Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into a brahmin family. And when he grew up, he studied all the arts at Takkasila and then returned to his parents. In this Birth the Great Being became a holy young student. Then his parents told him they would look out a wife for him.

The Bodhisatta said, “I have no desire for a married life; When you are dead, I will adopt the religious life of an ascetic.”

And being greatly importuned by them, he had a golden image made, and said, “If you can find me a maiden like unto this, I will take her to my wife.’ His parents sent forth some emissaries with a large escort, and bade them place the golden image in a covered carriage and go and search through the plains of India, till they found just such a young brahmin girl, when they were to give this golden image in exchange, and bring the girl back with them.

Now at this time a holy man passing from the Brahma world was born again in the form of a young girl in a town in the kingdom of Kasi, in the house of a brahmin worth eighty crored, and the name given her was Sammillabhasini. At the age of sixteen she was a fair and gracious maiden, like to an Apsara, endued with all the marks of female beauty. And since no thought of evil was ever suggested to her by the power of sinful passion, she was perfectly pure. So the men took the golden image and wandered about till they reached this village. The inhabitants on seeing the image asked, “Why are you carrying the image of Sammillabhasini?” They explained everything. But, Sammillabhasini said to her parents, “When you are dead, I shall adopt the religious life; I have no desire for the married state.” The parents accepting the golden image they sent off their daughter with a great retinue. The marriage ceremony took place against the wishes of both the Bodhisatta and Sammillabhasini. Though sharing the same room and the same bed they did not regard one another with the eye of sinful passion, but lived together like two holy men or two female saints.

By and bye the father and mother of the Bodhisatta died. He performed their funeral rites and calling to him Sammillabhasini, said to her, “My dear, my family property amounts to eighty crores, and yours too is worth another eighty crores. Take all this and enter upon household life. I shall become an ascetic.”

She answered, “Sir! if you become an ascetic, I will become one too. I cannot forsake you.”

So spending all their wealth in alms-giving and throwing up their worldly fortune as it were a lump of phlegm, they journeyed into the Himalayas and both of them adopted the ascetic life, living on wild fruits and roots. They came down from the Himalayas to procure salt and vinegar, and gradually found their way to Benares, and lived in the royal grounds. And while they were living there, the female ascetic, was attacked by dysentery and not being able to get any healing remedies, she grew very weak. The Bodhisatta while going to beg for alms, took hold of her and carried her to the gate of the city and there laid her on a bench, went into the city for alms. Before he came back she expired. The people, beholding the great beauty of this female ascetic, thronged about her, weeping and lamenting. The Bodhisatta on his return hearing of her death said, “That which has the quality of dissolution is dissolved. All impermanent existences are of this kind.” With these words he sat down on the bench whereon she lay and ate the mixture of food got as alms. The people that stood by gathered round him and said, “Reverend Sir! what was this female ascetic to you?”

He replied, “When I was a layman, she was my wife.”

They asked, “Holy Sir! while we weep and lament and cannot control our feelings, why do you not weep?”

The Bodhisatta said, “While she was alive, she belonged to me in some sort. Nothing belongs to her that is gone to another world; she has passed into the power of others. Why should I weep?” And teaching the people the Truth, he recited these stanzas:

Why should I shed tears for thee?

Fair Sammillabhasini?

Passed to death’s majority

Thou art henceforth lost to me.

Wherefore should frail man lament

What to him is only lent?

He too draws his mortal breath

Forfeit every hour to death.

Be he standing, sitting still,

Moving, resting, what he will,

In the twinkling of an eye,

In a moment death is nigh.

Life I count a thing unstable,

Loss of friends inevitable.

Cherish all that are alive,

Sorrow not should you survive.

Thus did the Great Being teach the Truth, illustrating by these four stanzas the impermanence of things? The people performed funeral rites over the female ascetic. And the Bodhisatta returned to the Humalayas, and entering on the higher knowledge arising from mystic meditation was destined to birth in the Brahma – world.

The Master, having ended his lesson, revealed the Truths identified the Birth: – At the conclusion of the Truths, the landowner attained to fruition of the First Path: – “At that time the mother of Rahula was Sammillabhasini, and I myself was the ascetic.”