The Yaksha Divaukasa, who ran in front of Prince Māndhātar, brought the throne and the jewel-strewing, the inmates of the palace brought the canopy, the fillet, and the armlets. As the inmates of the palace came themselves, the place received the name of Sāketa.[7] When after this the ministers, the commander-in-chief, and the town and country people had drawn nigh unto the prince for the consecration, they said, “O king, be pleased to receive the consecration.”
He replied, “Shall men, forsooth, lay the fillet on me? If I acquire the power according to law, the fillet shall be laid on me by demons.”[8]
Thereupon the fillet was laid upon him by demons. Moreover the seven treasures were revealed,[9] namely, the treasure of the wheel, the treasure of the elephant, the treasure of the horse, the treasure of the gem, the treasure of the wife, the treasure of the householder, and, as the seventh, the treasure of the minister. Also there fell to his share fully a thousand sons, heroic, sturdy, endowed with the beauty of splendid bodies, victorious over hosts of foes.
In the neighbourhood of Vaiśālī there was a dense forest of a delightful aspect, in which five hundred hermits endowed with the five kinds of insight[10] had abandoned themselves to contemplation; and in this dense forest there dwelt also a great number of cranes. Now, as noise is a hindrance to contemplation, and the cranes made a noise as they flew, one of these Rishis [[4]]became angry, and uttered a curse to the effect that the cranes’ wings should be enfeebled. So, in consequence of the cranes having irritated the Rishis, their wings became feeble, and they took to going about, walking on their feet. The king, as he went afield, saw the cranes walking about in this way, and asked the ministers why the cranes went afoot. The ministers replied, “O king, as noise is a hindrance to contemplation, the Rishis in their wrath have cursed the cranes. On that account, in consequence of the anger of the Rishis, the cranes’ wings have grown weak.”
The king said, “Can they be Rishis who are so pitiless towards living creatures? Go to them, sirs, and tell them in my name that they shall not remain in my realm.”
The ministers executed his commands. The Rishis reflected that the king had power over the four quarters of the world, and they determined to betake themselves to the slopes of Sumeru. So they went away and settled there.
As King Māndhātar’s subjects were thinkers, scanners, and testers, and as in the course of thinking, scanning, and testing they took to cultivating various arts and industries, they obtained the designation of the Wise. Now they occupied themselves with field-labour. When the king, as he went afield one day, saw them engaged in field-labour, he asked the ministers what those men were doing. The ministers replied, “O king, in order that they may obtain refreshment, they produce corn and so forth.” The king said, “What! do men practise husbandry in my realm? Let the deity send down a rain of seven-and-twenty kinds of seed.” No sooner had King Māndhātar conceived this idea than the deity sent down a rain of twenty-seven kinds of seed. When the king asked the people of his realm to whose merits this occurrence was due, they replied, “To the king’s merits, as well as also to our own.”
Later on, men took to tilling cotton-fields. When [[5]]King Māndhātar saw this as he went afield, he asked the ministers what those men were doing. The ministers replied, “O king, they are tilling cotton-fields.” The king asked what was the use of that. They answered that it was done for the purpose of producing clothes. Then said the king, “What! shall the men of my country till cotton-fields? Let the deity send down a rain of cotton.” No sooner had King Māndhātar conceived this idea than the deity let a rain of cotton fall. When the king asked the people of his realm to whose merits this occurrence was due, they replied, “To the king’s merits, as well as also to our own.”
Afterwards these men began to spin cotton, and the king asked what they were doing. The ministers replied, “O king, they are spinning cotton in order to procure thread.” The king said, “What! are the people in my realm spinning thread? Let the deity send down a rain of cotton thread.” No sooner had King Māndhātar conceived this idea than the deity sent down a rain of cotton thread. The king asked to whose merits this occurrence was due. The answer was, “To the king’s merits, as well as also to our own.”
After this, when they gradually began to weave cotton, the king asked what they were doing. The answer was, “O king, they are weaving cotton in order to obtain raiment.” The king said to himself, “What! shall the men of my realm weave cotton? Let the deity send down a rain of raiment.” No sooner had King Māndhātar conceived this idea than the deity sent down a rain of raiment. The king asked to whose merits this occurrence was due. The answer was, “To the king’s merits, as well as also to our own.”