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"From Brahma's heaven;" etc.
This story the Master told while dwelling in Jetavana, about the defilement of the sanctified. The circumstances have already been given. Here again said the Master, "Women cause defilement even in sanctified souls," and then told this story of the past.
°° [469] Once upon a time in Benares —here the story of the past is to be expanded as in the Culla-palobhana Birth [415]. Now once again the Great Being came down from Brahma's world as the King of Kāsi's son, and his name was Prince Anitthi-gandha, the Woman-hater. In the hands of a woman he would not be; they must needs dress as men to give him the breast; he dwelt in a closet of meditation, and never a woman he saw. [416]
To explain this, the Master repeated four stanzas.
The fifth stanza describes the king's lamentation:
The next stanza and half a stanza, are those of perfect wisdom:
[470] The other line is spoken by the young girl:
The king made answer to the maid, and thus and thus said he:
The king now gave orders that all opportunity should be afforded her, and sent her to attend upon the prince. In the morning, taking her lute she went and stood just without the prince's sleeping chamber, and touching the lute with her finger-tips tried to tempt him by singing in a sweet voice.
°° To explain this, the Master said:
"Seducing traitresses, they tempt the holiest to his fall: Down —down they sink: who women know should flee afar from all [418].
"Soft-speaking, hard to satisfy, as rivers hard to fill; Down —down they sink: who women know should flee far from them still [418]. [§_] "And whomsoever they may serve for gold or for desire, They burn him up, as fuel burns cast in a blazing fire." [418] [§_] "The hermit heard the prince's word; he loathed the world so vain: Turned to his former Path [419], and rose up in the air again.
[473] This discourse ended, the Master said, "Thus, Brethren, for woman's sake even sanctified souls do sin;" then he declared the Truths: (now at the conclusion of the Truths, the backsliding Brother achieved sainthood:) after which he identified the Birth, saying, "At that time I myself was Prince Anitthigandha."