154. The Bodhisatta And The Carpenter
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta gained his livelihood as a trader. In those days in a Border village in Kasi there dwelt a number of carpenters. And one of them was a bald grey-haired man. He was planning to make a furniture and then a mosquito settled on his scalp and stung him with its dart–like sting.
The carpenter said to his son, who was seated next to him, -“My boy, there’s a mosquito stinging me on the head; drive it away.”
“Hold still then, father,” said the son; “one blow will settle it.”
At that very time the Bodhisatta had reached that village in the way of trade, and was sitting in the carpenter’s shop.
In order to kill the mosquito, the carpenter’s son, raised a sharp axe and cleft his father’s head in twain. So the old man fell dead on the spot.
The Bodhisatta thought, who had been an eye – witness of the whole scene, “Sense–lacking friends are worse than foes with sense;
Witness the son that sought the gnat to slay,
But cleft, poor fool, his father’s skull in twain.”
So saying, the Bodhisatta rose up and departed, passing away in after days to fare according to his deserts. And as for the carpenter, his body was burned by his kinsfolk.
153. The Bodhisatta And The Brahmadatta
Once upon a time, the Bodhisatta reigned king in Takkasila, of the realm of Gandhara, and Brahmadatta in Benares. Brahmadatta decided to capture Takkasila. So with great army he invaded the city. He organised the army, and placed them in th respective places.
And he encircled the city with his army. When he saw the towers on the city gate, he asked whether was that the king’s dwelling. “That,” said they, “is the gate tower.”
Brahmadatta asked, “If the gate tower be such as this, of what sort will the king’s palace be?” And they replied, “Like to Vejayanta, the palace of Sakka!” On hearing it, the king said, “With such a glorious king we shall never be able to fight!” And having seen no more than the tower left the city gate, he turned and ran away, and came again to Benares.
152. The Bodhisatta And The Barber
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, there was a rich merchant in that city named Suciparivara, whose wealth reached eighty crores and who took delight in charity and other good works. His wife and children and all his household and servants down to the calf-herds kept six holy days every month. At that time the Bodhisatta was born in a certain poor family and lived a hard life on workman’s wages. Hoping to get work he came to Suciparivara’s house. He asked the richman to give him a job. When other workmen came to him, the merchant used to say to them, “In this house the workmen keep the moral precepts, if you can keep them you may work for me:” but to the Bodhisatta he made no hint in the way of mentioning moral precepts but said, “Very well, my good man, you can work for me and arrange about your wages.” Then the Bodhisatta did all the merchant’s work meekly and heartily, without a thought of his own weariness; he went early to work and came back at evening. One day they proclaimed a festival in the city. The merchant said to a female servant, “This is a holy day; you must cook some rice for the workpeople in the morning; they will eat it early and fast the rest of the day.” The Bodhisatta rose early and went to his work. No one had told him to fast that day.
151. The Bodhisatta And The Baniyan Tree
Once upon a time, king Bharu was reigning over the kingdom of Bharu. At the same time the Bodhisatta was Teacher of a troop of monks. He was an ascetic who had acquired the Five Supernatural Faculties and the Eight Attainments; and he lived in the region of Himalayas.
He came down from Himalayas to buy salt and seasoning, followed by five hundred ascetics; and they came by stages to the city of Bharu. He went begging through the city; and then coming forth from it, he sat down by the northern gate, at the root of a banyan tree all covered with twigs and branches. There he made a meal, ate and slept there.
