The Act of Truth (Saccakiriya): A Hindu Spell and Its Employment as a Psychic Motif in

Hindu Fiction
Author(s): Eugene Watson Burlingame
Source: The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland , Jul.,
1917, (Jul., 1917), pp. 429-467
Published by: Cambridge University Press

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 JOURNAL
OF THE

ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIE

1917
XI
THE ACT OF TRUTH (SACCAKIRIYA) : A HINDU SP
AND ITS EMPLOYMENT AS A PSYCHIC MOTIF
HINDU FICTION1
By EUGENE WATSON BURLINGAME, Johns Hopkins University
^ Baltimore, Md.

AN Act of Truth
accompanied by ais a formal
command declaration
or resolution of fact,
or prayer
that the purpose of the agent shall be accomplished.2
For example, a hunter asks a sage how a certain nymph
can be captured, and the sage replies: "Nymphs can
be captured by the utterance of a truth ; nor, under such
circumstances, have they power to vanish from sight."
Accordingly the hunter says to the nymph he desires to
capture : " You are the beautiful daughter of King
1 This paper is intended to form a chapter in Professor Maurice
Bloomfield's projected Cyclopaedia of Hindu Fiction Motifs. See the
following papers by Bloomf?eld : "On Recurring Psychic Motifs in
Hindu Fiction, and the Laugh and Cry Motif," Journal of the American
Oriental Society, xxxvi, 54-89. " On Talking Birds in Hindu Fiction,"
Festschrift f?r Ernst Windisch, 349-61. " The Character and Adventures
of M?ladeva," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society,
Hi, 016-50.
2 Compare 2 Kings, i, 10-12: "And Elijah answered and said to the
captain of fifty, If I ho a man of God, then let fire come down from
heaven and consume thee and U13' fifty. And there came down fire
from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty."
JitAS. 1917. 28

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430 THE ACT OF TRUTH

Drunia; if this be true, halt ! you are bound fast! If it

be true that you are the daughter of King Druma, and
that you were reared by the king, move not a foot, O fair
Manohar? ! " By the utterance of this truth on the part
of the hunter the nymph addressed is immediately bound
fast, and is unable to vanish from sight ; but all of her
companions vanish into the air.1
Or take the story of the restoration of King Sivi's
eyes by an Act of Truth. Sivi, who is already noted for
his generosity, one day makes a vow that should any one
beg of him, not something outside of him, but part of
his very self, whether heart, flesh, blood, or eyes, he will
give it to him. Sakka hears his vow, disguises himself
us a blind beggar, and asks him for one of his eyes.
Sivi forthwith gives him both. Afterwards, becoming
depressed, he longs for death. Sakka tells him to make
an Act of Truth with reference to his gift, assuring him
that, if he will do so, his eyes will be restored. Sivi
thereupon makes the following Act of Truth : " Whatso
ever sort or kind of beggar comes to me is dear to my
heart. If this be true, let one of my eyes be restored."
Immediately one of his eyes is restored. To restore the
other eye, he recites the following : " A Brahman came
to me and asked me for one of my eyes ; unto him gave
I two. Great joy and delight filled me. If this be true,
let my other eye be restored." Immediately his other
eye is restored. The story goes on to say that Sivi's new
eyes were neither natural eyes nor divine eyes, inasmuch
as an eye given by Sakka cannot be made a natural
eye, nor can a divine eye be produced when the physical
basis or cause has been injured ; that they are to be
described as the Eyes of the Perfection of Truth.2
1 Mah?rastu, ii, 979~21.
2 J?taka 499. In J?taka-mitl?, ii, Sivi's eyes were restored by the
power of his Truth-Command and Ivy the abundant store of his merit,
sat y?dhishth?nabal?t punyopacayavi?esh?c ca.

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 THE ACT OF TJIUT1I 431

A single truth is sufficient; and, as in the examples

cited, a truth of the most commonplace sort. As a rule
the Act of Truth refers to some such fact as that the
agent, or the person in whose behalf the Act is performed,
possesses certain good qualities or is free from certain
evil qualities ; that he has done certain things he ought
to have done, or that he has left undone certain things he
ought not to do. For example, reference is frequently
made to the truth of some teaching of the Buddha, or of
his religion as a whole ; to religious devotion ; to absence
of hatred or malice ; to the fact that a person has never
deliberately injured a living being ; and, by women, to
the fact of their chastity. But while the person who
performs the Act, or the beneficiary thereof, is generally
represented as a paragon of virtue, and the reference is
usually to religious truth or good works or merit, this
is not invariably the case.
A courtezan, provided she has at her command a single
truth, thereby possesses power equal to that of the
greatest saint. The Act of Truth sometimes refers, not
to good qualities or good works, but to the very opposite.
For example, an ascetic performs an Act of Truth with
reference to his dissatisfaction with the religious life;
a father, with reference to his lack of religious devotion ;
and a wife, with reference to her utter hatred of her
husband. Adulterous wives deceive their husbands by
mock Acts of Truth ; wicked ministers deceive their
king. Not only are all the deities and powers of nature
compelled to obey the command accompanying an Act of
Truth when the persons involved are of blameless
character and their motives the highest ; they are equally
under compulsion to obey, however much against their
will, the command that accompanies an Act performed
for the express purpose of accomplishing deception or
perpetrating a fraud !
In connection with the Power of Truth are sometimes

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432 THE ACT OF TRUTH

mentioned Powers of Righteousness, such as the power of

goodness and the power of merit; and, as well, the
superhuman might of spirits, deities, and Buddhas. Such
mention does not mean, however, that the Act of Truth
in any way depends for its efficacy upon the co-operation
of these other forces, powerful though they are. Truth,
in and by itself all-powerful and irresistible, is essentially
distinct from them, and operates independently of them.
Truth, to the exclusion of any ordinary physical power
or cause, is the sole power whereby the conjurer causes
rain to fall, fire to turn back, poison to be struck down.
There is nothing that cannot be accomplished by the
Truth.1 Men, gods, powers of nature ; all animate and
inanimate things alike obey the Truth. Even the ?uddhas
themselves employ Acts of Truth.
The Act of Truth commonly takes the form of a spell
or charm, most often that of a healing charm. It is
frequently employed in prayers addressed to good and
evil spirits, deities, and the powers of nature. It is also
employed in pronouncing curses and taking oaths, and is
the means par 'excellence of avoiding injury or death in
ordeals. As is shown by the specimens given below, it
is the stock in trade by which men play, one after
another, the parts of wizard, conjurer,magician,physician,
surgeon, good Samaritan, rain-maker, prophet, and priest.
The Act of Truth, although frequently a humdrum
charm, and usually very simple, is alwajTs a formal act.
Sometimes, especially in the Buddhist and Jain records,
it takes on the character of a quasi-sacramental rite, and
is performed with scrupulous attention to preliminary
details and accompanying ceremonies. For example,
a woman, about to transform herself into a man, invokes
the deities as witnesses. A tiny quail, before conjuring
a forest fire to turn back, engages in solemn meditation
on the Buddhas and their acquired powers. A king and
1 See especially Milindapa?ha, 119-23 (translated below).

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 433

queen, intending to cross rivers on dry foot, meditate on

the virtues of the Buddha, the Law, and the Order.
A queen, intending to cross a river on dry foot, goes
to the bank of the river with her retinue in ceremonial
attire, and, first invoking the goddess of the river, with
hands both joined, and with a pure heart, pronounces the
magic words. A king drives in his chariot of state to
charm the ocean. A monkey, intending to hollow canes,
blows into them. A woman sprinkles water on the head
of her husband in curing him of leprosy. A prince, in
healing wounds in the hands, rubs the palms with
powdered bark. In counteracting the effect of poison the
laying on of hands is regularly employed.
A woman, about to undergo the ordeal of passing
between the legs of a yaksha, before making her Act
of Truth, bathes, puts on fresh garments, and offers
incense and flowers to the yaksha. A skipper, before
making an Act of Truth to avert shipwreck, orders his
fellow-mariners to bathe him in perfumed water, clothe
him in new garments, prepare him a full bowl, and place
him in the bow of the ship. He performs his Act
standing in the bow of the ship, and holding the full
bowl in both his hands. Similarly a conjurer, who is able
by means of the Vedabbha charm to cause the seven
kinds of jewels to come down from the sky like rain,
before reciting the charm has his head bathed, is clothed
with new garments, perfumed with scents, and decked
with flowers.1
The Pali word for " Act of Truth " is saccakiriyd. The
phonetic equivalent in Sanskrit is *satyoJcriy?, and this
form is given by B?htlingk-Roth, but without references.
I have nowhere met with this form in Sanskrit, and am
of the opinion that it does not occur. The word kiriy?,
Icriytl is used, both in P?li and Sanskrit, to denote any
kind of act, operation, or performance, and frequently, as
?' See J?taka 48.

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434 THE ACT OF TRUTH

in the compound saccakiriyd, has a distinct flavour of

magic about it. Instead of *satyakriyd, the Sanskrit
employs satyddhish(hdnam, " Truth-Command." The P?li
equivalent saccddhitthdnam occurs, but not often.1 The
spell is sometimes referred to as a "Truth-Utterance":
P?li saccavajja, Sanskrit satyavddya ; P?li saccavacana,
Sanskrit satyavacana ; Sanskrit satyopavdcana? satya
rdkya, satya?r?van?? Sometimes it is called simply
a " Truth " : P?li saccam, Sanskrit satyam.
The formula used varies considerably. Common
examples in Pali are : yena saccena . . . etena sacca
vajjena ;4 tathd . . . yath? . . . etena saccavajjena ;5
ynsind . . . etena saccena ;? sace . . . imind saccena;7
etena saccena;8 imind saccena;0 etena saccavajjena;10
mama saccena.11 In Sanskrit: yena satyena satya
vacancna . . . tena satyena satyavacanena ;u anena
sal yena satyavdkycna;lz etena satyavdkyena;u anena
satyav?kyena;15 yathd . . . satyavacanena;16 yathd . . .
anena satyena;11 yathd . . . etena satyena;18 yadi . . .
tat tena satyena ;10 yathd . . . tathd;20 atas.21
The formal utterance of a truth under such circumstances
and for such purposes as have been mentioned is in fact
a magic art of the most primitive sort. The fundamental
concept underlying it is not peculiar to the Buddhists or
to the Hindus, but is, and always has been, the common
possession of all the races of mankind. It underlies not
1 Thera-G?th? Commentary, ccxxxv. J?taka 20 : i, 172n?7.
2 Arad?na-?ataka, i, 486. 3 P?r?vanatha-caritra, iii, 267.
< J?taka, vV, 9116-27, 15429-30. 6 Ibid. v, 953r
? Ibid. v, 29,0-ls. 7 Ibid. vi, 1?.
8 Ibid. iv, 31" ; v. 29'-*. 9 Ibid. i, 294 24, 33120.
10 Ibid. iv, 14215, 3201-16, 4101-14; v, 87,a.
11 Ibid. vi, 242*.
12 Divy?radx?na, 47224~27, 47320-27, 47824-21?, 571 B~7, 5722a-2".
11 Ibid. 15425, 155?. ? Mah?rastn, ii, 97.
15 J?taka-m?l?, xiv, 31. 1n jl/a/i? ra*? u, ii, 97.
17 J?taka ma la, xv, 8. ,8 Diry?rad?na, 459al.
19 Ibid. 41721. LH) JiUakaamlt?, i, 301.
? Ibid. xvi, 7.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 435

only many of the cruder folk-practices, such as witchcraft,

but also many of the more highly refined and civilized
forms of prayer and oath and curse. It is a striking and
significant expression in symbolic terms of the deep
seated conviction of all men everywhere that the truth
is of supreme importance and of irresistible power. It
explains why the oath and the curse have always struck
terror to the human heart/ In all ages and climes
witnesses, before bearing testimony, have invoked deities
and powers of nature to punish them if their words were
false, firm in the conviction that so high is the dignity of
truth and so tremendous its power that not only mankind
but superhuman powers as well are subject to it and
compelled to obey it. Some such idea as this doubtless
underlies the Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan con
ception of the Deity as governed by and acting in
accordance with the principle of truth, of God as Truth.
The all-powerful character of Truth is brought out in
a very striking and picturesque manner in the accounts
of ordeals. Truth protects the innocent, and falsehood
destroys the guilty. The innocent man is perfectly safe
in taking a red;hot iron ball into his hands, and the
innocent woman may with impunity step into the fire.
A person accused of wrongdoing has but to utter the
truth, and, if he be innocent, both deities and powers of
nature will come to his assistance and vindicate his
innocence. A famous passage in the Chdndogya Upanishad
(6, 16) employs an unusually bold figure. In this passage
the guilty man is represented as identifying himself
with falsehood, the innocent man as identifying himself
with truth.
" Again, my son, they lead along a man with hands
bound. ' He has stolen, he has committed theft ; heat
the axe for him !' If he be guilty, then verily he makes
himself to be falsehood (?tm?nam anrtam karoti): com
pletely uniting himself with falsehood (anrt?hhisamdho),

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43(3 THE ACT OF TRUTH

incorporating himself into falsehood (anrtendtmdnaih

antardhdya), he grasps the heated axe. He is burned;
he perishes. But if he be innocent, then verily he makes
himself to be truth ( . . . satyam . . . ) : completely
uniting himself with truth, incorporating himself into
truth, he grasps the heated axe. He is not burned ; he
is freed ". *
Interesting as is the Act of Truth regarded simply as
a piece of magic, it is even more interesting as an
instrument in the hands of the story-teller. It is one of
the favourite themes of the Hindu story-teller, and many
of the most interesting and entertaining stories in Hindu
literature and folklore turn on it. Obviously, by reason
of 'its resourcefulness and the strong appeal it makes to
the imagination, it possesses immense possibilities for the
purposes of fiction. As a psychic motif, a literary device
or ruse, a god from the machine, it is employed in the
1 The meaning of this famous passage is much disputed, and the
interpretation here offered is radically different from all previous
interpretations. The crux of the passage is the compound saty?
bhisathdha, which, in my opinion, should he translated in complete or
perfect union with the truth. The second element, abhisaihdha, appears
to bear the same relation to the noun sathdhd as abhisathbuddha to
sambuddha. The passage is one of several illustrative figures employed
by a father to teach his son the essential identity of all things with
"the existent", "the real", "the true", tho sat. This all {idatti
sarvam) is one: the phenomenal world, men, animals, plants, trees;
all animate and inanimate things are an outward and visible
manifestation, unfolding, diversification of " the one", "the existent",
the sat. All things spring from the sat, return to the sat, aro merged
in the sat, are the sat. The meaning of the passage would, therefore,
appear to be this : All visible tkings are identical with the existent,
the eat, just as in the ordeal tho accused is identified with, identical
with the truth, satyath, or with its opposite. The play on words (sat,
miyath) and the fact that tho two words are radically and semantically
related seem to mo to bo highly significant. For the sake of greater
emphasis and clearness the author of the passage, following a familiar
practice of Hindu authors, employs three synonymous expressions,
setting them sido by side : makes himself to be truth, completely unites
himself with truth, incorporates himself into (or with) truth. For other
interpretations of the passage seo the translations of B?htlingk, Deusson,
and Max M?ller, and, more recently, Edgerton in JAOS. xxxv, 245 f.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 437

greatest variety of ways and for all imaginable purposes.

It is an ever present help in time of need, whether in
sickness or in health, in any danger or difficulty or
adversity ; it is employed to prove facts and refute
falsehoods, trained animals sometimes being introduced as
witnesses ; to identify a man or a woman ; to cross rivers
on dry foot, cause rivers to flow backwards, and roll
back the ocean ; to put out fire ; to effect change of sex
or condition ; to capture nymphs and animals, and to give
success in the hunt ; and even for such a common-place
purpose as to cut a gem in two.
The locus classicus of the Act of Truth is one of the
Dialogues of King Milinda and the Buddhist sage
N?gasena.1 This Dialogue, which attempts to explain
on pseudo-scientific grounds the mode of operation of the
Act of Truth, also reveals in a most striking manner its
possibilities as an instrument in the hands of the story
teller. Milinda opens the discussion by attributing to
N?gasena and his followers the statement that the blind
king Sivi received Heavenly Eyes, and inquires whether
this statement is not inconsistent with the Scriptural
statement that the Heavenly Eye cannot be produced
when the physical cause has been destroyed. Nfigasena
replies that the power by which Sivi received Heavenly
Eyes was the Power of Truth ; that Truth alone, to the
exclusion of any ordinary physical cause, was the cause
of the production of the Heavenly Eye.

" But, your Majesty, is there such a thing in the world

as Truth, by which truth-speakers perform an Act of
Truth ? Yes, reverend sir, there is in the world such
a thing as Truth. By Truth, reverend N?gasena, truth
speakers perform an Act of Truth, and by this means
cause rain, extinguish fire, counteract poison, and do all
manner of other things besides that have to be done.
1 Milindapa?ha, 119-23.

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438 THE ACT OF TRUTH

Well then, your Majesty, the two statements are perfectly

consistent and harmonious. King Sivi received heavenly
eyes by the Power of Truth : by the Power of Truth,
your Majesty, on no other basis, is the Heavenly Ejre
produced ; the Truth alone was in this case the basis for
the production of the Heavenly Eye."
" The case was precisely the same, your Majesty, as
when accomplished persons recite a Truth, saying, 'Let
a mighty cloud send down rain ' ; and immediately upon
their recitation of the Truth, a mighty cloud sends down
rain. Your Majesty, is there stored up in the sky any
cause of rain, by which the mighty cloud sends down
rain ? Of course not, reverend sir ; the Truth alone is
in this case the cause whereby the mighty cloud sends
down rain. In precisely the same manner, your Majesty,
no ordinary cause operated in the case in question; the
Truth alone was in that case the basis for the production
of the Heavenly Eye."
"It was precisely the same, your Majesty, as when
accomplished persons recite a Truth, saying, 'Let the
mighty mass of flaring, flaming fire turn back ' ; and
immediately upon their recitation of the Truth, the
mighty mass of flaring, flaming fire turns back. ... It
was precisely the same, as when accomplished persons
recite a Truth, saying, ' Let the deadly poison become an
antidote' ; and immediately upon their recitation of the
Truth the deadty poison becomes an antidote. Your
Majesty, is there stored up in this deadly poison any
cause whereby it immediately becomes an antidote ? Of
course not, reverend sir ; the Truth alone is in this case
the cause of the immediate counteraction of the deadly
poison. In precise^ the same manner, 3'our Majesty, in
the case of King Sivi, the Truth alone, to the exclusion
of any ordinary caus?, was the basis for the production
of the Heavenly Eye."

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 439

Water Charms
To roll back the Ocean
" Your Majesty, in the land of China there is a king
who, once every four months, desiring to make offering
to the great ocean, performs an Act of Truth, and then
proceeds in his chariot of state a league's distance into
the great ocean. Before the chariot of state the mighty
mass of water rolls back, and, as he returns, it pours
back again. Your Majesty, could that great ocean be
made to roll back by the ordinary physical power even of
gods and men combined ? Reverend sir, even the water
in a tiny pool could not be made to roll back by the
ordinary physical power even of gods and men combined,
much less the water in the great ocean. Your Majesty,
by this example also you may understand the Power of
Truth; there is nothing you might name that cannot be
accomplished by the Truth."

To cause a river to flow backwards

" One day, your Majesty, the righteous king Asoka stood
in the city of P?taliputta, surrounded by city folk and
country folk, by his ministers and his army and his
councillors, with the Ganges flowing by, filled up by
freshets, even with the banks, full to the brim, five
hundred leagues in length, a league in breadth. Beholding
the river, he said to his ministers, ' Is there any one who
can make this mighty Ganges flow back upstream ? '
The ministers replied, ' That is a hard matter, your
Majesty.'"
" Now there stood on that very river bank a courtezan
named Bindumati, and, when she heard the king's question,
she said, ' As for me, I am a courtezan in the city of
P?taliputta. I live by my beauty ; my means of sub
sistence is the lowest. Let the king but behold my Act
of Truth.' And she performed an Act of Truth. The

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440 THE ACT OF TRUTH

instant she performed her Act of Truth that mighty

lJauges flowed back upstream with a roar, in the sight
of all that mighty throng."
" When the king heard the roar caused by the movement
of the whirlpools and the waves of the mighty Ganges,
he was astonished, and filled with wonder and amazement.
Said he to his ministers, ' How comes it that this mighty
Ganges is floAving back upstream ? ' ' Your Majesty, the
courtezan Bindumati heard your words, and performed an
Act of Truth. It is because of her Act of Truth that the
mighty Ganges is flowing backwards.' "
" His heart palpitating with excitement, the king himself
went post-haste and asked the courtezan, ' Is it true, as
they say, that you, by an Act of Truth, have made this
river Ganges flow back upstream?' ' Yes, your Majesty/
Said the king, ' You have power to do such a thing as
this ! Who, indeed, unless he were stark mad, would pay
any attention to what you say ? By what power have
you caused this mighty Ganges to flow back upstream ? '
Said the courtezan, 'By the Power of Truth, your Majesty,
have I caused this mighty Ganges to flow back upstream.' "
"Said the king, 'You possess the Power of Truth! You,
a thief, a cheat, corrupt, cleft in twain, vicious, a wicked
old sinner who have broken the bounds of morality
and live on the plunder of fools.' 'It is true, your
Majesty ; I am what you say. But even I, wicked
woman that I am, possess an Act of Truth by means of
which, should I so desire, I could turn the world of men
and the worlds of the gods upside down.' Said the king,
1 But what is this Act of Truth ? Pray enlighten me.' "
" ' Your Majesty, whosoever gives me money, be he
ii Khattiya or a Br?hmana or a Vessa or a Sudda or of
any other caste soever, I treat them all exactly alike.
If he be a Khattiya, I make no distinction in his favour.
If he be a Sudda, I despise him not. Free alike from
fawning and contempt, I serve the owner of the money.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 441

This, your Majesty, is the Act of Truth by ivhich I caused

the mighty Ganges to flow back upstream! "
N?gasena concludes : " Thus, your Majesty, there is no
aim at all which those who abide steadfast in the Truth
cannot accomplish."

To cross a river on dry foot

King Kappina the Great and his thousand courtiers,
learning that a Buddha has appeared in the world, resolve
to become monks, commit their worldly affairs into the
hands of their wives, and set out to visit the Buddha.
Coming to the river Aravacch?, the king says : " I have
given up the world for the sake of the Three Jewels ; by
their supernatural power may this water be to me unlike
water." Having thus considered the virtues of the Three
Jewels, the king meditates upon the Buddha, saying:
" He is the Exalted One, the Holy One, the Supremely
Enlightened, Endowed with Knowledge and Righteous
ness." While thus engaged in meditation, the Icing and
his courtiers dash over the surface of the river on their
thousand horses, the Sindh horses springing upon the
surface of the river as on a flat rock, without so much as
wetting the tips of their hoofs. Coming to the river
Nilav?hana, the king says, " Well has the Law been
preached by the Exalted One," and crosses by meditating
on the Law. Coming finally to the river Candabhfig?,
the king says : " Devoted to righteousness is the Order of
Disciples of the Exalted One," and crosses by meditating
on the Order.
Queen Anoj? and her thousand ladies-in-waiting resolve
to follow the example of their husbands, and set out in
a thousand chariots. Coming to the first river, and
finding no footprints of horses, the queen says : " The
king must have crossed by making an Act of Truth,
saying,( I have given up the world for the sake of the Titr?e
Jewels.* I too have given up the world for the sake of the

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 442 THE ACT OF TRUTH

Three Jewels ; by their supernatural power may this

water be to me unlike water." And, meditating thus on
the virtues of the Three Jewels, she orders her thousand
chariots to go forward. The water is like a flat rock,
insomuch that not even the outer rims of the two wheels
are wetted. In like manner also she crosses the two
remaining rivers.1
The turbaned queen, longing to greet the sage, her
husband's brother, bade farewell to the king, and at
eventide took the following vow : " At early morn,
accompanied by my retinue, I will greet the sage Soma
and provide him with food and drink ; then only will
I eat."
Now between the city and the forest was a river ; and
in the night there was a freshet, and the river rose and
swept along both strong and deep. Disturbed by this,
when morning came, the queen asked her beloved : " How
can I fulfil this my desire to-day ? "
Said tliekiug: "O queen, be not thus distressed, for this
is easy to do. Go, easy in mind, with your retinue, to
hither bank ; and, standing there, first invoke tho goddess
of the river, and then, with hands both joined, and with
a pure heart, utter these words: '0 river-goddess, if from
the day my htisband's brother took his vow, my husband
has lived chaste, then straightway give me passage.* "
Hearing this, the queen was astonished, and thought :
" What manner of thing is this ? The king, the fifth
Warder of the World, speaks incoherently. That from
the day of his brother's vow the king has begotten
1 Dhammapada Commentary, vi, 4 ; ii, 120, 124. For the whole story
see my forthcoming translation of this work in the Harvard Oriental
Scries, under the title Buddhist Legends from the Dhammapada
Commentary. In Thera-G?th? Commentary, ccxxxv, Kappina crosses
the Ganges and two other rivers on dry foot hy making tho following
Truth-Command {sacc?dhitthdna) : ** If the teacher of whom I have heard
he in reality the Supreme Buddha, lot not even a hoof of theso horses he
wetted/' Tho story also occurs in Anguttara Commentary. Compare
the story of the crossing of tho Ued Sea {Exodus xiv, l?-31).

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 443

progeny of sons on me, all this signifies that I have

performed to him my vow as wife.
" But after all, why doubt? Is physical contact in this
case the meaning intended ? Besides, women who are
loyal to their husbands should not doubt their husbands'
words. For it is said : A wife who hesitates to obey her
husband's command, a soldier who hesitates at his king's
command, a pupil who hesitates at his teacher's command,
a son who hesitates at his father's command, such an one
breaks his own vow."
Pleased at this thought, the queen, accompanied by her
retinue in ceremonial attire, went to the bank of the river,
and, standing on the shore then grown contracted, with
people thronging round her, she there invoked the goddess
of the river, did worship, and with a pure heart uttered
distinctly the proclamation of truth recited by her
husband.
And of a sudden the river, tossing its waters to the left
and to the right, became shallow and gave passage. The
queen went to the farther shore, and there, bowing before
the sage according to form, received his blessing, deeming
herself a happy woman. The sage then asked the woman
how she had been able to cross the river, and she related
the whole story. Having so done, she asked the prince of
sages :
" How can it be possible, how can it be imagined, that
my husband lives chaste ? " The sage replied : " Hear me,
good woman. From the moment when I took my vow,
the king's soul was free from attachment, and vehemently
did he long to take a vow. For no such man as he could
patiently endure to bear the yoke of sovereignty. Therefore
he bears sway from a sense of duty, but his heart is not in
what he does. Moreover it is said :
' A woman who loves another man follows her husband. So
also a Yogi attached to the essence of things follows the
round of existences.'

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444 THE ACT OF TRUTH

11 Precisely so the chastity of the king is possible,

even in tho house-life, because his heart is free from
sin, just as the purity of the lotus is not stained, even
though it grow in the mud."
The queen bowed before the sage, and then, experiencing
supreme satisfaction, went to a certain place in the forest
and set up her abode. Having caused a meal to be
prepared for her retinue, she provided food and drink for
the sage. Then, her vow fulfilled, she herself ate and
drank.
When the queen went to take leave of the sage she
asked him once more : " How can I cross the river now? "
The sage replied : " Woman of tranquil speech, you must
thus address the goddess of the river: 'If this sage, even
to the cnd> of his vow, shall ever abide fasting, then grant
me passage.* "
Amazed once more, the queen went to the bank of the
river, proclaimed the words of the sage, crossed the river,
and went home. After relating the whole story to the
king, she asked him : "How can the sage be fasting, when
I myself caused him to break his fast ?" The king said :
" O queen, you are confused in mind ; you do not under
stand in what true religion consists. Tranquil in heart,
noble in soul is he, whether in eating or in fasting.
Therefore :
" Even though a sage eat, for the sake of religion, food
which is pure, which he has neither himself prepared, nor
caused another to prepare, such eating is called the fruit
of a perpetual fast. Thought is the root, words are the
trunk, deeds are the spreading branches of Religion's Tree.
Let its roots be strong and firm, and the whole tree will
bear fruit."1
As a rain-charm
In a previous existence as a fish the Future Buddha
causes rain to fall in time of drought by saying to
1 P?rcramltha-caritra, iii, 255-83.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 445

Pajjunna, the rain-god: "Although I was reborn where it

is customary to eat one's kinsfolk, I have never eaten
a fish even so small as a grain of rice ; nor have I ever
deprived any other living being of life. If this be true,
cause rain to fall."1
To obtain water to drink
In a previous existence as leader of a herd of monkeys
the Future Buddha, in order to enable the monkeys of his
herd to drink from a haunted pool without entering the
water, has canes brought to him, ponders the Perfections,
performs an Act of Truth, and blows into the canes,
whereupon they become hollow throughout.2
Fire Charm
To cause a forest fire to turn back
A forest fire, on approaching the spot where the Buddha
stands, suddenly goes out, like a torch plunged into water.
The monks ascribe this miracle to the supernatural power
of the Buddhas. The Buddha tells them that it is clue,
not to his present power, but to the power of an old Act
of Truth performed by him when he was a tiny quail.
When the Future Buddha was a tiny quail, a fire
swept down on the forest where he lived, and drove all
the birds away, the quail's mother and father, included.
Lying in his nest, the quail reflected : " If I had the
strength to spread my wings and soar through the air,
I should fly up and go elsewhere ; if I had the strength to
move my legs and walk, I should go elsewhere on foot.
1 J?lakalo. In Jdtaka-m?hl, xv, the Great Being saw but one refuge
of the afilicted, namely, a Truth-Command (saty?dhishth?nam ekam
?rtt?yanath dadarqa) ; the rain came bjf the virtue of his store of merit,
by the power of his Truth-Command, and by the supernatural might of
the devas, n?gas, and yakshas, who were favourably disposed to him
( pttnyopacayayundt satyddhishthritiabaldl tadabh iprasdditadevandyayak
shdnubhdvdc ca) ; the cause of the rain is expressly said to have been
his great supernatural power, the transcendent might of his truth
(mah?nubhdvah . . . satydticayaprabhdvah).
2 Jdtaka 20.'
JRAS. 1917. 29

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44G THE ACT OF TRUTH

As it is, I am helpless. What shall I do ? Then tho

following thought occurred to him :
" In this world there is such a thing as the Power of
Goodness; there is such a thing as.tho Power of Truth.
There are those who are called All-knowing Buddhas,
those who fulfilled the Perfections in times past, and
attained Supreme Enlightenment, sitting under the Bo
tree. By goodness, tranquillity, and wisdom they attained
Deliverance, and through the knowledge of Deliverance,
understanding. They were endowed with truth, mercy,
compassion, and patience. They cultivated sentiments of
loving-kindness towards all living beings, without respect
of persons. There are Powers of Righteousness which
they acquired.
" I too possess a single Truth ; a single quality of my
nature exists within me, is known to me. Therefore
I must at once procure safety for mj'self and the rest of
the birds by performing an Act of Truth, pondering the
Buddhas of the past and the powers which they acquired,
and emplojmig the quality of my true nature which exists
within me. Therefore it is said :
' There is a Power of Goodness in the world, truth, purity,
mercy.
Therefore by Truth will I perform an incomparable Act of
Truth.
1 Pondering the Power of Righteousness, remembering the
former .Tinas,
Relying on the Power of Truth, I performed an Act of
Truth.' "
Thon the Future Buddha, pondering the powers ef the
Buddhas who had attained Supreme Nibb?na in the past,
performed an Act of Truth with reference to the true
nature existing within him by uttering the following
stanza :
" I have wings, but cannot fly ; I havo legs, but cannot walk ;
Mother and father have gone away. Jfitaveda, go back ! "

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 447

Instantly the fire went out, like a torch plunged into

water.1
Healing Charms
lb counteract the effect of poison
The youth Yan?adatta is bitten by a poisonous snake.
His parents lay him at the feet of an ascetic, and say,
"Reverend sir, monks know simples and charms; heal
our son." " I know no simples ; I am not a physician."
" But you are a monk; therefore out of charity for this
youth perform an Act of Truth." The ascetic replies,
" Very well ; I will perform an Act of Truth." Tho
ascetic then lays his hand on Ya??adatta's head and
recites the following stanza :?
"For but a week I lived the holy life
With tranquil heart in quest of merit.
The life I've lived for fifty years
Since then, I've lived against my will.
By this truth, health !
Poison is struck down! Let Yan?adatta live!"
Immediately the poison comes out of Yafiftadatta'.s
breast and sinks into the ground. The father then lays
his hand on Yan?adatta s breast and recites the following
stanza :
"Never did I liko to see a stranger
Come to stay. I never cared to give.
But my dislike the monks and Brahmans
Never know, all learned as they were.
By this truth, health !
Poison is struck down! Let Yan?adatta live!"
1 J?taka 35. Compare the story of the tiny pheasant in Chavarme*'
Cinq cents Contes et Ap?loyne*, 371 ; ii, 350. In J?taka-m?l?, xvi, tho
tiny quail know hin power {tridildtmaprahh?vas) ; and by the power of
his words sulluscd with truth (satyaparibhdvitavacana), so soon as the fin;
encountered his words (tadrdcam dsddya), just as if it had reached
a river, it immediately abated. The Sanskrit version concludes with
the statement that fire can no more transgress the command of tho
truthful than the sea can overpass the shore.

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448 THE ACT OF TRUTH

Immediately the poison comes out of the small of

Ya??adatta's back and sinks into the ground. The father
bids the mother perform an Act of Truth. The mother
says, " I have a Truth, but I cannot recite it in you
presence." The father replies, " Make my son whol
anyhow ! " So the mother recites the following stanza :
"No more, my son, do I now hate this snake malignan
That out a crevice came and bit you, than I do your
father.
By this truth, health! Poison is struck down! Lot Yan?adatta
live ! "

Immediately the rest of the poison sinks into the

ground, and Yan?adatta gets up and begins to frisk about.1
The youth Sama is wounded by a poisoned arrow.
His mother laj^s her hand on his breast and makes the
following Act of Truth : " If it be true that Sfuna has
always lived righteously, that he has been chaste and
truthful, that he has supported his mother and father
and honoured his elders in the household ; if it be true
that Saina is dearer to me than the breath of life, then
may the ellect of the poison be done away. Whatsoever
works of merit have been wrought by his mother and
father, through the effect thereof may the effect of the
poison be done away." Immediately Sama turns over.
The father repeats the mother's Act of Truth, and Sfuna
immediately turns over and lies on the other side.
A goddess then makes the following Act of Truth :
" Long have I dwelt on Mount Gandham?dana ; there
is none other dearer to me than S?ma. If these words
be true, then may the effect of the poison be done away.
All the forests on Mount Gandham?dana are full of
fragrance. If these words be true, then may the effect
of the poison be done awaj'." S?ma immediately springs
to his feet.2
1 Jdtaka 444.
- J?taka 540. Compare Cy?maka Jdtaka, Mahdvastu ii, 218 ff.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 449

To restore the eyes

A princess says to her blind lover, " If it be true that
I love only Prince Kshemaiikara and you, let one of your
eyes be restored." Immediately one of his eyes is
restored. Her blind lover then says, " I am Kshemaiikara ;
P?paiikara reduced me to my present state." The princess
asks, " What proof is there that you are Kshemaiikara ?"
The blind man replies, "If it be true that, although
P?pa?kara put out my eyes, I bear him no malice, then
may my other eye be restored." Immediately his other
eye is restored.1
Kun?la, son of King A?oka, is famed throughout India
for the beauty of his eyes. His stepmother falls in love
with him, makes advances to him, and is repulsed.
In revenge she forges an order in the name of tho
king, commanding that his eyes be put out. The order
is carried out. Subsequently the king discovers the
crime, fixes the guilt on his queen-consort, and in the
presence of Kun?la threatens her with the direst
punishments. Kun?la begs his father not to harm the
queen, extols the virtues of kindness, compassion, and
forbearance, declares that, in spite of the cruel injury
he has suffered, pain has not stained him nor anger
heated him, and concludes with the following Act of
Truth: "If it be true that I have ever been kindly
disposed to my mother, if it be true that I myself tore
out my eyes, then may my eyes straightway be restored."
Straightway his eyes are restored, yet more beautiful
even than before.2

To heal wounds
In a previous existence as a prince the Future Buddha
heals wounds in the hands by making an Act of Truth
1 Tibetan Tales, p. 284. Comparo Chavan lies' Cinq cents Contes et
Apologues, 381 ; ii, 396.
2 Divydvaddna, pp. 407-17.

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450 THE ACT OF TRUTH

and rubbing the palms with powdered bark. What he

says is not stated.1
To cure leprosy
A wife cures her husband of leprosy by sprinkling
water on his head and making the following Act of
Truth : "Let the Truth protect me, if it will protect me,
so surely as I know of no other man whom I love better
than ? love you. If these words be true, let }'our disease
1 in o
1)0 cured. -
To join severed
King Prascnajit
report that his b
and has his hand
misfortune in an a
of the Buddha, ?
and feet in place,
*' Of all living bei
feet, or with many
whether conscious
unconscious; of all
1 Toly One, the S
Of all the laws, u
lVlachment is ca
classes or compani
of the Tath?gata
this Utterance of
Immediately his b
To restore sev
lu a previous ex
a woman named
upon a starving
new-born child, w
and gives them to
learns of her act, h
"If it be true that
1 Jdtaka 591. 2 J

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 451

has never been seen before or heard of before, then may

yonr breasts be restored." Straightway her breasts are
restored.1
Sex, Birth, and Rebirth Charms
To transform a woman into a man
Indra, fearing that by her sacrifice Rupftvati may
thrust him from his seat, goes in disguise to R?p?vati
and asks her, " Is it true that you sacrificed your breasts
for the sake of a child ?" " It is true." "Did 3rou not,
either in the act or after the act, regret so doing ? "
"No." "Who will believe you ? " Rupftvati replies,
" Then I will make an Act of Truth :
* If it be true that neither in the act nor after the act
had I any feeling of remorse or regret; if it be true that
I acted, not for the sake of dominion, not for the sake of
worldly enjoyments, not for the sake of heaven, not that
I might become an Indra or a Universal Monarch, but
solely and only that I might attain Supreme Enlighten
ment, Buddhahood ; thereby to subdue the unsubdued, to
emancipate the unemancipated, to console the unconsoled,
to enable them that have attained not Nirvana to attain
unto Nirvana ; if all this be true, then may I cease to be
a woman and become a man.'" Straightway she ceases
to be a woman and becomes a man, R?p?ivata.2
To attain Buddhahood
Reborn as the Brahman Candraprabha, the Future
Buddha one day comes upon a starving tigress which
is about to devour its own young. He thereupon resolves
to give his own body to the tigress for food. So, calling
upon the deities of various ranks to witness, he announces
his intention of making the highest and most sublime of
all sacrifices; namely, the sacrifice of his own body. Then,
making an Act of Truth in terms identical with the
preceding, ho draws his sword, cuts his throat, and throws
his body to the tigress.3
1 Vivy?vad?na, 472. 2 Ibid. 473. 3 Ibid. 478.

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452 THE ACT OF TRUTH

To obtain rebirth in a happier state

The beautiful female ascetic Vedavati, when her hair
is touched insultingly by the lustful R?vana, throws her
self into the fire, saying : " If I have done or given or
sacrificed aught, may I be reborn as the daughter, not
produced from the womb, of a righteous man." And
thus it comes to pass.1

To transform a water-sprite into a man

The faithful wife of a man who has been reborn as
a water-sprite, in consequence of a broken vow, kneels
on the ground, and looking at the moon, utters the
following prayer: "O Warders of the World, if it be true
that I am virtuous and devoted to my husband, may
this husband of mine straightway be delivered from the
necessity of dwelling in the water, and go to heaven."
Straightway a chariot descends from heaven, husband
and wife enter it, and are carried up into heaven.2

To ease the parturition of a woman

One morning shortly after his conversion the former
brigand Angulim?la stops on his round for alms at a house
where a woman is in travail. And he reflects, "Alas,
living beings must needs suffer!" Returning to the
monastery, he tells the Buddha of the incident. The
Buddha replies, "Angulim?la, go to that woman and say:
' Sister, since the day I ivas horn I am not conscious of
ever having deliberately deprived any living being of life.
If this be true, may health he to yon, health to your
unborn child.' "
" But, reverend sir," returns Angulim?la, " that would
be a downright falsehood ; for, reverend sir, I have
deliberately deprived a great many living beings of life."
'Then, Angulim?la," says the Buddha, "go to that
1 Ix?tndyatia, Uttarak?nda, 17 ? Griffith's translation (Benares, 1895),
p. 517.
2 Kathdsarits?gara (Tawney), ii, p. 82.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 453

woman and say : ' Sister, since the day I was bom of
the Noble Birth I am not conscious of ever having
deliberately deprived any living being of life. If this be
true, may health be to you, health to your unborn child.* "
Aiigulimfila obeys the Buddha's command. Immediately
there is health to the woman, health to her unborn child.1

To ease the parturition of an elephant

A king's elephant, which is parturient, is unable to
bring forth its young. The king's ministers advise that
it be taken to the women's quarters, so that the king's
concubines may ease its pains by Acts of Truth touching
their chastity. But, although the elephant is taken there,
and the king's concubines perform their Acts of Truth,
the pains, far from being allayed, are aggravated, and the
elephant utters the most fearful cries. A woman tending
oxen near the palace hears the elephant's cries, and
declares that by means of her own Act of Truth the
elephant's pains can be brought to an end. The king,
informed of her remark, orders her to be conducted to the
women's quarters. The woman thereupon performs the
following Act of Truth: "If it be true that one husband
is sufficient for me, and that I have not two husbands,
then, by virtue of this truth, let this elephant be eased of
its pains." Immediately the elephant is eased of its
pains, and brings forth its young.2

1 Majjhinia Nik?ya, 86 ; ii, 102 f. The story recurs in Chavannes'

Cinq cents Contes et Apologues, 41 ; i, 143-54. Compare Uddna, ii, 8 ;
p. 15 f. ; Introduction to J?taka 100 ; i, 407 f. ; Dhammapadet
Commentary, xxvi, 31 ; iv, p; 192 f. ; Thera-Gelthd Commentary, lx.
2 Tibetan Tales, pp. 227-8. Compare Chavannes' Cinq cents Contes et
Apologues, 374 ; ii, 358. A similar story is related in Kath?sarils?geira
(Tawncy), i, pp. 329-30, of the means employed to enable a prostrate
elephant to rise. After the 80,000 concubines of the king and all the
women in his capital have failed to raise the elephant by their Acts of
Truth a humble woman in the train of a visiting merchant enables it to
rise by touching it and saying, 4i If I have not even thought of any man
other than my husband, may this elephant rise from the ground."

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 454 THE ACT OF TRUTH

To obtain a son
King Suruci lives for fifty thousand years with sixteen
thousand wives, and has neither son nor daughter. Sakka
goes to Queen Sumedhfi and offers her the boon of a son.
The queen obtains a son by making the following Act of
Truth: "If it be true that I have alwaj'S been respectful
to my husband, never injured any living creature, lived
righteously, cared tenderly for my husband's parents,
never been jealous of my sixteen thousand co-wives,
treated my servants well, provided food and drink for
monks and other holj7 men, kept the fast-day precepts,
then may I obtain a son. If what I say be false, may
my head split into seven pieces." 1
Charms of Deliverance
To avert shipwreck
In a previous existence as a blind skipper the Future
Buddha puts to sea with a company of traders, and
the ship approaches a whirlpool. The Future Buddha
rellects, "There is none other that cau save these traders
from death, but only I. I will save them by an Act of
Truth." He says to them, " Quickly bathe me in
perfumed water, clothe me in new garments, prepare me
a full bowl, and place me in tho bow of the ship." They
do so. The Future Buddha, taking the full bowl in both
his hands, and standing in the bow of the ship, makes the
following Act of Truth : " So long as my memory serves
me, since I reached the age of reason, I am not conscious
of ever having deliberately injured a single living creature.
If these words be true, may the ship return in safety."
The ship immediately returns to port, making a four
months'journey in a single day.2
1 J?taka 4S9. Under similar circumstances Queen Cand&devl obtains
a son by milking the following Act of Truth : " If it. be true that 1 have
kept the precepts unbroken, then may I obtain a son." See J?taka 538.
2 J?taka 403. In J?taka-m?/?, xiv, the shipwreck was averted by the
power of the Future Buddha's Truth-Command and by the splendour of
his merit.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 455

As a counter-cha/rm
One day ?nanda approaches a well at which a M?ta?iga
maiden named Prakriti is drawing water, and says to the
maiden, " Sister, give me water that I may drink." The
maiden replies, " I am a M?ta?iga maiden, venerable
?nanda." ?nanda returns, " I asked not, sister, after
your family or your caste, only, I pray you, if you have
water to spare, give it me, that I may drink." The maiden
gives him water. ?nanda drinks and departs.
Prakriti, deeply in love with ?nanda, goes home and
tells her mother that she is determined to obtain ?nanda
for her husband. Her mother, who is a powerful witch,
casts a spell over ?nanda, and ?nanda comes to the
house. Just as he is about to be married to Prakriti, he
bursts into tears and cries aloud, "Alas, I am ruined!
The Exalted One considers me not." But the Buddha is
at that very moment considering ?nanda, and straightway,
with the spells of a Buddha, he destroys the spells of the
C?ndala woman. And this is the magical formula he
employs :
"To all living beings continued existence, avoidance of death,
freedom from trouble, happiness ! "
" There is a lake, clear, faultless, still, without a peril near,
Where troubles cease, and perils are no more ;
Revered it is by gods and yogins all-accomplished.
If these my words he true, O monks, ?nanda, happiness! "
Freed from the spells of the C?ndala woman, ?nanda
straightway leaves her house, and returns to his own
abode.1
%To avert human sacrifice
A wicked house-priest, conceiving a grudge against the
eldest son of a king, directs th? king to offer his four sons
in sacrifice, in order that he may attain heaven. The eldest
son is taken first. As the house-priest is about to cut his
1 Divydvaddna, 611-13.

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456 THE ACT OF TRUTH

throat, the princess his wife performs the following Act of

Truth : " If it be true that the stupid house-priest is
committing a crime, then may I recover my husband.
O all ye spirits and yakkhas and demons, do me service,
that I may recover my husband ! O all ye deities and
demons, I am without refuge, without protector ; protect
me, I pray you ! " Sakka hears her cry, and with
a blazing mass of iron frightens the king, disperses the
crowd, and restores her husband to her.1

To deliver a man from captivity

A prince is captured by a yakkha. The king his father
prays to the deities to obtain his deliverance. But his
mother, sister, and wife perform Acts of Truth. The
mother says : " When Rama was in Dandaka forest, his
fair-limbed mother obtained safety for him. That safety
obtain I for thee. If what I say be true, may the deities
remember ; and ma3'est thou, permitted by thy captor,
return in safety, O my son ! " The sister says : " No
fault at all in thee do I recall, O ?l?nasatta, whether
open sin or secret sin of thought. If this be true, may
the deities remember; and mayest thou, permitted by thy
captor, return in safety, O my brother I " The wife says :
"Since thou art not overweening towards mo, since,
moreover, thou art dear to my heart, therefore by the
truth of my words may the deities remember; and mayest
thou, permitted by thy captor, return in safety, O my
husband ! " The yakkha straightway releases the prince,
and he returns in safety to his parents.2
To deliver animals from captivity
In a previous existence as a peacock the Future Buddha
terrifies a hunter with the fear of hell, and the hunter
becomes a Pacceka Buddha on the spot. The Pacceka
Buddha asks the Future Buddha how he can free the
birds he has in captivity. The Future Buddha replies,
1 J?taka 542. 2 J?taka 513.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 457

" Make an Act of Truth with reference to the fact that

you have broken the power of desire and become a Pacceka
Buddha." The Pacceka Buddha makes an Act of Truth
in accordance with the Future Buddha's instructions,
saying, "To all the birds I have in captivity at home,
many hundreds in number, do I give life and freedom.
Let them go to their own abodes." Straightway all living
beings in captivity throughout all India are released.1
To deliver a king and his subjects from heresy
In order to deliver the king her father and his subjects
from heresy, the princess Ruj? makes the following
appeal: "In this world there are those that are called
righteous monks and Brahmans, the supporters of the
world; there are deities that are called the Warders of the
World ; there are those that are called Great Brahmas.
Let them come, and by their own power free my father
from false views. But, though they have not the virtue,
yet let them come, and by my virtue, by my power, by my
truth, free my father from false views and grant salvation
to the whole world." In answer to her appeal Great
Brahma comes disguised as a monk, preaches to the king
and his household, and converts them all.2

Curses
To avenge a ivrong
A dragon curses a false monk, saying : " You have
injured an innocent friend. If these words be true, may
your head split into seven pieces." Immediately the
monk's head splits into seven pieces, and the earth opens
and swallows him up.3
As Damayanti, deserted hy Nala, wanders through the
forest, she is attacked by a huge snake. A hunter kills
the snake, sets her free, and makes advances to her.
Angered when she sees his purpose, Damayanti curses
1 Jdtaka 491. '-' Jdtaka 5 [A. 3 Jdtaka 518.

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 458 THE ACT OF TRUTH

him with an Act of Truth, saying : " As I am true to Nala,

so may this wicked hunter die this instant." Instantly
the hunter falls to the ground without a sound.1

Oaths and Proofs of Fact

Identification Charms
When Sudhana, the mortal husband of the Kinnari
Manohara, comes to the capital of King Drum a, seeking
his lost wife, the king places Manoharft in the midst of
a thousand Kinnaris, and challenges Sudhana to identify
her. Sudhana thereupon performs the following Act of
Truth: "If it be true that you who stand here are
Manoharft, daughter of Druma, my wife, then, O Mano
har?, step quickly forward." Manohara immediately
steps forward.2
When Damayant?, who is deeply in love with Nala,
comes to choose her husband, the four principal gods
assume the appearance of Nala, in order to confuse her.
She thereupon prays as follows : " If it be true that on
hearing the voice of the swans I chose Nala for my
husband, that I am loyal to him in word and thought,
that the gods ordained him to be my husband, and that
I undertook this choice for the purpose of winning him to
be my husband, then let the gods point him out to me and
resume their true forms." Immediately the gods resume
their true forms, and Damayant? is thus enabled to
recognize the husband of her choice.3

To prove the %)aternity of a child

In a previous existence the Future Buddha is the
natural son of a king by a woman of humble birth.
When the king refuses to acknowledge the paternity of
1 Myths of the Hindus and Duddhists, p. 302.
2 Diry?rad?na, 459. Compare Tibetan Tales, p. 72.
3 Mah?bh?rata, ni, lvii, 17-24. Compare Kath?sarit?dgara (Tawney),
i. p. 561.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 451)

the child, the mother says : "Sire, as matters stand, I have

no means of proof but an Act of Truth. If you are the
father of this child, let him remain in the air ; if not, let
him fall to the ground and die." With these words she
seizes the child by the foot and tosses him into the air.
The Future Buddha, sitting cross-legged in the air,
declares himself to be the son of the king, and calls upen
the latter to acknowledge him as such. The king does so.1
To refute a false charge
A prince, thrown into prison on the false charge of
plotting against his older brother, clears himself of the
charge by making the following Act of Truth : " If I am
my brother's enemy, let not my chains be loosed, neither
let the door be opened ; otherwise, may my chains be
loosed and the door opened." Immediately the chains
break to pieces and the door is opened.2
Kino* G?mani refutes a false charge brought against
his army by saying: "I have striven, not for the joy of
sovereignty, but to establish the religion of the Buddha.
If this be true, may the armour of my soldiers Hash like
lire." Straightway the armour of his soldiers flashes
like fire.3
To prove the authenticity of a relic
To prove the authenticity of the collar-bone relic of the
Buddha, the King of Ceylon employs the following Act
of Truth: "If this be a relic of the Buddha, let my
parasol bow down of itself, my elephant fall upon his
knees, and this reliquary descend upon my head." All
these things take place.4
To forecast the future
King Dhammiisoka of India, upon receiving the request
of the king of Ceylon that the southern branch of the
Bo-tree be sent to Ceylon, draws a line about the bough,
1 Jdtaka 7. ,? Jdtaka 530.
3 Jfahdvaihsa, xxv, 17-18. ? Ibid, xvii, 25-6

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4G0 THE ACT OF TRUTH

and makes the following Act of Truth : " If it be true

that the great Bo-tree is to go hence to the island of
Ceylon, and if it be true that I shall ever abide steadfast
in the religion of the Buddha, then let this southern
branch, severed of itself, take its place here in this
golden urn." The southern branch immediately detaches
itself and takes its place in the golden urn.1
When the relics of the Buddha reach Ceylon, the king
of Ceylon performs the following Act of Truth : " If it be
true that these relics shall ever remain undisturbed,
a refuge for the people, then let them rest upon this
couch in the form of the Teacher as he lay upon his death
bed." So saying, he lays the relics upon the couch, and
they assume the form of the Teacher as he lay upon his
deathbed.2

To decide which is the true religiori

In order to decide a dispute between a sectary and an
adherent of Buddha, both parties resort to Acts of Truth.
The sectary says: " If it be true that P?rana and the
other teachers, six in number, are superior to all others in
the world, theri let these flowers, this incense, and this
water go to them." Straightway the flowers fall to earth,
the fire of the incense is extinguished, and the water
disappears in the ground. The spectators applaud, and
the sectaries are confounded. The adherent of the
Buddha then says: " If it be true that the Buddha is of
all living beings foremost, then let these flowers, this
incense, and this water go to him." Straightway the
flowers start in the direction of the Jetavana, soaring
through the air like swans; the smoke of the incense
floats thither like a mass of clouds; and the water like
spangles of lapis lazuli.3
1 Mah?raihsa, xviii, 40-1. 2 Ibid. xxxi, 106-7.
3 Arad?naCataka, i, ?). Compare the story of Elijah's discomfiture of
I he prophets of Baal, 1 Kings, xviit, 17-40.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 461

Proof of chastity
Sit?, wife of Kama, falsely accused of unfaithfulness to
her husband, goes to a lake, and utters the following
prayer: "Mother Earth, if my mind was never, even in
a dream, fixed on any other than my husband, may
I reach the other side of the lake." Having uttered this
prayer, she enters the lake ; whereupon the goddess
Earth appears, and taking her in her lap, carries her to
the other side.1

Trick Acts of Truth

Mock proofs of chastity
A faithless wife, accused by her husband, offers to brave
the ordeal of fire to prove that no man's hand, other than
her husband's, has ever touched her. Having secretly
directed her lover to seize her by the hand just as she is
about to enter the fire, the woman exclaims, " No man's
hand but yours, husband, has ever touched me ; if this be
true, let not this fire burn me." With these words she
makes as if to enter the fire. At that moment her lover
seizes her by the hand, crying, " Shame on the man for
making such a woman enter the fire I " The woman
shakes her hand free and says, " My Act of Truth has
been nullified ; I cannot now enter the fire." " Why
not?" asks her husband. "Because I just made an Act
of Truth, saying : ' No man's hand but yours has ever
touched me ; and, here, this fellow has seized me by the
hand.' " The husband remarks, " I have been tricked by
her," and drives her away with blows.2
A faithless wife, accused by her husband, oilers to
undergo the ordeal of passing between the legs of
u 3'aksha. Having bathed and put on fresh garments,
1 Kathdmritsdyara (Tawney), i, p. 487 ; compare H?m?yana, Uttara
k?uda, Griffith's translation (Benares, 1805), p. 520 ; also Yuddhakawla,
?arga 118.
2 Jdtaka G2.
JRAS. 1917. 30

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462 THE ACT OF TRUTH

she oilers incense and flowers to the yaksha in the

presence of all her relatives. While she is so engaged,
her lover, by previous arrangement, throws his arms
around her neck, and pretends to be mad. The
bystanders, believing him to be mad, drive him away.
The woman bathes once more and then addresses the
yaksha as follows : " If it be true that no man has
ever embraced me save only my husband and this
madman, then vindicate my chastity." So saying, she
passes between the yaksha's legs.1
A weaver's wife has a lover with whom she communicates
by a barber's wife. One night the weaver comes home
drunk, goes to bed, and begins to talk in his sleep, roundly
abusing his wife for her evil conduct. Waking up, he ties
his wife to a post, and goes back to sleep. The barber's
wife then comes and informs the weavers wife that her
lover is waiting. The weaver's wife ties her confederate
to the post and goes out. The weaver wakes up and
begins once more to rail at his wife. The barber's wife
remains silent. Angered by her silence, the weaver gets
up in the dark, cuts off her nose, and goes back to bed
again. The weaver's wife returns, releases her confederate,
and ties herself to the post again. The weaver wakes
up and begins once more to abuse his wife. His wife
thereupon makes the following mock Act of Truth : " Let
the Warders of the World hear me I If it be true that,
with the exception of the husband of my youth, I know
no other man besides, then may my face be free from
mutilation." The husband lights a light, and seeing that
the face of his wife is free from mutilation, kisses her and
immediately releases her from the post.2
A prince sees his wife returning from a visit to her
lover, and cuts off her nose. The princess shuts herself

1 llcmacandra's Pari?is(aparvan, ii, 533-45 ; Ilertel's translation ,

pp. 102 3.
2 Tantrdkhydyika, I, iii c.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 463

in her chamber. The members of the household beg lici

to open the door. She then prays aloud : " O Sun-god, if
my husband has ever seen me go and consort with another
man, then may my nose be restored." Since, of course,
her husband has not seen her in the act, the Sun-god is
compelled to give her back her nose.1

Trick proofs with animals as witnesses

After tho righteous king lludr?yana has abdicated his
throne and retired from the world, his son and successor,
?ikhandin, turns to evil ways. Fearing that his father
will resume the throne, Cikhandin causes him to be
murdered. Since his father had attained Arahatship,
and had at the moment of death predicted that his
murderer would be cast into the Avici hell, ?ikhandin is
stricken with terror over his crime. Two wicked
ministers of state calm his fears by declaring that in
reality there is no such thing as an Arahat ; that the
notion of Arahatship is merely a popular superstition
They otter to prove that the so-called Arahats, Tishya and
Pushya, whose relics are preserved in neighbouring stupas,
were in reality impostors.
Accordingly, the ministers procure two kittens, dig
a hole under each of the two stupas for them to live in,
and teach them to perform a trick upon the recitation of
a.mock Act of Truth. Calling the kittens out of their
holes and feeding them, they say to them, "Tishya!
Pushya! If it be true that all your lives long you tricked
and deceived people and destroyed faith, and that in
consequence of your impostures you were reborn in an
inferior state of existence as .cats, then let each one of
you take his piece of meat, go around his own stfipa, and
into his own hole." When the kittens are well trained,
?ikhandin is invited to witness the exhibition, the kittens
1 Festschrift f?r Ernst Windisch, p. 144.

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 464 THE ACT OF TRUTH

perform their own part perfectly, and the king is

completely deceived.1
A farmer promises an orphan his daughter in marriage,
and after putting him off finally refuses to keep his
promise. In revenge, the orphan beats the farmer's oxen
and ties them to a tree in the sun. The oxen remonstrate
with him, and he explains the situation. The oxen
suo-orest that he hale the farmer before the king and ofler
to bo his witnesses. " You must tie us up in our stalls
for seven days, giving us neither grass nor water ; and on
the seventh day you must turn us loose where grass and
water are abundant. Then you must appear before the
king and say to him, 'If I am speaking the truth, may
these oxen neither eat grass nor drink water.' " One of
the oxen bears a grudge against the ?orphan, refuses to be
a party to the agreement, and when the trial is called,
lowers his head to pluck a mouthful of grass. Thereupon
the other oxen seize his nose with their horns and look up
towards the sun. The king asks one of his ministers why
tho oxen are behaving in such a peculiar manner. The
minister explains that it is because they wish to show that
not they alone are witnesses, but that the sun, the fifth
Warder of the World, is also a witness. The king
immediately decides the case in favour of the orphan.2

The Act of Truth in Hindu Folk-lore

For various practical purposes
By Acts of Truth, the terms of which the story-teller
does not take the trouble to give, a prince cuts gems in
two, a boy catches wild buffaloes, and an ascetic creates
a child out of a flower.3
By an Act of Truth asserting that the guardian spirit
1 Diry?rad?na, 571-2.
8 Tibetan Tales, pp. 315-20.
8 Parker, Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, vol. i, p. 140 ; vol. ii, pp. 23-9,47.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 465

of herdsmen has given him power and authority a herds

man unites and separates hills and trees, bags game in
the hunt and deprives others of their quarry, and does
many other wonderful things. Finally he challenges
some drovers to toss five hundred areca-nuts into the air
and catch them by an Act of Truth relating to the
ownership of a drove of pack-oxen ; and, when the drovers
fail, he himself succeeds in catching them, without letting
one of them fall to the ground.1

'Transformation Charm
An elder sister, envious of her younger sister's wealth,
drowns her. The younger sister becomes a white turtle.
When the elder sister's daughter approaches the turtle, it
swims far away. But, when the younger sister's daughter
approaches it, it comes to the bank and rubs itself over
the whole of her body. The elder sister desires to eat
the turtle. The younger sister says to her daughter :
" When she has cooked me, she will give me to you to eat,
together with a little gravy and a bone. Drink the gravv,
take the bone to the cattle-field, and throw it down,
saying as you do so, ' If it be true that you are our
mother, may you become a mango-tree.' " All this comes
to pass. By a similar Act of Truth the mango-tree, when
cut down, turns into a Kaekiri creeper; and the creeper,
when uprooted, into a blue lotus flower.2

As curse and oath

A man passes a cow which is stuck in the mud, and
refuses to help her out. Thereupon the cow curses him,
saying: "Because you have refused to help me in my
extremity, this curse shall light upon you : The moment
you touch your newly wedded wife, you shall turn into

1 Parker, Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, vol. iii, pp. G3-8.

2 Ibid., vol. i, pp. 110-18.

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 466 THE ACT OF TRUTH

a donkey." And this conies to pass. The wife, however,

remains constant to her donkey-husband, and leads him
about with her wherever she goes.
One day the woman's word is questioned. To prove
her veracity, she takes an oath and swears by her donkey,
saying : "If I have lied, may Chando punish me; and if
I have spoken the truth, may this donkey become a man
once more." So saying, she lays her hand on the animal's
back, and the donkey becomes a man again.1

To escape from a tiger

A man climbs into the branches of a mango-tree and
begins to eat the fruit. Looking down, he sees a tiger
standing at the foot of the tree. Cutting open a mango,
he says : " If I be the legitimate child of my father and
mother, let me with my sword find a place inside this
mango fruit, and let a crow come and take this mango
and drop it into the tank of King Kuar, and let a big fish
swallow it." Instantly a crow comes and takes the mango
and drops it into the tank of King Kuar, and a big fish
swallows it.2

Note in conclusion
For additional specimens in the literature see Dhamma
]hi daCommentary, xvii, 3 ; iii, 310 ; Jiilg's Kalm?ckische
M?rchen, p. 20, and Mongolische M?rchen, last story ; in
the folk-lore, C. H. Bompas, Folk-lore of the Santal
Parganas, p. 118; Melanges asiatiques, 1876, p. 739;
Annie Busk, Sagas from the Far East, p. 47 ; Steele and
Temple, Wide-awake Stories, p. 429 ; Dames, Balochi
Tales, Folk-lore, iv, 291 ; H. L. Haughton, Sport and
Folk-lore in the Himalaya, pp. 101 ft'.; Indian Antiquary,
iv, 262 ; vi, 224-5 ; xxxv, 148. Anag?rika Dharma
pfvla, in a review of the first twenty years' work of the
1 C. H. Bompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas, p. 2GG.
* "Santal Folk-Tale" : Orientalist, ii, p. 25.

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 THE ACT OF TRUTH 467

Mahn. Bodhi Society, says : " Prayer to a god is not

possible for a Buddhist ; but he can make^what is called
a saccakiriyd, an appeal to Truth. 'If the work that I am
doing is good, then let help come to me ' ; and if the work
is good, help will surely come. And help came four days
after we were threatened by the landlord." See "Malm
Hod h i and the United Buddhist World": Journal of the
Mnluv Bodhi Society, Colombo, Ceylon, vol. xix, p. 7
(January, 1911).

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