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This being reported to the queen, she went to one of the royal gardens, and tried by compression to destroy the fruit of her womb ; but when the king noticed the frequency of her visits to that place, he enquired the reason ; and having learnt it he was angry, and commanded that there should be no repetition of her attempts, as the child might prove to be a daugh^r ; and if other kings heard of it, they would be greatly displeased. Guards were set over the queen. She still determined, however, to destroy her infant after its birth, if it were a son ; but the king gave orders to the midwives to convey the child away, without her knowledge. A son was bom, and his life was preserved. When he was two or three years old, the king had him dressed in the most engaging manner, and took him to the queen, who on seeing him, no longer songht his death, but loved him with a sincere afEection. The name given to him was Aj^at, because previous to his birth he was declared to be the enemy of his father. At sixteen years of age he was made sub-king. At the time that Budha resided in Kosamb^, D^wadatta went to Bajagaha alone, where he remained in the J6t4wana wihara a single day, after which he assumed the appearance of seven nayas, and went through the air to the place where Ajdsat was sitting with his attendants. Here he transformed himselE into the ap- peorance of bangles, one of which was entwined round each foot of the prince, one round each arm, one on each shoulder, and one in his lap ; seven in all, formed of the seven nayis. Aj^t was greatly terrified, but as he was a royal prince he did not move from his seat ; he merely called to his followers to destroy the serpents that were entwined around his person. Then D6wadatta told hiia not to be afraid, and informed him who he was ; and Aj^bat said if he would not frighten him in that way, he would become his disciple, and worship him. On hearing this, D6wa- datta took the form of a recluse, and from that time the two princes became great friends. Ajdsat built a wihara; and D6wadatta had soon 500 disciples, all of whom were provided for by the 328 A MANUAL OF BUDHlSxM. prince. The wihara was built upon the bank of the river Qaja. At this time he lost the power of dhyana. The dewa Kakudha informed Mugalan, then at Kosambe, of what had taken place ; and the priest made it known to Budha, who said, " The boar roots np the earth, and eats mnd ; the ele- phant tries to do the same ; bat his body swells, and he dies ; so also D6wadatta, hy trying to imitat/e me, will bring about his own destruction." Soon afterwards Budha himself went to Ba- ja^aha, when he was visited by D^wadatta and his 500 disciples. The prince said, " Kings have sub-kings ; as you are the king of the dharmma, it is right that you should appoint a sub-king, and I request that this office may be given to me ; " but Budha replied, that Seriyut and Mugulan were his principal disciples, and asked him if the snipe had power to draw the weight of an elephant. Dewadatta was unable to reply, but he retired from the presence of Budha ; and in great anger, at the rebuke he had received, proceeded to his own wih4ra. One day, when the two princes were together, Dewadatta said to Ajasat, '^ In former times men lived long, but it is not so now; there is no telling how short may be the period that you will have to enjoy the kingdom; you had therefore bettor put the king to death, that you may reign in his stead, and I will put Budha to death, and so become his successor." To this the prince agreed, and taking a javelin in his hand, he went to murder the king ; but when in his father's presence he trembled greatly. The nobles knew from this agitation, and the sight of the weapon, that his intention was evil, and informed the kiiig, who enquired of him why he sought his death. The prince said that he wanted the kingdom ; but Bimsara kissed him, and told him it was not necessary for him in that manner to become a rebel, as he would deliver to him the whole kingdom ; and accordingly he commanded that Ajasat should be proclaimed king. When the prince informed Dewadatta of what was about to take place, he was greatly displeased, and said that if Bimsara was permitted to live, he would undoubtedly attempt to regain the kingdom, and that, therefore, it was better to put him at once to death. Then Ajasat enquired in what way it could be done without using an instrument or weapon, as by this method he had failed in his intention; and Dewadatta recommended him to confine the king, and deprive him of food. This was done, and only the VII. LEGENDS OF GKStAMA BUDHA. 329 queen was permitted to see him ; but when she went to visit him, she took with her a little rice, wherewith she nourished the king. When Ajasat found ont the stratagem, he commanded it to be discontinued ; and after this the queen took a small portion of food tied up in the topknot formed by her hair. Then Ajasat forbade her to tie up her hair ; and she took food in her golden slippers. But this was forbidden. After this she bathed in water mixed with honej and other nutritious substances, and caused her body to be anointed, which enabled the king to draw from her skin a little nourishment with his tongue ; until this also was discovered, and she was entirely prohibited from having access to the place of his confinement. At their last interview, she reminded him that it was her wish to destroy the prince in his infancy, but she was prevented by the king, and now his death was the consequence of the child's preservation ; she also requested forgiveness for whatever she might at any time have done to grieve the king, and wept on account of the danger that awaited him. Notwithstanding, the king still lived ; and when the prince enquired how it could be, he was told that his father walked about, though he had no food, and his body shone, because he had entered the path sowdn. Then he commanded that the king's feet should be cauterized, and rubbed with salt and oil, to prevent him from walking. When the barber entered the prison to perform the operation, the king at first thought that his son had relented, and that he was about to be released ; and when he learnt the truth, he felt no resentment against the barber, but told him to do as he had been commanded ; but the poor man wept as he performed the operation. How was it that one who had entered sowdn was thus to suffer? In a former birth he had walked with his slippers on near a d^goba ; and he had also trodden on a carpet belonging to some priests without washing his feet. On account of these things he had now to endure great pain; and after calling upon the three gems, he died, and was bom as the d6wa Janawasabha, in the 16ka called Ghaturmahardjika. On the same day that the king died, Ajdsat had a son, and the nobles sent him two letters to inform him of these events. The first letter that was delivered to him informed him of the birth of his son ; and when he had read it, he felt the rising of paternal afEection, and thought, '* In this manner my father must have felt when my own birth was made known to him ; " his heart 330 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. bocame softened, and he gave orders that his father should be spared. No sooner were they issued, than the other letter was put into his hand, informing him that his father was no more. On hearing this he went to the queen-mother, and asked her if his father had expressed pleasure when he was bom. The queen informed him that his father was not only greatly delighted when he received a son ; but when Aj^at was an infant, and had a sore upon his finger, such was the afEection of his father, that he sucked the sore in the hall of justice where he was sitting, and retained the saliva out of respect to the sanctity of the place. The prince wept bitterly at the burning of his father's body. About this time Dewadatta sent to Aj^t, now king of Ra> jagaha, to request a band of skilful archers, that they might slay Budha. The king called into his presence 500 archers, from whom he chose thirty-one who were more expert than the rest, and sent them to the priest, saying that they were to do whatsoever he commanded them. On their arrival, Dewadatta took their chief on one side, and told him that the order he was about to give was to be kept a profound secret, which the chief promised faithfully to keep.