BUKLINGAME. — BUDDHAGHOSA's DHAMMAPADA COMMENTARY. 519 



their religion, and to cherish no bitter feelings toward the king or 

 Magandiya. The king took his bow, which required a thousand 

 soldiers to string, and shot a poisoned arrow at Samavatl's breast. 

 But so great was the power of Samavatl's love that the arrow turned 

 back and, as it were, penetrated the king's heart. Thereupon the king 

 threw himself at Samavatl's feet and cried out, " Be thou my refuge." 

 Sarnavati replied, " In whom I have myself sought refuge, in him do 

 thou also seek refuge." Then the king sought refuge in Buddha and 

 thereafter was a most generous benefactor of the Order. (216-220) 



Magandiya thought to herself: "Everything I do turns out badly; 

 what shall I do next 1 " Finally she resorted to the desperate expedi- 

 ent of directing her uncle to fire Samavatl's palace. Her uncle wrapped 

 the palace in cloths saturated with oil, barred the doors, set fire to the 

 building in several places at once, and SamavatI and her five hundred 

 attendants perished in the flames. By devoting themselves to earnest 

 meditation on the element of pain, some of the victims obtained the 

 Fruit of Conversion, others the Fruit of the Second Path, still others 

 the Fruit of the Third Path. (According to a passage in the Udana, 

 the monks reported to the Teacher what had happened and questioned 

 him regarding the future state of the victims. The Teacher assured 

 them that none failed to obtain a suitable reward, and warned them 

 that all beings are constantly experiencing both happiness and misery.) 

 (220-222) 



When the king learned what had happened, he was overwhelmed 

 with grief, and at once perceived that Magandiya was at the bottom of 

 it. But knowing that he could not intimidate the latter, he resorted 

 to artifice and said to his ministers, " Now that SamavatI is dead, I 

 can sleep in peace ; whoever did this deed must have loved me greatly." 

 Magandiya overheard this remark and said triumphantly, " It was I " 

 " Well," said the king, " I am delighted. Send for your relatives, and 

 I will reward you properly." The king bestowed handsome presents 

 on Magandiya and her relatives ; whereupon many persons who were in 

 no way related to her came forward and claimed relationship. When 

 the king had caught them all, he had them subjected to excruciating 

 tortures and put to death. (222-4) 



One day the Teacher overheard the monks remark that the cruel 

 death of SamavatI and her attendants was undeserved. " Quite 

 right," said the Teacher, " if you regard only this existence ; but their 

 sad end was the result of an evil deed committed in a previous exist- 

 ence ; " and he went on to tell them that in a previous existence Sama- 

 vatI and her attendants had once attempted to burn a Private Buddha 

 to death. (224-5) 



