While Matali was yet still speaking, Kosiya passing away came into existence in the ranks of the gods without the intervention of parents and mounting up took his stand upon the celestial car. Then Matali conducted him into the presence of Sakka. Sakka on seeing him was glad at heart and gave him his own daughter Honour to wife, as his chief consort, and conferred on him a boundless sovereignty.

On perceiving the state of things the Master said, "It is the merit of some illustrious beings that is thus purified," and he repeated the final stanza:

'Tis thus the acts of holy men to happy issue lead,
And evermore abides the fruit of meritorious deed.
[412] Whose beheld the ambrosial food to Honour that was given,
Straight passed away to fellowship with Indra, lord of heaven.

The Master here ended his discourse with these words, "Not now only, Brethren, but of old also I converted this niggardly fellow who was a confirmed miser," and so saying he identified the Birth thus: "At that time Uppalavanna was the nymph Honour, a Brother of lordly generosity was Kosiya, Anuruddha was Pancasikha, Ananda Matali, Kassapa Suriya, Moggallana Canda, Sariputta Narada, and I myself was Sakka.

Footnotes

^202:1 Reading ciram jivantu for naciram jivantu, as in the previous story, p. 185, supra.

^202:2 Compare vol. i. No. 78, Illisa-Jataka.

^202:3 Hardy's Eastern Monachism, p. 9, Jat. III. 483. 13.

^203:1 saraniya, see Senart's Mahavastu, vol. I. p. 599, Jat. VI. 224. 8.

^204:1 samgharati, Jat. II. 413. 24, IV. 36. 16, and samghara, Jat. V. 222. 16.

^204:2 Evidently a proverb to denote a useless possession.

^204:3 anusetthi here clearly denotes some official subordinate to the Lord High Treasurer. See Fick's Die Sociale Gliederung im nordostlichen Indien zu Buddha's Zeit, note on pp. 167, 168.

^204:4 For madhura we should perhaps read madhu, honey, which occurs as one of the ingredients of the porridge on the next page of the text.

^205:1 acchara must be a weight or measure of capacity. Can it be akin to acchera (Marathi) a half-sher?

^205:2 Sakka's palace.

^205:3 Sakka's hall of justice.

^206:1 For nicchubhati see Pischel's Grammatik der Prakrit-Sprachen, p. 61, and Trenckner's Milindapanho, p. 423. The participle chuddha occurs, Jat. v. 302. 4.

^208:1 Any arrangement for the exchange of alms was forbidden. Cf. Jataka II. notes on pp. 57 and 214, English version.

^209:1 For datva reading 'datva, i.e. adatva.

^209:2 yathodhika, each in its own place. Cf. Jataka III. 381. 22 and IV. 437. 17.

^210:1 sugatte. Though addressing the four, Narada singles out one nymph. Compare the analogous usage in the chorus of a Greek play.

^211:1 With udaggihutta compare udayudha, with uplifted weapon.