174. The Bodhisatta And The Four Monks
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in a poor family; when he grew up he made a living by working for wages with a rich man. One day he got four portions of sour gruel from a shop, thinking, “This will do for my breakfast,” and so went on to his farming-work. Seeing four pacceka-buddhas coming towards Benares to collect alms, he thought, “I have these four portions of gruel, what if I were to give them to these men who are coming to Benares for alms?” So he came up and said, “Sirs! I have these four portions of gruel in hand; I offer them to you; please accept them, and so I shall gain merit to my lasting good and welfare.”
173. The Bodhisatta And The Four Brothers
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born in a potter’s family in a suburb of Benares; when he grew up he became a householder, had a son and daughter, and supported his wife and children by his potter’s handicraft.
At that time in the Kalinga kingdom, in the city of Dantapura, the king named Karandu, saw at the garden-gate a mango tree laden with sweet fruit; he stretched out his hand from his seat on the elephant and seized a bunch of mangoes; then entering the garden he sat on the royal seat and ate a mango, giving some to others. From the time when the king took one, everybody took one and the tree was left mangoless.ministers, Brahmins, and householders, thinking that others should also do so, took down and ate mangoes from that tree. Coming again and again they climbed the tree, and beating it with clubs and breaking the branches down and off, they ate the fruit, not leaving even the unripe.
172. The Bodhisatta And The Foolish Prince
Once upon a time, when king Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was his adviser in things spiritual and temporal. Now the king had a son, Padanjali by name, an idle lazy loafer. By and bye the king died. His obsequies over, the courtiers talked of consecrating his son Padanjali to be king. But the Bodhisatta said, “He is a lazy fellow, an idle loafer. Shall we take and consecrate him king?”
The courtiers held a test. In front of the Prince, they made a wrong decision. They adjudged something to the wrong owner, and asked him, “Young sir, do we decide rightly?”
171. The Bodhisatta And The Foal
Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, that the Bodhisatta was born into a trader’s family. Five hundred people of that country, horse-dealers, used to convey horses to Benares, and sell them there.
Now a dealer took the road to Benares with five hundred horses for sale. On this road, not far Benares, there is a town, where had formerly lived a rich merchant. A vast dwelling once was his; but his family had gradually gone down in the world, and only one old woman was left, who lived in the family house. The dealer took up his lodging for a certain hire in that house, and kept his horses.
