286

Purna , Ma ha u shadha’

s fa the r , 1 33Pu r o hita

, 56

Ra r a cmn a, 76, 80

Ra jyabhin anda , King, 1 29, 1 3 1lhampsin itu s, t r e asu ry lege nd, 37Rishis

, 3 , 1 1 , 84, 254—6

Ro h i n i, 67

S AKALA , commande r a t Va isali , 7579

Sakra , the de i ty his pe r iodo f l i fe,

20 ; King Mandhata r t r ies t o dethr o n e him , 18 ; a pplied t o fo r

a so n, 1 87 t e sts Visvan ta ra

’

s

cha r ity, 269—7 1Sa rjar as in , Kin g, 273Se rpe n t-cha rme r

, a Naga attacked

THREE-LEGGED ha r e sto ry, 38T ibe t , a u tho r it ie s o n

,xxxv

T induka t r e e, 348

Tit tira Jataka, 30 3

Tr e a su r e s,the se ve n

, 3Tre e -w o r ship

,l i i i

,85, 186—90

Tr icked e le pha n t,sto ry o f

, 3 13Tumo u r

, child bo rn from a, 1

Tw o br o the rs,sto ry o f

, 279

S e ve n tr e asu re s,the

, 3Schie fn e r

,F. A . Vo n

,memo ir o f

,

xxxm

Shemyaka s j udgme n t,sto ry o f

,xli

Sho e s w i th r e ve r sed to e s,275

Sku ll-o pe n ing, o pe ra t io n o f, 98, 10 0

$o lom o n’

s j udgm e n t , xl i i i , 1 2 1Sraman as, 44S ri var than a , 1 22

S tu bbo r n a nd w i llin g o xe n,sto ry

o f, 32 1

S udarsa n a , the c i ty o f the gods,

14- 16

S udha o r n e c ta r , 69S udha n a

, Pr in ce,lo ses a nd r e

c o ve rs his su pe r n a tu r a l w i feMa n o ha ra, 52—73

Sudha rma, the me e t ing-place o f thegods

,14

Su ic ide , Kusa s in te nded,28

S ume r u , Mo u n t, 1 1

S u n ,a s fi fth gu ardian o f the w o r ld,

320

S u nda r a , Naga raja , 236S u pa r n a , a bi rd-king, 227—3 1Surya n em i, King, 2 73—8S us

’

ro n i, adve n t u r e s o f, 228 -235S vayamv a ra , a, 283Sw an -ma ide n s

,xlvm

UDAYIN, be havio u r o f, 244—6

Udum bar ika, adve n tu r e s o f, 1 77

18 1

Ungra te fu l w i fe , sto ry o f a n,29 1

Ungra te fu l lio n , sto ry o f the, 3 1 1

Un i ted ph e asan ts , sto ry o f t he, 3 58

Ut pa la v a rn fi . adve n tu r e s o f, 206

2 15Utposhadha , King, 1-2

Vu séxn a mo n th, 300

Va iéali , r e pu bl ic o f, 76 ; de sc r iptio no f the c ity , 77 ; the pu blic as

semb li es, 78 ; cu stoms abo u tw om e n

, 86

Va israv ana , the Yaksha k ing, 58

368

Vilva , o r Bel tr e e , 68, 296Vi ran a , 30 1

Vi r tu o u s an imals,

sto ry o f the,

30 2

Virupa , adve n tu r e s o f, 1 77—8 1Vis

'

iakha , hu sbando f Viéakha, 1 10

hu sba nd o f a n u n grate fu l w i fe ,29 1—5

Viéakha, Balamitra’

sdau ghte r : he rw isdom , 1 1 1

- 1 24 ; bu i lds a mo

n a ste ry a nd pr odu ces eggs, 1 25Visakha, the carpe n te r ’s daught e rhe r W isdom , 1 55

-8, 16 1 , 164—7Visvan ta ra , Pr in ce , 257 ; his se lfsacrificing ge n e r o sity, 258- 71

THE END.

Pr in ted b y BALLANTYNE, HANSON 69° Co.

Edin burgh 69° Lo ndon

Wsssan'r aa a Jataka , 257 ,

W i fe , the u ngrate fu l, sto ry o f the,

29 1

W ishing-tr e es, 9

W o l f and she e p,sto ry o f the, 3 14

Wo lf’s m i lk, 293

Wo odpecke r cu re s l io n ’

s to o thache,

3 1 2

W oman 8 ingrat itude , sto ry o f, 29 1

YAKSHA statue r ings to csin , 8 1, 82,88

Yakshas assist Pr in ce Sudhana, 59Yo jan a, 1 1