girl, if you were to see this young man, would you know him?" The girl replied, "The young man brought it in the night, so I should not know him."

Now the king, when he was sleeping with the young girl, had purposely called her attention to a scar upon his hand, so now he said to her, "O girl, if you were to feel the hand of the young man who brought you the golden basket, would you know him?" She replied, "The young man when he came to my house made me notice a scar on his hand; therefore, if I felt his hand I should know him."

When the girl said this, the king, making use of a king's artifice, had her placed inside of a large coverlet, which was folded many times round her in such a way as to leave open only one small aperture. Then she was made to feel the hands of all the nobles as they came up to her one after the other, and inserted their arms in the aperture; but the girl said, "None of these is my husband's hand."

All the noblemen who had felt the touch of the girl's hand, seeing how fine and delicate she was, could not contain themselves, but were all like madmen. "My lord, your Majesty," they cried, "give me the young girl; let me pay the fine for the theft of the golden basket." The king would not agree to this, but went up to the girl in the coverlet and put his hand through the aperture that she might feel it, and so recognize him. Pañkapāpī, directly she felt the scar, said, "This is my husband's hand; it was he who brought me the gold basket full of dainties." These words of the girl enlightened the noblemen on the state of affairs.

Then the king said to his nobles, "Fearing, lest not knowing the high quality of excessive purity and deli

cacy which this young girl possesses, you would impute blame to me, I have tested thus your sentiments. This young girl is already my wife."

On that very day the king had the ceremony of pouring water performed, and installed her in the position of head queen.

Hence those who, although they may have no beauty, are possessed of the attribute of extreme purity and delicacy will attain a lofty position.

END OF THE STORY OF THE SENSE OF TOUCH.

L

CHAPTER XX.

THE STORY ABOUT THE SENSE OF HEARING.

On one occasion Para Taken, while residing in the Getavana monastery, preached a discourse regarding the sense of hearing, one of the five senses:

Rahans, my beloved sons, when the King of Benares was enjoying himself one day in his garden, he heard the voice of a woman who was singing very sweetly while she was engaged in collecting fuel; on hearing the voice, desire for the woman seized the king, and he immediately gratified it, and the Parālaun became an embryo in the woman. On account of the great glory of the child that was to be born of her, the woman was immediately aware of it, and said to the king, "Your Majesty, I have conceived." The king took from his finger a ring worth a hundred thousand, and presented it to her, saying, "If your child prove a girl, sell this ring and live both of you on its proceeds; if it be a boy, bring him to me." After saying this, he returned to his palace, surrounded by all his nobles.

The woman, who gained her living by collecting fuel, when ten months had passed, gave birth to the Paralaun. When the child was somewhat grown, he

asked his mother who his father was. She replied, "The great King of Benares." On hearing this, the Paralaun said, "If this be so, take me to my father." His mother accordingly took him, and presenting Paralaun, together with the ruby ring, to the king, she said, "My lord, your Majesty, this child is my lord your Majesty's honoured son." The king, although he knew it was so, felt ashamed in the midst of the assembly, and said, "It is not my son." Then the Paralaun's mother made this invocation in support of the truth of her assertion, "If this be not in truth your Majesty's son, may it fall to the ground and be killed! If it be your son, may it remain stationary in the air!" Saying these words she threw the child up in the air. The Parālaun, from his great glory, remained according to the invocation stationary in the air, seated in a cross-legged posture; in this position he remained while he expounded the law to his royal father, and explained to him the ten duties of kings, viz.: The making of offerings; the observance of the commandments; the giving of alms; upright conduct; meekness and gentleness; not to cause sorrow to his subjects; not to be angry with others; not to oppress others; forbearance; not to oppose the wishes of his people.

The King of Benares, when he saw this marvel, exclaimed, "This is truly my son! beloved son, deign to descend." The Parālaun descended on to his father's breast and remained there.

The king conferred upon the Paralaun the rank of heir-apparent, and gave his mother the position of

queen.

He who was at that time the King of Benares is

now my father King Suddhodana, and the queen is my mother Queen Maya. The little prince is I the Parā.

In this way Parā Taken related this Gat.'

Hence the possession of a pleasing voice conducts to a lofty position.

END OF THE STORY ABOUT THE SENSE OF HEARING.

1 An account of some one or other of the different existences of Gotama; there are supposed to be 550 of them written.