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JOUKNALj R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



The city family, after quarrelling a while, went away without 

 the young lady. 



So the teacher, when he had told this religious tale on the 

 words, " This is not the first time, mendicants, that this astrologer 

 has prevented a festival in that family, formerly also he did so," 

 established the connection and linked the birth-story on (to the 

 present) by saying : " At that time the astrologer was the present 

 astrologer, and the families were the present families ; the wise 

 man who stopped and uttered the stanza was I myself." 



(End of " The Lucky Day.") 



50. — DUMMEDHA-JA'TAKA. 

 " The Fools." 

 " A Thousand Fools," fyc. 



This the teacher told while residing in J6tavana about living 

 for the good of the world. This will be explained in the Twelfth 

 Fart in the Krishna birth-story. 



In past time, when Brahmadatta was reigning at Benares, the 

 Bodhisat entered on a new existence as the son of that king's chief 

 queen. As soon as he was born, on his naming day they named 

 him Prince Brahmadatta. When he was sixteen years old be 

 studied at Taxila and mastered the three Vedas, and became per- 

 fectly accomplished in the eighteen branches of knowledge. Then 

 his father gave him a share in his royalty. At that time the 

 people of Benares used to keep the festivals of the natural deities, 

 used to worship the natural deities, and, slaying a great quantity 

 of goats, rams, small birds, pigs, and other animals, used to per- 

 form sacrificial rites with all sorts of flowers and perfumes, as well 

 as with flesh and blood. The Bodhisat thought : " Now-a-days 

 persons in keeping the festivals of the gods of nature destroy a 

 great deal of life, — the people at large are almost all confirmed in 

 irreligion ; but when I receive the kingdom on my father's death, 

 I will contrive to prevent their destroying life without giving pain 

 to a single man." So one day he ascended his chariot and drove 

 out of the city, and saw a great multitude assembled under a large 

 banyan tree, each man praying for what each desired, whether 

 sons and daughters, glory, wealth, or the like, to the deity that 

 dwelt in that tree. He alighted from^he chariot, and went up to 

 the tree, offered perfumes and flowers, made a libation with water, 

 made a reverential circuit of the tree, and after worshipping the 

 deity as if he were* a votary of such deities, ascended his chariot 



* " Viya 11 seems to be omitted before il Jnrivd." 



