644 BLOOMFIELD— CHARACTER AND [April i8, 



mighty ascetic has at this juncture come within the path of my 

 sight. For I shall certainly come into fortune : 



" As the wish-tree in the Marutthall-desert, as a shower of gold 

 in a poor man's house, as a royal elephant in the house of a Pariah, 

 thus here is this great-souled saint. 



" Purified by insight and knowledge ; intent upon the five great 

 vows ; wise ; endowed with patience, gentleness, and rectitude ; intent 

 upon salvation ; devoted to study, meditation, and self-mortification ; 

 pure in thought ; engrossed with the five-fold samiti-virtues, and the 

 three- fold gupti-restraints ; without wordly goods; free from the 

 attachments of house-holders — this noble person is a Sahu (Saint). 



" Such a person is a fruitful field, irrigated by the water of holy 

 thought : wealth deposited in it as grain yields endless crops both 

 here and in the other world. 



" I must not therefore hesitate : I shall offer him these lentils. 

 Since the village is stingy, this noble Sahu, after having visited some 

 houses, will come back here. But I shall make two or three trips, so 

 as to get more; there is also another village nearby. Then I shall 

 give him all I have gathered." 



Thereupon, with reverent gestures, he offered his lentils to the 

 Saint. The Sahu, observing the perfection of his obeisance, under- 

 standing the pure-mindedness of this gift of his possessions, said: 

 " O thou who art devoted to piety, let me take a little," and held out 

 his bowl. Muladeva's zeal increased as he gave, and the Sahu 

 chanted in metre (the following half of a stanza) : "Verily, fortu- 

 nate are the men whose lentils serve for the Sahu's break of fast! " 

 Then a divinity in heaven, devoted to the Saint, pleased with Miila- 

 deva's piety, called out : " O son Muladeva, thou hast done well ! 

 Therefore, in the second half of this stanza (recited by the Saint), 

 ask what thou wishest : I shall grant all ! " Muladeva chanted : " The 

 courtezan Devadatta, a thousand elephants, and a kingdom ! " The 

 divinity responded : " My son, live without care. Very shortly thou 

 shalst obtain all this by the might of the sage's feet."''° Muladeva 

 said : " O blessed divinity, thus be it ! " Then he bade farewell and 



^<> In Prabandhacintamani (Tawney's translation), p. 15, King Calavahana 

 also owes his exalted station to the favor of an ascetic, to whom he, a poor 

 carrier of wood, had given his barley-meal in order that he might break a 

 month's fast. 



