[243] Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
"Bhikkhus, once upon a time, in Bārāṇasī there was a king of Kāsi named Brahmadatta — rich, of great wealth, of great possessions, of great forces, of great vehicles, of great dominion, with treasury and granary full. And there was a king of Kosala named Dīghīti — poor, of little wealth, of little possessions, of small forces, of few vehicles, of small dominion, with treasury and granary not full.
"Then, bhikkhus, Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, having mustered a fourfold army, marched against Dīghīti, king of Kosala. And Dīghīti, king of Kosala, heard: 'Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, it is said, having mustered a fourfold army, is marching against me.' Then, bhikkhus, it occurred to Dīghīti, king of Kosala: 'Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, is rich, of great wealth, of great possessions, of great forces, of great vehicles, of great dominion, with treasury and granary full; whereas I am poor, of little wealth, of little possessions, of small forces, of few vehicles, of small dominion, with treasury and granary not full. I am not able to withstand Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, in even a single clash of battle. What if I were to flee from the city beforehand?' Then, bhikkhus, Dīghīti, king of Kosala, taking his chief queen, fled from the city beforehand. Then, bhikkhus, Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, having conquered the forces and vehicles, the countryside, the treasury, and the granary of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, dwelt there in possession of them.
"Then, bhikkhus, Dīghīti, king of Kosala, together with his consort, set out toward Bārāṇasī, and travelling in due course arrived at Bārāṇasī. There, bhikkhus, Dīghīti, king of Kosala, together with his consort, dwelt in a certain outlying quarter of Bārāṇasī, in a potter's dwelling, in the disguise of one unknown, clad in the garb of a wanderer. Then, bhikkhus, before long the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, became pregnant. And a pregnancy-longing of this kind arose in her: she desired, at the time of the sun's rising, to see a fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and to drink the water used for washing the swords. Then, bhikkhus, the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, said this to Dīghīti, king of Kosala: 'Sire, I am with child, and a longing of this kind has arisen in me: I desire, at the time of the sun's rising, to see a fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and to drink the water used for washing the swords.'
"'Queen, whence for us, fallen on hard times, a fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and the water used for washing the swords?'
"'Sire, if I do not obtain it, I shall die.'
"Now at that time, bhikkhus, the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, was a friend of Dīghīti, king of Kosala. Then, bhikkhus, Dīghīti, king of Kosala, went to the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, and having approached, said this to the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi: 'Your lady friend, dear friend, is with child, and a longing of this kind has arisen in her: she desires, at the time of the sun's rising, to see a fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and to drink the water used for washing the swords.'
"'Well then, sire, let me too see the queen.'
"Then, bhikkhus, the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, went to the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi. And the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, saw the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, coming from afar; and having seen her, he rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, raised his joined palms in salutation toward the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, and three times uttered the exclamation: 'Indeed, sirs, a king of Kosala has come into the womb! Indeed, sirs, a king of Kosala has come into the womb!' 'Be not downcast, O queen: you shall obtain, at the time of the sun's rising, the sight of a fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and the drinking of the water used for washing the swords.'
"Then, bhikkhus, the brahmin house-priest of Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, went to Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, and having approached, said this to Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi: 'Sire, such signs are seen that tomorrow, at the time of the sun's rising, the fourfold army, armed and armored, should stand on fair ground, and the swords should be washed.'
"Then, bhikkhus, Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, commanded his men: 'I say, as the brahmin house-priest directs, so do.'
"Thus, bhikkhus, the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, obtained, at the time of the sun's rising, the sight of the fourfold army, armed and armored, standing on fair ground, and the drinking of the water used for washing the swords. Then, bhikkhus, the chief queen of Dīghīti, king of Kosala, when that pregnancy came to maturity, gave birth to a son. They gave him the name Dīghāvu. Then, bhikkhus, before long Prince Dīghāvu reached the age of discretion. Then, bhikkhus, it occurred to Dīghīti, king of Kosala: 'This Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, has done us much harm: by him our forces and vehicles, our countryside, our treasury, and our granary have been seized. If he comes to know of us, he will have all three of us put to death. What if I were to have Prince Dīghāvu dwell outside the city?' Then, bhikkhus, Dīghīti, king of Kosala, had Prince Dīghāvu dwell outside the city. And, bhikkhus, Prince Dīghāvu, dwelling outside the city, before long trained in all the arts."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.