The Evils of strong drink

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was ruling- in
Benares, a forester, named Sura, who dwelt in the
kingdom of Kasi, went to the Himalayas, to seek for
articles of merchandise. There was a certain tree there
that sprang up to the height of a man with his arms
extended over his head, and then divided into three
parts. In the midst of its three forks was a hole as big
as a wine jar, and when it rained this hole was filled with
water. Round about it grew two myrobalan plants and
a pepper shrub ; and the ripe fruits from these, when they
were cut down, fell into the hole. Not far from this tree
was some self-sown paddy. The parrots would pluck the
heads of rice and eat them, perched on this tree. And
while they were eating, the paddy and the husked rice fell
there. So the water, fermenting through the sun's heat,
assumed a blood-red colour. In the hot season flocks
of birds, being thirsty, drank of it, and becoming intoxi-
cated fell down at the foot of the tree, and after sleeping
awhile flew away, chirping merrily. And the same thing
happened in the case of wild dogs, monkeys and other
creatures. The forester, on seeing this, said, "If this were
poison they would die, but after a short sleep they go
away as they list ; it is no poison." And he himself drank
of it, and becoming intoxicated he felt a desire to eat
flesh, and then making a fire he killed the partridges and
cocks that fell down at the foot of the tree, and roasted
their flesh on the live coals, and gesticulating with one
hand, and eating flesh with the other, he remained one or
two days in the same spot. Now not far from here lived
an ascetic, named Varuna. The forester at other times
also used to visit him, and the thought now struck him,
"I will drink this liquor with the ascetic." So he filled
a reed-pipe with it, and taking it together with some roast
meat he came to the hut of leaves and said, " Holy sir,
taste this liquor," and they both drank it and ate the
meat. So from the fact of this drink having been dis-
covered by Sura and Varuna, it was called by their names
(surd and vdrum). They both thought, " This is the way
to manage it," and they filled their reed-pipes, and taking
it on a carrying-pole they came to a neighbouring village,
and sent a message to the king that some wine merchants
had come. The king sent for them and they offered him
the drink. The king drank it two or three times and got
intoxicated. This lasted him only one or two days. Then
he asked them if there was any more. " Yes, sir," they
said. " Where ? " " In the Himalayas, sir." " Then bring
it here." They went and fetched it two or three times.
Then thinking, "We can't always be going there," they
took note of all the constituent parts, and, beginning
with the bark of the tree, they threw in all the other
ingredients, and made the drink in the city. The men
of the city drank it and became idle wretches. And the
place became like a deserted city. Then these wine
merchants fled from it and came to Benares, and sent
a message to the king, to announce their arrival. The
king sent for them and paid them money, and they made
wine there too. And that city also perished in the same
way. Thence they fled to Saketa, and from Saketa they
came to Savatthi. At that time there was a king named
Sabbamitta in Savatthi. He shewed favour to these men
and asked them what they wanted. When they said,
" We Avant the chief ingredients and ground rice and five
hundred jars," he gave them everything they asked for.
So they stored the liquor in the five hundred jars, and, to
guard them, they bound cats, one to each jar. And, when
the liquor fermented and began to escape, the cats drank
the strong drink that flowed from the inside of the jars,
and getting intoxicated they lay down to sleep ; and rats
came and bit off the cats' ears, noses, teeth and tails.
The king's officers came and told the king, "The cats
have died from drinking the liquor." The king said,
"Surely these men must be makers of poison," and he
ordered them both to be beheaded, and they died, crying
out, "Give us strong drink, give us mead." The king,
after putting the men to death, gave orders that the jars
should be broken. But the cats, when the effect of the
liquor wore off, got up and walked about and played.
When they saw this, they told the king. The king said,
" If it were poison, they would have died ; it must be
mead ; we will drink it." So he had the city decorated,
and set up a pavilion in the palace yard and taking his
seat in this splendid pavilion on a royal throne with a
white umbrella raised over it, and surrounded by his
courtiers, he began to drink. Then Sakka, the king of
the gods, said, " Who are there that in the duty of service
to mother and the like diligently fulfil the three kinds
of right conduct ? " And, looking upon the world, he saw
the king seated to drink strong drink and he thought,
" If he shall drink strong drink, all India will perish :
1 will *ee that he shall not drink it." So, placing ajar full
of the liquor in the palm of his hand, he went, disguised
as a brahmin, and stood in the air, in the presence of the
king, and cried, " Buy this jar, buy this jar." King
Sabbamitta, on seeing him standing in the air and
speaking after this manner, said, "Whence can this
brahmin come ? " and conversing with him he repeated
three stanzas :

Who art thou, Being' from on high,
Whose form emits bright rays of light,

Like levin flash athwart the sky,
Or moon illuming darkest night?

To ride the pathless air upon,

To move or stand in silent space-
Real is the power that thou hast won,

And proves thou art of godlike race.

Then, brahmin, who thou art declare,

And what within thy jar may be,
That thus appearing in mid air,

Thou fain wouldst sell thy wares to me.

Then Sakka said, " Hearken then to me," and, ex-
pounding the evil qualities of strong drink, he said:

This jar nor oil nor ghee doth hold,

No honey or molasses here,
But vices more than can be told

Are stored within its rounded sphere.

Who drinks will fall, poor silly fool,

Into some hole or pit impure,
Or headlong sink in loathsome pool

And eat what he w r ould fain abjure.
Buy then, king, this jar of mine,
Full to the brini of strongest wine 1

And after drinking this, I ween,

Andhakavenhu's mighty race,
Koaining along the shore, were seen

To fall, each by his kinsman's mace.
Buy then etc.

The Asuras made drunk with wine

Fell from eternal heaven, O king,
With all their magic pow r er divine:

Then who would taste the accursed thing?
Buy then etc.

Nor curds nor honey sweet is here,

But evermore remembering
What's stored within this rounded sphere,

Buy, prithee, buy my jar, king.

On hearing this the king, recognizing the misery
caused by drink, was so pleased with Sakka that he
sang his praises in two stanzas :

No parents had I sage to teach, like thee,
But thou art kind and merciful, I see;
A seeker of the Highest Truth alway;
Therefore I will obey thy words to-day.

Lo! five choice villages I own are thine,
Twice fifty handmaids, seven hundred kine,
And these ten cars with steeds of purest blood,
For thou hast counselled me to mine own good.

Sakka on hearing this revealed his godhead and
made himself known, and standing in the air he repeated
two stanzas :

These hundred slaves, king, may still be thine,
And eke the villages and herds of kiiie;
No chariots yoked to high-bred steeds I claim;
Sakka, chief god of Thirty Three, my name.

Enjoy thy ghee, rice, milk and sodden meat,
Still be content thy honey cakes to eat.
Thus, king, delighting in the Truths I've preached,
Pursue thy blameless path, till Heaven is reached.

Thus did Sakka admonish him and then returned to
his abode in Heaven. And the king, abstaining from
strong drink, ordered the drinking vessels to be broken.
And undertaking to keep the precepts and dispensing
alms, he became destined to Heaven. But the drinking
of strong drink gradually developed in India.