94 



CEYLON BRANCH 



Rattapala then rose from his seat, and having worshipped 

 Bagawa, departed by his right side, and arranging and closing 

 his lodging room, took his bowl and robes and departed for 

 Tullakotitang, where at length he arrived, and took up his re- 

 sidence in the park of King Korawya. In the morning having 

 dressed himself he entered Tullakotitang in his robes, and with 

 his bowl went from house to house in succession to obtain alms* 

 until he came to the house of his father, who was seated in 

 the centre hall of his residence having his hair and beard 

 dressed. Upon looking up he saw Rattapala coming at a 

 distance, and said, these shavelings have made a houseless 

 one of my only son, who was pleasing and beloved : so Rat- 

 tapala received no gift at his father's house, not even good 

 words, but received abuse alone. 



At that moment a slave girl of his relatives was about to 

 throw away some stale barley gruel, when he said to her, 

 Sister, if you wish to throw away that stale barley gruel, put 

 it here into my bowl ; this she did, recognizing his hands, his 

 feet and his voice. She immediately went to his mother and 

 said, Indeed madam, do you know that your son Rattapala has 

 arrived ? If, girl, you speak the truth, she replied, you shall 

 obtain your freedom ; and hastened to his father, to whom she 

 said, Householder, do you know that the honorable E-attapala 

 has arrived ? 



At this time Rattapala was eating his state barley gruel 

 near a wall, but his father came to him and said, Do you indeed, 

 son Rattapala, eat stale barley gruel ? Truly son Rattapala, 

 you should come to your own home. He replied, Where, house-* 

 holder, is our home ; those who have left family life and become 

 houseless priests have no home : we went, householder, to. 

 your house, but obtained there no alms, not even good words* 

 but certainly obtained abuse. 



