On another occasion, when Jīvaka was strolling along surrounded by a great crowd, a Brahman who was afflicted with an eye disease accosted him, and begged him to prescribe a remedy. He replied angrily, “Sprinkle the eye with ashes.” The man, who was of a simple nature, did as he was told, and he became well.
Another man, also afflicted with an eye disease, was on his way to visit Jīvaka, when the Brahman saw him and asked him where he was going. When the man had told him, the Brahman said, “What need have you of Jīvaka? Do what he told me to do.” The man gave heed to the words of the Brahman, sprinkled his eye with ashes, and became blind.
At another time, a tumour formed on the crown of King Bimbisāra’s head. He ordered his ministers to summon the physicians. The ministers did so, and the king told the physicians to treat the tumour. They said, “O king, as the great physician Jīvaka is here, why should we deal with it?” So the king ordered Jīvaka to be summoned. When he had been introduced, the king asked him to undertake the case. He consented to do so, on the condition that he should be allowed to give the king his bath. Then he anointed the tumour with myrobalan and with ripening substances, and he poured over it five hundred jugs of water in which such substances had been infused. When it was ripe he secretly touched it with a razor and squeezed it out. Then he applied healing remedies, and poured over it five hundred jugs of water in which such substances had been infused. Whereupon the wound healed so completely that the skin and the hair were perfectly even. When the king’s bath was finished, he said that Jīvaka was now to begin the operation. Jīvaka replied, [[105]]“O king, be pleased to partake of food.” When the king had eaten, he again called upon Jīvaka to proceed. “O king,” said Jīvaka, “the operation has been performed.” The king would not believe this, but when he felt with his hand, he could not find the place where the hurt had been. Moreover, when he took a mirror and looked in it, he could see nothing. He asked his wife, but neither could she find the place where the hurt had been. The king was greatly astonished, and he said to his ministers, “Honoured sirs, appoint Jīvaka king of the physicians.” But the man who had become blind said, “O king, is it from love towards your son or on account of his knowledge of things that you give him this appointment?” The king replied, “On account of his knowledge of things.” The blind man said, “However this may be, he has not cured me.” Jīvaka said, “O man, I have never seen you before; how, then, could I have cured you?” The blind man replied, “That is true; but he to whom you did prescribe a remedy taught me what to do.”
“What did he teach you to do?”
“Such and such things.”
“Your nature and that man’s nature are different,” said Jīvaka. “Now do this and that, and you will be made whole.”
The man acted accordingly and was made whole. Then he said, “O king, be pleased to let Jīvaka be appointed king of the physicians.” So Jīvaka was seated upon an elephant, and with great pomp was installed king of the physicians.
There lived in Rājagṛha a householder who suffered from a swelling of the glands,[7] and had been given up by all the physicians. He resolved to go to Jīvaka. If he could be cured by him, well and good; if not, then he was ready to die. He came to Jīvaka, and entreated him to [[106]]cure him. Jīvaka said that the remedies which his case required were hard to find. Thus the man thought, “As even Jīvaka has given me up, what is there for me to do? As my time has come, I will die of my own accord.” So he went away to the cemetery. Now a corpse was being burnt there, and an ichneumon and a lizard, which were fighting with one another, fell into the fire. Being tormented by hunger, he devoured them both. Then he drank some rain-water which he found in the cemetery, and afterwards he betook himself to a cattle-shed in the neighbourhood of the cemetery, where he fed upon kodrava[8] porridge and sour milk mixed with butter. Thereupon the tumour gave way, and he, after it had discharged upwards and downwards, was restored to health.
At another time Vaidehī suffered from a tumour in the groin. She communicated the fact to the king, who ordered Jīvaka to cure his stepmother. Jīvaka undertook the case, prepared a poultice, and asked her to sit down upon it. After examining the poultice on which she had sat, he perceived where the diseased spot was. Then he applied maturing means, and when he saw that the tumour was ripe, he concealed a lancet in the poultice, and gave directions to the queen-mother as to how she was to sit down upon it and rise up again. She acted accordingly, and the tumour gave way as soon as it was pricked by the lancet. He then caused it to be washed with bitter water mixed with healing substances, and applied healing substances to it, after which she became well.
Jīvaka went to the king, who asked him if he had healed his stepmother. He replied that he had done so.