Part 7: Reunion with Citra’s soul

One day at a musical play a slave-girl delivered to him a bouquet of various flowers, like one arranged by Apsarases. When Brahmadatta saw it, thinking, “Such as this I have seen somewhere before,” he employed inner ūha and apoha again and again. From the rising of the memory of five former births just at that time he swooned, and realized, “I saw such a one in Saudharma.” Sprinkled with sandal-water, he recovered, and he thought, “How will my brother in a former birth be found?”

Wishing to know him, he gave a samasyā^[1] of a half-śloka: “We two were slaves, deer, haṃsas, caṇḍālas, and gods likewise.” He had proclaimed in the city: “I shall give half the kingdom to the one who completes my samasyā of half a śloka.” Everyone, reciting the half-śloka which he had learned by heart like his own name, made a second half. But no one completed it.

At that time Citra’s soul, the son of a rich man, who had become a mendicant from memory of his former births, came from Purimatāla, as he was wandering alone. Then in the garden Manorama where he occupied a bare spot of ground free from life, he heard the half-śloka from a water-drawer who was reciting it. “This is the sixth birth of us (now) separated from each other.” After supplying the second half of the śloka, he taught it to him (the water-drawer). The water-drawer recited the second-half of the śloka to the king and questioned by him, “Who is the poet?” said it was the muni. Giving him a gratuity, he went eagerly to the garden to see the muni like a tree of dharma that had sprung up.

After paying homage to the muni, his eyes full of tears, the king sat down near him, feeling affection from former births. After the muni, an ocean with water of compassion, had pronounced a blessing, he began a sermon as a favor to the king.

Sermon:

“Your Majesty, in this worthless worldly existence, there is nothing else of value. Dharma alone is of value, like a lotus in mud. The body, youth, wealth, lordship, friends, relatives—all those are as wavering as the border of a banner lifted by the wind. Just as you conquered external enemies to gain the earth, so conquer internal enemies to gain emancipation. Take the duties of sādhus; abandon everything else, after separating them. For a rājahaṃsa takes milk after separating it from water.”

Brahmadatta then said: “By good fortune you have been seen, brother. This sovereignty is yours alone. Enjoy pleasures as you like. For pleasures are the fruit of penance. Why do you practice penance? Who would struggle, when his purpose has been self-accomplished?”

The muni said: “My wealth was like Dhanada’s. I abandoned it like straw from fear of wandering in births. You, your merit exhausted, have come to this earth from Saudharma. Your merit being exhausted, do not go from here to a low state of existence, king. After obtaining a human birth in an Aryan country in a highest family, which confers emancipation, you gain pleasures by that, like cleansing the feet with nectar. Recalling how we wandered in low categories after falling from heaven, our merit exhausted, why are you confused, king, like a child?”

Even so enlightened by him, the king did not become enlightened. How is there any growth of the seed of enlightenment on the part of those who have made a nidāna? After enlightening him who was most unenlightened, the muni went elsewhere. How long do reciters of spells remain after a bile by a serpent commanded by Death? The muni attained brilliant omniscience by destruction of destructive karmas; after destroying the karmas prolonging existence, he attained the highest step (emancipation).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A part of a stanza to be completed.