A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s5.87

v2.c19.s5.87

The princes of the race of Ikṣvāku (Pāli Okkāka), who had built up Kapilavatthu, are so proud that they cannot find any princes worthy of marrying their sisters. For fear of degrading their race, they therefore appointed their eldest sister as mother, and co-habited with the other sisters. Then the eldest sister is smitten with leprosy, is taken into the forest, and placed in a deep pit. At the same time, Rāma, a king of Benares, also becomes leprous, and goes into the forest after having left the kingdom to his eldest son. In the forest he cures himself by means of healing herbs, and then takes up his dwelling in a hollow tree. One day a tiger comes to the pit in which the princess lives. The latter screams in terror. King Rāma hears it and proceeds to the pit. He wants to pull her out, but in spite of her misery, the princess is so proud that she only allows him to rescue her after he has explained that he, too, is of princely blood. Thereupon he cures her and makes her his wife. However, he does not return to his country, but builds a city for himself in the forest. He begets many sons by the Sakya princess. When these sons had grown to manhood, their mother sent them to Kapilavatthu, so that they could there marry the daughters of their maternal uncles. They go there and kidnap the princesses. When the Sakyas hear that the kidnappers of their daughters are relatives, they have no objection. This is how the race of the Koliyas originated.¹