when king tissa dama yaza and queen thiyi kappar dawi reached old age, they decided to retire into meditation and give the throne to their eldest son and the royal title of crown prince to their youngest son. they gathered their lawmakers and made legal arrangements for their sons to assume their new positions. the princes denied their inheritances and asked permission to retreat to the jungle as hermits. they requested their parents' blessing many times. the king and queen did not think that their sons were suitable for forest life, since they had been raised in a palace. the two sons became depressed and would not eat. they became very thin. finally, the king and queen relented and agreed to allow them to go into the forest.