Thus did the Great Being in making his third choice choose the restoration of these kshatriyas, each to his own kingdom. Why was this? Because the ogre, supposing he did not eat them, through fear of their hostility would either enslave them all and make them, dwell in the forest, or would slay them and expose their dead bodies, or would bring them to the border country and sell them as slaves; and therefore he made choice as his boon of their restoration to their own kingdoms, and the man-eater in granting his request spoke this stanza:

I captive hold a hundred kings and more,
All strung up by their hands and weeping sore,
All will I to their realms restore again:
This third boon too thou shalt from me obtain.

Now in making his fourth choice the Bodhisatta spoke this stanza:

Distracted is thy realm and sick with fright,
In caves much people hide them from thy sight.
From eating human flesh, O king, abstain:
This the fourth boon I would from thee obtain.

[498] When he had so spoken, the man-eater clapped his hands and laughing said, "Friend Sutasoma, what in truth is this that you say I How can I grant you this boon? If you are anxious to receive another boon, choose something else," and he uttered this stanza:

Much to my taste I surely find this food;
'Twas for this cause I hid within the wood.
How then from such delights should I abstain?
For thy fourth boon, good sir, pray, choose again.

Then the Great Being said, "Because you love man's flesh, you say, "I cannot abstain from it." He verily that does evil because it is pleasant is a fool," and he repeated this stanza:

A king like thee should not his pleasure take
Nor sacrifice his life for pleasure's sake.
Life in its highest sense, best gift, attain
And future joys thou shalt by merit gain.

When these words had been spoken by the Great Being, the man-eater was overcome with fear and thought, "I can neither repudiate the choice Sutasoma has made nor abstain from human flesh. [499] What in the world am I to do?" and with his eyes swimming in tears he repeated this stanza:

I love man's flesh: thou too must know,
Great Sutasoma, it is so.
From it I never can abstain,
Think, sir, of something else and choose again.

Then the Bodhisatta said:

Whoso shall ever his own pleasure take
And sacrifice e'en life for pleasure's sake,
The poison cup like drunkard will he drain,
And so hereafter suffers endless pain.

Who knowingly shall pleasure here eschew,
The arduous path of duty to pursue,
As one in pain that drains the healing cup,
So he to bliss in the next world wakes up.

After he had thus spoken, the man-eater sorely lamenting repeated this stanza: