The story of the merchant’s son

^Kd.8.1.21 Now at that time the son of a merchant of Benares,^[1] while playing at turning somersaults,^[2] came to suffer from a twist in the bowels, so that he did not properly digest the conjey that he drank nor did he properly digest the food that he ate or relieve himself regularly. Because of this he became thin, wretched, his colour bad, yellowish, the veins showing all over his body.^[3] Then it occurred to the merchant of Benares:

“Now what kind of affliction has my son? He does not properly digest the conjey that he drinks and he does not properly digest the food that he eats and he does not relieve himself regularly. Because of this he is thin, wretched, of a bad colour, yellowish, the veins showing all over his body. What now if I, having gone to Rājagaha, should ask the king for Jīvaka, the doctor, to attend my son?”

Then the merchant of Benares, having gone to Rājagaha, approached King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha; having approached, he spoke thus to King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha:

“Sire, my son has this kind of affliction: he does not ^BD.4.390 properly digest … the veins showing all over his body. It were good if your majesty ^Vin.1.276 were to command Jīvaka, the doctor, to attend my son.”

^Kd.8.1.22 Then King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha commanded Jīvaka Komārabhacca, saying: “Go, good Jīvaka, having gone to Benares, attend the son of the merchant of Benares.”

“Very well, sire,” and Jīvaka Komārabhacca having answered King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha in assent, having gone to Benares, approached the son of the merchant of Benares; having approached, having observed the uneasiness of the son of the merchant of Benares, having caused the people to be turned away, having surrounded him with a curtain,^[4] having tied him to a post, having placed his wife in front (of him), having cut open the skin of his stomach, having drawn out the twisted bowel, showed it to his wife, saying: “See, this was your husband’s affliction; because of this he did not properly digest the conjey that he drank and did not properly digest the food that he ate and did not relieve himself regularly; because of this he is thin, wretched, his colour bad, yellowish, the veins showing all over his body.” Having straightened out the twisted bowel, having put back the bowel again, having sewn up the skin of the stomach, he applied an ointment. Then the son of the merchant of Benares soon became well. Then the merchant of Benares, saying: “My son is well,” gave sixteen thousand to Jīvaka Komārabhacca. Then Jīvaka Komārabhacca, taking those sixteen thousand, went back again to Rājagaha.