474 History of tlie Shice Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon. [No. 5. 



to convey there a ship-load of rice, to distribute among the people. 

 They sailed, and in due time cast anchor on the coast of the coun- 

 try, which it is presumed was the shore at the mouths of the 

 Ganges. From thence they proceeded, one day's journey to the 

 city of Ban-da-wa. # They hired there five hundred carts ; returned 

 with them to the ship ; loaded the carts with rice, and proceeded 

 again towards the city. What next befel them is thus narrated in 

 the chronicles of the Pagoda: — 



" As the brothers went on, she who in a former state of exist- 

 ence had been their mother, now the guardian Nat of a tree, asked 

 of them, ' Whither go ye to buy and sell ?' They replied, i We go 

 to the city of Ban-da-wa.' The Nat said, ' Desire ye gold and 

 silver merchandize, or rather desire ye heavenly treasure ?' The 

 brothers replied, ' We desire heavenly treasure.' The Nat answer- 

 ed, ' If that be true, then go ye to the place where the Lord is.' " 



Guided by the Nat for several days the two brothers reached the 

 place where Gautama then was. The date of their arrival is said 

 to have been Wednesday, the 13th day of the waning moon Wa« 

 khoung in the year 103.t 



The interview of the brothers with the Boodha Gautama is 

 recorded in the life of the philosopher, which has been translated 

 and illustrated with a luminous commentary by the Eight Eeverend 

 Bishop Bigandet, Vicar Apostolic in Ava and Pegu. 



The following is the passage in Chapter V. of the Bishop's trans- 

 lation : 



" At that timej two brothers named Tapoosa and Palakat, mer- 

 chants by profession were going with their carts from the village of 

 Oo-kala to the country of Mit-zi-ma where Phra was then residing. 

 A Nat who had been formerly their relative, stopped by his power 

 the wheels of the carriages. Surprised at such a wonder, the mer- 



* The only place now in Bengal which I know with a name similar to this 

 city, is Pundooa in the district of Hoogly. 



t This date is 103 of the era established by king Thee-ha-noo, the grand- 

 father of Gautama. It is equivalent to B. C. 588, or 45 years before Gautama 

 entered Ncibban. 



j At this time Gautama is stated to have been a short distance West of 

 Baa di-beng or the sacred tree of Budh Gaya. 



