CEYLON BRANCH — ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 141 



thought, She will devise some mischief against my sons, and 

 calling them to him he said, Children, when Suriya was born 

 I pledged myself to grant his mother any one boon, and she 

 now requests the kingdom for her son, which request I am not 

 willing to grant. Sin is the very nature of woman, and she 

 may possibly devise some evil against you. Retire into the 

 wilderness, and upon my death return to your native city and 

 assume the government : thus weeping, lamenting, and kissing 

 their foreheads he dismissed them. They having bowed to the 

 king, descending from the palace saw the young prince Suriya 

 amusing himself in the palace yard, and informed him of what 

 had occurred, when he said, Brothers 1 will accompany you, and 

 went with them : they then retired to the wilderness. Having 

 proceeded into it some distance Bodisat sat down at the root 

 of a tree, and calling Suriya to him said, Go to that lake 8 

 bathe and drink, and bring us a little water. 



That lake belonged to Wessawanna (king of the demons) who 

 gave it in charge to a water demon, saying, you may devour 

 whosever descends into this lake, unless he be acquainted with 

 the doctrine of the gods.* If he have that knowledge you are 

 not permitted to destroy him : neither have you any power 

 over those who do not descend into the water. From that time 

 the demon enquired of those who descended into the lake. Do 

 you understand concerning the gods, if they did not he de- 

 voured them. The Prince Suriya going to the lake entered the 

 water without examination. The demon seizing him said, Do 

 you know concerning the gods? He replied, The sun and 

 moon are gods. You do not understand divinity said 

 the demon, and dragging him down carried him to his cave 

 that he might eat him at leisure. Bodisat seeing that he de« 

 layed returning sent the Prince Chanda to see after him. Upon 

 his descending into the water the demon seized him also, en* 



* Or, with Divinity, including the objects of worship % 



