CEYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 121 



fleeting. If my courage fail me all these will perish, walked 

 about while the morning was yet cool, and seeing a clump of 

 grass, thought, this grass has grown in consequence of water 

 being beneath it. Taking hoes they began to dig in that 

 place, and having excavated to the depth of sixty cubits the 

 hoes struck on a slab of rock, upon which they all gave up 

 in despair. B ut Bodisat, being assured that water was beneath the 

 stone, descended into the well, and placing his ear to the rock 

 distinctly heard the rushing of water. Having ascended he called 

 his immediate attendant, and said, Son ! if your courage fail 

 we shall all perish ! take this iron crow-bar and endeavour to 

 split the rock. When the courage of all the others had failed,, 

 he, attending to the directions of Bodisat, and descending into 

 the well, struck the rock, which being broke by the blows, 

 a stream of water flowed into the well to the height of a palm 

 tree. They ail drank and bathed, watered the cattle, and afc 

 sun se*;, having erected a flagstaff On the spot, they journeyed 

 to their intended place, sold their merchandise and returned in. 

 peace to their own habitations. 



Budha then spoke the following verse, 



The energetic man, digging in the sandy path, 

 In the place trodden by travellers, found water* 

 Thus the sage, endued with persev ering energy , 

 By diligence obtains mental tranquillity. 



He then said, If, priest, you formerly were persevering ia 

 your efforts to obtain a little w ater, why should you now, having 

 become a priest of the religion leading to final emancipation^ 

 cease from exertion. Combining the two events B udha declared 

 that the priest was in that birth the personal attendant of the 

 merchant, and that he who was formerly the merchant was 

 then Budha. 



End of the Wannupat'ha Jataka 



