shall all be executed; let us go and get some firewood and burn him up altogether." So saying they brought a log each, and making a large heap, set fire to it; then thinking that the body would be entirely consumed and leave no trace, they went away. Although these concubines had no intention to take life, still their sin followed them in due course; for a thousand years they suffered in hell, and now at last their house has been set on fire, and they themselves have been burnt to death. Such is the account of the former sin of Samavati. As to the Pakkekabuddha, if a thousand cart-loads of fuel had been burnt around him while he was in the state of Sammāpāta, they would not have made him feel hot; on the seventh day he arose from the state of Nirodhasamapatti, and went his way in comfort." Again the Rahans said to Para Taken, "On account of what evil deeds was Khugguttara a slave? And owing to what good deeds did she become so learned and acquire the three books of the Pitaka; from what good deeds is it that she is now settled in the reward of Sotapatti?" Para Taken replied, "Beloved Rahans, in a former existence of Khugguttara there was a Pakkekabuddha in the country of Benares, who was rather hump-backed. Khugguttara when she saw him, laughed at his deformity; and for this sin she became hump-backed herself. But when this same Pakkekabuddha came to the king's palace to receive alms of food, and the king poured an offering of cow's milk into his thabet, which completely filled it, Khugguttara, seeing the Pakkekabuddha shifting the thabet from hand to hand on account of the great heat of the milk, immediately took off her arm eight ivory bracelets which she was wearing, and making a stand for the pot with them, presented them as an offering. It was for this good deed that she has acquired such great wisdom, and is conversant with all the three books of the Pitaka. Those ivory bracelets are extant to this day in the Nandamūla mountain cave. It was in consequence of her having formerly made offerings of rice to that Pakkekabuddha that she is established in the reward of Sotapatti. Such is the account of the results of the good and bad actions performed by Khugguttara before I became a Parā. "In the time of the Para Kassapa this Khugguttarā was the daughter of a Thuthe at Benares. One day when she was very handsomely attired, a Rahan who was on his way to contemplate the Para, came to her house, and she said to him, 'Just reach me that little basket which is there.' For this she became a slave." END OF THE STORY OF SAMAVATI AND KHUGGUTTARA. CHAPTER VI. STORY OF KULLA-PANTHAKA. THE most excellent Para, when he was residing in the Veluvana monastery, preached the following discourse on the subject of Kulla-Panthaka. When she Formerly there lived in the Ragagaha country the daughter of a Thuthe named Dhanasethi. reached the age of maturity, her parents placed her in a Pyathat with seven stages of roofs, and there, being a girl of strong passions, she committed herself with one of the slaves; then fearing that any one should know of it, they ran away to another village, and lived there together. She soon became in the familyway, and when her time was nearly come, she said to the young man, "My time is very near; I shall go to my parents' village to be confined." The young man, afraid that if he went there they would kill him, would not accompany her, so the Thuthe's daughter, thinking what unalloyed affection parents have for their children, set out without her husband; but he, as soon as he found that she had gone, followed her. On the road the Thuthe's daughter gave birth to a son, whereupon she returned home without visiting her parents' village. In consequence of the boy having been born on the road, they gave him the name of Panthaka. Shortly afterwards, the Thuthe's daughter became again pregnant; and when her time was approaching, in the same way as before she started for her parents' village, and was a second time confined on the road. On this occasion also she gave birth to a son, whom she called Kulla-Panthaka, distinguishing her firstborn by the name of Mahā-Panthaka. When Maha-Panthaka grew up, he said one day to his mother, "I hear others calling people their grandfather, or grandmother, or uncle; but we have no grandfather or grandmother, or any relations at all." His mother replied, "My dear son, your grandfather and grandmother, and all your relations live in the Ragagaha country; your grandfather is the Thuthe Dhanasethi. In that Ragagaha country my relations are very numerous."-" Then why, mother," said he, do you not go to the Ragagaha country?" The Thuthe's daughter remained silent; at last, when he persisted in asking the question, she replied, "My son, your father was a slave in your grandfather's house, so I ran away from home and came to live here.""If that be so," said the lad, "take my younger brother and me to the place where our grandfather and grandmother live." The Thuthe's daughter took her two sons to the Ragagaha country, and when she reached the city, she went with them into the Zayat' at the gate and stopped there. When the Thuthe's neighbours saw her, they went to him and said, "My lord Thuthe's 1 A building for the accommodation of travellers. daughter with her two sons is staying in the Zayat." The Thuthe, thinking that if they were to remain in the Zayat, people would speak ill of him, took away his two grandchildren, and gave them gold and silver, food and clothes; but having no affection for his daughter, he sent her away, telling her to go and live where she had been always living so she went away and lived with her slave-husband in the same place as before. When the two lads had grown up under their grandfather's care, Maha-Panthaka went with his grandfather to hear Parā Taken preach the law. The discourse was upon the future reward of the life of a Rahan, and Maha-Panthaka, after listening to it, became desirous of entering the priesthood. He accordingly obtained his grandfather's permission, and became one of the Rahans of Para Taken. Performing the duties of a Rahan, Maha-Panthaka acquired the sacred Pali1 of Para Taken, and becoming a Pañkānga2 at the age of twenty, after employing himself in the repetition of the Kammatthāna3, he reached the state of a Rahanda.4 When Maha-Panthaka had become a Rahanda, he made his brother Kulla-Panthaka a Rahan, and kept him steadily employed in the religious duties enjoined by Para Taken. Now Kulla-Panthaka, being wanting in ability 1 The sacred language of the Burmese, a modification of Sanskrit. 2 A priest who is a proficient in the five duties, i. e. an ordained Rahan. 3 Forty sentences for repetition. |