Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/194

 and in the morning when he got up, he related it, and said; " Last night also those mace-bearers in the other world gave mo sand to eat, when I was hungry, and then I said to them,— ' Why should I eat this sand, though I have bestowed alms ?' Then they said to me— ' Your gift was of no avail, for among the gold coins was one belonging to a Bráhman; when I heard this I woke up." Having told his dream in these words, the king gave away another ten crores of gold to beggars.

And again, when the night came, he used that charm for producing dreams, and again he had a dream, and next morning when he got up, he related it in the following words; "Last night too those men in the other world gave me sand to eat in my dream, and when I question- ed them, they said this to me, ' King, that gift of yours also is of no avail, for to-day a Bráhman has been robbed and murdered in a forest in your country by bandits, and you did not protect him, so your gift is of no avail on account of your not protecting your subjects; so give to-day double the gift of yesterday.' When I heard this I woke up." After the king had related his dream to his spiritual guide in these words, he gave double his former gift.

Then he said to the mendicant, " Teacher, how can men like myself obey in this world a law which admits of so many infractions."

When the mendicant heard that, he said, " Wise men should not allow such a little thing to damp their ardour in the keeping of the law of righteousness. The gods themselves protect firm men, endowed with perseverance, that swerve not from their duty, and they bring their wishes to fulfilment. Have you not heard the story of the adorable Bodhisattva in his former birth as a boar ? Listen, I will tell it you."

Story of the Holy Boar.:— Long ago there dwelt in a cavern in the Vindhya mountains a wise boar, who was an incarnation of a portion of a Buddha, together with his friend a monkey. He was a benefactor of all creatures, and he remained always in the society of that friend, honouring guests, and so he spent the time in occupations suited to him. But once on a time there came on a storm lasting for five days, which was terrible, in that it hindered with its unintermitting rainfall the movements of all living creatures. On the fifth day, as the boar was lying asleep with the monkey at night, there came to the door of the cave a lion with his mate and his cub. Then the lion said to his mate, " During this long period of bad weather we shall certainly die of hunger from not obtaining any animal to eat." The lioness answered, " It is clear that hunger will prevent all of us from surviving, so you two had better eat me and so save your lives. For you are my lord and master, and this son of ours is our very life; you will easily get another mate like me, so ensure the welfare of you two by devouring me."