Passing by, she saw some fine cotton thread and snatched it up to take with her. The basket's owner climbed out of the water and chased after her, quarreling and struggling to reclaim it; unable to settle the dispute themselves, they brought the matter to Mahosadha for a verdict. Mahosadha asked the woman accused of theft what was in the basket besides the cotton; she replied, "Cotton seeds." He then asked the owner what she had placed inside, and she answered, "Tonlab seeds." Mahosadha ordered an inspection of the basket, and indeed, Tonlab seeds were found, just as the owner had claimed. Finally, the accused woman confessed her wrongdoing.
(Note: In the full story, Mahosadha adjudicates many other cases, but I have selected only a few highlights here as the narrative is very long.) (To be continued)
The Story of Mahosadha (Part 3):
"The King Tests Mahosadha's Wisdom"
Hearing of the young Mahosadha's skill in settling disputes, the King wished to test his wisdom. He commanded a minister to inform Mahosadha's father—a wealthy merchant—that they must find a bull with horns growing from its heels and a hump on its head, which bellowed three times a night; failure to produce such an animal would result in punishment. Unable to solve the riddle, the commoners and the wealthy man went to consult Mahosadha. Mahosadha explained that the creature was a rooster: the "horns" on its heels were spurs, the growth on its head was a comb, and the "crying three times a night" referred to the rooster crowing three times during the night. Later, the King posed another riddle: he gave them a hollow gem with a spiral-shaped passage—resembling the whorl of a snail shell—and ordered the wealthy man to thread a string through it, warning that failure to do so would result in punishment. Despite their best efforts, neither the wealthy man nor the townspeople could succeed, so they again sought Mahosadha's advice. He instructed them to smear honey around both openings of the gem, twist a new silk thread, coat its tip with honey, and place that tip at one opening; then, they were to position the gem near an ant hole. Attracted by the scent of the honey, ants from the other side would inevitably enter, find the thread, and pull it through to the opposite opening.
One day, the King fed a male ox a large quantity of beans until its belly was bloated, then ordered his ministers to present the animal to Mahosadha as a riddle. They claimed the ox was pregnant and in labor but unable to deliver, warning that Mahosadha would face punishment if he failed to solve the puzzle. After receiving the cow, Mahosadha devised a plan to outwit the king. He instructed a man to go near the palace and wail loudly, with orders not to speak to anyone except the king; if the king asked, he was to say that he was heavily pregnant and in labor but unable to deliver the baby, and to beg the king for help. The man followed these instructions and succeeded in meeting the king as planned, repeating exactly what Mahosadha had told him. When the king asked who had sent him, the man replied that it was Mahosadha, and the king realized that Mahosadha truly possessed exceptional wisdom. Later, the king ordered a minister to tell the wealthy merchant that the townspeople must twist a rope made of sand to replace an old rope that had been gnawed through by rats. Upon receiving the royal command, the merchant consulted Mahosadha. Mahosadha advised him to send four or five men to the king to ask to see the damaged rope—so they could observe its shape and use it as a model, since they did not know the required thickness. When the king heard this request, he recognized Mahosadha's keen intelligence. (In the full story, the King poses many more riddles for Mahosadha to solve, but I have selected only a few here as the full account is too long.) (To be continued)
The Story of Mahosadha (Part 4):
"Mahosadha Sets Out to Find a Wife"
After testing Mahosadha’s intellect and confirming that the boy was indeed exceptionally wise, the King was greatly pleased with him and asked to adopt him as his own son. Years later, as Mahosadha reached adulthood, the Queen wished to find a wife for him; however, Mahosadha declined the offer, preferring to seek a wife himself because he desired a woman of great intelligence. Packing his belongings, he left the palace and traveled from town to town, yet found no woman who met his standards. Upon arriving in the village of Uttara-gama, he encountered a young woman named Amara—the daughter of a wealthy merchant—who was carrying a basket of rice on her head to take to her father in the fields. Mahosadha posed a riddle to her by clenching his fist and showing it to her; Amara understood that he was asking whether she was a maiden or a married woman, so she displayed her open palm in response. Realizing that Amara was indeed a clever woman, Mahosadha approached her to converse. He asked where she was carrying the basket of rice; she replied that she was taking it to the deity who watched over her every day. Mahosadha understood her riddle: there was no actual deity—she was referring to her parents. Upon arriving beneath a jujube tree laden with ripe fruit, Amara climbed up to pick some. She then asked Mahosadha, who was waiting on the ground, "Do you wish to eat hot jujube fruit or cold jujube fruit?" When Mahosadha replied that he wished to eat hot jujube fruit, Amara tossed the fruit onto the sand; Mahosadha picked it up, blew off the sand, and ate it, marveling inwardly at her wisdom in knowing that hot food requires blowing to cool it down. He then asked for some cold jujube fruit; Amara tossed the fruit onto the grass, and Mahosadha picked it up, wiped it clean, and ate it, again admiring her ingenuity. After their conversation, Amara took her leave; when Mahosadha asked where she lived, she did not answer directly but spoke in riddles, telling him that to reach her home, one had to cross a mountain of water and a mountain of fire, and that a sparrow's nest could be found near her house. Upon searching and finding neither a mountain of water nor a mountain of fire, Mahosadha deduced that the "mountain of water" was actually a mound where one had to lift one's garments to avoid getting them wet while walking. The "mountain of fire" was a mound of *Roluos* trees; when their blossoms fell to the ground, they appeared a brilliant red, resembling scattered embers. As for the "weaverbird's nest," it was nothing other than the marketplace, where the clamor of voices mimicked the bustling sound of weaverbirds returning to their nests. Having successfully deciphered Amara's riddles, Mahosadha located her home and asked to stay there for a time to observe her character. Finding her to be a woman of perfect virtue—intelligent, skilled in household affairs, and respectful toward her parents—he was deeply impressed and had his parents formally ask for her hand in marriage.
Story Summary (Conclusion): The *Dasa Jataka* (Ten Birth Stories)
(Warfare Strategy)
The Bodhisatta, in the form of Mahosadha, was fulfilling the *Paramis* (Perfections). The *Paññā-pāramī* (Perfection of Wisdom) refers to the quality of wisdom that leads to Nirvana. This perfection of wisdom (Paññā-pāramī) culminates in the realization of the common and distinctive characteristics of mental phenomena—realizations attained by the Supreme Bodhisatta through a mind deeply attuned to the skillful means of compassion for all beings.
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