Once upon a time when a king named Senaka was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was Sakka. The king Senaka was friendly with a naga-king. This naga-king, they say, left the naga-world and came to the earth seeking food. The village boys seeing him said, “This is a snake,” and struck him with clods and other things. The king, going to amuse himself in his garden, saw them, and being told they were beating a snake, said, “Don’t let them beat him, drive them away”; and this was done. So the naga-king got his life and when he went back to the naga-world, he took many jewels, and coming at midnight to the king’s bedroom he gave them to him, saying, “I got my life through you”; so he made friendship with the king and came again and again to see him. He appointed one of his naga girls, insatiate in pleasures, to be near the king and protect him: and he gave the king a charm, saying, “If ever you do not see her, repeat this charm.”

One day the king went to the garden with the naga girl and was amusing himself in the lotus-tank. The naga girl seeing a water-snake quitted her human shape and made love with him. The king not seeing the girl said, “Where is she gone?” and repeated the spell; then he saw her in her misconduct and struck with a piece of bamboo. She went in anger to the naga-world, and when she was asked, “Why have you come?” she said, “Your friend struck me on the back because I did not do his bidding,” she wing the mark of the blow. The naga-king, not knowing the truth, called four naga youths and sent them with orders to enter Senaka’s bedroom and destroy him. They entered the chamber at the royal bed-time. As they came in, the king was saying to the queen: “Lady, do you know where the naga-girl has gone?” “King, I do not.” “To-day when we were bathing in the tank, she quit her shape and misconducted herself with a water-snake: I said, ‘Don’t do that,’ and struck her with a piece of bamboo to give her a lesson: and now I fear she may have gone to the naga-world and told their king. He being moved went instantly to the king’s chamber, told him all and was forgiven: then he said, “In this way I make amends,” and gave the king a charm giving knowledge of all sounds: “This, O king, is a priceless spell: if you give anyone this spell you will at once enter the fire and die.” The king said, “It is well,” and accepted it. From that time he understood the voice even of ants. One day he was sitting on the dais eating solid food with honey and molasses: and a drop of honey, a drop of molasses, and a morsel of cake fell on the ground. An ant seeing this comes crying, “The king’s honey-jar is broken on the dais, his molasses-cart and cake-cart; come and eat honey and molasses and cake.” The king hearing the cry laughed. The queen being near him thought, “What has the king seen that he laughs?” when the king had eaten his solid food and bather and sat down cross-legged, a fly said to his wife, “Come, lady, let us enjoy love.” She said, “Excuse me for a little, husband: they will soon be bringing perfumes to the king; as he perfumes himself some powder will fall at the feet: I will stay there and become fragrant, then we will enjoy ourselves lying on the king’s back .” The king hearing the voice laughed again. The queen thought again, “What has he seen that he laughs?” Again when the king was eating his supper, a lump of rice fell on the ground. The ants cried, “A wagon of rice has broken in the king’s palace, and there is none to eat it.” The king hearing this laughed again. The queen took a golden spoon and helping him reflected, “It it at the sight of me that the king laughs?” She went to the bedroom with the king and at bed-time she asked, “Why did you laugh, O king?” He said, “What have you to do with?” Give me your spell of knowledge.” He said, “It cannot be given”: but though repulsed her pressed him again.

The king said, “If I give you this spell, I shall die.” “Even thought you die, give it me.” The king, being in the power of womankind, saying, “It is well,” consented and went to the park in a chariot, saying, “I shall enter the fire after giving away this spell.”

At that moment, Sakka, king of gods, looked down on the earth and seeing this case said, “This foolish king, knowing that he will enter the fire through womankind, is on his way; I will give him his life.” So he took Suja, daughter of the Asuras, and went to Benares. He became a he-goat and made her a she-goat, and resolving that the people should not see them, he stood before the king’s chariot. The king and the Sindh asses yoked in the chariot saw him, but none else saw him. For the sake of starting talk he was as if making love with the she-goat. One of the Sindh asses yoked in the chariot seeing him said, “Friend goat, we have heard before, but not seen, that goats are stupid and shameless: but you are doing, with all of us looking on, this thing that should be done in secret and in a private place, and are not ashamed: what we have heard before agrees with this that we see.”

The goat hearing him spoke:

I, sir donkey, think and realize your own stupidity,

You’re tied with ropes, your jaw is wrenched, and very downcast is your eye.

When you’re loosed, you don’t escape, Sir, that’s a stupid habit too:

And that Senaka you carry, he’s more stupid still than you.

The king understood the talk of both animals, and hearing it he quickly sent away the chariot. The ass hearing the goat’s talk spoke:

Well, Sir king of goats, you fully know my great stupidity:

But how Senaka is stupid, please explain to me.

The goat explaining this spoke:–

He who his own special treasure on his wife will throw away,

Cannot keep her faithful ever and his life he must betray.

The king hearing his words said, “King of goats, you will surely act for my advantage: tell me now what is right for me to do.” Then the goat said, “King, to all animals no one is dearer than self: it is not good to destroy oneself and abandon the honour one has gained for the sake of anything that is dear.” So he spoke:–

A king, like you, may have conceived desire

And yet renounced it if his life’s the cost:

Life is the chief thing: what can man seek higher?

If life’s secured, desires need never be crossed.

Do the Bodhisatta exhort the king. The king, delighted, asked, “King of goats, whence come you?” “I am Sakka, O king, come to save you from death out of pity for you.” “King of gods, I promised to give her the charm: what am I to do now?” “There is no need for the ruin of both of you: you say, ‘It is the way of the craft,’ and have her beaten with some blows: by this means she will not get it.” The king said, “It is well,” and agreed. The Bodhisatta after exhortation to the king went to Sakka’s heaven.

The king went to the garden, had the queen summoned and then said, “Lady, will you have the charm?” “Yes, lord.” “Then go through the usual custom.” “What custom?” “A hundred stripes on the back, but you must not make a sound.” She consented through greed for the charm. The king made his slaves take whips and beat her on both sides. She endured two or here stripes and then cried, “I don’t want the charm.” The king said, “You would have killed me to get the charm,” and so flogging the skin off her back he sent her away. After that she could not bear to talk of it again.

At the end of the lesson the Master declared the Truths, and identified the Birth: – at the end of the Truths, the Brother was established in the First Path: – “At that time the king was the discontented brother, the queen his former wife, the steed Sariputta, and Sakka was myself.”