528 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



Eravana ; since there are no animals in the world of the Thirty-three, 

 whenever Eravana wished to go into the garden to play, he would lay 

 aside his godhead and become an elephant for the time being. Eravana 

 created gigantic water-pots for each member of Sakka's retinue. 

 Each vessel held seven tusks ; each tusk, seven tanks ; each tank, 

 seven lotus plants ; each plant, seven flowers ; each flower, seven 

 leaves ; each leaf, seven celestial nymphs, who danced unceasingly. 

 For Sakka he created a water-pot much larger than the others. Above 

 hung a canopy with a fringe of bells whose sound was as the music of 

 the celestial choir. Beneath it was a jewelled couch, where Sakka 

 reclined in state. Such was the splendor in the enjoyment of which 

 Sakka lived. (272-4) 



When Goodness, Joy, and Thoughtful died, they were reborn in the 

 world of the Thirty-three ; and through the effect of their respective 

 benefactions there arose a mansion named Goodness, a lotus tank 

 named Joy, and a creeper-grove named Thoughtful. When Wellborn 

 died, she was reborn as a crane in a mountain cave. (274-5) 



Sakka surveyed his handmaidens, and desiring that Wellborn should 

 be reborn as one of them, went to her in disguise, conducted her to the 

 world of the Thirty-three, let her see her friends, and assured her that 

 she could attain equal happiness by keeping the Five Precepts. This 

 she promised to do. After a few days Sakka, desiring to test her 

 sincerity, lay down on the sand in the form of a fish. The crane, 

 thinking that it was dead, seized it in her beak. Just as she was 

 about to swallow it, it wiggled its tail, whereupon the crane dropped it. 

 Three times Sakka tried this stratagem, and three times the crane, dis- 

 covering that the fish was alive, refused to eat it. Then Sakka re- 

 sumed his proper form, praised the crane, and departed. (275-7) 



At the end of her existence as a crane, Wellborn was reborn at 

 Benares as the daughter of a potter. Sakka disguised himself as a 

 peddler, filled a cart with precious jewels disguised as cucumbers, went 

 to the city, and cried out, " Cucumbers in exchange for Five Precepts." 

 The inhabitants of the city brought kidney-beans, and when the peddler 

 refused them, they said, " What are these ' precepts ' like ? are they 

 black or brown ? " " Neither," said the peddler. " Oh," said they, 

 " we have heard a potter's daughter say, ' I keep the precepts ; ' you 

 might try her." So Sakka went to the potter's daughter, revealed 

 himself to her, gave her the jewels, praised her, and departed. (277-8) 



At the end of her existence as a potter's daughter, Wellborn was 

 reborn in the world of the Asuras as the daughter of Vepacitti, king of 

 the Asuras, a bitter enemy of Sakka. One day Vepacitti assembled all 

 the hosts of the Asuras, and giving his daughter a wreath of flowers, 



