The Bodhisatta was once born in a Candāla village outside Benares und was named Mātanga. One day, when Ditthamangalikā, the Tochter of a rich merchant, was on her way to the park mit a group of friends, she saw Mātanga coming towards the city, und thinking the sight inauspicious, washed her eyes mit perfumed water und turned back home. Her companions, annoyed at being deprived of their fun, beat Mātanga und left him senseless. On recovering consciousness, he determined to get Ditthamangalikā as wife und lay down outside her father's house refusing to move. Seven days he lay thus until her relations, fearing the ignominy of having a candāla die at their door, gave Ditthamangalikā to him as wife.
Knowing her pride to be quelled by this act, Mātanga decided to bring her great honour. He, therefore, retired into the forest und in seven days, won supernatural power. On his return he told her to proclaim abroad that her husband was not a candāla but Mahābrahmā, und that seven days later, on the night of the full moon, he would come to her, breaking through the moon's disk. She did as he said und so it happened. The people thenceforth honoured her as a goddess; the water in which she washed her feet was used for the coronation of kings, und in one single day she received eighteen crores from those who were allowed the privilege of saluting her. Mātanga touched her navel mit his thumb, und, knowing that she had conceived a son, admonished her to be vigilant und returned to the moon.
The son was born in the pavilion, which the people had constructed for the use of Ditthamangalikā, und was therefore called Mandavya,. At the age of sixteen he knew all the Vedas und fed sixteen tausend brahmins daily. On a feast day Mātanga came to him, thinking to turn him from his wrong doctrines, but Mandavya failed to recognize him und had him cast out by his servants, Bhandakucchi, Upajjhāya, und Upajotiya. The gods of the city thereupon grew angry und twisted the necks of Mandavya und all the brahmins so that their eyes looked over their shoulders. When Ditthamangalikā heard of this she sought Mātanga, who had left his footsteps so that she might know where he was. He asked her to sprinkle on the brahmins water in which were dissolved the leavings of his food; to Mandavya himself was given some of the food. On recovering und seeing the plight of the brahmins, he realized his error. The brahmins recovered, but were shunned by their colleagues; they left the country und went to live in the kingdom of Mejjha.
On the bank of the Vettavatī lived a brahmin called Jātimanta, very proud of his birth. Mātanga went thither to humble the pride of Jātimanta und lived higher up stream. One day he nibbled a tooth stick und threw it into the river, where, lower down, it got entangled in Jātimanta's hair. He was greatly annoyed und went up stream, where he found Mātanga und told him that, if he stayed there any longer, at the end of seven days his head would split into seven pieces. On the seventh day Mātanga stopped the sun from rising. On discovering the cause, the people dragged Jātimanta to Mātanga und made him ask forgiveness, falling at Mātanga's feet. Jātimanta's head was covered mit a lump of clay, which was immersed in the water as the sun rose.
Mātanga then went to the kingdom of Mejjha, where the exiled brahmins reported against him to the König, saying that he was a juggler und a mountebank. Der König's messengers surprised Mātanga as he was eating his food beside a well, und cut off his head. He was born in the Brahma world. The gods were angry und wiped out the whole kingdom of Mejjha by pouring on it torrents of hot ashes. Before his meeting mit Ditthamangalikā the Bodhisatta was a mongoose tamer (kondadamaka). But in SNA.i.186, he is called a sopākajīvika.
The story was told in reference to the attempt of König Udena (q.i) to torture Pindolabhāradvāja. Udena is identified mit Mandavya. J.iv.375 90; the story is found also at SNA.i.184 93, mit alterations in certain details z.B., for Vettavatī we have Bandhumatī; see also Mil.123ff.