Once there was Bodhisatta who was born in Aritthapura as a king. He was named as Sivi. He was a religious king supposed for his contributions. No one ever returned back empty-handed from his court. Still, he was never pleased with his alms giving. In the passion to donate more and more, once it came up on his mind to donate some part of his body if asked by some one or the other. This thought awaken the interest of Sakka, the lord of the devas to observe the hardness of his willpower.
So, in the get-up of a blind Brahmin, he arrived at Sivi’s court and begged for his eyes. In spite of the shocks and convinces and disagreement by the courtiers the king agreed to donate his eyes to the beggar. He removed his eyes like the petals of a blue lotus with a knife and offered them to Sakka. Amazingly, those eyes got fixed in the beggar’s face. The Brahmin was then able to see. But the king became blind; and with the loss of the eyes his features looked like a lotus-pond without any lotus in it.
When the eyes of the king was healed, he visited a quiet flowery garden on the bank of a pond. There, he sat on a couch under the trees overloaded with flowers and thought of his future without eyes. Sakka, watching him from the heaven felt very sorry for him and was very guilty for his doings. So, he arrive there to please him with a help. When the king desired for the return of his eyes, he then advised him to perform the Sacchakiriya (the act of truth) to bring back his eyes.
Sivi, to Perform the Sacchakiriya narrated:
"If the thankful blessings of a beggar
awaken comparable delight
When speak before
And speak after the
Act of the donations
O My Eye! Must you then come back again”.
And thus his one eye appeared.
He then added,
"If the delight in donating the second eye
Has given equal delights
Like the donation of the first eye
O My Eye! You must then come back again”.
"If I was equally delighted to offer
The other eye to the person,
Who I gave the first
Then let the other eye also come back again.”
Thus, in the same way the second eye too of the king also appeared. The earth then trembled in its joy. The oceans crossed their boundaries with the happiness. And the songs and music of the celestial beings boom all over. The celestial fairies soar in the sky with their wide-open eyes. Sun originated its warmth like a winter day and the trees showered their flowers in excess.
Thus it is said:
"The single worth of the worthless wealth
Is its charity-ability;
As what is given in charity mount up into the treasury;
And what is not used as investment
Is rather a fruitless utilization."