Dhammapada 4.3.p2

4.3.p2

Tatrāyaṃ anupubbikathā – sāvatthiyañhi mahākosalarañño putto pasenadikumāro nāma. Vesāliyaṃ licchavirañño putto licchavikumāro mahāli nāma, kusinārāyaṃ mallarājaputto bandhulo nāmāti ime tayo disāpāmokkhassācariyassa santike sippuggahaṇatthaṃ takkasilaṃ gantvā bahinagare sālāya samāgatā aññamaññassa āgatakāraṇañca kulañca nāmañca pucchitvā sahāyakā hutvā ekatova ācariyaṃ upasaṅkamitvā sippaṃ sikkhantā na cirasseva uggahitasippā ācariyaṃ āpucchitvā ekatova nikkhamitvā sakasakaṭṭhānāni agamaṃsu. Tesu pasenadikumāro pitu sippaṃ dassetvā pasannena pitarā rajje abhisitto. Mahālikumāro licchavīnaṃ sippaṃ dassento mahantena ussāhena dassesi, tassa akkhīni bhijjitvā agamaṃsu. Licchavirājāno ‘‘aho vata amhākaṃ ācariyo akkhivināsaṃ patto, na naṃ pariccajissāma, upaṭṭhahissāma na’’nti tassa satasahassuṭṭhānakaṃ ekaṃ dvāraṃ adaṃsu. So taṃ nissāya pañcasate licchavirājaputte sippaṃ sikkhāpento vasi. Bandhulakumāro saṭṭhiṃ saṭṭhiṃ veḷū gahetvā majjhe ayasalākaṃ pakkhipitvā saṭṭhikalāpe ussāpetvā ṭhapite mallarājakulehi ‘‘ime kappetū’’ti vutto asītihatthaṃ ākāsaṃ ullaṅghitvā asinā kappento agamāsi. So osānakalāpe ayasalākāya ‘‘kirī’’ti saddaṃ sutvā, ‘‘kiṃ eta’’nti pucchitvā sabbakalāpesu ayasalākānaṃ ṭhapitabhāvaṃ ñatvā asiṃ chaḍḍetvā rodamāno ‘‘mayhaṃ ettakesu ñātisuhajjesu ekopi sasineho hutvā imaṃ kāraṇaṃ nācikkhi. Sace hi ahaṃ jāneyyaṃ, ayasalākāya saddaṃ anuṭṭhāpentova chindeyya’’nti vatvā, ‘‘sabbepime māretvā rajjaṃ kareyya’’nti mātāpitūnaṃ kathesi. Tehi ‘‘paveṇirajjaṃ nāma, tāta, idaṃ na labbhā evaṃ kātu’’nti nānappakārena vārito ‘‘tena hi mama sahāyakassa santikaṃ gamissāmī’’ti sāvatthiṃ agamāsi.

At Sāvatthi lived Prince Pasenadi, son of the king of the Kosalans; at Vesāli, Prince Mahāli of the Licchavi line; at Kusinārā, Prince Bandhula, son of the king of the Mallas. These three princes resorted to a world-renowned teacher at Takkasilā for instruction. Happening to meet in a rest-house outside of the city, they asked each other's reasons for coming, families, and names, and became friends. All of them studied under the same teacher at the same time, and in no long time acquiring proficiency in the various arts, took leave of their teacher, departed together, and went to their respective homes.

Prince Pasenadi so delighted his father with the exhibition he gave of proficiency in the various arts that his father sprinkled him king.

Prince Mahāli devoted himself to the task of educating the Licchavi princes, but over-exerting himself, lost the sight of his eyes. Said the Licchavi princes, "Alas! our teacher has lost the sight of his eyes. However, we will not cast him out, but will support him loyally." Accordingly they gave him a gate worth a hundred thousand pieces of money. Near this gate he lived, instructing the five hundred Licchavi princes in the various arts.

As for Prince Bandhula, the princely families of the Mallas bound sticks of bamboo together in bundles of sixty each, inserting a strip of iron in each bundle, suspended sixty bundles in the air, and challenged the prince to cut them down. The prince leaped eighty cubits into the air and smote them with his sword. Hearing the click of iron in the last bundle, he asked, "What is that?" When he learned that a strip of iron had been placed in each of the bundles, he threw away his sword and burst into tears, saying, "Of all these kinsmen and friends of mine, not a single one thought enough of me to tell me this fact. For had I only known it, I should have cut the bundles without causing the iron to give forth a sound." And he said to his mother and father, "I will kill everyone of these princes and rule in their stead." They replied, "Son, the kingdom is handed down from father to son, and it will therefore be impossible for you to do this." By various devices they dissuaded him from carrying out his plan, whereupon he said, "Well then, I will go and live with a friend of mine," and forthwith went to Sāvatthi.