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In a former age there were 10,000 ascetics resident in that forest, and it was their custom that when any of them were troubled with evil thoughts, they arose early in the morn- ing, and going to the river, entered it, and waded on until the water reached to their mouths, when they took up a handful of sand from the bottom and put it in a bag. They afterwards confessed the fault of which they had been guilty, in the midst of the assembled ascetics, and threw down the sand in their presence, as a token that the appointed penance had been performed. By this means, in the course of years, a sandy plain was produced, sixteen miles in size ; and in after ages the kings of that country placed a fence around the spot, in order to do it honour, as it was considered to be sacred ground. At this place the prince began the exercise of the austerities he had to perform. The five brahmans, Kondanya, Bbaddaji, Wappa, Mahanami. and Assaji, in going from place to place, found out the retreat of Sidhartta ; and they remained with him six years, practising austerities, as they thought thus continually : — " To-day he will become Budha, or to-day ;" and during this period they assisted him by providing what he required to eat and drink. But the prince reflected that by living in this easy manner he was not * The tik&wa explains that the name Uruw^Iaja is derived from uru, sands, and welaja, mounds or waves, from the great mounds or columns of band which are stated to be found in its vicinity, and which have attracted the attention of modem travellers also. — Tumour. VII. LEGENDS OF g6TAMA BUDHA. 169 taking the proper coarse to become Badha, and that he must endnre hardships of a kind much more severe, " If I receive," he thought within himself, *' as much food as a sesamnm seed in size it would be sufficient ; I require nothing more than a pepper pod, or a small f rait ; with only this I can still live." The d6was, as he would not receive sustenance by the mouth, afEorded him nourish- ment through the pores of the skin, bj which they imparted mois- ture to his body. In this way his life was preserved ; but from rejecting all solid food, his body became of a dark colour, and the thirty-two signs disappeared. From the same cause, though he had previously the strength of ten k(5tis and ten thousand elephants, he was now so reduced as to be unable to stand ; and one night, after walking and meditating until the third watch, he fell senseless to the ground. The dewas assembled around him iu sorrow. Some said, '- The prince has endeavoured to become Budha, but has failed in the attenipt ; he is now dead." Others declared, *' He is not dead : he will soon revive ; he will yet be- come Budha, and until that time no harm can possibly happen unto him/' A d6wi who had seen him laid upon the ground, went to Kapilawastu, and entering the king's apartment, caused a light to appear. The king asked who she was, and she said that she had come to inform him that his son had jusii departed to the other world. Sudh6dana then asked if the prince had become Budha before he died ; and when she replied that the austerities he was practising in order to become Budha had caused his death, he said that he could not believe his son was dead, though a thousand dewas were to declare it, because he had himself tokens by which he knew that the wish of the prince would most certainly be accomplished. There were many other d^was who went to in- form the king of his son's death, but he did not believe any of them. The dewi, on returning to the forest, saw that the prince had recovered, upon which she again went to the palace, and in* formed the king. The efEorts of Sidhartta to obtain the Budhaship were like those of a man trying to overturn Maha M6ru. As his strength was so much reduced, in order to regain it he went from place to place with the alms-bowl, and again partook of food. By this means the beauty of his body was restored, as well as the thirty-two signs. The brahmans also, when they saw that he had begun to take the alms-bowl, afler practising austerities during six years without 170 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. becoming Budha, took their bowls and robes, and leaving the prince, went to Isipatana, near Benares. At that time there was residing near the forest of IJrawela a noble whose name was Senani, in a village of the same name. His daughter, Sujatd, one day took an offering to the d6wa of a nuga tree, called Ajapala, and made a vow that if he would pro- cure her a noble husband, and her firstborn shoald be a son, she would present an offering of rice-milk yearly, with a lac of treasure. The wish of the maiden was accomplished ; she married a nobleman of Benares, and had a son ; and she now prepared to fulfil her vow. For this purpose she caused a thousand cows to be fed in a meadow of the richest grass ; with the milk that these cows gave she nourished 500 other cows ; with the milk that these gave she nourished 250 ; with the milk of the 250, she nourished 175 ; thus gradually decreasing to 64, 32, 16, and 8 cows. This was done that milk of the very best kind might be procured. On the morning of the day of the full moon, in the month Wesak, the cows gave milk of themselves, without it^ being drawn from them, sufficient to fill the vessels, before the calves were loosed to suck the teats. In the night previous, Sidhdrtta saw a number of dreams. All the Budhas are accustomed to see dreams of a similar kind, on the night of the 14th day of the month Wesak. 1. After falling asleep, the whole earth seemed to be his couch, and the rocks of Himala were his pillow; the four seas overflowed until they reached his arms and feet ; the sakwala-gala touched his fingers ; and when he looked up he saw all the d^wa and brahma Mkas. On awaking, he considered what this could mean, and received it as a token that his wish was about to be accomplished. " The couch," said he, " represents my Budhaship ; the pillow, my all-pervading wisdom ; my doctrines will fill the whole sakwala ; and as 1 saw all the three worlds, all the beings in the three worlds will receive my assistance ; to-morrow I shall become Budha." 2. The second dream was this : From his navel there shot forth an arrow, which gradually increased in length, until it reached the brahma Idka. When he awoke, he reflected that as the arrow pierced the three worlds, so would his doctrines penetrate everywhere ; and that as the arrow proceeded from his navel, so would he, himself, be the source of all truth. 3. He saw numberless worms with white bodies and black heads, which crept upon his foot and reached Vn. LEGENDS OF G<5TAMA BUDHA. 171 liis knee ; and he reflected that in this manner all beings wonld cling to him for protection. 4. Nnmbers of the bird called lihini flew to him from the fonr quarters ; when at a distance thej were of different colonrs, but as thej approached him, thej all became of a golden hue. By this he perceived that although men were at that time of different sentiments and religions, thej would all embrace one doctrine, and put on the yellow robe. 5. In his dream he climbed a mountain, sixteen miles high ; it '^as one mass of disg^ting filth ; but as he trod its surface, the sole of his foot was not in the least defiled. And he reflected, that thou||;h his followers would bring to him and his disciples the four necessaries of the priesthood, neither he nor they would fix their affections upon them, they would be free from all cleaving to them or defile- ment therefrom. These five dreams were received by the prince as encouraging signs ; and having washed his mouth, he took the alms-bowl and robe, and after receiving alms in the village of 8en4ni, sat down at the foot of the nuga tree, Ajdpdla, with his face towards the east. At this time the leaves of the tree shone like gold, in consequence of the splendour that proceeded from his body. When Sujatd saw that the cows gave milk of their own accord, she took it in her own hand, and boiled it with sandal and other fragrant woods ; but when placed Upon the fire, along with rice, it did not boil over like other liquids. The bubbles that were formed all went towards the right side, and there was no smoke.