English
The rice was stored in a granary made of sandal- wood ; first there was a layer of fragrant substances a cubit high, and then a layer of rice, and so on- in succession. This granary was built in the most compact manner, and wus not open until three years after it had been closed; and at that time, when the doors wero thrown open, the perfume spread through the whole city, and every one knew whence it proceeded. Afterwards, as much was taken out every day as suflBced for the wants of the noble's family. When undergoing the usual preparation, it was pounded in a mortar of sandal-wood, and the grains resembled pearls. The husks were carefully preserved, and after being ground, were used by the people for the perfuming of their bodies. The rice was put in new vefesels that had been purified seven or eight times, and when boiled the fuel was of some fragrant wood. This rice was leceived by Sona because in the former birth he had faithlully fed a Pase-Badha. When Mugalan perceived in what part of the world the rico 256 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. was to be procured, he took his alms-bowl in his hand, and went through the air from Bajagaha to Champd, where he remained sfcandiDg, near the house of S6na, like a blue mountain covered by a cloud. The noble saw him, and filled his bowl with the most excellent rice ; but when Mugalan received it, he said he had come to procure it fo^ Budha, who had that day taken medicine. Then S<5na told him to eat what was in tlie bowl, and he would have it washed, and re-filled. The priest returned to Bajagaha in the same way as he left it, and presented the bowl to the illustrious sage. The king, Bimsara, also had food prepared, which he took to the wihira ; bat when he saw the rice that Mugalan had brought he enquired whether it had been procured in the dwelling of Sekra, or in Uturukura, as it was impossible that it could have been grown in the world of men. Budha allowed him to taste of it, and told him it was from his own city of Champd, where a noble ate it every day. The king afterwards visited the noble, who in turn came to Bajagaha, when he saw Budha, and entered the path so wan. S6na became a priest. On the same day, Jiwaka presented a beautifal garment to Budha, which he himself had received as a present from one of his royal patients. It was a divine garment procured from the kalpa-tree in Uturukura. One of the birds that take the dead bodies to the Yngandhara rocks to feed upon the flesh, in passing over a portion of the forest of Himala that belonged to Chan- dapprajiSta, let two of the robes fall, when they were found by an archer, and brought to the king ; and the king, in gratitude for the benefit he had received in being restored to health, sent them to Jiwaka. Budha reflected, that if the priests received robes of this costly description, they would be in danger from thieves ; and he intimated the danger to Ananda. In con- sequence, Ananda cut them into thirty pieces, which he sewed together in five divisions, so that when the robe was completed, it resembled the patches in a rice-field divided by embankments. The great sage was pleased when he saw this contrivance, and ordained a law that his priests should only have three robes, and that they should always be composed of thirty pieces of cloth. Jiwaka entered the path sowan, after hearing a discourse delivered by Budha ; and as he wished to see the teacher thrice every day, but was unable to go so far as Weluwandrdma he VII. LEGENDS OF G(3tAMA BUDHA. 257 built a wiMra in his own garden, and invited Bndha to make it his residence. These things occurred in the twentieth year after the reception of the Budhaship. 21. The History of Anguli-mdlcu The wife of the pr6hita of the king of Kosol, Bhdrggawa, whose name was Mantani, had a son. At the moment of his birth, all the weapons* in the city shone with a bright light; in consequence of which, the father consulted an astrologer, f who informed him that his son would become a robber. The father, on going to the palace the next day, asked the king if he had slept well the pre- vious night ; hut he said that he had not, as his state sword had shone, which indicated that there was some danger coming, either upon himself or his kingdom. The brahman then informed the king that a son had been bom to him, on whose account not only the state sword but all the weapons in the city had shone, which was a sign that his son would become a robber ; and enquired whether the king wished him to put his son away ; but the king said that as one single person could not do much harm, it would be better to bring him up. The child received the name of Ahingsaka. When Ahingsaka grew up, he was sent to a college in TakshaU, where he excelled all the other pupils ; which set them at enmity against him, and caused them to seek some mode of accusation, that they might have him punished. They could say nothing against his ability, or the respectability of his family ; they, there- fore, accused him of taking improper liberties with the pro- fessor's wife. For this purpose they divided themselves into three parties. The first party informed him of the pupil's crime ; and the second and third party confirmed what the ^ rst had said ; and as the professor could not believe that they spoke the truth, they told him that he must look to his own interests ; they had done their duty, and could do no more. After this he noticed that his wife spoke kindly to Ahingsaka, which excited his suspicion, and he resolved upon his destruction ; but he saw that it could not be accomplished openly, or no more pupils * In an enumeration of the prodigies that occurred in Home, A.u. 652, Jalius ObBequens says that the spears of Mars, preserved in the palace, moved of their own accord. t Nekata, one skilled in the prognostications of the nekatds or lunar mansions. S 258 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. would place themselves under his care. He therefore said to the youth, " It will not be in my power to teach you further, unless you destroy a thousand men, and bring me one of their fingers as an evidence of their death.'* Ahingsaka replied that it was not the custom of his family to do evil to others ; but still, from his love of learning, and as he thought that there was no other way by which he conld prosecute his studies, he went to the forest, to a place where eight wajs met, and began to murder those who passed in that direction. As it was observed that he cut oft the fingers of his victims, he received the name of Anguli- mala. In a little time the people went to Sewet to inform the king that his country was becoming depopulated by the cruelty of a robber, and to entreat that he would come with an army and seize him, that they might be delivered from his power. The king resolved to accede to their request ; but when the intelligenoe spread throngh the city, the prdhita said to his wife that he feared the chief was none other than their own son, and asked her what was to be done. She said that he had better hasten to the forest before the departure of the king, and bring their son away ; but the father replied that there wore four things that could not be trusted, — a robber, a branch, the king, and woman. The mother, therefore, prepared to take upon herself this task. At this time Budha was residing in the J6tawana wihara, and he saw that Anguli-mala, from the merit he had received in former births, had virtue sufficient to enable him to enter the priesthood, and become a rahat, on the hearing of a single stanza of bana. He also saw that if the mother went she would be killed; and in order that this might be prevented, he took the form of a common priest, and went towards the forest. The herdsmen informed him that no one could pass that way alone ; that men were obliged to go in companies of forty and fifty ; and that even then they were some- times cut off*. That very day the number of victims was com- pleted, except one, and Anguli-mala resolved that whosoever it might be that he saw, that person should be killed ; yet it was now difficult for him to seize even a single individual, as the travellers always passed in large companies, well defended. At last he saw a priest, and as he was alone, and had no weapon, he thought it would be no difficult matter to slay him. For this purpose he pursued him, but after he had run twelve miles he could not overtake him.