• Succaja Jātaka (No. 320)

The Bodhisatta was once minister to the king of Benares, and the king, fearing his son, the viceroy, gave orders that he should live outside the city. The viceroy therefore left the city with his wife and lived in a hut in a frontier village. When he discovered, by observing the stars, that the king was dead, he returned with his wife to take the throne. On the way they passed a mountain, and his wife asked: "If this mountain were of pure gold, would you give me some of it?" "Not an atom," he replied, and she was deeply hurt. She became queen, but was shown no respect or honour by the king. The Bodhisatta, noticing this, questioned her and made her promise to repeat her story in the king's presence. This she did, and the king, realizing her affection for him, bestowed all honour on her.

The story was told to a landowner of Sāvatthi who went with his wife to collect a debt. They received a cart in satisfaction of the debt, and, leaving it with friends, were on the way home when they saw a mountain, and a conversation, identical with the one above, took place. Arrived at Sāvatthi, they went to Jetavana, and when the Buddha asked the wife if she were happy, she told him what had happened. The Buddha then related the story of the king and queen who were the landowner and his wife. At the end of the story they became sotāpannas. J. iii.66-70.