Category Archives: INDIA
101. The Bodhisatta – On Luck, Omens And Dreams
Once upon a time there reigned in the city of Rajagaha, in the kingdom of Magadha, a righteous King of Magadha. In those days the Bodhisatta came to life again as a Brahmin of the North west. Growing up, he renounced the world for the hermit’s life, won the Knowledges and the attainments, and went to live in the Himalayas. On one occasion, returning from the Himalayas took up his abode in the King’s chatram; he went on the second day into the city to collect alms. Seeing him, the King had him summoned into the palace and there provided with a seat and with food, extracting a promise from him that he would take up his abode in the chatram. So the Bodhisatta used to receive his food at the palace and live in the chatram.
100. The Bodhisatta – Nimb-Tree Spirit
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta came to the life as a Nimb-tree spirit in a cemetery grove of that city.
Now one day a robber having been guilty of an act of theft is an outlying hamlet of the city entered the cemetery grove. And at this time two old trees stood there, a Nimb-tree and a Bo-tree the robber placed his stolen goods at the foot of this Nimb-tree and lay down there. Now in these days robbers that were caught were put to torture by being impaled on a stake of the Nimb-tree. So the spirit of the Nimb-tree thought: “If people should come and capture this robber, they will cut off a branch and make a stake from this Nimb-tree and impale him on it. And in that case the tree will be destroyed. So I will drive the fellow away.”
99. The Bodhisatta – Goodness
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was his chaplain. He was a man of charity and other good works, whose mind was set on righteousness, always keeping unbroken the Five Commandments. And the King honoured him beyond the other Brahmins.
Suspecting the Bodhisatta was captured by soldiers and as he was being brought in bonds, he saw some snake charmers were exhibiting a snake, which they laid hold of by the tail and the throat, and tied round their necks. Seeing this, the Bodhisatta begged the them no to do this, for the snake might bite them and cut their lives short. “Brahmin,” replied the snake charmers, “this is a good and well behaved cobra; he’s not wicked like you, who for your wickedness and misconduct are being hauled off in custody.”
98. The Bodhisatta – Desert Voyage
Once a time when Brahmadatta was king in Benares in Kasi the Bodhisatta was born into a trader’s family. When he was grown up, he used to travel about trading with 500 carts. On one occasion he came to a sandy wilderness sixty leagues across, the send of which was so fine that, when grasped, it slipped through the fingers of the closed fist. As soon as the sun got up, it grew as hot as a bed of charcoal-embers and nobody could walk upon it. Accordingly, those traversing it used to take fire-wood, water, oil, rice and so forth on their carts, and only trevelled by night. At dawn they used to range their carts in a circle to form a laager, with an – awning spread overhead, and after an early meal used to sit in the shade all the day long. When the sun went down, they had their evening meal; and, so soon as the ground became cool, they used to yoke their carts and move forward. Travelling on this desert was like voyaging over the sea; a ‘desert-pilot,’ as he was called, had to convoy them over by knowledge of the stars. And this was the way in which our merchant was now traveling that wilderness.
