The Prince who could not laugh

Once upon a time, there reigned a king Suruci in
Mithila. This king, having a son born to him, gave him
the name of Suruci-Kumara, or Prince Splendid. When
he grew up, he determined to study at Takkasila ; so
thither he went, and sat down in a hall at the city gate.
Now the son of the king of Benares also, whose name was
Prince Brahmadatta, went to the same place, and took
his seat on the same bench where Prince Suruci sat.
They entered into converse together, and became friends,
and went both together to the teacher. They paid the
fee, and studied, and ere long their education was com-
plete. Then they took leave of their teacher, and went
on their road together. After travelling thus a short
distance, they came to a stop at a place where the road
parted. Then they embraced, and in order to keep their
friendship alive they made a compact together: "If
I have a son and you a daughter, or if you have a son
and I a daughter, we will make a match of it between
them."

When they were on the throne, a son was born to king
Suruci, and to him also the name of Prince Suruci was
given. Brahmadatta had a daughter, and her name was
Sumedha, the Wise Lady. Prince Suruci in due time
grew up, went to Takkasila for his education, and that
finished returned. Then his father, wishing to mark out
his son for king by ceremonial sprinkling, thought to
himself, " My friend the king of Benares has a daughter
so they say : I will make her my son's consort." For this
purpose he sent an ambassade with rich gifts.

But before they had yet come, the king of Benares
asked his queen this question : " Lady, what is the worse
misery for a woman ? " " To quarrel with her fellow-
wives." "Then, my lady, to save our only daughter the
Princess Sumedha from this misery, we will give her to
none but him that will have her and no other." So when
the ambassadors came, and named the name of his
daughter, he told them, " Good friends, indeed it is true
I promised my daughter to my old friend long ago. But
we have no wish to cast her into the midst of a crowd
of women, and we will give her only to one who will wed
her and no other." This message they brought back to
the king. But the king was displeased. "Ours is a
great kingdom," said he, " the city of Mithila covers seven
leagues, the measure of the whole kingdom is three
hundred leagues. Such a king should have sixteen
thousand women at the least." But Prince Suruci,
hearing the great beauty of Sumedha, fell in love from
hearing of it only. So he sent word to his parents, saying,
" I will take her and no other : what do I want with
a multitude of women ? Let her be brought." They did
not thwart his desire, but sent a rich present and a great
ambassade to bring her home. Then she was made his
queen-consort, and they were both together consecrated
by sprinkling.

He became king Suruci, and ruling in justice lived
a life of high happiness with his queen. But although
she dwelt in his palace for ten thousand years, never son
nor daughter she had of him.

Then all the townsfolk gathered together in the palace
courtyard, with upbraidings. " What is it ? " the king
asked. " Fault we have no other to find," said they, " but
this, that you have no son to keep up your line. You
have but one queen, yet a royal prince should have
sixteen thousand at the least. Choose a company of women,
my lord : some worthy wife will bring you a son." " Dear
friends, what is this you say ? I passed my word I would
take no other but one, and on those terms I got her.
I cannot lie, no host of women for me." So he refused
their request, and they departed. But Sumedha heard
what was said. "The king refuses to choose him other
wives for his truth's sake," thought she ; " well, I will find
him some one." Playing the part of mother and wife
to the king, she chose at her own will a thousand maidens
of the warrior caste, a thousand of the courtiers, a
thousand daughters of householders, a thousand of all
kinds of dancing girls, four thousand in all, and delivered
them to him. And all these dwelt in the palace for ten
thousand years, and never a son or daughter they brought
between them. In this way she three times brought four
thousand maidens, but they had neither son nor daughter.
Thus she brought him sixteen thousand wives in all.
Forty thousand years went by, that is to say, fifty
thousand in all, counting the ten thousand he had lived with
her alone. Then the townsfolk a^ain Gathered together
with reproaches. " What is it now ? " the king asked.
"My lord, command your women to pray for a son."
The king was not unwilling, and commanded so to pray.
Thenceforward praying for a son, they worship all
manner of deities and offer all kinds of vows; yet no
son appeared. Then the king commanded Sumedha to
pray for a son. She consented. On the fast of the
fifteenth day of the month, she took upon her the eight-
fold sabbath vows 1 , and sat meditating upon the virtues
in a magnificent room upon a pleasant couch. The
others were in the park, vowing to do sacrifice with
goats or kine. By the glory of Sumedha's virtue Sakka's
dwelling place began to tremble. Sakka pondered, and
understood that Sumedha prayed for a son; well, she
should have one. " But I cannot give her this or that
son indifferently; I will search for one which shall be
suitable." Then he saw a young god called Nalakara,
the Basket-weaver. He was a being endowed with merit,
who in a former life lived in Benares, when this befell him.
At seed-time as he was on his way to the fields he per-
ceived a Pacceka Buddha 2 . He sent on his hinds, bidding
them sow the seed, but himself turned back, and led the
Pacceka Buddha home, and gave him to eat, and then
conducted him again to the Ganges bank. He and his son
together made a hut, trunks of fig-trees for the foundation
and reeds interwoven for the walls; a door he put to it,
and made a path for walking. There for three months
he made the Pacceka Buddha dwell ; and after the rains
were over, the two of them, father and son, put on him
the three robes and let him go. In the same manner
they entertained seven Pacceka Buddhas in that hut, and
gave them the three robes, and let them go their ways.
So men still tell how these two, father and son, turned
basket-weavers, and hunted for osiers on the banks of the
Ganges, and whenever they spied a Pacceka Buddha did
as we have said. When they died, they were born in the
heaven of the Thirty-Three, and dwelt in the six heavens
of sense one after the other in direct and in reverse
succession, enjoying great majesty among the gods.
These two after dying in that region were desirous of
winning to the upper god-world. Sakka perceiving that
one of them would be the Tathagata, went to the door
of their mansion, and saluting him as he arose and came
to meet him, said, "Sir, you must go into the world of
men." But he said, " O king, the world of men is hateful
and loathsome ; they who dwell there do good and give
alms longing for the world of the gods. What shall I
do w T hen I get there?" "Sir, you shall enjoy there all
that can be enjoyed in the world of gods; you shall dwell
in a palace made with stones of price, five and twenty
leagues in height. Do consent." He consented. When
Sakka had received his promise, in the guise of a sage
he descended into the king's park, and shewed himself
soaring above those women to and fro in the air, while he
chanted, " To whom shall I give the blessing of a son, who
craves the blessing of a son ? " " To me, Sir, to me ! "
thousands of hands were uplifted. Then he said, " I give
sons to the virtuous : what is your virtue, what your life
and conversation?" They drew down their uplifted
hands, saying, "If you would reward virtue, go seek
Sumedha." He went his ways through the air, and stayed
at the window of her bedchamber. Then thev went and
told her, saying, "See, my lady, a king of the gods has
come down through the air, and stands at your bed-
chamber window, offering you the boon of a son !" With
great pomp she proceeded thither, and opening the Avindow,
said, " Is this true, Sir, that I hear, how you offer the
blessing of a son to a virtuous woman ? " " It is, and so
I do." "Then grant it to me." "What is your virtue,
tell me ; and if you please me, I grant you the boon."
Then declaring her virtue she recited these fifteen
stanzas.

I am king- Ruci's consort-queen, the first he ever wed;
With Suruci ten thousand years my wedded life I led.

Suruci king of Mithila, Videha's chief est place,

I never lightly held his wish, nor deemed him mean or base,

In deed or thought or word, behind his back, nor to his face.

If this be true, holy one, so may that son be given:

But if my lips are speaking lies, then burst my head in seven.

The parents of my husband dear, so long as they held sway,
And while they lived, would ever give me training in the Way.

My passion was to hurt no life, and willingly do right:

I served them with extreniest care unwearied day and night.

If this be true, etc.

No less than sixteen thousand dames my fellow-wives have been:
Yet, brahmin, never jealousy nor anger came between.
At their good fortune I rejoice; each one of them is dear;
My heart is soft to all these wives as though myself it were.

If this be true, etc.

Slaves, messengers, and servants all, and all about the place,
I give them food, I treat them well, with cheerful pleasant face.

If this be true, etc.

Ascetics, brahmins, any man who begging 1 here is seen,

I comfort all with food and drink, my hands all washen clean.

If this be true, etc.

The eighth of either fortnight, the fourteenth, fifteenth days,
And the especial fast I keep, I walk in holy ways.

If this be true, holy one, so may that son be given:

But if niy lips are speaking lies, then burst my head in seven.

Indeed not a hundred verses, nor a thousand, could
suffice to sing the praise of her virtues: yet Sakka
allowed her to sing her own praises in these fifteen
stanzas, nor did he cut the tale short though he had much
to do elsewhere; then he said, "Abundant and marvellous
are your virtues"; then in her praise he recited a couple
of stanzas:

All these great virtues, glorious dame, daughter of a king,
Are found in thee, which of thyself, lady, thou dost sing.

A warrior, born of noble blood, all glorious and wise,
Videha's righteous emperor, thy son, shall soon arise.

When these words she heard, in great joy she recited
two stanzas, putting a question to him :

Unkempt, with dust and dirt begrimed, high-poised in the sky,
Thou speakest in a lovely voice that pricks me to the heart.

Art thou a mighty god, sage and dwellst in heaven on high?
O tell me whence thou comest here, tell me who thou art!

He told her in six stanzas :

Sakka the Hundred-eyed thou seest, for so the gods me call
When they are wont to assemble in the heavenly judgment hall.

When women virtuous, wise, and good here in the world are

found,
True wives, to husband's mother kind even as in duty bound,

When such a woman wise of heart and good in deed they know,
To her, though woman, they divine, the gods themselves will go.

So lady, thou, through worthy life, through store of good deeds

done,
A princess born, all happiness the heart can wish, hast won.

So thou dost reap thy deeds, princess, by glory on the earth,
And after in the world of gods a new and heavenly birth.

wise, blessed! so live on, preserve thy conduct right:
Now I to heaven must return, delighted with thy sight.

"I have business to do in the world of gods," quoth
he, " therefore I go ; but do thou be vigilant." With this
advice he departed.

In the morning time, the god Nalakara came down
and was conceived. When she discovered it, she told the
king, and he did what was necessary for a woman in her
state 1 . At the end of ten months she brought forth
a son, and they gave him Maha-panada to his name.
All the people of the two countries came crying out,
"My lord, we bring this for the boy's milk-money," and
each dropt a coin in the king's courtyard: a great heap
there was of them. The king did not wish to accept this,
but they would not take the money back, but said as they
departed, "When the boy grows up, my lord, it will pay
for his keep."

The lad was brought up amid great magnificence ; and
when he came of years, aye, no more than sixteen, he was
perfect in all accomplishments. The king thinking of his
son's age, said to the queen, "My lady, when the time
comes for the ceremonial sprinkling of our son, let us
make him a fine palace for that occasion." She was quite
willing. The king sent for those who had skill in divining
the lucky place for a building 2 , and said to them: "My
friends, get a master-mason, and build me a palace not
far from my own. This is for my son, whom we are about
to consecrate as my successor." They said it was well,
and proceeded to examine the surface of the ground.
At that moment Sakka's throne became hot. Perceiving
this, he at once summoned Yissakamma 1 , and said, "Go,
my good Vissakamma, make for Prince Maha-panada
a palace half a league in length and breadth and five
and twenty leagues in height, all with stones of price."
Vissakamma took on the shape of a mason, and ap-
proaching the workmen said, " Go and eat your breakfast,
then return." Having thus got rid of the men, he struck
on the earth with his staff; in that instant up rose a
palace, seven storeys high, of the aforesaid size. Now
for Maha-panada these three ceremonies were done
together: the ceremony for consecrating the palace, the
ceremony for spreading above him the royal umbrella,
the ceremony of his marriage. At the time of the
ceremony all the people of both countries gathered
together, and spent seven years a-feasting, nor did the
king dismiss them: their clothes, their ornaments, their
food and their drink and all the rest of it, these things
were all provided by the royal family. At the seven
years' end they began to grumble, and king Suruci asked
why. " O king," they said, " while we have been revelling
at this feast seven years have gone by. When will the
feast come to an end ? " He answered, " My good friends,
all this while my son has never once laughed. So soon
as he shall laugh, we will disperse again." Then the
crowd went beating the drum and gathered the tumblers
and jugglers together. Thousands of tumblers were
gathered, and they divided themselves into seven bands
and danced ; but they could not make the prince laugh.
Of course he that had seen the dancing of dancers divine
could not care for such dancers as these. Then came
two clever jugglers, Bhandu-kanna and Pandu-kanna,
Crop-ear and Yellow-ear, and said they, "We will make
the prince laugh." Bhandu-kanna made a great mango
tree, which he called Sanspareil, grow before the palace
door: then he threw up a ball of string, and made it
catch on a branch of the tree, and then up he climbed
into the Mango Sanspareil. Now the Mango Sanspareil
they say is Vessavana's mango 1 . And the slaves of
Vessavana took him, as usual, chopt him up limb-meal
and threw down the bits. The other jugglers joined the
pieces together, and poured water upon them. The man
donned upper and under garments of flowers, and rose
up and began dancing again. Even the sight of this did
not make the prince laugh. Then Pandu-kanna had
some fire-wood piled in the courtyard and went into the
fire with his troop. When the fire was burnt out, the
people sprinkled the pile with water. Pandu-kanna
with his troop rose up dancing with upper and under
garments of flowers. When the people found they could
not make him laugh, they grew angry. Sakka, perceiving
this, sent down a divine dancer, bidding him make prince
Maha-panada laugh. Then he came and remained poised
in the air above the royal courtyard, and performed what
is called the Half-body dance: one hand, one foot, one
eye, one tooth, go a-dancing, throbbing, flickering to and
fro, all the rest stone still. Maha-panada, when he saw
this, erave a little smile. But the crowd roared and roared
with laughter, could not cease laughing, laughed them-
selves out of their wits, lost control of their limbs, rolled
over and over in the royal courtyard. That was the end
of the festival. The rest of it-
Great Panada, mighty king,
With his palace all of gold,

must be explained in the Maha-panada Birth 1 .

King Maha-panada did good and gave alms, and at his
life's end went to the w r orld of gods.