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The m^uoik- ya-ratna, or treasure of gems. 5. The istri-ratna, or empress. 6. The grahapati-ratna, or retinae of attendants. 7. The parina- ya-ratna, or prince. On a certain day the chakrawartti ascends into an upper room of his palace, and reflects on the merit he has gained by his attention to the precepts in former births. At this moment a strange appearance is presented in the sky. Some think that another moon is about to appear ; others that it is a sun with softened rays, or a mansion of the dewas ; but the wise know that it is the chakra-ratna. It approaches the city with a sound as of music, and when near travels round it in the air seven times, after which it enters the palace. The elephant arrives in a similar manner, either of the Uptfsatha or Chaddanta race. The emperor ascends its back, and rides upon it through the air. The horse then comes, exceedingly swift, and able, Kke the elephant, to pass through the air. It is accompanied by a thousand other horses, each of which has similar powers. The gem is of the most dazzling brightness, so as to enlighten all around to a considerable distance ; it has many most wonderful properties ; and other gems are produced in numbers that cannot be told. The empress is in her person of the most perfect sym- metry, and in every respect beautiful. When the emperor is too warm, she refreshes him by producing cold ; and when he is too cold, she produces warmth. She fans him to sleep, and attends him with the constancy of a slave. The treasure of the gra- hapati consists of thousands of attendants. The prince is wise, excellent in disposition, and is attended by a numerous retinue. There are times when the chakrawartti visits the four con- tinents. On this occasion he is attended by the seven precious gems, as well as by an immense train of d6was and nobles, in all possible splendour of array. The discus proceeds first through the air, followed by the monarch and his host. Theii* first visit is to Ptirwawid^sa, when all the kings of that continent bring presents and pay their homage ; and the emperor commands them not to take life, but to keep the precepts and reign righteously. The monarch then descends into the sea of that continent, a way having been opened into the waters by the discus ; and he and VI. THE ANCESTORS OF G(5TAMA BUDHA. 131 his nobles gather immense quantities of the most valuable jewels. After a similar manner, all the f oar continents are visited in order, and a repetition of the same circnmstances occurs. Though Maha-mandhAtu possessed all these privileges, he was not contented with them, and said, " If I am indeed a powerful monarch, may the d6waa as well be subject to mj rule, and send a shower of gems that shall form a heap extending 36 yojanas." At the utterance of this command, the d^was were obedient, and produced the gems as he desired. After thus enjoying the bless- ings of earth, he went to a d^wa-ldka, without dying, when he lived 129 kelas and 60 lacs of years, a greater age than that of 36 Sekras put together. At the end of this period he again came to the world of men, and reigned in all an asankya. This monarch was succeeded by his son, Wara-mandhitu,* who, when he wished to present anything to his nobles, had only to stamp upon the ground, and he received whatsoever he desired. The succeeding princes, both of whom reigned an asankya, were Chara and Upa-chara. When Ch6tiya, the son of Upa-chara, began to reign, he appointed as his principal minister K6raka- tamba, with whom he had been brought up, like two students attending the same schools, saying that he was senior to Kapila, his elder brother. This was the first untruth ever uttered among men ; and when the citizens were informed that the king had told a lie, they enquired what colour it was, whether it was white, or black, or blue. Notwithstanding the entreaties of Kapila, the king persisted in the untruth ; and in consequence his person lost its glorious appearance ; the earth opened, and he went to hell, the city in which he resided being destroyed. Ch6tiya had five sons, and by the advice of Kapila he erected for one of them a city at the east of Benares, which he called Hastipura ; for another son, at the south, he erected Aswapura; for another, at the west, Daddara ; and for another, at the north, Uttarapanchdla. The history of these transactions appears at greater length in the Ch^tiya Jataka. From the time the untruth was told, the dewas ceased to be guardians of the kings, and four princes were ap- pointed in their place. The sons and grandsons of these princes multiplied, and until this day they retain the same office, and are called Ganaw&ra. Muchala, the son of Gh^tiya, from the fears that were induced * This name is omitted in Turnour's Ust. e2 132 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. by seeing the destmction of his father, reigned in righteonsness ; and 'was succeeded by his son Mnchalinda.* The sons of Mncha- linda were 60,000 in number, who spread themselves through the whole of Jambadwipa, and founded as many separate kingdoms ; but as they were all equally descended from Maha Sammata, they were all of the same race. In the course of time, however, their descendants neglected to keep up the purity of their blood, and other races were formed. The eldest son of Muchalinda was Sdgara, who was succeeded in lineal order, by Sagara (or Sagara-d^wa), Bharata, Bhagirata, Buchi, Suruchi, Fratapa, and Maha Pratapa. The queen of Maha Pratdpa, after she had been dehvered eight months, refused to rise from her couch at his approach, as she was the mother of the heir-apparent, Dharmmapdla. On this account the king was angry, and slew the prince ; but the earth opened, and he went to hell. This was the first murder committed in the world. The evil that came upon these kings was a warning to their suc- cessors, so that they pursued a difEerent course ; and by this means they retained the same length of years, though the brightness of their bodies was gradually lost. The successor of Maha Pratapa was Paniida, whose son, Maha PanAda, had been a dewa ; but at the command of Sekra he was bom in the world of men, and reigned in great splendour. The successors of Maha Panada were Sudarsana ; Maha Sudarsana, a chakrawartti ; Neru, Maha Neru, and Aswamanta. The whole of the above named 28 kings reigned an asankya each ; and resided in the cities of Kusawati, Bajagaha, and Miyulu, which in the first ages were the three principal cities of the world. From this period the age of the kings, as well as their splendour, began to decrease. The sons and grandsons of Aswamanta reigned, not an asankya, but a kela of years, at Miyulu, where the first grey hair appeared.f The last of these princes was Maha Sdgara, who was succeeded by his son Makhi- * Between Muchala and Muchalinda, Tumour inBerts the name of Mahamuchalo. t The Jews have a tradition that Abraham was the first man who ever turned grey. His beard became grey when Isaac attained the age of man> hood, that he might be distinguished from his son, who exactly resembled his father. This was ordered bj dirine appointment, that the scoffs of those who doubted Sarah's innocence might be silenced. VI. THE ANCESTORS OF G(5tAMA BUDHA. 133 dewa. When he had reigned 252,000 years, he saw the first grey hair, upon which he resigned the kingdom to his son, and became an ascetic in a forest that afterwards bore his name, where he resided 84,000 years, and was afterwards bom in a brah- maldka. The Maha-sammata-wansa was now lost, and the Makhd- d^wa race commenced. There were 84,000 princes of this race, all of whom, when they saw the first grey hair, resigned the kingdom, and became ascetics ; after which they were bom in one of the brahma-ldkas. The age of each was 336,000 years. The last of these kings, K£14ranjanaka, did not become an ascetic, as his predecessors had done, and the Makhad^wa race ceased. The son of KAIdranjanaka was As6ka, whose successor was the first Okkdka king. Of this race were the kings Knsa, Dilipa, Raghn,* Anja, Dasaratha, and Bdma. Some of the monarchs of this race, of whom there were 100,000 in all, reigned 30,000 years, their ago gradually diminishing, until it was 10,000 years. This history appears at length in the Dasa- ratha Jdtaka.