Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1They form part of the 108 Dharm4lokamukhas in Lalita-vistara, p. 36, l. 17—p. 38, 1.6; an enumeration of them is found in Spence Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism, p. 497. * Burnouf’s reading is Nakshatratarfragaditya, i.e. the Sun, king of stars and asterisms. * So Burnouf; my MS. has Alank&rasubha, i.e. splendid with ornaments. * Ie. having great lustre in the interior, or womb of great lustre. Nirmalanirbh&sa may mean both ‘spotless radiance ’and ‘having a spotless radiance;’ Vimal4bh4sa, ‘spotless shine,’ or ‘having a spotless shine.’ a ee XXV, ANCIENT DEVOTION. 421 mans. Therefore you will not obtain the permission to go and see the Tathagata. Then the two young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra, stretching their joined hands, said to their mother: Though born in a family that adheres to a false doctrine, we feel as sons to the king of the law. Then, young men of good family, the queen Vimaladatta said to the young princes: Well, young gentlemen, out of compassion for your father, the king Subhavydha, display some miracle, that he may become favourably inclined to you, and on that account grant you the permission of going to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatrar4gasankusumitAbhig#a, the Tathagata, &c. Immediately the young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra rose into the atmosphere to a height of seven T4l trees! and performed miracles such as are allowed by the Buddha, out of compassion for their father, the king Subhavyfha. They prepared in the sky a couch and raised dust; there they also emitted from the lower part of their body a shower of rain, and from the upper part a mass of fire; then again they emitted from the upper part of their body a shower of rain, and from the lower part a mass of fire?, While in the firmament they became now big, then small; and now small, then big. Then they vanished from the sky to come up again from the earth and reappear in the air. Such, young men of good family, were the miracles produced by the ? Or seven spans, whatever may be meant by it. ? A similar miracle was performed by the Buddha, according to the traditions of the Southern Buddhists, when he had to show his superiority to the six heretical doctors; see Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, vol. i, p. 218. 422 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Xxv.
2Or seven spans, whatever may be meant by it. ? A similar miracle was performed by the Buddha, according to the traditions of the Southern Buddhists, when he had to show his superiority to the six heretical doctors; see Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, vol. i, p. 218. 422 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Xxv. magical power of the two young princes, whereby their father, the king Subhavydha, was converted. At the sight of the miracle produced by the magical power of the two young princes, the king Subhavytha was content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful, and happy, and, the joined hands raised, he said to the boys: Who is your master, young gentlemen? whose pupils are you? And the two young princes answered the king Subhavydha: There is, noble king, there exists and lives a Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, a Tathagata, &c.; seated on the stool of law at the foot of the tree of enlightenment; he extensively reveals the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law to the world, including the gods. That Lord is our Master, O noble king ; we are his pupils. Then, young gentlemen of good family, the king Subhavydha said to the young princes: I will see your Master, young gentlemen; I am to go myself to the presence of that Lord. After the two young princes had descended from the sky, young gentlemen, they went to their mother and with joined hands stretched forward said to her: Mother, we have converted our father to supreme and perfect knowledge; we have performed the office of masters towards him; therefore let us go now; we wish to enter upon the ecclesiastical life in the face of the Lord. And on that occasion, young men of good family, the young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra addressed their mother in the following two stanzas: 1. Allow us, O mother, to go forth from home and to embrace the houseless life; ay, we will XXV. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 423 become ascetics, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata. 2. As the blossom of the glomerated fig-tree, nay, - more rare is the Gina. Let us depart; we will renounce the world; the favourable moment is precious (or not often to be met with). Vimaladatta said : 3. Now I grant you leave; go, my children, I give my consent. I myself will likewise renounce the world, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata.
3Let us depart; we will renounce the world; the favourable moment is precious (or not often to be met with). Vimaladatta said : 3. Now I grant you leave; go, my children, I give my consent. I myself will likewise renounce the world, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata. Having uttered these stanzas, young men of good family, the two young princes said to their parents: Pray, father and mother, you also go together with us to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumit4bhig#a, the Tathagata, &c., in order to see, humbly salute and wait upon him, and to hear the law. For, father and mother, the appearance of a Buddha is rare to be met with as the blossom of the glomerated fig-tree, as the entering of the tortoise’s neck into the hole of the yoke formed by the great ocean’. The appearance of Lords Buddhas, father and mother, is rare. Hence, father and mother, it is a happy lot we have been blessed with, to have been born at the time of such a prophet. Therefore, father and mother, give us leave; we would go and become ascetics in presence® of the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, the Tathagata, &c., for the 1 I am as unable to elucidate this comparison as Burnouf was. Not unlikely the mythological tortoise in its quality of supporter of the earth is alluded to. ® SakAse; Burnouf has ‘sous lenseignement’ (s4sane), which is the more usual phrase. 424 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. XXV. seeing of a Tathagata is something rare. Such a king of the law is rarely met with; such a favourable occasion! is rarely met with. Now at that juncture, young men of good family, the eighty-four thousand women of the harem of the king Subhavytha became worthy of being receptacles of this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law. The young prince Vimalanetra exercised himself in this Dharmaparydya, whereas the young prince Vimalagarbha for many hundred thousand myriads of ko¢is of AZons practised the meditation Sarvasattvapapagahana ’, with the object that all beings should abandon all evils. And the mother of the two young princes, the queen Vimaladatt4, acknowledged the harmony between all Buddhas and all topics treated by them*. Then, young men of good family, the king Subhavydha, having been converted to the law of the Tathagata by the instrumentality of the two young princes, having been initiated and brought to full maturity in it, along with all his relations and retinue; the queen Vimaladattaé with the whole crowd of women in her suite, and the two young princes, the sons of the king Subhavydha, accompanied by forty-two thousand living beings, along with the women of the harem and the ministers, went all together and unanimously to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, the Tathagatha, &c. On arriving at the place where the Lord was, they humbly saluted his 1 fdrist kshazasampad. * I.e. means whereby (all) evils are abandoned by all creatures.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1They form part of the 108 Dharm4lokamukhas in Lalita-vistara, p. 36, l. 17—p. 38, 1.6; an enumeration of them is found in Spence Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism, p. 497. * Burnouf’s reading is Nakshatratarfragaditya, i.e. the Sun, king of stars and asterisms. * So Burnouf; my MS. has Alank&rasubha, i.e. splendid with ornaments. * Ie. having great lustre in the interior, or womb of great lustre. Nirmalanirbh&sa may mean both ‘spotless radiance ’and ‘having a spotless radiance;’ Vimal4bh4sa, ‘spotless shine,’ or ‘having a spotless shine.’ a ee XXV, ANCIENT DEVOTION. 421 mans. Therefore you will not obtain the permission to go and see the Tathagata. Then the two young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra, stretching their joined hands, said to their mother: Though born in a family that adheres to a false doctrine, we feel as sons to the king of the law. Then, young men of good family, the queen Vimaladatta said to the young princes: Well, young gentlemen, out of compassion for your father, the king Subhavydha, display some miracle, that he may become favourably inclined to you, and on that account grant you the permission of going to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatrar4gasankusumitAbhig#a, the Tathagata, &c. Immediately the young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra rose into the atmosphere to a height of seven T4l trees! and performed miracles such as are allowed by the Buddha, out of compassion for their father, the king Subhavyfha. They prepared in the sky a couch and raised dust; there they also emitted from the lower part of their body a shower of rain, and from the upper part a mass of fire; then again they emitted from the upper part of their body a shower of rain, and from the lower part a mass of fire?, While in the firmament they became now big, then small; and now small, then big. Then they vanished from the sky to come up again from the earth and reappear in the air. Such, young men of good family, were the miracles produced by the ? Or seven spans, whatever may be meant by it. ? A similar miracle was performed by the Buddha, according to the traditions of the Southern Buddhists, when he had to show his superiority to the six heretical doctors; see Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, vol. i, p. 218. 422 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Xxv.
2Or seven spans, whatever may be meant by it. ? A similar miracle was performed by the Buddha, according to the traditions of the Southern Buddhists, when he had to show his superiority to the six heretical doctors; see Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, vol. i, p. 218. 422 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Xxv. magical power of the two young princes, whereby their father, the king Subhavydha, was converted. At the sight of the miracle produced by the magical power of the two young princes, the king Subhavytha was content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful, and happy, and, the joined hands raised, he said to the boys: Who is your master, young gentlemen? whose pupils are you? And the two young princes answered the king Subhavydha: There is, noble king, there exists and lives a Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, a Tathagata, &c.; seated on the stool of law at the foot of the tree of enlightenment; he extensively reveals the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law to the world, including the gods. That Lord is our Master, O noble king ; we are his pupils. Then, young gentlemen of good family, the king Subhavydha said to the young princes: I will see your Master, young gentlemen; I am to go myself to the presence of that Lord. After the two young princes had descended from the sky, young gentlemen, they went to their mother and with joined hands stretched forward said to her: Mother, we have converted our father to supreme and perfect knowledge; we have performed the office of masters towards him; therefore let us go now; we wish to enter upon the ecclesiastical life in the face of the Lord. And on that occasion, young men of good family, the young princes Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra addressed their mother in the following two stanzas: 1. Allow us, O mother, to go forth from home and to embrace the houseless life; ay, we will XXV. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 423 become ascetics, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata. 2. As the blossom of the glomerated fig-tree, nay, - more rare is the Gina. Let us depart; we will renounce the world; the favourable moment is precious (or not often to be met with). Vimaladatta said : 3. Now I grant you leave; go, my children, I give my consent. I myself will likewise renounce the world, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata.
3Let us depart; we will renounce the world; the favourable moment is precious (or not often to be met with). Vimaladatta said : 3. Now I grant you leave; go, my children, I give my consent. I myself will likewise renounce the world, for rare to be met with (or precious) is a Tathagata. Having uttered these stanzas, young men of good family, the two young princes said to their parents: Pray, father and mother, you also go together with us to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumit4bhig#a, the Tathagata, &c., in order to see, humbly salute and wait upon him, and to hear the law. For, father and mother, the appearance of a Buddha is rare to be met with as the blossom of the glomerated fig-tree, as the entering of the tortoise’s neck into the hole of the yoke formed by the great ocean’. The appearance of Lords Buddhas, father and mother, is rare. Hence, father and mother, it is a happy lot we have been blessed with, to have been born at the time of such a prophet. Therefore, father and mother, give us leave; we would go and become ascetics in presence® of the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, the Tathagata, &c., for the 1 I am as unable to elucidate this comparison as Burnouf was. Not unlikely the mythological tortoise in its quality of supporter of the earth is alluded to. ® SakAse; Burnouf has ‘sous lenseignement’ (s4sane), which is the more usual phrase. 424 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. XXV. seeing of a Tathagata is something rare. Such a king of the law is rarely met with; such a favourable occasion! is rarely met with. Now at that juncture, young men of good family, the eighty-four thousand women of the harem of the king Subhavytha became worthy of being receptacles of this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law. The young prince Vimalanetra exercised himself in this Dharmaparydya, whereas the young prince Vimalagarbha for many hundred thousand myriads of ko¢is of AZons practised the meditation Sarvasattvapapagahana ’, with the object that all beings should abandon all evils. And the mother of the two young princes, the queen Vimaladatt4, acknowledged the harmony between all Buddhas and all topics treated by them*. Then, young men of good family, the king Subhavydha, having been converted to the law of the Tathagata by the instrumentality of the two young princes, having been initiated and brought to full maturity in it, along with all his relations and retinue; the queen Vimaladattaé with the whole crowd of women in her suite, and the two young princes, the sons of the king Subhavydha, accompanied by forty-two thousand living beings, along with the women of the harem and the ministers, went all together and unanimously to the Lord Galadharagargitaghoshasusvaranakshatraragasankusumitabhig#a, the Tathagatha, &c. On arriving at the place where the Lord was, they humbly saluted his 1 fdrist kshazasampad. * I.e. means whereby (all) evils are abandoned by all creatures.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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