and seven days since my young brother went forth from us. Where can he possibly be now?" and looking with the divine eye he saw him and said to himself, "He is coming with a hundred and one kings and an escort of twenty-four legions to beg my pardon. These kings and their retinues have witnessed many marvellous things done by my young brother, and being ignorant of my supernatural power they say of me, "This false ascetic overestimates his power and measures himself with our lord." By such boasting they will become destined to hell. I will give them a specimen of my magic-working powers," and placing a carrying-pole in the air, not touching his shoulder by an interval of four inches, he thus travelled in space, passing close by the king, to fetch water from lake Anotatta. But the sage Nanda, when he saw him coming, had not the courage to show himself, but, disappearing on the spot where he was sitting, he escaped and hid himself in the Himalayas. Howbeit king Manoja, when he saw Sona approaching in the comely guise of an ascetic, spoke this stanza:

Who goes to fetch him water through the air at such a pace,
With wooden pole not touching him by quite four inches space?

The Great Being, being thus addressed, spoke a couple of stanzas:

I'm Sona; from ascetic rule I never go astray
My parents I unweariedly support by night and day.

Berries and roots as food for them I gather in the wood,
Ever recalling to my mind how they once wrought me good.

Hearing this, the king wishing to make friends with him, spoke another stanza:

[321] We fain would reach the hermitage where Kosiya doth dwell,
Show us the road, good Sona, which will lead us to his cell.

Then the Great Being by his supernatural power created a footpath leading to the hermitage and spoke this stanza:

This is the path: mark well, O king, yon clump of sombre green;
There midst a grove of ebon trees the hermitage is seen.

Thus did the mighty sage instruct these warrior kings, and then
Once more he travelled through the air and hurried home again.

Next having swept the hermitage he sought his sire's retreat,
And waking up the aged saint he offered him a seat.

"Come forth," he cried, "O holy sage, be seated here, I pray,
For high-born kings of mighty fame will pass along this way."

The old man having heard his son his presence thus implore,
Came forth in haste from out his hut and sat him by the door.

These verses were inspired by Perfect Wisdom.

And the sage Nanda came to the king at the very moment when the Bodhisatta reached the hermitage, bringing with him water from Anotatta,