My parable proclaims the Truth. To it, O king, give heed,
Thy fame for good or ill will grow according to thy deed.

[257]. Thus by means of this parable did he admonish the king and, in order to fix it firmly in his mind, he repeated this stanza:

In pity once, nay even twice, utter the warning word,
But keep not on repeating it, like slave before his lord.

Thus in his wisdom infinite did Sonaka the seer
Instruct the king, and then in space straightway did disappear.

This stanza was inspired by Perfect Wisdom.

And the Bodhisatta stood gazing on him as he passed through the air, so long as he remained within the range of his vision, but when he had passed out of sight, he was greatly agitated and thought, "This brahmin, low-born fellow that he is, after scattering the dust from his feet upon my head, though I am sprung from an unbroken line of nobles, [258] has disappeared in the sky: I must to-day renounce the world and become a religious. So in his desire to join the religious and give up his kingdom he repeated a couple of stanzas:

Where are my charioteers, despatched a worthy king to find?
I would not longer reign; henceforth my crown I have resigned.

Tomorrow one may die, who knows? I'll be ordained to-day;
Lest, like the foolish crow, I fall 'neath passion's baneful sway.

On hearing him thus abdicate his throne his councillors said:

Thou hast a son, Dighavu named, a goodly prince is he,
By sprinkling raise him to the throne, for he our king shall be.

Then, beginning with the stanza spoken by the king, the verses in due order are to be understood in their obvious connexion:

Then quickly bring Dighavu here, a goodly prince is he,
By sprinkling raise him to the throne, for he your king shall be.

When they had brought Dighavu there, their nursing king to be,
His sire addressed his darling boy--an only son was he.

Full sixty thousand villages I once did claim as mine,
Take them, my son, to thee henceforth my kingdom I resign.

Tomorrow one may die, who knows? I'll be ordained to-day;
Lest, like the foolish crow, I fall 'neath passion's baneful sway.

Lo! sixty thousand elephants with splendour all bedight,
With girths of gold, caparisoned with trappings golden-bright,

Each ridden by his own mahout, with spiked hook in hand,
Take them, my son, I give them thee as ruler of the land.

[259] Tomorrow one may die, who knows? I'll be ordained to-day;
Lest, like the foolish crow, I fall 'neath passion's baneful sway.

Lo! sixty thousand horses here, bedecked in bright array
--Sindh horses, all of noble breed and fleet of foot are they--

Each ridden by a henchman bold, with sword and bow in hand,
Take them, my son, I give them thee as ruler of the land.