Having conquered he came to the palace, and having come near the Peacock, he says, “By thy power, indeed, I conquered in this war.” Having said, “Because of it, half the kingdom is for thee, the other half for me,” dividing the kingdom he remained there.
North-western Province.
In The Jātaka, No. 159 (vol. ii, p. 23), and also No. 491 (vol. iv, p. 210), there is a story of a Golden Peacock. “The egg which contained him had a shell as yellow as a kaṇikāra bud; and when he broke the shell, he became a Golden Peacock, fair and lovely, with beautiful red lines under his wings.” We learn that “when day dawned, as he sat upon the hill [at Daṇḍaka], watching the sun rise, he composed a Brahma spell to preserve himself safe in his own feeding-ground.” It was as follows:—
There he rises, king all-seeing,
Making all things bright with his golden light.
Thee I worship, glorious being,
Making all things bright with thy golden light.
Keep me safe, I pray
Through the coming day.[1]