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

32. Now it came to pass that the Great Steward went to those six nobles, and said to them : ' Disampati the king is old and wasted with age, [233] full of years, and arrived at the term of life. Who indeed can answer for the survival of the living ? When the king dies, it will behove the king-makers to anoint Re/m the prince as king. I suggest, gentlemen, that you wait on prince Re72u, and say to him thus : ' We are the dear, beloved, and congenial friends of our lord Re/m. We are happy when our lord is happy ; unhappy when he is unhappy. Disampati, our lord king, is old and wasted with age, full of years and arrived at the term of life. Who indeed can answer for the living ? When the king dies, it will behove the kin^-makers to anoint our lord Re;m kin^. If our lord Re;/u should gain the sovereignty, let him divide it with us." '

33. ' So be it,' responded the six nobles, and waiting upon prince Re;m they repeated these words to him.

' Why, sirs, who besides myself ought to prosper in this realm if it be not you ? If I, sirs, shall gain the sovereignty, I will divide it with you.'

34. [234] And it came to pass in course of time that king Disampati died. And after his death, the kingmakers anointed Re/m his son king. And he, when he was made king, lived surrounded by and given up to the pleasures of sense. Then the High Steward went to those six nobles and said thus : —

' Disampati, gentlemen, is dead, and my lord Re;m lives surrounded by and given up to the pleasures of sense. Well, gentlemen, who can say ? The pleasures of sense are intoxicating, I would suggest, gentlemen,p. 269 that you wait on king Rezm and say to him : " king Disampati, my lord, is dead, my lord Re/m is anointed king. Does my lord remember his promise ? "

' Very good, sir,' responded the six nobles, and going into ReWs presence, they said : —

' King Disampati, sire, is dead, and my lord Re?zu is anointed king. Does my lord remember his promise ? '

1 I do remember my promise, gentlemen. Which of you gentlemen now is able successfully to divide this mighty earth, so broad on the north and ... x on the south, into seven equal portions ? '

' Who, sire, is able if it be not the Great Steward, the brahmin ?'

35. Then king Re;m sent a man to the Great Steward, saying : — ' Come, my good fellow, go to the Great Steward, the brahmin, and say : " The king has sent for you, my lord." [235] And the Great Steward was told and obeyed, and, coming into the king's presence, exchanged with him the greetings and compliments of politeness and courtesy, and sat down on one side. Then said the king to him : ' Will you go, my lord Steward, and so divide this great earth wide on the north and .... on the south into seven equal portions, all . . .'

' Very good, sire,' responded the High Steward, [And this he did.]

36. And king Re;m's country held the central position. As it is said : —

1 Saka/amukka. This adjective, applied here to the earth, and at the end of the next section to the seven kingdoms, is at present quite unintelligible ; and is left untranslated. The traditional explanations differ. Samarasekara (Colombo, 1905) translates here (p. 1016) dakurcu pasin gael mukhayak lesa/a, that is, 'on the south side like a waggon's mouth.' Buddhaghosa has nothing here ; but below as applied to the kingdoms he explains ' with their mouths debouching together.' Neither is satisfactory. It has been suggested that it might mean ' facing the Wain,' that is, the constellation of the Great Bear. But this is unfortunately in the North. The front opening of a bullock waggon is (now) elliptical in form.

p. 2

Dantapura of the Kalingas, and Potana for the

Assakas,
Mahissati for the Avantis, and Roruka in the Sovira

land.

Mithila of the Videhas, and then Campa among the

Aiigas,
Lastly Benares in the Kasi realm :— all these did the

Great Steward wisely plan.

[236] Then were those six nobles well pleased each with his allotted gain, and at the success of his plan. For they said : — ' What we wished for, what we desired, what we intended, what we aimed at, lo ! that is what we have gotten.' And the seven kings were named : —

Sattabhu and Brahmadatta, Vessabhu with Bharata,
Kenu and two Dhatara/Mas : — These are the seven
Bharatas.1

Here ends the first Portion for Recitation.