On going up to him, I found that he was still alive, and having revived him by throwing cold water over him, and by other means, I found that he had no bone broken, and did not appear to have received any serious injury.

When he was sufficiently recovered, I asked him who he was and how he came to fall from the precipice.  With tears in his eyes, and a feeble voice, he said:  “My name is Ratnodbhava; I am the son of a minister of the King of Magadha; travelling about as a merchant, I came, many years ago, to the island of Kalayavana.  There I married a merchant’s daughter, and going with her by sea to visit my relations, was overtaken by a violent storm, during which the ship sank, and I was the only person saved.

“After reaching the shore, I wandered about for some time in a strange country, and, unable to bear my misery, was about to put an end to my life, when I was stopped by a Siddha, who assured me that after sixteen years I should find my wife.  Trusting to this promise, I have endured life through all these years; but the appointed time having passed without any sign of the fulfilment of the prophecy, I could hold out no longer, and threw myself from the top of this precipice.”

At that moment the voice of a woman in distress was heard not far off, and saying to him whom I recognised as my father, “Take courage, I have good news for you; only wait a moment,” I ran off in the direction of the place whence the voice had proceeded, and soon came in sight of a large fire and two women near it, the one trying to throw herself into the flames, the other struggling to prevent her.  Going to the help of the latter, I soon got the lady away, and brought her and her companion to the place where my father was lying.  I then said to the old woman, “Pray tell me what all this means?  How came you to be in such a place, and why did the lady wish to destroy herself?”

With a voice broken by sobs, she answered me:  “This lady, whose name is Suvritta, is the daughter of a merchant in the island of Kalayavana, and the wife of Ratnodbhava.  While crossing the sea with her husband, there was a great storm, the ship sank, and this lady and I, her nurse, were the only persons saved.  A few days afterwards she gave birth to a son in the forest; but through my ill-fortune the child was lost, having been seized by a wild elephant.  Afterwards we two wandered about in great misery, and she would have put an end to her life had we not met with a holy man, who comforted her with the assurance that after sixteen years she would be reunited with her husband and son.  Relying on this prophecy, she consented to wait, and we have spent all these years living near his hermitage; but the sixteen years were ended some time ago, and having lost all hope, she was about to end her wretched life by throwing herself into a fire which she had made, when you so opportunely came to my assistance.”

Hearing this story, my father was unable to speak from astonishment.  I made him known to my mother, and myself to both of them, to their very great joy; and my mother seemed as if she would never weary of kissing and embracing me.