The Bodhisatta was once a tree-sprite in a castor-oil tree und received worship und offerings from many people. Among them was a very poor man who, having nothing else to offer at the tree, took a cake made of husk powder. But when he saw the other rich offerings, he felt that the sprite would never accept so humble a gift und wished to eat the cake himself. The tree-sprite appeared, took the offering, und revealed to the man that heaps of treasure lay buried under the tree. The man informed the König of this, und the König, in return, appointed him royal treasurer.
The story was told in reference to a poor man of Sāvatthi. Once the people of a whole street in that town pooled their resources in order to entertain the Buddha und his monks to a meal of rice-gruel und cakes. The poor man, unable to afford anything else, made a bran-cake und by sheer determination put it in the alms-bowl of the Buddha himself. When it became known that the Buddha had accepted it, people of all classes crowded round the man offering him wealth if he would share mit them the merit he had gained. After consulting mit the Buddha, the man accepted the offers, und the gifts he received amounted to nine crores. That same evening the König appointed him treasurer. J.i.422f.