285. The Bodhisatta As Stag
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta lived in the forest, having been born as a stag. Now the king much delighted in hunting, and a mighty man was he: he reckoned no other man worthy of the name of man. One day as he went a hunting he said to his courtiers. “Whoever lets a deer go by him, such and such shall be his punishment.” They thought, “One may stand in the house and not find the granary. When a deer is put up, by hook or by crook we must drive him to the place where the king is.” They made a pact among them to his effect, and posted the king at the end of the path. Then they surrounded a great covert and began to beat on the ground with cudgels and the like.
284. The Bodhisatta As Sarabhanga
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as the son of the king’s family priest. He was named as young Jotipala. When he grew up, he learned all the arts at Takkasila. He went to the forest and became an ascetic in the Kavitthaka hermitage, called Sakkadattiya. He attained perfection in meditation. As he dwelt there many hundreds of sages waited on him. He was attended by a great company and had seven chief disciples. Of them the sage Salissara left the Kavitthaka hermitage for the Surattha country, and dwelt on the banks of the river Satodila with many thousand sages in his company. Mendissara with many thousand sages dwelt near the town of Lambaculaka in the country of king Pajaka. Pabbata with many thousand sages dwelt in a certain wooded mountain in Avanti and the Deccan. Kisavaccha dwelt alone near the city of Kumbhavati in the park of king Dandaki. The ascetic Anusissa was attendant on the Bodhisatta and stayed with him. Narada, the younger brother of Kaladevala, dwelt alone in a cave-cell amid the mountainous country of Aranjara in the Central Region.
283. The Bodhisatta As Sailor
Once upon a time, this Benares was named Molini. While Brahmadatta reigned in Molini as king, a brahmin Sankha, rich, of great wealth, had built alms-halls in six places, one at each of the four city gates, one in the midst of it, one by his own door. Daily he gave in alms six hundred thousand pieces of money, and to wayfarers and beggars he did much bounty.
One day he thought to himself, “My store of wealth once gone, I shall have nothing to give. While it is still unexhausted I will take ship, sail for the Gold Country, and I will bring back wealth.” So he built a ship, filled it with merchandise. He said to wife and child, “Until my arrival do not stop alms-giving.”
282. The Bodhisatta As Sage Kanha
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta ruled in Benares there was a childless Brahmin, having wealth to the amount of eighty crores, who took upon him the vows of virtue, and prayed for a son; in the womb of this brahmin’s wife was conceived the Bodhisatta, and from his black colour they gave him the name of Kanha – kumara young Blackie. He was sent by his father to Takkasila, where he learnt all the liberal arts, and returned again. Then his father provided a wife meet for him. And by and bye he came in for all his parents’ property.
