Once, King Badfruit ruled Mithila. One day, the king’s servant informed him that his brother Poorfruit wanted to kill him. So, the king locked Poorfruit in a dungeon. Poorfruit prayed, “Let the chains fall off if I have done no wrong.” Miraculously, the chains fell off, the dungeon doors opened and Poorfruit fled to a village. Here, he raised an army and then attacked King Badfruit, who was killed in battle. Badfruit’s queen, who was about to give birth to a baby, disguised herself and set out for the neighbouring kingdom of Champa. King Sakka, who ruled Heaven, came to know that the queen’s baby was the Bodhisattva. So, he took her in his carriage to Champa. There, a monk saw the queen and took her home. Soon, the queen gave birth to a baby-boy. She named him Ananda.
Moral: Help comes to good people in many forms.
