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Once
on a time in the city of Benares in the Kasi country there was a king
named Brahmadatta. In those days the Bodhisatta was born into a
merchant’s family, and growing up in due course, used to journey
about trading with five hundred carts, traveling now from east to
west and now from west to east. There was also at Benares another
young merchant, a stupid blockhead, lacking resource.
.
Now
at the time of our story the Bodhisatta had loaded five hundred carts
with costly wares of Benares and had got them all ready to start, And
so had the foolish young merchant too. Thought the Bodhisatta, “If
this foolish young merchant keeps me company all along, and the
thousand carts travel along together, it will be too much
for the road; it will be a hard matter to get wood, water, and so
forth for the men, or grass for the oxen. Either he or I must
go on first.” So he sent for the other and laid his view before
him, saying, “The two of us can’t travel together; would you
rather go first or last?” Thought the other, “There will be many
advantages if I go on first. I shall have a road which is not yet cut
up; my oxen will have the pick of the grass; my men will have the
pick of the herbs for curry; the water will be undisturbed; and,
lastly, I shall fix my own price for the barter of my goods.”
Accordingly he replied,” I will go first, my dear sir.”
.
The
Bodhisatta, on the other hand, saw many advantages in going last, for
he argued thus to himself:-“ Those who go first will level the road
where it is rough, whilst I shall travel along the road they have
already traveled; their oxen will have grazed off the coarse old
grass, whilst mine will pasture on the sweet young growth which will
spring up in its place; my men will find a fresh growth of sweet
herbs for curry where the old ones have been picked; where is no
water, the first caravan will have to dig to supply themselves, and
we shall drink at the wells they dug. Haggling over prices is killing
work; whereas I, following later, shall barter my wares at the prices
they have already fixed.” Accordingly, seeing all these advantages,
he said to the other, “Then go you first, my dear sir.”
.
“Very
well, I will,” said the foolish merchant. And he yoked his carts
and set out. Journeying along, he left human habitations behind him
and came to the outskirts of the wilderness. (Now wildernesses are of
the five following kinds:-robber wildernesses, wild-beast
wildernesses, drought wildernesses, demon wildernesses, and famine
wildernesses. The first is when the way is beset by robbers; the
second is when the way is beset by lions and other wild beasts; the
third is when there is no bathing or water to be got; the fourth is
when the road is beset by demons; and the fifth is when no roots or
other food are to be found. And in this fivefold category the
wilderness in question was both a drought, and a demon, wilderness.)
Accordingly this young merchant took great big water-jars on his
carts, and filling them with water, set out to cross the sixty
leagues of desert which lay before him. Now when he had reached the
middle of the wilderness, the goblin who haunted it said to himself,
“I will make these men throw away their stock of water, and devour
them all when they are faint.” So he framed by his magic power a
delightful carriage drawn by pure white young bulls. With a retinue
of some ten or twelve goblins bearing bows and quivers, swords and
shields, he rode along to meet them like a mighty lord in this
carriage, with blue lotuses and white water-lilies wreathed round his
head, with wet hair and wet clothes, and with muddy carriage- wheels.
His attendants, too, in front and rear of him went along with their
and clothes wet, with garlands of blue lotuses and white water-lilies
on their hands, and with bunches of white lotuses in their hands,
chewing the esculent stalks, and dripping with water and mire. Now
the leaders of caravans have the following custom: whenever the wind
blows in their teeth, they ride on in front in their carriage with
their attendants round them, in order to escape the dust; but when
the wind blows from behind them, then they ride in like fashion in
the rear of the column. And, as on this occasion the wind was blowing
against them, the young merchant was riding in front. When the goblin
came aware of the merchant’s approach, he drew his carriage aside
from the track and greeted him kindly, asking him whither he was
going. The leader of the caravan too caused his carriage to be drawn
aside from the track so as to let the carts pass by, whilst he stayed
by the way and thus addressed the goblin: “We a re just on our way
from Benares, sir. But I observe that you have lotuses and
water-lilies on your heads and in your hands, and that your people
are chewing the esculent stalks, and that you are all muddy and
dripping with wet. Pray did it rain while you were on the road, and
did you come on pools covered with lotuses and water-lilies?”
.
Hereon
the goblin exclaimed, “What did you say? Why, yonder appears the
dark – green streak of forest, and thence onward there is noting
but water all through the forest. It is always raining there; the
pools are full; and on every side are lakes covered with lotuses and
water-lilies.” Than as the line of carts passed by, he asked where
they were bound for. “To such and such a place,” was the reply.
“And what wares have you got in this cart and in this?” “So and
so” “And what might you have in this last cart which seems to
move as if it were heavily laden?” “Oh, there’s water in that.”
“You did well to carry water with you from the other
side. But there is no need for it now, as water is abundant on ahead.
So break the jars and throw the water away, that you may travel
easier.” And he added, “Now continue on your way, as we have
stopped too long already.” Than he went a little way further on,
till he was out of sight, when he made his way back to the
goblin-city where he dwelt.
.
Such
was the folly of that foolish merchant that he did the goblin’s
bidding, and had his jars broken and the water all thrown
away,-without saving so much even as would go in the palm of a man’s
hand. Than he ordered the carts to drive on. Not a drop of water did
they find on ahead, and thirst exhausted the men. All day long till
the sun went down they kept on the march; but at sunset they unyoked
their carts and made a laager, tethering the oxen to the wheels. The
oxen had no water to drink, and the men none to cook their rice with;
and the tired – out bank sank to the ground to slumber. But as soon
as night fell, the goblins came out from their city, and slew every
single one of those men and oxen; and when they had devoured their
flesh, leaving only the bare bones, the goblins departed. Thus was
the foolish young merchant the sole cause of the destruction of that
whole band, whose skeletons were strewn in every conceivable
direction, whilst the five hundred carts stood there with their loads
untouched.
.
Now
the Bodhisatta allowed some six weeks to pass by after the starting
of the foolish young merchant, before he set out. Than he proceeded
from the city with his five hundred carts, and in due course came to
the outskirts of the wilderness. Here he had his water-jars filled
and laid in an ample stock of water; and by beat of drum he had his
men assembled in camp, and thus addressed them:-“Let not so much as
a palmful of water be used without my section. There are poison trees
in this wilderness; so let no man among you eat any leaf, flower, or
fruit which he has not eaten before, without first asking me.” With
this exhortation to his men, he pushed on into the wilderness with
his 500carts. When he had reached the middle of the wilderness, the
goblin made his appearance on the Bodhisatta’s path as in the
former case, But as soon as he became a ware of the goblin, the
Bodhisatta saw though him; for he thought to himself, “There’s no
water here, in this ‘Waterless Desert.’ This person with his red
eyes and aggressive bearing, carts no shadow. Very likely he has
induced the foolish young merchant who preceded me, to throw a way
all his water, and then, waiting till they were worn out, has eaten
up the merchant with all his men. But he doesn’t know my cleverness
and ready wit.” Then he shouted to the goblin, “Begone! We’re
men of business, and do not throw away what water we have got, before
we see where more is to come from. But, when we do see more, we may
be trusted to throw this water away and lighten our carts.”
.
The
goblin road on a bit further till he was out of sight, and then
betook himself back to his home in the demon city. But when the
goblin had gone, the Bodhisatta’s men said to him, “Sir, we heard
from those men that yonder is the dark- green streak of the forest
appearing, where they said it was always raining. They had got
lotuses on their hands and water-lilies in their hands and were
eating the stalks, whilst their clothes and hair were wringing wet,
with water streaming off them. Let us throw away our water and get on
a bit quicker with lightened carts.” On hearing these words, the
Bodhisatta ordered a halt and had the men all mustered. “Tell me,”
said he; “did any-man among you ever hear before today that there
was a lake or a pool in this wilderness?” “No, sir,” was the
answer, “why it’s known as ‘the Waterless Desert’.”
.
“We
have just been told by some people that it is raining just on ahead,
in the belt of forest; now how far does a rain –wind carry?” “A
league, sir.” And has this rain-wind reached any one man here?”
“No, sir,” “How far off can you see the crest of a
storm-cloud?” “A league, sir.” And has any one man here seen
the top of even a single storm – cloud?” “No, sir” How far
off can you see a flash of
.
lightning?”
“Four or five leagues, sir.” “And has any one man here seen a
flash of lightning?” No, sir.” “How far off can man here a peal
of thunder?” “Two or three leagues, sir.” “And has any man
here heard a peal of thunder?” “No, sir,” “These are not men
but goblins. They will return in the hope of devouring us when we are
weak and faint after throwing away our water at their bidding. As the
young merchant who went on before us was not a man of resource, most
likely he has been fooled into throwing his water away and has been
devoured when exhaustion ensued. We may expect to find his five
hundred carts standing just as they were loaded for the start; we
shall come on them today. Press on with all possible speed, without
throwing away a drop of water.”
.
Urging
his men forward with these wards, he proceeded on his way till he
came upon the 500 carts standing just as they had been loaded and the
skeletons of the men and oxen lying strewn in every direction. He had
his carts unyoked and ranged in a circle so as to form a strong
laager; he saw that his men and oxen had their supper early, and that
the oxen were made to lie down in the middle with the men round them;
and himself with has leading men of his band stood on guard, sword in
hand, through the three watches of the night, waiting for the day to
dawn. On the morrow at daybreak when he had had his oxen fed and
everything needful done, he discarded his own weak carts for stronger
ones, and his own common goods for the most costly of the derelict
goods. Then he went on to his destination, where he bartered his
stock for wares of twice or three times their value, and came back to
his own city without losing a single man out of all his company.
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