Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/302

 No. 9.

MAKHĀ-DEVA JĀTAKA.

The Story of Makhā Devā.

"These grey hairs," etc. — This the Teacher told when at Jetavana, in reference to the Great Renunciation. The latter has been related above in the Nidāna Kathā.

Now at that time the priests as they sat were magnifying the Renunciation of the One Mighty by Wisdom. Then the Teacher entered the assembly, and sat down in his place, and addressed the brethren, saying, "What is the subject on which you are talking as you sit here?"

"On no other subject, Lord! but on your Renunciation," said they.

"Mendicants, not then only did the Successor of the Prophets renounce the world; formerly also he did the same."

The monks asked him to explain how that was. Then the Blessed One made manifest an occurrence hidden by change of birth.

Long ago, in Mithilā, in the land of Videha, there was a king named Makhā Deva, a righteous man, and ruling

1 For Nos. 7 and 8, see respectively Bhaddasāla Jātaka, Book xii., and Saŋvara Jātaka, Book xi.

2 Comp. the Makhā-deva Sutta, No. 83 in the Majjhima Nikāya.