Then, after many years, many hundred years, many thousand years had passed, Queen Subhaddā thought, ‘It is long since I have seen the king. Why don’t I go to see him?’

So the queen addressed the ladies of the harem, ‘Come, bathe your heads and dress in yellow. It is long since we saw the king, and we shall go to see him.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ replied the ladies of the harem. They did as she asked and returned to the queen.

Then the queen addressed the counselor-treasure, ‘Dear counselor-treasure, please ready the army with four divisions. It is long since we saw the king, and we shall go to see him.’

‘Yes, my queen,’ he replied, and did as he was asked. He informed the queen, ‘My queen, the army with four divisions is ready, please go at your convenience.’

Then Queen Subhaddā together with the ladies of the harem went with the army to the Palace of Principle. She ascended the palace and went to the great foyer, where she stood leaning against a door-post.

Hearing them, the king thought, ‘What’s that, it sounds like a big crowd!’ Coming out of the foyer he saw Queen Subhaddā leaning against a door-post and said to her, ‘Please stay there, my queen, don’t enter in here.’

Then he addressed a certain man, ‘Come, mister, bring the golden couch from the great foyer and set it up in the golden palm grove.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ that man replied, and did as he was asked. The king laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware.

Then Queen Subhaddā thought, ‘The king’s faculties are so very clear, and the complexion of his skin is pure and bright. Let him not pass away!’ She said to him, ‘Sire, you have 84,000 cities, with the royal capital of Kusāvatī foremost. Arouse desire for these! Take an interest in life!’

And she likewise urged the king to live on by taking an interest in all his possessions as described above.

When the queen had spoken, the king said to her, ‘For a long time, my queen, you have spoken to me with loving, desirable, pleasant, and agreeable words. And yet in my final hour, your words are undesirable, unpleasant, and disagreeable!’

‘Then how exactly, Your Majesty, am I to speak to you?’

‘Like this, my queen: “Sire, we must be parted and separated from all we hold dear and beloved. Don’t pass away with concerns. Such concern is suffering, and it’s criticized. Sire, you have 84,000 cities, with the royal capital of Kusāvatī foremost. Give up desire for these! Take no interest in life!”’ And so on for all the king’s possessions.

When the king had spoken, Queen Subhaddā cried and burst out in tears. Wiping away her tears, the queen said to the king: ‘Sire, we must be parted and separated from all we hold dear and beloved. Don’t pass away with concerns. Such concern is suffering, and it’s criticized. Sire, you have 84,000 cities, with the royal capital of Kusāvatī foremost. Give up desire for these! Take no interest in life!’ And she continued, listing all the king’s possessions.