Now when nine months had gone by, Āmrapālī gave birth to a fine, good-looking boy. While he was a growing lad, he was playing one day with the sons of the Liććhavis of Vaiśālī, and they addressed him with scoffing words, saying, “Son of a female slave, born from among the many hundreds of thousands, who is your father?” He went in tears to his mother. She asked him why he wept, [[90]]and he told her the whole story. She said to him, “If any one asks you that again, reply, ‘There is not one among you who has such a father as I have.’ If they inquire who he is, tell them that he is King Bimbisāra.”
So when the children were again at play, and they questioned him as before, he replied that there was no one among them who had such a father as he had. “Who is he?” they cried. When he had mentioned the name of King Bimbisāra, they ill treated him all the more, because his father was their enemy. He told all this with tears to his mother, who reflected that the Liććhavis of Vaiśālī were very fierce and strong, and that they might find an opportunity of putting him to death.
After thinking over all this, she found out that a number of merchants were travelling with goods to Rājagṛha, so she said to them, “You and your packages will be able to pass in without paying duty if they are sealed with the seal of this ring. Take the boy with you to the king’s palace, and place him, after stamping the seal of this ring on his neck, at the gate of Rājagṛha.” The merchants promised to act in accordance with these instructions. Then she gave the boy a string of pearls, and said, “O son, betake yourself in the way of business to the king; lay the string of pearls at his feet and climb up to his breast. Should any one say, ‘This is a boy who knows no fear,’ ask whether a son has anything to fear from his father?”
When the merchants had arrived at Rājagṛha with the boy, they gave him a bath, stamped him with the seal, and took him to the gate of the palace. The boy made his way to where the king was, laid the string of pearls at the king’s feet, and climbed up to his breast. The king said, “This boy seems to be without fear.” The boy replied, “Has a son anything to fear from his father?”
As the king had in this way given utterance to the words “without fear,” the boy was named Prince Abhaya [or fearless.] [[91]]
King Bimbisāra, who was always longing after strange women, used to mount his elephant and roam through the streets of the city, turning his eyes this way and that. There lived at that time in Rājagṛha a very rich merchant, who told his wife one day that he was obliged to go into foreign parts with merchandise. After he had gone away, his wife, who fed delicately and dressed in fine raiment, was affected by desire. So when King Bimbisāra came riding on his elephant near her house, she seated herself at the window and threw him a wreath of flowers. The king caught sight of her and called on her to come down, but she said, “O king, I am afraid. It were better that you should come in here.”
The king entered her house and took his pleasure therein; and as all things were propitious, she became with child. When she had made the king aware of this, he gave her a signet ring and a motley robe, and said to her, “If a son is born unto you, clothe him in this robe, stamp this seal on his neck, and send him to me. But if a girl is born unto you, she can remain with you.” Having thus spoken, he went his way.
Now when the merchant had finished his business and had arrived in the neighbourhood of Rājagṛha, he sent a message to his wife saying, “Rejoice, good wife! I have arrived here after finishing my business, and I shall return home on such and such a day.” Then she reflected that she had committed so great a fault, and she knew not what she was to do when her husband arrived. In her trouble she sent tidings thereof to the king. The king sent her back word that she should be of good cheer, for he would manage in such a way that her husband would not return home so soon. Accordingly he sent a messenger to the caravan leader, letting him know that such and such precious stones were required, and that he must not come back without bringing them. So the merchant was obliged to make a long journey on account of those precious stones. [[92]]
When nine months had elapsed, the merchant’s wife gave birth to a fine, good-looking boy. As women, even without receiving instruction, are full of knowledge, she fed the babe on butter and honey, stamped the seal of the ring on his neck, wrapped him in the robe, laid him in a chest, and ordered her serving-maid to deposit the chest at the gate of the king’s palace, after having set lamps around it and lighted them, and then to keep watch till some one should take the child in.
All this the maid did. When the king had come out on the roof of his palace, and was standing there with Prince Abhaya, he perceived the lamps at the door of his palace. So he ordered his servants to find out what was the meaning of there being lamps burning at the palace door. The servants brought back word that there was a chest there. The king ordered it to be fetched, but Prince Abhaya besought the king to give to him whatever should be found within the chest. The king acceded to his request. When the chest had been fetched and laid before the king, he gave orders that it should be opened. When it was opened a boy was seen inside it. The king asked if the child was alive or dead. He was told that it was alive. Then the king recognised the seal and the robe, and he made over the child to Prince Abhaya. The prince brought him up, and as the king had asked if he was alive, and as Prince Abhaya had looked after his maintenance, the boy received the name of Jīvaka Kumārabhaṇḍa.[6]