When Sakra, the Lord of the Devas, heard this, he became highly astonished and went in person to him. And eulogizing him, he spoke:
15. 'Surely, it is thy power, the effect of thy transcendent veracity, O mighty lord of fishes, that makes these rain-clouds pour out their waters with the lovely noise of thunder, as if they were waterpots bent down.
16. 'But I should incur the blame of great inattention if I neglected to approve of the exertions of such beings as thou, intent on performing such deeds for the benefit of the world.
17. 'Therefore, thou must be henceforth no more anxious. I am bound to assist the virtuous in carrying out their designs. Never shall this region, since it is the abode of thy virtues, be visited another time by a similar plague.'
After thus praising him in kind terms, he disappeared on the spot. And that lake obtained a very large increase of water.
In this manner the designs of those who practise good conduct will be successful and thrive even in this world, how much more in the next. For this reason entire pureness of conduct ought to be striven after.
XVI. The Story of the Quail's Young.
(Cp. the Pâli Gâtaka, No. 35, Fausb. I, 213-14; Kariyâpitaka III, 9.)
Not even fire is able to surpass speech purified by truth. Having this in mind, one must addict one's self to speaking the truth. This will be taught as follows.
Once the Bodhisattva, it is said, lived in some part
various readings. In both redactions the birds have already begun to kill and devour the fishes, when the Bodhisatta performs his sakkakiriyâ and addresses Paggunna, commanding him, says the Gâtaka prose-writer, 'as a man would do his attendant slave.' This exhortation is uttered before the appearance of the clouds, which I suppose to be the older version of our story.
