Long ago, in the magnificent city of Varanasi, ruled a king named Brahmadatta. One day, while wandering alone in a lush forest, the King happened upon a simple woman gathering wood. She sang so beautifully that her voice echoed through the trees. Enchanged by her grace and beauty, the King fell in love instantly. There, in the heart of the forest, he married her according to the ancient Gandharva tradition. It was then that the Bodhisatta was conceived in her womb.
A Royal Token and a Parting Promise
Before returning to his palace, the King realized the woman was with child. He took off his golden signet ring, engraved with his royal name, and handed it to her. “If you give birth to a daughter,” he instructed, “sell this ring and use the wealth to provide for her. But if you bear a son, bring him to me along with this ring.” With these parting words, the King returned to his kingdom.
In due time, the woman gave birth to the Bodhisatta. As the boy grew and began playing with the neighborhood children, they would mock him cruelly. “Look, here comes the fatherless one!” they would jeer. “The one without a father just hit me!” This ridicule deeply pained the young Bodhisatta. One day, he turned to his mother and asked, “Mother, who is my father?”
The mother looked at him tenderly and replied, “You are the son of the King, my dear.” The boy was astonished. “If I am the King’s son, why do we not live in the palace? And what proof is there of my lineage?”
The Search for the Truth
The mother then revealed the royal signet ring. She explained the King’s promise and the secret of his birth. Upon hearing this, the Bodhisatta became restless to see his father. Seeing her son’s longing, the mother took him and the royal ring to the city of Varanasi to stand before King Brahmadatta.
When they entered the royal court, the woman bowed before the throne and said, “Your Majesty, behold your son.” Hearing this before the entire assembly, the King was troubled. Though he recognized the woman and remembered the forest, he feigned ignorance to avoid embarrassment. “How could this child be my son?” he asked coldly.
Desperate, the woman held out the golden ring. “Look, Maharaja, here is the signet ring you gave me when you left the forest.” But the King, blinded by pride, denied it, saying, “This ring is not mine.”
A Miracle in the Midst of the Court
Left with no witnesses, the woman looked toward the heavens. “I have no witness now but Truth itself,” she cried. “By the power of Truth, I declare: If this boy be truly your son, let him remain suspended in the mid-air. But if he be not your son, let him fall to the ground and meet his end!” With these words, she cast the young Bodhisatta into the air.
Instead of falling, the boy remained seated in the air in a heroic posture. To the wonder of the entire court, the young Bodhisatta began to preach to the King. “Hear me, O King!” his voice rang out. “I am indeed your son, born of your wedded wife. If you provide for many strangers in your kingdom, why should you not provide for your own flesh and blood?”
Struck by the boy’s wisdom and the undeniable miracle, the King’s pride vanished. He realized this was no ordinary child. Stretching out his arms, he cried, “Come, my son, come! I shall provide for you.” Though many courtiers reached out to catch the miraculous boy, he descended only into the King’s arms.
Ascending the Throne of Virtue
The King then proclaimed the Bodhisatta as the Heir Apparent (Uparaja) and made his mother the Chief Queen. When the King eventually passed away, the Bodhisatta ascended the throne under the title of King Kasthavahana. He ruled with such justice and compassion that his reign was remembered for generations.
Moral of the Story: Truth is like the sun; no matter how much pride or shame tries to hide it, it eventually emerges to light the world.