The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka - Khamkoo

death, he was reborn in this heaven and had sixty thousand retinues”. After paying
homage to the CULamanI Cetiya, he sat next to the gods who came earlier.
Then there was a god with seventy thousand retinues coming to pay homage to
the CULamanI Cetiya. Having seen that the great elder asked thus: “Is this god
Ariyametteyya?” King Indra replied thus: “No, he is not”. Then the great elder inquired
thus: “what kind of merit has this god performed in the human world?”
Then King Indra replied thus: “Venerable Sir, once while he was in the human
world, he was ordained as a novice. He was clever and intelligent and looked after his
teachers and preceptor. He always kept the temple clean. After death, he was reborn in
this heaven and possessed seventy thousand retinues”. Having paid homage to the
CULamanI Cetiya, he sat next to the gods who arrived earlier.
Then there was a god who had eighty thousand retinues coming to pay homage
to the CULamanI Cetiya. Having seen that the great elder asked thus: “is this god
Ariyametteyya?” King Indra replied thus: “No, he is not”. Then the great elder inquired
thus: “what kind of merit has this god performed in the human world?”
Then King Indra replied thus: “Venerable Sir, once while he was in the human
world, he was poor and lived on begging. One day, he saw a monk coming for alms in
front of a house but the owner of the house could not see that monk.
Then that poor man informed them thus: “Dear Sir, there is a monk who has come for
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alms food in front of your house. You may offer him according to your wish” At that
time, having faith toward the monk, the owner of the house offered alms to him. As a
result of informing the owner of the house, he was reborn in this heaven and had eighty
thousand retinues”. Paying homage to the CULamanI Cetiya, he sat next to the gods.
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