When he said this, those students made an uproar, “It turns out Ambaṭṭha is ill-born, not a gentleman, son of a Sakyan bondservant, and that the Sakyans are sons of his masters! And it seems that the ascetic Gotama spoke only the truth, though we presumed to rebuke him!”

Then it occurred to the Buddha, “These students put Ambaṭṭha down too much by calling him the son of a bondservant. Why don’t I get him out of this?”

So the Buddha said to the students, “Students, please don’t put Ambaṭṭha down too much by calling him the son of a bondservant. That Black Boy was an eminent sage. He went to a southern country and memorized the Prime Spell. Then he approached King Okkāka and asked for the hand of his daughter Maddarūpī.

The king said to him, ‘Who the hell is this son of a bondservant to ask for the hand of my daughter!’ Angry and upset he fastened a razor-tipped arrow. But he wasn’t able to either shoot it or to relax it.

Then the ministers and counselors approached the sage Black Boy and said: ‘Spare the king, sir, spare him!’

‘The king will be safe. But if he shoots the arrow downwards, there will be an earthquake across the entire realm.’

‘Spare the king, sir, and spare the country!’

‘Both king and country will be safe. But if he shoots the arrow upwards, there will be no rain in the entire realm for seven years.’

‘Spare the king, sir, spare the country, and let there be rain!’

‘Both king and country will be safe, and the rain will fall. And if the king aims the arrow at the crown prince, he will be safe and untouched.’

So the ministers said to Okkāka: ‘Okkāka must aim the arrow at the crown prince. He will be safe and untouched.’

So King Okkāka aimed the arrow at the crown prince. And he was safe and untouched. Then the king was terrified, shocked, and awestruck. Scared by the prime punishment, he gave the hand of his daughter Maddarūpī.

Students, please don’t put Ambaṭṭha down too much by calling him the son of a bondservant. That Black Boy was an eminent sage.”