BURLINGAME. — BUDDHAGHOSA's DHAMMAPADA COMMENTARY. 541 



all the princes who were younger than he. Vidudabha rendered 

 homage to his grandfather and the other princes, but noticed that no 

 one rendered homage to him. When he spoke of this it was explained 

 to him that all those about him were his seniors ; and this explanation 

 satisfied him. One day, however, a female slave, while engaged in 

 scrubbing the seat on which Vidudabha was wont to sit, remarked, 

 " Here 's where the son of the slave- woman Vasabhakhattiya sits ! " A 

 soldier happened to overhear what she said, and in a short time the 

 remark became common gossip. When it came to the ears of Vidu- 

 dabha, he swore the following oath, " Just as these Sakyans now wash 

 my bench with water, so also, when I am king, will I wash my bench 

 with their blood." (347-8) 



When Vidudabha returned to Savatthi, and the King of Kosala 

 learned that Vasabhakhattiya was really the daughter of a slave- 

 woman, he was filled with rage at the King of the Sakyans, and de- 

 graded Vidudabha and his mother to the position of slaves. About 

 that time the Teacher went to visit the King of Kosala ; and upon 

 learning that the truth had leaked out, said to the king, " What does 

 the family of the mother matter 1 the family of the father is the only 

 thing worthy of consideration." Thereupon King Pasenadi restored 

 Vidudabha and Vasabhakhattiya to their former rank. (348-9) 



Just at this time Bandhula, the Commander-in-chief of King Pase- 

 nadi's army, dismissed his wife Mallika on the ground of barrenness. 

 The Teacher bade her return to her husband, and Bandhula took her 

 back ; whereupon she conceived a child in her womb. One day the 

 longing of pregnancy came upon her, and she said to her husband, " I 

 long to bathe in the lotus tank of Vesali, and to drink the water 

 thereof." "Very well," said Bandhula. So he took his bow, which 

 required a thousand men to string, assisted Mallika to mount the 

 chariot, and drove to Vesali, entering the city by the gate erected in 

 honor of Mahali. Now Mahali lived near this gate ; and when he 

 heard the rumble of Bandhula's chariot, he said to himself, " There is 

 trouble brewing for the Licchavi princes." Now the lotus tank was 

 guarded within and without by strong guards, and fenced in with an iron 

 grating the meshes of which were so fine that not even birds could get 

 through. Bandhula alighted from his chariot, drove the guards away, 

 tore down the grating, and admitted his wife to the tank. So Mallika 

 bathed in the lotus tank of Vesali, and drank the water thereof. 

 Then Bandhula assisted her to mount the chariot, and drove back by 

 the way he came. (349-351) 



The guards reported Bandhula's insolence to the Licchavi princes, 

 who were exceedingly angry, and immediately mounted their chariots, 



