The Prince's Wooing and the Throne of the Buddhas

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Kalinga, and in
the city of Dantapura, reigned a king named Kalinga.
He had two sous, named Maha-Kalinga and Culla-Kalinga,
Kalinga the Greater and the Less. Now fortune-tellers
had foretold that the eldest son would reign after his
father's death; but that the youngest would live as an
ascetic, and live by alms, yet his son would be an universal
monarch.

Time passed by, and on his father's death the eldest
son became king, the youngest viceroy. The youngest,
ever thinking that a son born of him was to be an
universal monarch, grew arrogant on that account. This
the king could not brook, so sent a messenger to arrest
Kalinga the Less. The man came and said, " Prince, the
king wishes to have you arrested, so save your life." The
prince shewed the courtier charged with this mission his
own signet ring, a fine rug, and his sword: these three.
Then he said, "By these tokens 1 you shall know my son,
and make him king. With these words, he sped away
into the forest. There he built him a hut in a pleasant
place, and lived as an ascetic upon the bank of a river.

Now in the kingdom of Madda, and in the city of
Sagala, a daughter was born to the King of Madda. Of
the girl, as of the prince, fortune-tellers foretold that she
should live as an ascetic, but her son was to be an
universal monarch. The Kings of India, hearing this
rumour, came together with one accord, and surrounded
the city. The king thought to himself, "Now, if I give
my daughter to one, all the other kings will be enraged.
I will try to save her." So with wife and daughter he fled
disguised away into the forest ; and after building him
a hut some distance up the river, above the hut of Prince
Kalinga, he lived there as an ascetic, eating what he could
pick up.

The parents, wishing to save their daughter, left her
behind in the hut, and went out to gather wild fruits.
While they were gone she gathered flowers of all kinds,
and made them into a flower-wreath. Now on the bank
of the Ganges there is a mango tree with beautiful flowers,
which forms a kind of natural ladder. Upon this she
climbed, and playing managed to drop the wreath of
flowers into the water.

One day, as Prince Kalinga was coming out of the
river after a bath, this flower-wreath caught in his hair.

He looked at it, and said, "Some woman made this,
and no full-grown woman but a tender young girl.
I must make search for her." So deeply in love he
journeyed up the Ganges, until he heard her singing in
a sweet voice, as she sat in the mango tree. He ap-
proached the foot of the tree, and seeing her, said, "What
are you, fair lady ? ' "I am human, sir," she replied.
" Come down, then," quoth he. " Sir, I cannot ; I am of
the warrior caste." "So am I also, lady: come down!"
"No, no, sir, that I cannot do. Saying will not make
a warrior; if you are so, tell me the secrets of that
caste." Then they repeated to each other these caste
secrets. And the princess came down, and they were
united one with the other.

When her parents returned she told them about this
son of the King of Kalinga, and how he came into the
forest, in all detail. They consented to give her to him.
While they lived together in happy union, the princess
conceived, and after ten months brought forth a son with
the signs of good luck and virtue ; and they named him
Kalinga. He grew up, and learnt all arts and accomplish-
ments from his father and grandfather.

At length his father knew from conjunctions of the
stars that his brother was dead. So he called his son,
and said, "My son, you must not spend your life in the
forest. Your father's brother, Kalinga the Greater, is
dead; you must go to Dantapura, and receive your
hereditary kingdom." Then he gave him the things he
had brought away with him, signet, rug, and sword, saying,
"My son, in the city of Dantapura, in such a street, lives
a courtier who is my very good servant. Descend into his
house and enter his bedchamber, and shew him these
three things and tell him you are my son. He will place
you upon the throne."

The lad bade farewell to his parents and grandparents;
by the magic power of his virtue he passed through the
air, and descending into the house of that courtier entered
his bedchamber. "Who are vou?" asked the other. "The
son of Kalinga the Less," said he, disclosing the three
tokens. The courtier told it to the palace, and all those
of the court decorated the city and spread the umbrella
of royalty over his head. Then the family priest, who
was named Kalinga-bharadvaja, taught him the ten cere-
monies which an universal monarch has to perform, and
he fulfilled those duties. Then on the fifteenth day, the
fast-day, came to him from Cakkadaha the precious
Wheel of Empire, from the Uposatha stock the pre-
cious Elephant, from the royal Valaha breed the precious
Horse, from Yepulla the precious Jewel ; and the
precious wife, retinue, and prince made their appearance 1 .
Then he achieved sovereignty in the whole terrestrial
sphere.

One day, surrounded by a company which covered
six-and-thirty leagues, and mounted upon an elephant
all white, tall as a peak of Mount Kelasa, in great pomp
and splendour he went to visit his parents. But beyond
the circuit around the great bo-tree, the throne of victory
of all the Buddhas, which has become the very navel of
the earth, beyond this the elephant was unable to pass :
again and again the king urged him on, but pass he
could not.

Hereupon the king's chaplain, who was travelling with
the king, thought to himself, " In the air is no hindrance ;
why cannot the king make his elephant go on? I will
go, and see." Then, descending from the air, he beheld
the throne of victory of all Buddhas, the navel of the
earth, that circuit around the great bo-tree. At that
time, it is said, for the space of a royal karlsa was never
a blade of grass, not so big as a hare's whisker ; it seemed
as it were a smooth-spread sand bright like a silver plate ;
but on all sides were grass, creepers, mighty trees like the
lords of the forest, as though standing in reverent wise
all about with their faces turned towards the throne of
the bo-tree. When the brahmin beheld this spot of
earth, "This," thought he, "is the place where all the
Buddhas have crushed all the desires of the flesh ; and
beyond this none can pass, no not if he were Sakka
himself." Then approaching the king, he told him the
quality of the bo-tree circuit, and bade him descend.

Pierced and pierced again by the king, this elephant
could not endure the pain, and so died ; but the king
knew not he was dead, and sat there still on his back.
Then Kalinga-bharadvaja said, " O great king ! your
elephant is dead ; pass on to another."

By the magical power of the king's virtue, another
beast of the Uposatha breed appeared and offered his
back. The king sat on his back. At that moment the
dead elephant fell upon the earth.

Thereupon the king came down from the air, and
beholding the precinct of the bo-tree, and the miracle
that was done, he praised Bharadvaja, saying,

To Kalinga-bharadvaja king- Kaliriga thus did say:

"All thou know'st and understandest, and thou seest all alway."

Now the brahmin would not accept this praise; but
standing in his own humble place, he extolled the
Buddhas, and praised them.

The king, hearing the virtues of the Buddhas, was
delighted in heart ; and he caused all the dwellers in the
world to bring fragrant wreaths in plenty, and for seven
days he made them do worship at the circuit of the Great
Bo-tree.

Having in this manner done worship to the Great
Bo-tree, he visited his parents, and took them back with
him again to Dantapura; where he gave alms and did
good deeds, until he was born again in the Heaven of
the Thirty-Three.