King Bimbisara pays a visit, and asks the Buddha to come back to teach him if he becomes enlightened
King Bimbisara heard that the people were all saying that a young, noble recluse, unlike other recluses, had entered the city, and so he ordered some of his attendants to look into the matter. The Pathamasambodhi gives the words of King Bimbisara at this point as:
"Go and follow him and see: if he is a deva he will fly into the air; if a naga he will go down into the earth; if he is a human being he will sit and eat his alms food in moderation. Go and see just what happens."
The Great Being, having received sufficient alms food from the people of Rajagaha, left the city and went up to a cliff just outside the city, where he sat and mindfully set about eating his alms food. The food he had obtained was that known as "masikabatta"-all mixed together, the good and the bad, the dry and the wet, the salty and the sweet.
Seeing the food, the Great Being felt, according to the Pathamasambodhi, "as if his gut were to come out of his mouth," since he had only ever eaten fine foods, like celestial foods, but, controlling his mind with the virtue becoming of a recluse, he ate the food as normal.
King Bimbisara and the Great Being were "aditthasahaya," friends who had only previously heard of each other by name, but never met. Hearing of the Great Being's whereabouts from his attendant, King Bimbisara went to see him. When he heard that he was the Prince from the Sakya clan, he invited him to stay on in the city and help him rule it, but the Great Being declined his offer, informing him of his firm resolve to achieve enlightenment.
King Bimbisara then asked to, if he did attain enlightenment, come and teach him. The Great Being accepted his request.
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