No. 28. — 1884.] first fifty jAtakas. 



177 



back the way you came ; we have given our daughter to others." 

 The country people quarrelled with them, and went back the way 

 they came. It became known among the mendicants how that 

 astrologer* had spoilt these people's festival. These mendicants, 

 when assembled in the conversation hall, sat talking thus : "Bro- 

 thers, an astrologer has spoilt a family's festival." The teacher 

 came in and asked : " What subject of conversation, mendicants, 

 are you sitting engaged in ?" They told him what it was. " This 

 is not the first time, mendicants," he said, " that the astrologer 

 has interfered with a festival of that family ; formerly also he got 

 angry and spoilt their festival ;" and he told the story of the 

 past. 



In past time, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, some 

 townspeople secured (for their son) the daughter of some country 

 people, and after fixing the day asked their family astrologer : 

 " Sir, we have festival doings to-day ; are the stars favourable ?" 

 He, offended at their fixing the day at their own pleasure, and not 

 asking him till then, thinking "To-day I will prevent their 

 festival," replied : (i To-day the stars are unfavourable ; if you 

 hold it, you will come to great evil." They took his advice and 

 did not go. The country people finding that they did not come, 

 said : " They fixed this day, but they are not come ; we will have 

 nothing to do with them ;" and gave their daughter to another 

 family. Next day the city family came and asked for the girl. 

 The country people said : " You city people are shameless folks ; 

 you fix the day and then don't come for the girl ; as you did not 

 come we have given her to others." " The reason we did not 

 come is that we asked (our) astrologer, and he said the stars were 

 unpropitious ; give us your daughter." " As you did not come, 

 we gave her to others j how shall we now take back a girl we 

 have given ?" While they were quarrelling with one another in 

 this way, a wise man of the city came on some business into the 

 country. When he heard those city people saying : " We asked 

 the astrologer and because of the unluckiness of the stars we did 

 not come," he said : " What use is luck in the stars ? surely, 

 getting the girl is the luck !" and uttered this stanza : — 



" While the star-gazing fool is waiting for luck, the luck goes by : 

 The star of luck is luck, and not any star in the sky."f 



* Ajiviko. B.'s MS. has here A'jivako, which should be read throughout. 



f Literally, something to this effect : Gain passes by a fool while he is intent 

 on (reverences) the lucky conjunction of the stars : the fact of getting what one 

 wants is the best guarantee that it is the right moment fur getting it: what can 

 the stars do ? 



