BURIJNGAME. — BUDDHAGHOSa's DHAMMAPADA COMMENTARY. 511 



boy, they stopped with one accord, and the whole caravan stood stock 

 still until its leader discovered what was the matter and rescued the 

 boy. (176) 



Ghosaka was recovered by the treasurer, who then had him cast 

 away under a bush in the cemetery. Along came a goatherd with his 

 goats. The goatherd's suspicions were aroused by the peculiar actions 

 of a she-goat ; whereupon he made an investigation, discovered the 

 boy, and rescued him. (176-7) 



Ghosaka was again recovered by the treasurer and thrown down a 

 precipice. He fell into a clump of bamboo, and a basket-maker rescued 

 him. (177) 



In spite of the treasurer's attempts on his life, Ghosaka lived and 

 thrived and grew to manhood. He was a thorn in the flesh of the 

 treasurer, who could not look him straight in the face. Finally the 

 treasurer resorted to desperate measures. He went to a potter, gave 

 him a thousand pieces of money, and said to him, " I have a job for 

 you." "What is it?" "I have a base-born son; I'll send him to 

 you to-morrow ; get him into a room, take a sharp razor, cut him into 

 bits, and throw them into the chatty." "All right." The next day 

 the treasurer said to Ghosaka, " Go and tell the potter to finish up the 

 job I gave him yesterday." "Very well," said Ghosaka ; and started 

 out. When he had gone a little way, the treasurer's own son, who 

 was playing ball with some other boys, stopped him and said to him, 

 " Where are you going ? " Ghosaka told him. " Let 's change places," 

 said the treasurer's son ; " these boys have won a lot of money from me, 

 and you 're such a good ball-player that you can easily win it back for 

 me." So Ghosaka took his foster-brother's place in the game, and the 

 treasurer's own son carried his father's message to the potter. That 

 night the despised Ghosaka returned home ; the treasurer's son did not. 

 The treasurer cried out, " Woe is me ! " and rushed to the potter, who 

 said to him, "Master, make no noise; I have done the job." The 

 wicked treasurer was overwhelmed with sorrow and grief at the thought 

 that he had shed innocent blood, even as Buddha says in Stanzas 

 137-140. (177-9) 



The treasurer made one more attempt on Ghosaka's life. He wrote 

 a letter to the superintendent of his estate, saying, " This is my base- 

 born son ; kill him, and I will do what is right for you ; " pinned it to 

 the hem of Ghosaka's clothing, and ordered Ghosaka to carry it to the 

 superintendent. (The treasurer had never taught Ghosaka to read, 

 for he expected sooner or later to kill him.) When Ghosaka remarked 

 that he needed provisions for the journey, the treasurer said, " Not at 

 all ; in such and such a village lives a friend of mine who is a treasurer ; 



