The four sons of four rich merchants of Bārāṇasī were once sitting at the cross roads, and, seeing a deer stalker hawking venison in a cart, one of them proposed to get some flesh from him. So he went up to the man and said, ” Hi! My man! Give me some meat,” and the hunter gave him some skin and bone; the second, going up to him addressed him as “elder Brother” and was given a joint; but the third cajoled him, calling him “Father,” and received a savoury piece of meat; while the fourth (the Bodhisatta) addressed him as “Friend,” and was given the whole of the rest of the deer, and the meat was conveyed to his house in the man’s cart.

The story was related in reference to Sāriputta. Some monks of Jetavana, having taken oil as a purgative, wished for some dainty food. They sent their attendants to beg in the cooks’ quarters, but these had to come back empty-handed. Sāriputta met them, and, having heard their story, returned with them to the same street; the people gave him a full measure of dainty fare, which was distributed among the sick monks. Sāriputta is identified with the hunter of the story. J.iii.48-51.