530 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



Book II. Story 9. Tissa of the Market Town, Elder. 



ILLUSTRATING STANZA 12=32. 



A certain noble youth who was born and brought up in a market 

 town not far from Savatthi, was received into the Order by the 

 Teacher, and was thereafter known as Tissa of the Market Town, 

 Elder. He wanted little, was satisfied with what he had, and lived 

 an active, blameless life. All his life long he remained within the 

 borders of his native village, in spite of the fact that in near-by 

 Savatthi, Pasenadl Kosala, Auathapindika, and others were bestowing 

 alms, the like of which had never been seen before. One day the 

 Teacher sent for him, and said to him, " Monk, it is no wonder that 

 you, who have such a one as I am for your Master, should want little." 

 When the other monks asked the Teacher to explain himself, the 

 latter told them the following story of the past : (283-4) 



Sakka and the Parrot. 31 Once upon a time a great many parrots 

 lived in a grove of fig-trees in the Himalaya country. The king-parrot, 

 when the fruit of the tree in which he lived had come to an end, ate 

 whatever he could find, drank the water of the Ganges, and being very 

 happy and contented, stayed where he was. In fact, he was so happy and 

 contented that the abode of Sakka began to shake. Thereupon Sakka 

 decided to put him to the test, and by his supernatural power withered 

 up the tree. When Sakka perceived that this made no difference at 

 all to the parrot, he decided to give the parrot his choice of a boon ; 

 whereupon, taking the form of a royal goose, and preceded by Well- 

 born in the form of an Asura nymph, he went to the parrot and asked 

 him why his heart delighted in a tree that was withered and rotten. 

 (This story is identical with the Mahasuka Jataka, which will be found 

 in the Tenth Nipata ; 32 only the setting is different. The Jataka goes 

 on to say that the parrot replied, " This tree has been good to me in 

 the past ; why should I forsake it now 1 " Thereupon Sakka caused 

 the tree to bloom anew, and to bear ambrosial fruit.) (284-5) 



"At that time," said the Teacher, " Ananda was Sakka, and I was 

 the parrot. It is no wonder that Tissa wants little, having found a 

 Teacher like me." Then he pronounced Stanza 32, at the end of which 

 Tissa attained Arahatship, and many others were established in the 

 Fruits. (285-6) 



31 Cf. Ja. iii. 491-4. 



32 Norman calls attention to the fact that it actually occurs in the Ninth 

 Nipata. 



