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CONTENTS.
[4. BHAVA. after I had become a monk; but if I died, she thought, she might retain it as guardian of the young king. She, therefore, conceived the plan of poisoning me, and promptly put it into execution. I fell from my seat, and before the physicians arrived, she throttled me while pretending to massage me. 252,16.
I was reborn as a peacock; while still young I was caught and sold to the headman of a village who trained me to dance, and presented me to Gunadhara, my former son. Yasodharā, my mother, was reborn as a dog whom his owner also presented to the king. Once when I was executing a dance in a bowwindow, I observed Nayanāvall on her bed embracing the hunchback. The recollection of my former life suddenly coming upon me, I belaboured her with my beak and talons ; but she dealt me such a blow, that I rolled down the stairs into the king's apartment. The dog rushed forward and got me by the throat, upon which the king hit him so severe a blow with the draught board that he let me go. But both of us soon died ; we were, by the order of the king who was very fond of us, buried with the same pomp as his parents. 255,15.-2 I was then born as a spotted antelope in a deep forest; and the dog as a huge serpent. Once while I was very hungry, I saw the serpent which was devouring a frog, and began to eat it up by the tail, whereupon the serpent bit me in the face. e hyaena fell on me and finished me. 257,6. In my next birth I became a big fish in a lake near Viśālā ; and the other a porpoise. The latter once caught me by the tail; at that moment a girl jumped into the water, whereupon it let me go and got hold of her. But somebody rescued the girl and killed the porpoise. Sometime afterwards fishermen caught and presented me to the King, who gave order in my hearing, that the lower part of my body should be served up to brahmans, and the upper part should be well prepared to be eaten by him and Nayanávall. His order being executed I died a most painful death. 259,2. In our next existence the porpoise became a sheep, which gave birth to me. When grown up I covered my mother, in which act I was killed by the jealous head of the herd. My soul was incorporated in the fetus which I had just then generated in my mother. In
