In a village called Senani there lived a young, very beautiful and rich girl who wanted to marry and have a son. She waited for many years and she was not successful. The people told her that she must go to a Banyan tree near Neranjara river and ask the tree-god to give her a husband and a lovely son. People at that time believed and prayed to trees and images for help. She did as told by the people. Later on she got married to a young man and they had a lovely son. She was extremely happy and decided to fulfil her vow to that tree-god for giving her all that she had asked for. So on the day she wanted to fulfil the vow she sent her servant to the tree to clean the foot of the Banyan tree.
This young and beautiful lady’s name was Sujata. She had a thousand cows and she fed them with sweet creepers called Valmee so that the cow’s milk was sweet. Then she milked the thousand cows and fed that milk to five hundred cows and their milk to two hundred and fifty cows and so on until she only fed eight cows. She did this to get the sweetest and most nourishing milk to make the delicious milk-rice for the tree-god. She then cooked the rice in this milk. Suddenly she was surprised to see her servant running and coming to her very happy and excited and said:
“O! my lady Sujata, the Banyan tree-god himself has come down from the tree for your food. He is seated under the tree meditating. How lucky you must be to have the good in person to accept you food.”
Sujata too was very happy and excited. She danced with joy with the servant. They then took even more pains to prepare the milk-rice.
Talking with them the delicious milk-rice both of them went towards the Banyan tree. Sujata was so surprised and excited to see her tree-god himself – who was so handsome-looking so serene, sitting and meditating. She did not know that he was in fact Ascetic Gotama. While she was putting the delicious milk-rice in his bowl she said,
“May you be successful in obtaining your wishes as I have been.”
Ascetic Gotama ate the food and then with the empty bowl in his hand, crossed the river Neranjara on the way to Gaya.
