“O great Rishi, what is the nature of these five vows?”
“O great king, they are these: Not to take the life of any living creature; not to steal the property of others; not to enter into unlawful unions; not to lie; not to drink intoxicating liquors.”
“O great Rishi,” said the king, “if this be so, I also will observe these five vows, and live in accordance with them.”
Thereupon the king began to observe those five vows, and to behave accordingly. As the king observed the five vows, and lived in accordance with them, his wives did the same, and the princes, ministers, warriors, towns-people, and country-folk, accepted the five vows, and took to behaving in conformity with them. When the tributary kings heard that King Brahmadatta, together with his wives, princes, ministers, warriors, towns-people, and country-folk, had undertaken the five vows, and were living in conformity with them, they also, along with their wives, princes, ministers, warriors, towns-people, and country-folk, accepted the five vows and observed them. The greater part of the inhabitants of Jambudvīpa accepted the five vows, and began to observe them. Whosoever then died in Jambudvīpa, after his body perished, was born again in the Tushita region of the thirty-three gods.
When the king of the gods, Śakra, saw the circle of the gods so enlarged, he uttered this verse—
“The partridge’s disciples, dwelling in the penance-forest [[307]]with esteem and reverence, have instructed the world in the doctrine.”
Bhagavant said, “O Bhikshus, what think ye? I myself was the partridge of that period, the hare of that period was Śāriputra, the monkey Maudgalyāyana, and the elephant Ānanda.” [[308]]
[1] Kah-gyur, iii. ff. 189–193. Here we have the Tittira Jātaka, which is also printed in Fausböll’s Jātaka (London, 1875), p. 218. [See “Buddhist Birth Stories” Translated by T. W. Rhys-Davids. London, 1880, p. 310, No. 37.] In the latter only the partridge, the monkey, and the elephant take part in the question as to age, the hare does not occur. The same is the case in the Chinese recension in “Les Avadānas trad. par Stanislas Julien,” ii. p. 17.—S. [↑]