"My husband has only one fault. He will find fault with his food."

"He has always had his faults, my dear; but I will tell you how to stop his tongue. I will tell you a text which you must learn carefully and repeat to your husband when he finds fault again with his food." And he taught her the lines and shortly afterwards set out for Benares. Katahaka accompanied him part of the way, and took his leave after offering most valuable presents to the Treasurer. Dating from the departure of the Bodhisatta, Katahaka waxed prouder and prouder. One day his wife ordered a nice dinner, and began to help him to it with a spoon, but at the first mouthful Katahaka began to grumble. Thereon the merchant's daughter remembering her lesson, repeated the following stanza:--

If he 'mid strangers far from home talks big ,
Back comes his visitor to spoil it all.
--Come, eat your dinner then, Katahaka .

"Dear me," thought Katahaka, "the Treasurer must have informed her of my name, and have told her the whole story." And from that day forth he gave himself no more airs, but humbly ate what was set before him, and at his death passed away to fare according to his deserts.

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[455] His lesson ended, the Master identified the Birth by saying, "This bumptious Brother was the Katahaka of those days, and I the Treasurer of Benares."

Footnotes

^275:1 No. , probably.

^277:1 Cf. Upham Mahav. 3. 301.

^277:2 The scholiast explains that the wife had no understanding of the meaning of the verse, but only repeated the words as she was taught them. That is to say, the gatha was not in the vernacular, but in a learned tongue intelligible to the educated Katahaka, but not to the woman, who repeated it parrot-fashion.

[j126]