“Then again when I was
Sutasoma, Lord of the Earth,
captured by a cannibal
I remembered my promise to a brahmin.
A hundred aristocrat warriors
he strung up by their hands .
Having drained their blood,
he brought me for sacrifice.
The cannibal asked me,
‘What do you wish for—release?
I shall act as you think,
so long as you will return.’
I promised him that I
would return at dawn.
I went to the delightful city
and then renounced kingship.
Recollecting the true Dhamma,
fostered by former Victors,
I gave money to the brahmin,
and returned to the cannibal.
I had no doubt
that he was going to kill me.
Protecting my truthful speech,
I went to give up my life.
There is no-one to equal my truthfulness:
this is my perfection of truth.”