Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares in Kasi, the Bodhisatta was born into the Treasurer’s family. Growing up, He was made Treasurer, being called Treasurer Little. He was a wise and clever man with a keen eye for signs and omens. One day on his way to wait upon the king, he came on a dead mouse lying on the road; and, taking note of the position of the stars at that moment, he said, “Any decent young fellow with his wits about him has only to pick that mouse up, and he might start a business and keep a wife.”

His words were overheard by a young man of good family but reduced circumstances, who said to himself, “That’s a man who has always got a reason for what he says.” And accordingly he picked up the mouse, which he sold for a coin at a tavern for their cat.

With the coin he got molasses and took drinking water in a water – pot. He saw flower-gatherers returning from the forest. He gave each a tiny quantity of the molasses water to them. Each of them gave him a handful of flowers, with the proceeds of which, next day, he came back again to the flower ground provided with more molasses and a pot of water. That day the flower-gatherers, before they went, gave him flowering plants with half the flowers left on them; and thus in a little while he obtained eight coins.

Later, one rainy and windy day, the wind blew down a quantity of rotten branches and boughs and leaves in the king’s pleasaunce, and the gardener did not see how to clear them away. Then he came up to the young man with an offer to remove the lot and take away them. The grander closed with the offer on the spot. Then he cleared them within no time and made a heap of them before the entrance. Just then the king’s potter was on the look out for fuel to fire bowls for the palace. Coming on this heap, took the lot off his hands. The sale of his wood brought in sixteen coins to this pupil of Treasurer Little, as well as five bowls and other vessels. Having now twenty-four coins in all, a plan occurred to him. He went to the vicinity of the city-gate with a jar full of water and supplied 500 mowers with water to drink. They said, “You’ve done us a good help and what can we do for you?”

The boy said,“Oh, I’ll tell you when I want your aid.” While going, he struck up an intimacy with a land-trader and a sea-trader. The Traders told him, “To-morrow a horse-dealer is coming to twn with 500 horses to sell.” On hearing this piece of news, he said the mowers, “I want each of you to-day to give me a bundle of grass and not to sell your own grass till mine is sold.” They also agreed and delivered the 500 bundles of grass at his house. Unable to get grass for his horses elsewhere, the dealer purchased our friend’s grass for a thousand coins.

Only a few days later his sea-trading friend brought him news of the arrival of a large ship in port; and another plan struck him. He hired a decorated a coach for eight coins and went in great style down to the port. Having bought the ship on credit and deposited his signet-ring as security, he had a pavilion pitched hard by and said to his people as he took his seat inside, “When merchants are being shewn in, let them be passed on by three successive ushers into my presence.” Hearing that a ship had arrived in port, about a hundred merchants came down to buy the cargo; only to be told that they could not have it as a great merchant had already made a payment on account. So away they all went to the young man; and the footmen duly announced them by three successive ushers, as had been arranged before-hand Each man of the hundred severally gave him a thousand pieces to buy a share in the ship and then a further thousand each to buy him out altogether. So it was with 200,000 pieces that this pupil of Treasurer Little returned to Benares.

To show his gratitude, he went with one hundred thousand coins to call on Treasurer Little. “How did you earn all this wealth?” asked the Treasurer. “In four short months, simply by following your advice,” replied the young man; and he told him the whole story, starting with the dead mouse. on hearing all this, Lord High Treasurer Little thought, “I must see that the young fellow dose not fall into anybody else’s hands.” So Lord High Treasurer Little made him his son-in-law. And at the Treasurer’s death, he become Treasurer in city. And the Bodhisatta passed away to fare according to his deserts.