"A frog was I in former times,
And wandered in the waters free,
And while I listened to thy Law,

A cowherd crushed me, and I died."

Then The Blessed One taught him the Doctrine, and the conversion of eighty-four thousand living beings took place. And the frog, who had become a god, became established in the fruit of conversion, and with a pleased smile on his face departed.

N

LOVE FOR ANIMALS

[SUBLIME STATE OF FRIENDLINESS]

Translated from the Culla-Vagga (v. 6.).

OW at that time a certain priest had been killed by the bite of a snake, and when they announced the matter to The Blessed One, he said:

Surely now, O priests, that priest never suffused the four royal families of the snakes with his friendliness. For if, O priests, that priest had suffused the four royal families of the snakes with his friendliness, that priest, O priests, would not have been killed by the bite of a snake. And what are the four royal families of the snakes? The Virupakkhas are a royal family of snakes; the Erapathas are a royal family of snakes; the Chabyāputtas are a royal family of snakes; the Kanhāgotamakas are a royal family of snakes. Surely, now, O priests, that priest did not suffuse the four royal families of the snakes with his friendliness. For surely, O priests, if that priest had suffused the four royal families of the snakes with his friendliness, that priest, O priests, would not have been killed by the bite of a snake. I enjoin, O priests, that ye suffuse these four royal families of the snakes with your friendliness; and that ye sing a song of defence for your protection and safeguard. After this manner, O priests, shall ye sing:

""Virūpakkhas, I love them all,
The Erapathas, too, I love,
Chabyāputtas, I love them, too,
And all Kanhāgotamakas.

"Creatures without feet have my love,
And likewise those that have two feet,
And those that have four feet I love,
And those, too, that have many feet.

"May those without feet harm me not,
And those with two feet cause no hurt;
May those with four feet harm me not,
Nor those who many feet possess.

"Let creatures all, all things that live,
All beings of whatever kind,

See nothing that will bode them ill!
May naught of evil come to them!

"Infinite is The Buddha, infinite the Doctrine, infinite the Order! Finite are creeping things: snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, lizards, and mice! I have now made my protection, and sung my song of defence. Let all living beings retreat! I revere The Blessed One, and the seven Supreme Buddhas!'"

T

SARIPUTTA AND THE

TWO DEMONS

[THE SECOND AND FIFTH HIGH POWERS]

Translated from the Udāna (iv. 4)

HUS have I heard.

On a certain occasion The Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha, in Bamboo Grove in Kalandakanivāpa. And at that time the venerable Săriputta and the venerable Moggallāna the Great were dwelling in the monastery called Pigeon Glen. Now it chanced that the venerable Sāriputta, on a moonlight night, was seated under the open sky, with freshly shaven head, and in a state of trance. And it chanced that two demons, who were comrades, were passing on some errand from the northern quarter of the heavens to the southern. And these demons saw the venerable Sāriputta, on the moonlight night, seated under the open sky, with freshly shaven head. And at sight of him, the first demon spoke to the second demon as follows:

"It occurs to me, comrade, that it would be a fine plan to give this monk a blow on the head."

Hearing this, the second demon replied:

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Enough of that, comrade; do not attack the monk. Great, O comrade, is the monk, of great magical power, and very mighty."

And a second time the first demon spoke to the second demon as follows:

"It occurs to me, comrade, that it would be a fine plan to give this monk a blow on the head."

And a second time the second demon replied:

.X

Enough of that, comrade; do not attack the monk. Great, O comrade, is the monk, of great magical power, and very mighty."

And a third time the first demon spoke to the second demon as follows:

'It occurs to me, comrade, that it would be a fine plan to give this monk a blow on the head."

And a third time the second demon replied:

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Enough of that, comrade; do not attack the monk. Great, O comrade, is the monk, of great magical power, and very mighty."

Then the first demon, not heeding what the other demon said, gave the venerable Sāriputta a blow on the head. With such a blow one might fell an elephant seven or seven-and-a half cubits high, or might split a mountain peak. Thereupon, with the cry, "I am burning! I am burning!" the demon fell from where he stood into hell.

And the venerable Moggallāna the Great, with his divinely clear vision surpassing that of men, saw the demon give the venerable Sāriputta the blow on the head. And when he had seen it, he drew near to where the venerable Sāriputta was; and having drawn near, he spoke to the venerable Sariputta as follows:

"Are you comfortable, brother? Are you doing well? Does nothing trouble you?"

"I am comfortable, brother Moggallana. I am doing well, brother Moggallāna; but my head troubles me a little."

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"O wonderful is it, brother Sāriputta! O marvellous is it, brother Sariputta! How great is the magical power, and how great is the might of the venerable Sāriputta! Just now, brother Sāriputta, a certain demon gave you a blow on the head. And a mighty blow it was! With such a blow one might fell an elephant seven or seven-and-a-half cubits high, or might split a mountain peak. But the venerable Sāriputta only says thus: 'I am comfortable, brother Moggallāna. I am doing well, brother Moggallāna; but my head troubles me a little.'

"O wonderful is it, brother Moggallāna! O marvellous is it, brother Moggallana! How great is the magical power, and how great is the might of the venerable Moggallāna that he should see any demon at all! I, however, have not seen so much as a mud-sprite."

Now The Blessed One, with his divinely clear hearing