The Story of Uggasena the Treasurer's Son : หน้า 22/114

2 The Story of Uggasena the Treasurer's Son This instruction was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Veluvana with reference to Uggasena. The story goes that once a year, or once every six months, five hundred acrobats used to visit Rajagaha and give performances for seven days before the king. By these performances they earned much gold and money; in fact there was no end to the gifts tossed at them from time to time. The people stood on beds piled on top of beds and watched the acrobats perform their feats. One day a certain female acrobat climbed a pole, turned somersaults thereon, and balancing herself on the tip of the pole, danced and sang as she trod the air. Now on this occasion, a certain treasurer's son, accompanied by a companion, stood on top of a pile of beds watching her. The grace and skill with which she managed her hands and feet attracted his attention, and he straightaway fell in love with her. He went home and said, "If I can have her, I shall live; but if I cannot have her, I shall die right here." So saying, he flung himself down on his bed and refused to take food. 20 Millionaire Heirs