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JOURNAL^ R.A.S. ( CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



Bodhisat was born a pigeon. In those days they used, out of 

 desire of merit, to hang up baskets with chaff in them for small 

 birds to live in comfort. A nobleman's cook in Benares put up 

 a hanging basket of chaff in his kitchen. There the Bodhisat 

 lived. He lived there and spent his time thus : he went out early 

 in the morning to roam for food, and came back in the evening. 

 One day a crow, passing over the kitchen, smelt the savour of 

 various dishes (sour and not sour) of fish, and his greediness was 

 excited.* He perched not far off and was casting about for some 

 means of getting the fish, when he saw the Bodhisat return in 

 the evening and enter the kitchen, and thought, "By means of 

 this pigeon I will get the fish." 80 he came back next morning, 

 and when the Bodhisat started on his rounds for food, he followed 

 him about. Then the Bodhisat said to him : " Friend, why are 

 you flying about with me ?" " Sir, your way of life charms me ; 

 henceforth I shall wait upon you." " Friend, you are one kind of 

 feeder and I another ; it is difficult for you to wait upon me said 

 the Bodhisat. "Sir, I will take my food, and then when you are 

 taking your food, I will go about with you." " Very well ; only 

 mind, you must be very active !" (or careful). Having given the 

 crow this warning, the Bodhisat went about feeding, and eating 

 grass seeds and such like. But while the Bodhisat was at pasture, 

 the crow, who had already gone and raked up a lum.p of cow-dung 

 and eaten his fill of worms (or insects), joined him, saying, " Sir, 

 you have been an immense time on your round, it is not good to 

 eat to excess ;" and when the Bodhisat returned in the evening 

 from pasture, the crow entered the kitchen with him. The cook 

 thought : " Our pigeon has come back with another ;" and set a 

 basket for the crow too. Thenceforward they both lived there. 

 One day a great quantity of fish was brought in for the nobleman. 

 The cook took it and hung it up in different parts of the kitchen. 

 When the crow saw it his greediness was excited, and thinking, 

 " To-morrow I shall not go to the feeding ground, but this must 

 be my food," he lay all night in agitation. Next day when the 

 Bodhisat started for pasture, he said, " Come, friend crow !" " Sir, 

 you go ; I am suffering from indigestion." " Sir, there never yet 

 was such a thing as a crow having indigestion. At night they are 

 famished in each watch of the three ; when they have eaten a 

 lamp-wick they are satisfied for a very little while. You must be 



* It is not easy to represent in English such expressions as hbham vppddetvd 

 The lust is not said to arise in the man, but the men to rouse or give birth to 

 the lust. The man is regarded as the (responsible) author of his own desires, and 

 so with his thoughts and emotions, 



