經律異相 28.36

28.36

In a foreign country there was noxious rain. If it fell into rivers, lakes, streams, wells, or reservoirs, anyone who consumed it became mad and intoxicated for seven days. There was a king who was possessed of great wisdom and skilled at recognizing the noxious rain; upon seeing the clouds, he knew it. He had a well covered so that the rain could not enter. At that time, all the hundred officials and ministers drank the noxious rain water, and the entire court went mad. Stripping off their clothes naked and smearing their heads with mud, they sat in the royal hall; only the king alone was not mad. All the ministers did not know they were mad, but conversely thought the king was mad, [wondering] why he wore clothes and alone differed from the rest. They all said to one another, "This is no small matter; we should deliberate together on how to deal with it." The king feared the ministers were about to rebel and became alarmed. He spoke to the ministers, saying, "I have a fine medicine that can cure my illness by itself. Wait a moment for me to take the medicine." The king then went inside, stripped off his clothes to be like them, and came out. All the ministers were overjoyed when they saw him. After seven days, the ministers awakened, felt great shame, and, each donning clothes and caps, came to court. The king sat naked just as before. The ministers were all astonished and asked, saying, "Your Majesty is always possessed of great wisdom. Why are you like this?" The king replied to the ministers, saying, "My mind is ever settled and without change. Because you were mad, you conversely thought I was mad; [what I showed] was not my true mind." (Extracted from the Saṃyuktāvadāna-sūtra, Fascicle Four).