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not eat flesh.' Once on a time, after many days had elapsed, a famine took place. During that famine all people lived on the flesh of fish, as they could not obtain rice. Sunanda's wife said to him: 'You also must observe the same conduct as other people.' He said: 'I will have no more to do with deeds that are the cause of crime.' His wife said to him : 'O you fool! who has deluded you, Bo that you do not observe the customs of your race ?' Thereupon some of his brothers-in-law met together, and dragged him by force to a great pool in the river, and made him throw his net into it. When Sunanda saw many fish caught in the net, wriggling helplessly, compassion arose in his heart. He let all the fish go, and returned home. In the same way Sunanda's brothers-in-law made him perform the same evil act for three successive days. He did not perform it with his inclination, as well as with his bodily organs. But from the striking of the fish against one another, the fin of one fish was broken. He said to his brothers-in-law: 'Alas! alas ! I will not kill living creatures for the sake of my family : for • When I am gone to hell, will that family deliver me For the sake of which I now, fool that I am, slay crores of living
creatures ? Since the body does not advance one step in the other world together
with the soul, Why do they inculcate the slaying of living creatures for its sake ?' After saying this, he took to fasting and died.
Now, in this very land of Bharata, in the city of Rájagriha, there was a king of the name of Naravarman ; and in the same city there was a merchant of the name of Maņikára, the possessor of twelve crores of gold coins. He had & wife named Sujasá. The soul of Sunanda was conceived in her. When her time was completed, a son was born, and the name of Dámannaka was given to him. Gradually he attained the age of eight years. One day, as fate would have it, the plague broke out in the house of the merchant:
He who gives food out of compassion, and gives men water to drink,
In his land the plague spreads, continually infecting crowds. The king said: “This is the plague. It will spread all over
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