42. Preach the law,0 Lord and Leader! move for¬ ward the wheel of the law, make the drum of the law resound, and blow the conch-trumpet of the law.
43. Shed the rain of the true law over this world and proclaim the sweet-sounding good word; mani¬ fest the law required, save myriads of ko/is of beings.
And the Lord, monks, silently intimated his assent to the Brahma-angels.
Repetition; the same occurred in the south-west, in the west, in the north-west, in the north, in the north-east, in the nadir.
Then, monks, the aerial cars of the Brahma- angels in the nadir 2, in those fifty hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of spheres [&c., as above till 1 We must in thought add, in full glory, because we are at noontide.
2 Yen&dhodigbh&ga.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
to one another]. After that, monks, the great Brahma-angel, named.Sikhin, addressed the nu¬ merous host of Brahma-angels with the following stanzas: 44. What may be the cause, O friends, that our cars are so bright with splendour, colour, and light? What may be the reason of their being so exceed- ingly glorious?
45. We have seen nothing like this before nor heard of it from others. These (cars) are now bright with splendour and exceedingly glorious; what may be the cause of it?
46. Should it be some god who has been be¬ stowed upon 1 the world in recompense of good works, and whose grandeur thus comes to light? Or is perhaps a Buddha born in the world?
Thereupon, monks, the great Brahma-angels in the fifty hundred thousand myriads of kofis of spheres mounted all together their own divine aerial cars, took with them divine bags, as large as Mount Sumeru, with celestial flowers, and went through the four quarters successively until they arrived at the zenith, where those great Brahma-angels, stationed at the zenith, saw the Lord Mahabhi^a^wanabhibhh [&c., as above till compassion to us].
On that occasion, monks, after presenting their own cars to the Lord, the Brahma-angels celebrated the Lord, face to face, with the following seasonable stanzas: 47. How goodly is the sight of the Buddhas, the mighty 2 Lords of the world; those Buddhas who are to deliver all beings in this triple world.
1 Samarpita.
Tayin.
VIT.
48. The all-seeing Masters of the world send their looks in all directions of the horizon, and by opening the gate of immortality 1 they make people reach the (safe) shore 2.
49. An inconceivable number of Atons now past were void, and all quarters wrapt in darkness, as the chief (Pinas did not appear.
50. The dreary hells, the brute creation and demo nswere on the increase; thousands of ko/is of living beings fell into the state of ghosts 3.
51. The heavenly bodies were on the wane; after their disappearance they entered upon evil ways; their course became wrong because they did not hear the law of the Buddhas.
52. All creatures lacked dutiful behaviour 4, purity, good state 5, and understanding; their happiness was lost, and the consciousness of happiness was gone.
53. They did not observe the rules of morality; were firmly rooted in the false law 6; not being led by the Lord of the world, they were precipitated into a false course.
54. Hail! thou art come at last, O Light of the world! thou, born to be bounteous towards all beings.
1 In the Mahabharata III, 156, and Yogayatra I, 1, the sun is called ‘the opened gate of deliverance,’ mokshadvaram apdvr/tam.
2 Atarenti; the var.lect. avatarentiisoutofplace and destroys the metre.
3 P reta, properly ‘ deceased, a deceased one.’ The real meaning of the passage is that men at night fall asleep.
4 Properly, movement, k&ryL 3 Gati, going, gait; the latter is really meant.
3 Asaddharme pratishMita; the real meaning may be,‘firmly established in the condition of non-existence,’ i. e. in sleep.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
55. Hail! thou hast safely arrived at supreme Buddha-knowledge; we feel thankful before thee, and so does the world, including the gods.
56. By thy power, O mighty Lord, our aerial cars are glittering; to thee we present them, great Hero; deign to accept them, great Solitary.
57. Out of grace to us, O Leader, make use of them, so that we, as well as all (other) beings, may attain supreme enlightenment.
After the great Brahma-angels, O monks, had celebrated the Lord Mahabhi^/la^Ianabhibhu, the Tathagata, &c., face to face, with seasonable stanzas, they besought him: May the Lord move forward the wheel of the law! [&c., as above till both gods and men.]
Thereupon, monks, those fifty hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Brahma-angels addressed the Lord, with one voice, in common chorus, with the following two stanzas: 58. Move forward the exalted, unsurpassed wheel! beat the drum of immortality! release all beings from hundreds of evils, and show the path of Nirvana.
59. Expound the law we pray for; show thy favour to us and this world. Let us hear thy sweet and lovely voice which thou hast exercised during thousands of ko/is of./Eons.
Now, monks, the Lord Mahabhi^wa^lanabhibhu, the Tathagata, &c., being acquainted with the prayer of the hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Brahma- angels and of the sixteen princes, his sons, com¬ menced at that juncture to turn the wheel that has three turns and twelve parts, the wheel never moved by any ascetic, Brahman, god, demon, nor VJ2 VII.
by any one else. (His preaching) consisted in this: This is pain; this is the origin of pain; this is the suppression of pain; this is the treatment leading to suppression of pain. He moreover extensively set forth how the series of causes and effects is evolved,(and said): It is thus,monks. From ignorance proceed conceptions (or fancies); from conceptions (or fancies) proceeds understanding 1; from under¬ standing name and form; from name and form the six senses 2; from the six senses proceeds contact; from contact sensation; from sensation proceeds longing; from longing proceeds striving 3; from striving as cause issues existence; from existence birth; from birth old age, death, mourning, lamentation, sorrow, dismay, and despondency. So originates this whole mass of misery. From the suppression of ignorance results the suppression of conceptions; from the sup¬ pression of conceptions results that of understand¬ ing; from the suppression of understanding results that of name and form; from the suppression of (name and form results that of the six senses; from the suppression of the six senses results that of contact; from the suppression of contact results that of sensation; from the suppression of sensation results that of longing; from the suppression of longing results that of striving; from the sup¬ pression of striving results that of existence; from the suppression of existence results that of birth; from the suppression of birth results that of old age, death, mourning, lamentation, sorrow, dismay, and 1 Or, distinctive knowledge, judgment.
2 And, the objects of the six senses.
3 Upadana, also taking up, and material.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
despondency. In this manner the whole mass of misery is suppressed.
And while this wheel of the law, monks, was being moved onward 1 by the Lord Mahabh xgn^gn^.- n&bhibhft, the Tathagata, &c., in presence of the world, including the gods, demons, and Brahma-angels; of the assemblage, including ascetics and Brahmans; then, at that time, on that occasion, the minds of sixty 2 hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of living beings were without effort freed from imperfections and became all possessed of the triple science, of the sixfold transcendent wisdom, of the emancipations and meditations. In due course, monks, the Lord Mahabhi^wa^anabhibhti, the Tathagata, &c., again gave a second exposition of the law; likewise a third and a fourth exposition 3. And at each exposi¬ tion, monks, the minds of hundred thousands of myriads of ko^is of beings, like the sands of the river Ganges, were without effort freed from imper¬ fections. Afterwards, monks, the congregation of disciples of that Lord was so numerous as to sur¬ pass all calculation.
Meanwhile, monks, the sixteen princes, the youths, had, full of faith, left home to lead the vagrant life of mendicants, and had all of them become novices, clever, bright, intelligent, pious, followers of the course (of duty) under many hundred thousand Buddhas, and striving after supreme, perfect en- 1 Var. lect. sabapravartti fedaw buddhakshetra^ tena Bhagavata, &c., ‘ and while this Buddha-field moved on along with the Lord,’ or ‘ while this B. moved on with the Lord.’
2 Sixty is the number of gha/ikas, Indian half-hours, making one day.
3 Cf. the four vy fihas, appearances, divisions of the Lord Vishnu.
lightenment. These sixteen novices, monks, said to the Lord Mahabhi^a^anabhibhu, the Tatha- gata, &c., the following: O Lord, these many hun¬ dred thousand myriads of ko^is of disciples of the Tathagata have become very mighty, very powerful, very potent, owing to the Lord’s teaching of the law. Deign, O Lord, to teach us also, for mercy’s sake, the law with a view to supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment, so that we also may follow the teaching of the Tathagata 1 2. We want, O Lord, to see the knowledge of the Tathagata; the Lord can himself testify to this, for thou, O Lord, who knowest the disposition of all beings, also knowest ours.
Then, monks, on seeing that those princes, the youths, had chosen the vagrant life of mendicants and become novices, the half of the whole retinue of the king Wakravartin, to the number of eighty hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of living beings z, chose the vagrant life of mendicants.
Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahabhifwa^wa- nabhibhh, the Tathagata, &c., viewing the prayer of those novices at the lapse 3 4 of twenty thousand ^Eons, amply and completely revealed the Dharma- paryaya called ‘ the Lotus of the True Law,’ a text * of great extent, serving to instruct Bodhisattvas and proper for all Buddhas, in presence of all the four classes of auditors.
1 Yad vayam-api Tathagatasyanujikshemahi, which may also be rendered, that we also may profit by the teaching, &c.
2 The use of the term prSwin, a living being, an animal, to denote lifeless objects, is quite analogous to that of f< 5 ov ' n Greek.
3 Or, within the lapse, atyayena.
4 Sutranta, a word formed after the model of Siddhanta or Raddhanta.
vn.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
In course of time, monks, those sixteen novices grasped, kept, and fully penetrated the Lord’s teaching.
Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahdbhi^» 4 ^ 4 na- bhibhft, the Tathagata, &c., foretold those sixteen novices their future destiny to supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment. And while the Lord Mahabhig?2ag/za- n&bhibhft, the Tathagata, &c., was propounding the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, the disciples as well as the sixteen novices were full of faith, and many hundred thousand myriads of kods of beings acquired perfect certainty 1.
Thereupon, monks, after propounding the Dhar- maparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law during eight thousand Atons without interruption, the Lord Mahabhig^a^Tza nabhibhu, the Tathagata, &c., entered the monastery to retire for the purpose of meditation 2, and in that retirement, monks, the Tathigata continued in the monastery during eighty- four thousand kods of ASons.
Now, monks, when the sixteen novices perceived that the Lord was absorbed, they sat down on the seats, the royal thrones which had been prepared for each of them, and 3 amply expounded, during eighty- four hundred thousand myriads of kods 4, the Dhar- 1 Nirvi£ikitsapr£pta; a var. lect. has viAkitsaprSpta, which means exactly the reverse, at least if we take vi^ikitsS. in its usual acceptation.
2 Pratisawlayana, seclusion, retirement for the purpose of meditation, absorbing oneself in meditation; P&li pa/isallawa.
3 In one MS. added in the margin, ‘ after rendering homage to the Lord M., the Tathagata.’
4 One would expect eighty-four thousand ko/is, the same number as above. Burnouf has in both cases eighty-four thousand JEons, and that would seem to be the preferable reading.
VII.
maparyiya of the Lotus of the True Law to the four classes. By doing this, monks, each of those novices, as Bodhisattvas fully developed, instructed, excited, stimulated, edified, confirmed 1 in respect to supreme, perfect enlightenment 60 x 60 2 hundred thousand myriads of kods of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges.
Now, monks, at the lapse of eighty-four thousand dEons the Lord Mahabhi^af^anabhibhu, the Tatha- gata, &c., rose from his meditation, in possession of memory and consciousness, whereafter he went up to the seat of the law, designed for him, in order to occupy it.
As soon as the Lord had occupied the seat of the law, monks, he cast his looks over the whole circle of the audience and addressed the congregation of monks: They are wonderfully gifted, monks, they are prodigiously gifted, these sixteen novices, wise, servitors to many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Buddhas, observers of the course (of duty), who have received Buddha-knowledge, trans¬ mitted Buddha-knowledge, expounded Buddha- knowledge. Honour these sixteen novices, monks, again and again; and all, be they devoted to the vehicle of the disciples, the vehicle of the Pra- tyekabuddhas, or the vehicle of the Bodhisattvas, 1 Avadharitavan; var. lect. avataritavdn, ‘brought (them) to, initiated (them) in.’
2 Shash/izw shash/i (var. lect. shash/ishash/i) Gahganadivalikasa- m&ni pramko/inayutaratasahasram; the second reading admits of being rendered, hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of living beings, equal to the sands of 60 x 60 rivers (like the) Ganges. The number 360 is that of the days in a year, the five super¬ numerary days (avama) not being taken into account.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
who shall not reject nor repudiate the preaching of these young men of good family, O monks, shall quickly gain supreme, perfect enlightenment, and obtain Tathagata-knowledge.
In the sequel also, monks, have these young men of good family repeatedly revealed this Dharma- paryaya of the Lotus of the True Law under the mastership of that Lord. And the 60 x 60 hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges:, who by each of the sixteen novices, the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, in the quality of Bodhisattva, had been roused to en¬ lightenment, all those beings followed the example of the sixteen novices in choosing along with them the vagrant life of mendicants, in their several exist¬ ences; they enjoyed their sight and heard the law from their mouth. They propitiated forty ko/is 2 of Buddhas, and some are doing so up to this day.
I announce to you, monks, I declare to you: Those sixteen princes, the youths, who as novices under the mastership of the Lord were interpreters of the law, have all reached supreme, perfect enlighten¬ ment, and all of them are staying, existing, living even now, in the several directions of space, in different Buddha-fields, preaching the law to many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of disciples and Bodhisattvas, to wit: In the east, monks, in the world 3 Abhirati the Tathagata named Akshobhya, 1 Or, as above in note 2, page 176.
8 Lokadhatu; it appears from this passage that this term, though it may be rendered by ‘ world ’ or ‘ universe,’ in reality means what is implied by its etymology, viz. a fixed point of the world. It is needless to remark that the points of the compass are meant.
YII.
the Arhat, &c., and the Tathagata Meruku/a, the Arhat, &c. x In the south-east, monks, is the Tatha- gata Siwhaghosha, &c., and the Tathdgata Si m- hadhva^a, &c. 2 In the south, monks, is the Tatha¬ gata named Akasapratish//£ita, &c., and the Tatha- gata named Nityaparinirvma 3, &c. In the south¬ west, monks, is the Tathagata named Indradhva^a, &c., and the Tathagata named Brahmadhvafa, &c. In the west, monks, is the Tathagata named Ami- tayus 4, &c., and the Tathagata named Sarvalokadha- thpadravodvegapratyuttir^a, &c. In the north-west, monks, is the Tathagata named Tamalapatra/&anda- nagandh&bhi^wa 6, &c., and the Tathagata Meru- kalpa, &c. In the north, monks, is the Tathagata named Meghasvarapradipa 6, &c., and the Tathagata 1 I am at a loss to explain by what trick the S. E. E. point is called ‘ summit of the Meru.’
2 The names of these two Tathagatas mean severally, having a lion’s voice, and having a lion for ensign. ‘ Lion’ is one of the constant veiled expressions for hari, yellow, ruddy, Vishwu, lion, &c., because hari possesses all these different meanings. The Buddhas here intended may be Agni and Anila or Antariksha (=vsiyu, air), both of them known by the name of hari. Cf. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, VI (new series), p. 287 seq.
3 So have my MSS.; Nityaparinivrfta, ‘ always extinct or quiet,’ is Yama, Death.
4 Identical with Amitabha; he is the ruler of the blessed dead in the city of Bliss (Sukhavati), and therefore a variety of Yama. His being placed in the west is explainable, because Yama and Varuraa in a certain function coincide, and the latter otherwise appears as the ruler of the west. The following worthy with end¬ less name, ‘ Having past all worldly calamities and emotions,’ is another designation of Amitayus, i. e. he whose life is ofunlimited duration.
5 According to the Camb. MSS.; the name ‘ cognizant of the scent of Xanthochymus and sandal ’ denotes the Wind, the ruler of the north-west.
6 Var. lect. Meghasvaradipa; Burnouf has a third form, Megha- VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 179 named Meghasvararafa, &c. In the north-east, monks, is the Tathagata named Sarvalokabhayafi- tai^ambhitatvavidhvaiwsanakara 1, the Arhat, &c., and, the sixteenth, myself, Aakyamuni, the Tatha¬ gata, the Arhat, &c., who have attained supreme, perfect enlightenment in the centre of this Saha- world 2.
Further, monks, those beings who have heard the law from us when we were novices, those many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of beings, nume¬ rous as the sands of the river Ganges, whom we have severally initiated in supreme, perfect enlighten¬ ment, they are up to this day standing on the stage of disciples and matured for supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment. In regular turn they are to attain supreme, perfect enlightenment, for it is difficult, monks, to penetrate the knowledge of the Tatha- gatas. And which are those beings, monks, who, svara. Dipa or pradipa, torch, candle, light, is necessary, because the ruler of the north is the moon; meghasvara, sound of the clouds, must somehow denote the sky. RS^an, king, is king Soma (identified with the moon).
1 Var. lect. °bhayadevagaK’Aa°, and, according to Burnouf, °bhaya- stambhitatva 0. The compound contains four epithets of Viva, the ruler of the north-east; sarvalokabhaya, the terror of all the world; a^ita, unconquerable (the var. lect. devaga is probably dev&gra, the chief or supreme of gods); ^ambhitatvakara, he who causes stiffness; vidhvawsanakara, the destroyer. A'am- bhita is the regular Prakrit form for stambhita, and here, without doubt, the original reading.
3 Which seems to imply that Vakyamuni is both the ruler of the north-west and the central point. As a ruler of the north-west we find Vikhin in Brzhat Sawhita, chap. 53, 51; in Buddhist writings Vikhin is synonymous with Brahma Sahampati. So it would seem as if Vakyamuni in this passage were considered to be one with Brahma.
innumerable, incalculable like the sands of the Ganges, those hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of living beings, whom I, when I was a Bodhi- sattva under the mastership of that Lord, have taught the law of omniscience? Yourselves, monks, were at that time those beings.
And those who shall be my disciples in future, when I shall have attained complete Nirvana, shall learn the course (of duty) of Bodhisattvas, without conceiving the idea of their being Bodhisattvas. And, monks, all who shall have the idea of complete Nirv&»a, shall reach it. It should be added, monks, as 1 I stay under different names in other worlds, they shall there be born again seeking after the knowledge of the Tathagatas, and there they shall anew hear this dogma: The complete Nirvana of the Tathagatas is but one; there is no other, no second Nirva^a of the Tathagatas. Herein, monks, one has to see a device of the Tathagatas and a direction 2 for the preaching of the law. When the Tathagata, monks, knows that the moment of his complete extinction has arrived, and sees that the assemblage is pure, strong in faith, penetrated with the law of voidness, devoted to meditation, devoted to great meditation, then, monks, the Tathagata, because the time has arrived, calls together all Bodhi¬ sattvas and all disciples to teach them thus: There 1 Or, perhaps, when; api tu khalu punar, bhikshavo, yad aham anyasu lokadhalushu anyonyair (to r. anyanyair?) namadheyair viharami; in one MS. a correcting hand has written in the margin vihareyaw.
1 Abhinirhara; I am not sure of the correctness of this rendering; in P&li abhimhara is interpreted to be ‘earnest wish or aspiration;’ abhiniharati, to turn, direct.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
is, O monks, in this world no second vehicle at all, no second Nirviwa, far less a third. It is an able device of the Tathagata, monks, that on seeing creatures 1 far advanced on the path of perdition, delighting in the low and plunged in the mud of sensual desires, the Tathagata teaches them that Nirvana to which they are attached.
By way of example, monks, suppose there is some dense forest five hundred yo^anas in extent which has been reached by a great company of men. They have a guide to lead them on their journey to the Isle of Jewels, which guide, being able, clever, sagacious, well acquainted with the difficult passages of the forest, is to bring the whole company 2 out of the forest Meanwhile that great troop of men, tired, weary, afraid, and anxious, say: ‘Verily, Master, guide, and leader, know that we are tired, weary, afraid, and anxious; let us return; this dense forest stretches so far.’ The guide, who is a man of able devices, on seeing those people desirous of returning, thinks within himself: It ought not to be that these poor creatures should not reach that great Isle of Jewels. Therefore out of pity for them he makes use of an artifice. In the middle of that forest he produces a magic city more than a hundred or two hundred yo^anas in extent. Thereafter he says to those men: ‘ Be not afraid, sirs, do not return; there you see a populous place where you may take repose and perform all you have to do; there stay in the enjoyment of happy rest 3. Let him who after 1 Satvan, var. lect. satvadh&tfijw; Burnouf has ‘la reunion des Stres.’
2 Sartha, usually a company of merchants, a caravan.
3 And, of Nirvana, nirv&wapraptS viharadhvam.
VII.
reposing there wants to do so, proceed to the great Isle of Jewels.’
Then, monks, the men who are in the forest are struck with astonishment, and think: We are out of the forest; we have reached the place of happy rest; let us stay here. They enter that magic city, in the meaning that they have arrived at the place of their destination, that they are saved and in the enjoy¬ ment of rest. They think: We are at rest, we are refreshed 1. After a while, when the guide perceives that their fatigue is gone, he causes the magic city to disappear, and says to them: ‘ Come, sirs, there you see the great Isle of Jewels quite near; as to this great city, it has been produced by me for no other purpose but to give you some repose.’
In the same manner, monks, is the Tathigata, the Arhat, &c., your guide, and the guide of all other beings. Indeed, monks, the Tathagata, &c., reflects thus: Great is this forest of evils which must be crossed, left, shunned. It ought not to be that these beings, after hearing the Buddha-knowledge, should suddenly turn back and not proceed to the end because they think: This Buddha-knowledge is attended with too many difficulties to be gone through to the end. Under those circumstances the Tathagata, knowing the creatures to be feeble of character, (does) as the guide (who) produces the magic city in order that those people may have repose, and after their having taken repose, he tells them that the city is one pro¬ duced by magic. In the same manner, monks, the Tathigata, &c., to give a repose to the creatures, very skilfully teaches and proclaims two stages of 1 Sttibhiha.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
Nirvana, viz. the stage of the disciples and that of the Pratyekabuddhas. And, monks, when the crea¬ tures are there halting, then the Tathagata, &c., himself, pronounces these words: ‘You have not accomplished your task, monks; you have not finished what you had to do. But behold, monks! the Buddha-knowledge is near; behold and be convinced 1: what to you (seems) Nirvd»a, that is not Nirvi^a. Nay, monks, it is an able device of the Tathagatas, &c., that they expound three vehicles.’
And in order to explain this same subject more in detail, the Lord on that occasion uttered the fol¬ lowing stanzas: 60. The Leader of the world, AbhyfM^ana- bhibhfi, having occupied the terrace of enlighten¬ ment, continued ten complete intermediate kalpas without gaining enlightenment, though he saw the things in their very essence.
61. Then the gods, Ndgas, demons, and goblins, zealous to honour the G\ na, sent down a rain of flowers on the spot where the Leader awakened to enlightenment.
62. And high in the sky they beat the cymbals to worship and honour the Aina, and they were vexed that the Aina delayed so long in coming to the highest place.
63. After the lapse of ten intermediate kalpas the Lord Anabhibhh 2 attained enlightenment; then 1 VyavaMrayadhvam; I have not met this word elsewhere, and am not certain of its precise meaning; Burnouf renders it by ‘ rdflechissez-y.’
2 I.e. ‘he who has no one surpassing him;’ it is virtually the same with Abhibhu.
VII.
all gods, men, serpents, and demons were glad and overjoyed.
64. The sixteen sons of the Leader of men, those heroes, being at the time young princes, rich in virtues, came along with thousands of koris of living beings to honour the eminent chiefs of men.
65. And after saluting the feet of the Leader they prayed: Reveal the law and refresh us as well as this world with thy good word, O Lion amongst kings.
66. After a long time thou art seen (again) in the ten points of this world; thou appearest, great Leader, while the aerial cars of the Brahma-angels are stirring to reveal a token to living beings.
67. In the eastern quarter fifty thousand koris of fields have been shaken, and the lofty angelic cars 1 in them have become excessively brilliant.
68. The Brahma-angels on perceiving this fore¬ token went and approached the Chief of the Leaders of the world, and, covering him with flowers, pre¬ sented all of them their cars to him.
69. They prayed him to move forward the wheel of the law, and celebrated him with stanzas and songs. But the king of kings was silent, (for he thought): The time has not yet arrived for me to proclaim the law.
70. Likewise in the south, west, north, the nadir, zenith, and in the intermediate points of the compass there were thousands of ko/is of Brahma-angels.
71. Unremittingly covering the Lord (with flowers) they saluted the feet of the Leader, presented all their aerial cars, celebrated him, and again prayed: VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
72. Move forward the wheel, O thou whose sight is infinite! Rarely art thou met in (the course of) many ko/is of /Eons. Display the benevolence thou hast observed in so many former generations 1; open the gate of immortality.
73. On hearing their prayer, he whose sight is infinite exposed the multifarious law and the four Truths, extensively. All existences (said he) spring successively from their antecedents.
74. Starting from Ignorance, the Seer proceeded to speak of death, endless woe 2; all those evils spring from birth. Know likewise that death is the lot of mankind 3.
75. No sooner had he expounded the multifarious, different, endless laws, than eighty myriads of ko/is of creatures who had heard them quickly attained the stage of disciples.
76. On a second occasion 4 the Gina expounded many laws, and beings like the sands of the Ganges became instantly purified and disciples.
77. From that moment the assembly of that Leader of the world was innumerable; no man would be able to reach the term (of its number), even were he to go on counting for myriads of ko/is of /Eons.
78. Those sixteen princes also, his own dear sons, 1 Maitrim bahupftrvasevitam.
2 MSS. prabhashate mararcam anantazw du/ikham; Burnouf has ‘ parle de la mort dont la douleur est sans fin.’
3 The translation is uncertain; mrftywi ka. manushyam imeva ^anatha. I take imeva, like emeva in other passages (e.g. in st. 103), for the hemeva (Sansk. evam eva) of the Ajoka inscriptions. One might also render: ‘ Know that death (mortality) and humanity (human lot) are one and the same.’
4 Or, at a second moment, ksharae.
VII.
who had become mendicants 1 and novices, said to the £rina: ‘ Expound, O Chief, the superior law; 79. ‘ That we may become sages, knowers of the world, such as thyself art, O supreme of all Cinas, and that all these beings may become such as thyself art, O hero, O clear-sighted one 2.’
80. And the Gina, considering the wish of his sons, the young princes, explained the highest superior enlightenment by means of many myriads of ko/is of illustrations.
81. Demonstrating with thousands of arguments and elucidating the knowledge of transcendent wis¬ dom, the Lord of the world indicated the veritable course (of duty) such as was followed by the wise Bodhisattvas.
82. This very Sfttra of great extension, this good Lotus of the True Law, was by the Lord delivered in many thousands of stanzas, so numerous as to equal the sands of the Ganges.
83. After delivering this Sfttra, the Gina entered the monastery for the purpose of becoming absorbed 3 in meditation; during eighty-four complete zEons the Lord of the world continued meditating, sitting on the same seat.
84. Those novices, perceiving that the Chief re¬ mained in the monastery without coming out of it, imparted to many ko/is of creatures that Buddha- 1 ^Tellakabhfita, var. lect. /fcelukabh. and <£ailakabhtita. The ATailaka ‘ is he who contents himself with such a portion of clothes as barely suffices to cover his nakedness, rejecting everything more as superfluous.’ Hodgson Essays, p. 52, cf. pp. 30 and 64.
2 Or, according to the reading followed by Burnouf, ‘clear¬ sighted as thyself, O hero.’
3 Vilakshayiti.
VII.
ANCIENT DEVOTION.
knowledge, which is free from imperfections and blissful.
85. On the seats which they had made to be pre¬ pared, one for each, they expounded this very Sfttra under the mastership of the Sugata of that period. A service of the same kind they render to me 1.
86. Innumerable as the sands of sixty thousand (rivers like the) Ganges w'ere the beings then taught; each of the sons of the Sugata converted (or trained) endless beings.
87. After the Gina’s complete Nirv&/za they com¬ menced a wandering life and saw koris of Buddhas; along with those pupils they rendered homage to the most exalted amongst men.
88. Having observed the extensive and sublime course of duty and reached enlightenment in the ten points of space, those sixteen sons of the Gina became themselves Ginas, two by two, in each point of the horizon.
89. And all those who had been their pupils be¬ came disciples of those Ginas, and gradually obtained possession of enlightenment by various means.
90. I myself was one of their number, and you have all been taught by me. Therefore you are my disciples now also, and I lead you all to enlighten¬ ment by (my) devices.
91. This is the cause dating from old, this is the motive of my expounding the law, that I lead you to superior enlightenment. This being the case, monks, you need not be afraid.
92. It is as if there were a forest dreadful, terrific, barren, without a place of refuge or shelter, replete 1 Adhikaru kurvanti mamaivarflpaw.
VII.
with wild beasts, deprived of water, frightful for persons of no experience.
93. (Suppose further that) many thousand men have come to the forest, that waste track of wilder¬ ness which is fully five hundred yo^anas in extent.
94. And he who is to act as their guide through that rough and horrible forest is a rich man, thoughtful, intelligent, wise, well instructed, and un¬ daunted.
95. And those beings, numbering many ko/is, feel tired, and say to the guide: ‘ We are tired, Master; we are not able to go on; we should like now to return.’
96. But he, the dexterous and clever guide, is searching in his mind for some apt device. Alas! he thinks, by going back these foolish men will be deprived of the possession of the jewels.
97. Therefore let me by dint of magic power now produce a great city adorned with thousands of ko/is of buildings and embellished by monasteries and parks.
98. Let me produce ponds and canals; (a city) adorned with gardens and flowers, provided with walls and gates, and inhabited by an infinite number of men and women.
99. After creating that city he speaks to them in this manner: ‘ Do not fear, and be cheerful; you have reached a most excellent city; enter it and do your business, speedily.
100. ‘Be joyful and at ease; you have reached the limit of the whole forest.’ It is to give them a time for repose that he speaks these words, and, in fact, they recover from their weariness.