On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c9.s5.76

v1.c9.s5.76

In their renderings of the text of the above passage the translators have made a serious mistranslation which injures the narrative. They make the pilgrim state that the tope at the east gate of Palusha was at the place where Prince Sudāna sold his two children to a brahmin. But the Prince never did anything like this, and the Chinese states clearly that it was the brahmin who sold the children after having begged them from their father on the mountain. This agrees with the context and with the story in the Scriptures. According to the latter the brahmin on the instigation of his wife went to the Danta mountain to beg the Prince to give him the son and daughter of whom the Prince and his wife were very fond; and by his urgent entreaty he prevailed on the father, in the absence of the mother, to give up the children to serve in his household. But when the Brahmin brought them to his home his clever wife saw they were of superior birth, and refused to keep them as slaves. Hereupon the brahmin took them away to sell, and against his will, under the secret influence of Indra, he found himself with the children at the royal city, where they fell into the hands of the king their grandfather. This happy incident led to the recall of the all-giving Prince and his faithful devoted consort.