“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.”
Sutasoma’s Conduct
Cp 32 · Sutasomacariya
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About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
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