kind be threatening us?" Then a sage amongst them thought, "I am not satisfied with what Ananda is doing: I will investigate what he is about," and when the fish came to pay homage to Ananda, the sage hid himself in the lobe of Ananda's ear. Ananda on dismissing the fish devoured those that were straggling behind. The wise fish seeing it reported it to the others and they all were panic-stricken and fled. From that day Ananda in his greedy longing for the flavour of fish refused every other kind of food. Growing sick from hunger he thought, "Where in the world can they be gone?" and in searching for them he espied a certain mountain and thought, "From fear of me the fish, methinks, are dwelling near this mountain. I will encircle it and keep a watch over it." So encircling it with his head and tail he compassed it on both sides, thinking, "If they live here, they will be for escaping," and catching sight of his own tail as it coiled round the mountain he thought, "This fish lives near the mountain and is trying to elude me," and in his rage he seized his own tail, which was fifty leagues long, and believing he had got hold of a fish, he devoured it with a crunching sound, suffering thereby excruciating pain. At the smell of the blood the fish gathered together, and pulling bit after bit out of Ananda's tail ate it up till they reached his head. [464] Having such a big carcase he could not turn round but then and there came to his end. And there was a heap of bones as big as a mountain. Holy ascetics, male and female, travelling through space, saw it and told men of it. And the inhabitants of all India knew of it. Kalahatthi, by way of illustration, told this story and said:

Ananda ate of every fish and when his suite had fled,
He his own tail right greedily devoured till he was dead.

The slave to appetite no other pleasure knows,
Poor careless fool, so blind is he to coming woes:
He children, kith and kin in ruin low will lay,
Then turns and rends himself, to monstrous greed a prey.

To these my words, O king, I pray thee, hearken well,
Eat not the flesh of men; forego thy purpose fell:
Lest thou perchance shouldst share that fish's awful fate
And leave, O lord of men, thy kingdom desolate.

[465] On hearing this the king said, "Kalahatthi, I too know an example as well as you," and as an instance he told an old story in illustration of his greed for human flesh and said:

Sujata's son and heir for some rose-apples loudly cried,
For loss of them the lad so grieved, he laid him down and died.

So, Kala, I who now long time have fed on daintiest fare,
Failing this human flesh, methinks, for life would cease to care.