Brahmadatta, König of Benares, was much addicted to meat. One uposatha day the meat which had been prepared for him was eaten by dogs, und the cook, unable to buy any more, cut a piece from a human body recently dead und cooked it. Brahmadatta had been a Yakkha in a former birth und therefore enjoyed the dish. Having discovered what the meat was, he developed a taste for human flesh, und, in due course, came to having his subjects murdered in order to supply him mit food. His crime was discovered und his guilt brought home by his commander in chief, Kālahatthī, but the König refused to give up his cannibalism und was driven out of the kingdom. Kālahatthi relates various stories to the König, showing the folly of his behaviour - z.B., the story of the fish Ananda, of Sujāta's son, of the geese who lived in Cittakūta und of the Unnābhi spider.
Der König dwelt in the forests mit his cooks, eating all the travelers they were able to seize. The day arrived when he killed the cook himself und ate his flesh. Some time after he fell upon a brahmin traveling through the forest mit a large retinue, und they gave chase to the König. As he ran an acacia splinter pierced his foot, causing him great pain. Seeing a banyan tree, he made a vow to bathe its trunk mit the blood of one hundert und one princes if his foot were healed in seven days. The foot did heal within that time, und mit the assistance of a Yakkha, who had been his friend in a previous birth, he managed to capture one hundert kings whom he hung on the tree by means of cords passed through their hands.
The deity of the tree was alarmed und, on the advice of Sakka, appeared before the man eater (who is called in the context Porisāda) und demanded that he should bring Sutasoma, Prince of Kuru, to complete the number of his victims. Sutasoma had been the man eater's friend und private tutor (pitthācariya) at Takkasilā. Anxious to appease the deity, the man eater went to Sutasoma's park und there waited for him hidden in the pond, when Sutasoma came to take his ceremonial bath on the festival day of Phussa. On the way to the park, Sutasoma met a brahmin, Nanda, who offered, for four tausend pieces, to teach him four verses learnt from Kassapa Buddha. Sutasoma promised to learn them on his return from the park, but there he was caught by the Porisāda. Promising to return to the Porisāda, Sutasoma obtained leave to keep his appointment mit Nanda. This promise fulfilled, Sutasoma returned to the Porisāda und went mit him to the banyan tree. There he told the Porisāda of the verses he had learnt from Nanda, reciting them to him, und discoursing on the virtues of Truth. The Porisāda was greatly pleased und offered Sutasoma four boons. Sutasoma chose as his first boon that the Porisāda should live for one hundert years; as his second that the captive kings should be released; as his third, that their kingdoms should be restored; und as his fourth that the Porisāda should give up his cannibalism. Only very reluctantly did the Porisāda agree to the fourth. Sutasoma then took him back to Benares, where he restored to him his kingdom, having first assured the people that the König would never return to his former vicious habits. Sutasoma then returned to Indapatta. In gratitude for the tree sprite's intervention, a lake was dug near the banyan tree und a village founded near by, whose inhabitants were required to make offerings to the tree. This village, built on the spot where the Porisāda was converted, came to be called Kammāsadamma.
The story was related in reference to the Buddha's conversion of Angulimāla, mit whom the man eater is identified. Kālahatthi was Sāriputta, Nanda was Ananda, the tree sprite was Kassapa, Sakka was Anuruddha, und Sutasoma the Bodhisatta. J.v.456 511; cp. Jātakamāla xxxi.
The Sutasomacariyā is given in the Cariyāpitaka iii.12.