One day, when the bird was going seeking and seeking food, there was a Mī tree[2] in the jungle. The Mī flowers of that Mī tree had fallen on the ground. The bird, gathering the flowers, and having come and spread them out on the rock on which were the young ones, said to the young ones, “Children, until the time when I come [after] seeking food for you, look after these.”
Afterwards the young ones, having said “Hā,” stayed looking in the very direction of the Mī flowers. The bird went to seek food.
The sun’s heat having fallen on them, [through their] drying and drying up the Mī flowers became extremely less; when one looked the Mī flowers were not even to be seen.
The bird seeking food and having come, when she looked there were no Mī flowers. Having said, “The young birds ate them, indeed,” she asked the young ones about it. The young birds said, “We did not eat them.”
The bird having become angry and said, “If ye did not eat them, who ate them?” struck all the young birds on the rock and killed them.
Then the white lotus throne of Śakra, the Divine King, having become hot, he rained a rain. When it was thus raining it soaked those Mī flowers that had dried up, and [as they expanded again] the rock was filled with them in the same manner as before.
The bird having been looking on, said, “Anē! My foolishness in killing my children!” and called her children. She called them in the manner of verse:—
They dried and dried until they shrank; my children on the rock I’ve slain.
King Śakra’s eyes divine beheld; he rainèd down a flowery rain.
Then in the very form they had, a rock was filled with flowers again;