Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

' Then, lord, Brahma the Eternal Youth spoke thus to Sakka, ruler of the gods : — " Tis well, O ruler of the gods ; we too would hear the eight truthful praises of that Exalted One."

" So be it, O Great Brahma," replied Sakka. And thereupon, beginning " Now what thinketh my lord, the Great Brahma ? " [he uttered once more those eight truthful praises of the Blessed One, §§ 2 1-27]1. Hereat, lord, Brahma the Eternal Youth was pleased and gladdened, and was filled with joy and happiness when he had heard those praises.

28. [230] ' And so, lord, Brahma the Eternal Youth materializing himself and becoming in appearance like the youth Five-crest, manifested himself to the Threeand-Thirty gods, and rising up into the air, he sat down cross-legged in the sky. J ust, lord, as easily as a strong man might sit down cross-legged on a well-spread divan or a smooth piece of ground, even so did Brahma the Eternal Youth, rising up into the air, sit down cross-legged in the sky. And he addressed the Three-and- Thirty gods thus : —

29. "Now what think ye, my lord gods Thirty-and- Three ? For how long hath the Blessed One been of great wisdom? 2

Once upon a time there was a king named Disampati. And king Disampati's minister was a brahmin named Govinda (the Steward) 3. And king Disampati had a son named Re/m, and Govinda had a son named Jotipala. And prince Renu. and the young Jotipala and six other young nobles — these eight — were great friends. [231] Now in the course of years Govinda

1 §§ 5—1 2 repeated in the text.

2 The Cy. here supplements: Himself desirous of clearing up this problem, it is as if he went on to say, that there was nothing wonderful in that, so he tells the story.

3 It is evident from §§ 30, 31 that Govinda, literally 'Lord of the
Herds,' was a title, not a name, and means Treasurer or Steward.

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died. And king Disampati mourned for him, saying : — ' Alas ! just when we had devolved all our duties on Govinda the brahmin, and were surrounded by and giving ourselves up to the pleasures of sense, Govinda has died ! '

Then said prince Keuu to the king : — ' Mourn not, sire, so excessively for Govinda, the brahmin. Govinda has a son, young Jotipala, who is wiser than his father was, better able to see what is profitable than his father. Let Jotipala administer all such affairs as were entrusted to his father.'

1 Do you think so, my boy ? '

' I do, sire.'

30. Then king Disampati summoned a man and said: 'Come you, good man, go to Master Jotipala, and say to him : — May good fortune attend the honourable Jotipala! King Disampati calls for the honourable Jotipala. King Disampati would like to see the honourable Jotipala.'

' So be it, sire,' responded the man, and going to
Jotipala he [232] repeated the message.

' Very good, sir,' responded Jotipala, and went to wait upon the king. And when he had come into the king's presence, he exchanged with the king the greetings and compliments of politeness and courtesy, and sat down on one side. Then said king Disampati to Jotipala: — "We would have the honourable youth Jotipala administer for us. Let him not refuse to do so. I will set him in his father's place and appoint him to the Stewardship1."

' So be it, sire,' replied Jotipala in assent.

31. So king Disampati appointed Jotipala as his Steward, and set him in his father's place. And thus appointed and installed, whatever matters his father had administered, those did Jotipala administer ; andp. 268 whatever his father had not administered, those matters did he too not administer. And whatever works his father had accomplished, and no others, even such works, and no others, did he too accomplish. Of him men said : — ' The brahmin is verily a Steward ! A Great Steward is verily this brahmin ! ' And on this wise Jotipala came to be called the High Steward.

1 Govindiye abhisificissami. Literally, ' I will anoint him to the Govinda-ship ' (the Lordship over the herds). The expression ' anoint ' is noteworthy. It suggests that the office was of royal rank. But a king was of lower rank then than now.