70 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [February, 1910. 



these jewels and many other presents by way of a gift to the 

 great king Asoka, saying: " Give these to my friend. 55 Asoka 

 was pleased on seeing this and sent in return the five royal 

 insignia and many other presents for the ensuing coronation- 

 festival, saying : ' Let them induct my friend.' Not only did he 

 send these material presents, but also this religious present. 

 Thus : — " I have taken refuge in the Buddha, the Law, and the 

 Order, and have become a lay devotee in the Order of Sakya- 

 putta. best of men, put your trust in these three, the best 

 of all things, and with faith take these as your refuse." The 

 ministers returned to Lanka and solemnised the coronation of 

 the king. 



Meanwhile king Asoka made enquiries of Moggaliputtatissa 

 as to where the Order must be well established in future, and 

 investigating came to know that it w r as to be established in a 

 foreign country. He accordingly despatched many Theras 

 to various parts of the world and ordered Maharnahindat thera 

 to go and convert Tambapannidlpa. Instantly Sakka, the lord 

 of gods, approached the Thera, saying: " Respected Sir, Muta- 

 siva being dead, Devanampiyatissa, the great king, is ruling on 



his throne, and your going has been predicted by the Supreme 



Buddha, ' In future times the mendicant Mahinda shall con- 

 vert Tambapannidlpa to the Faith. 5 So the proper time for 

 your departure to the best of islands has now come ; I too will 

 attend upon you/ 5 The elder complied with this request, and 

 departing with six others from the monastery of the Caityaka 

 mountain, flew up into the air and descended on the top of the 

 Missaka mountain, to the east of Anuradhapura, which 

 is known to-day also as the Cetiya mountain. 



There was a great rejoicing throughout Tambapannidlpa 

 on that day. The king ordered his ministers to observe the 

 festival and himself started for the Missaka mountain, accom- 

 panied by forty thousand attendants , with the intention of 

 hunting. A deity who lived on this very mountain deter- 

 mined within himself to present the Theras to the king, and 

 appeared before him in the form of a red deer, grazing on 

 urass and leaves not far away from the spot where he was. 

 The king thought within himself : " It is not proper to kill a 

 being unconscious of danger," and he twanged his bow- 

 string. The deer began to run away, taking the road to Am- 

 batthala. The king in pursuit of the deer ascended to Ambat- 

 thala. Now the deer disappeared not very far from the place 

 where the Theras stood. Mahindat thera, perceiving the king 

 coming towards him at no great distance, willed that the king 

 should see himself but not the others, and said: " Tissa, Tissa, 

 come this way." The king, hearing him, thought within him- 

 self : " None has the boldness in Tambapannidlpa to address 

 me in such a way. And this shaveling dressed in rags dare 

 call me by name. Who is he ? A mortal or an immortal ? " 



