ABSTRACT
1. In former days, when Fo-kia-sha 1 (Vaksha?) râja was entering the city of Râjagriha to beg his food from door to door, in the city gate there was a cow, just delivered of its calf, which had turned round and gored its master to death. The cow having been sold to a passer-by, he put a rope round its horns, and desired to lead it onwards ; but the cow, making an attack in the rear, killed this man also ; then the son, in a rage, killed the animal, and cutting it up, exposed it for sale in the market-place. Now a certain person passing by, bought the head of the creature, and carrying it away with him, as he sat down to rest, fastened it on the bough of the tree’ neath which he reposed ; all at once, the rope giving way, the head fell down, and the horn, piercing the skull of the man underneath, killed him also. Bimbisâra Râja, hearing of this strange occurrence, how that a cow killed three men in one day, came to Buddha to inquire of him the antecedent causes of this event, on which Buddha related the following history :—“In former days there were three merchants who, coming to a certain city to transact business, took up their abode in the house of a friendless old woman, and there lodged. Being dissatisfied with their quarters, the three men left the house without payment, and on the old woman searching for them and finding them, they abused her roundly, on which she uttered this vow : ‘May I be born in after years in such a condition as to kill you all three.’ Now,” Buddha added, “these three men killed by the cow were these three merchants, and the cow itself was the old woman,” and then he uttered these verses :
“From evil and abusive words and an overbearing, insulting disposition towards others, hatred and resentment increase and grow. Restraining one’s words, and behaving decorously to men, using patience and courtesy, these evil consequences are self-destroyed. The future life of a man depends on his words, and therefore from evil words comes self-destruction.” 1
