Once upon a time, Brahmadatta ruled Benares. The Bodhisatta was born into a landowner’s family, and gained a living by selling corn. Another man, snake-charmer, had trained a monkey, made him swallow an antidote, and making a snake play with the monkey and thus gained his livelihood.

A merrymaking had been proclaimed and snake-charmer wishing to make merry at the feast, entrusted the monkey to his the Bodhisatta, requesting him not to neglect it. After seven days, snake-charmer came to the Bodhisatta and asked for his monkey. The monkey heard his master’s voice, and came out quickly from the grain shop. At once the snake-charmer beat the monket over the back with a piece of bamboo; then he took him off to the woods, tied him up and fell asleep. So soon as the monkey saw that he was asleep, he loosened his bonds, and climbed a mango tree. He ate a mango, and dropped the stone upon the snake-charmer’s head. The snake-charmer awoke, and thought that when he comes down from the tree, I’ll catch him! ” So to wheedle him, he said, “I treated you as my own son; please come down. Let us go home.”

The monkey listened, and said, “Have you forgot beating me? I am content to live here eating ripe mangoes.”

Up monkey arose, and was soon lost in the woods; while the snake-charmer returned to his house in sorrow.

When this discourse was ended, the Master identified the Birth: “Our novice was the Monkey. The Elder was the snake-charmer, and I myself was the corn merchant.”