“How came you to know this was not a mango tree?” demanded the disappointed villagers. “We didn’t know,” said they of the caravan; “it was our leader who knew.”
So the villagers came to the Bodhisatta and said, “Man of wisdom, what did you do to find out this tree was not a mango?”
“Two things told me,” replied the Bodhisatta, and he repeated this stanza:—
“When near a village grows a tree
Not hard to climb, ’tis plain to me,
Nor need I further proof to know,
—No wholesome fruit thereon can grow!”
And having taught the Truth to the assembled multitude, he finished his journey in safety.