Once upon a time, while Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as one of a family of poor acrobats, that lived by begging. So when he grew up, he was needy and squalid, and by begging he lived.

There was at the time, in a village of Kasi, a Brahmin whose wife was bad and wicked, and did wrong. And when the brahmin was away, and her lover watching this went to brahmin’s house. After she had received him, he said, “I will eat a bit before I go.” So she made ready the food, and served up rice hot with sauce and curry, and gave it him, requested him eat. She herself stood at the door, watching whether the brahmin is coming. And while the lover was eating, the Bodhisatta stood waiting for a morsel.

At that moment the Brahmin came home. And his wife saw him, and ran in quickly and said to her lover, “Up, my man is coming!” She made her lover go down into the store room. The husband came in; she gave him a seat, and water for washing the hands; and upon the cold rice that was left by the other she turned out some hot rice, and placed it before him. He put his hand into the rice, and felt that it was hot above and cold below. He thought, “This must be some one else’s leavings, and so he asked the woman, “It is hot at top and cold at bottom; tell me the reson.”

Again and again he asked, but she kept quiet. Then a thought came into our acrobat’s mind. “The man down in the store room must be a lover, and this is the master of the house. I will declare the whole matter, and show the Brahmin that a man is hidden in his larder!” And he told him the whole matter.

By his top knot he dragged the man out of the store room, and asked him not to do the same again; the Brahmin rebuked and beat them both, and gave them such a lesson that they were not likely to do the same again. Afterwards he passed away to fare according to his deserts.