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510
"So saying, Manavaka learnt the couplet from the Buddha and recited it everyday as the king sat down to eat.
"Henceforth the king ate just enough and no more.
"Within a short time, he developed a fine and muscular body. Feeling his own cheeks with his hands, the king said to himself,
'Bhagavān has been kind to me in two respects, viz., in matter pertaining to this life, and in matter pertaining in life hereafter"(226).
This apart, the Tripitakas have recorded at diverse places episodes on the life of King Prasenajit some of which have been noticed in this work.
Angulimāla happened to be a famous robber of that period. He was the son of Gagga who was the preceptor of the royal household. One day, when Angulimala was seated near the Buddha after being initiated into his order as a monk, Prasenajit was out with 500 cavalrymen in search of him. The Buddha held the hand of the robber, and in presenting him to the king, he said,
"Here's Angulimāla you are looking for".
The king was terrified to hear these words, his porenairs stood erect on his body, and he was stunned. His whole frame was wet with warm sweat. The Buddha started again,
"Have no alarm, oh king. You needn't be afraid of him any more".
By this time, Prasenajit was seized of the whole situation. He praised the Buddha for his wonderful feat in captivating such a notorious character(227).
Cause of his Devotion for the Budha
On being asked by the Buddha why the king was so much devoted to him, the king, in the main, assigned two causes which were as follows:
