1 Bhusagare ti kha/u-sal&ya/ra. (S. V. thrt)
78 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
40. * Now at that time, Pukkusa, I had gone forth
from the Threshing-floor, and was walking up and
down thinking at the entrance to the Threshing-
floor. And a certain man came, Pukkusa, out of
that great multitude of people, up to the place
where I was ; and when he came up he saluted me,
and took his place respectfully on one side.
41. 'And as he stood there, Pukkusa, I said to the man :
* " Why then, sir, is this great multitude of people assembled together ? "
4 " But just now, the falling rain began to beat
and to splash, and the lightnings to flash forth, and
the thunderbolts to crash ; and two peasants, bro-
thers, were killed, and four oxen. Therefore is this
great multitude of people gathered together. But
where, Lord, were you ? "
4 " I, sir, have been here all the while."
4 " But, Lord, did you see it ? "
' " I, sir, saw nothing."
4 " But, Lord, did you hear it ? "
' 44 1, sir, heard nothing."
4 " Were you then, Lord, asleep ? "
4 " I, sir, was not asleep."
4 " Were you then conscious, Lord ? "
4 " Even so, sir."
4 " So that you, Lord, being conscious and awake,
neither saw, nor heard the sound thereof when the
falling rain went on beating and splashing, and the
lightnings were flashing forth, and the thunderbolts
were crashing."
' " That is so, sir."
42. * Then, Pukkusa, the thought occurred to that man :
mahA-parinibbana-sutta.
4 " How wonderful a thing is it, and marvellous,
that those who have gone forth out of the world
should pass their time in a state of mind so calm ! —
so that a man being conscious and awake neither
sees nor hears the sound thereof when the falling
rain is beating and splashing, and the lightnings are
flashing forth, and the thunderbolts are crashing."
And after giving utterance to his deep faith in me,
he departed from me with the customary demonstra-
tions of respect/
43. And when he had thus spoken Pukkusa,
the young Mallian, addressed the Blessed One in
these words : 4 Now I, Lord, as to the faith that
I had in A/ira K&l&ma, that I winnow away as in
a mighty wind, and wash it away as in a swiftly
running stream. Most excellent, Lord, are the words
of thy mouth, most excellent! Just as if a man
were to set up that which is thrown down, or were
to reveal that which is hidden away, or were to
point out the right road to him who has gone astray,
or were to bring a lamp into the darkness, so that
those who have eyes can see external forms — just
even so, Lord, has the truth been made known to
me, in many a figure, by the Blessed One. And I,
even I, betake myself, Lord, to the Blessed One as
my refuge, to the Truth, and to the Brotherhood.
May the Blessed One accept me as a disciple, as a
true believer, from this day forth, as long as life
endures 1 ! '
1 This is a stock phrase constituting the final answer of a hitherto unconverted man at the end of one of those argumentative dialogues by which Gotama overcame opposition or expounded the truth. After a discussion of exalted themes it fits in very appropriately ; here and elsewhere it is incongruous and strained. See below, V, 50.
8o THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
44. Now Pukkusa, the young Mallian, addressed
a certain man, and said: ' Fetch me, I pray you, my
good man, a pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished
and ready for wear/
'So be it, sir!' said that man, in assent, to
Pukkusa, the young Mallian ; and he brought a
pair of robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready
for wear.
45. And the Mallian Pukkusa presented the pair of
robes of cloth of gold, burnished and ready for wear,
to the Blessed One, saying, ' Lord, this pair of
robes of burnished cloth of gold is ready for wear.
May the Blessed One show me favour and accept it
at my hands ! '
4 In that case, Pukkusa, robe me in one, and Ananda in one/
' Even so, Lord ! ' said Pukkusa, in assent, to the
Blessed One ; and in one he robed the Blessed One,
and in one, Ananda.
46. Then the Blessed One instructed and aroused
and incited and gladdened Pukkusa, the young Mal-
lian, with religious discourse. And Pukkusa, the
young Mallian, when he had been instructed and
aroused and incited and gladdened by the Blessed
One with religious discourse, arose from his seat,
and bowed down before the Blessed One ; and keep-
ing him on his right hand as he past him, departed
thence.
47. Now not long after the Mallian Pukkusa had
gone, the venerable Ananda placed that pair of
robes of cloth of gold, burnished and reidy for wear,
on the body of the Blessed One, and when it was so
IV,
maha-parinibbAna-sutta.
placed on the body of the Blessed One it appeared to have lost its splendour 1 !
48. And the venerable Ananda said to the Blessed
One : 4 How wonderful a thing is it, Lord, and how
marvellous, that the colour of the skin of the Blessed
One should be so clear, so exceeding bright ! For
when I placed even this pair of robes of burnished
cloth of gold and ready for wear on the body of the
Blessed One, lo! it seemed as if it had lost its
splendour ! '
49. 4 It is even so, Ananda. Ananda, there are two
occasions on which the colour of the skin of a Tathi-
gata becomes clear and exceeding bright. What
are the two ? '
50. 'On the night, Ananda, on which a Tathd-
gata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and
on the night in which he passes finally away in that
utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever
to remain — on these two occasions the colour of the
skin of the Tath&gata becomes clear and exceeding
bright.
51. * And now this day, Ananda, at the third watch
of the night, in the Upavattana of Kusin&r£, in the
Sila Grove of the Mallians, between the twin Sala
1 The commentator says, Bhagavato kSyam upan&mitan ti nivasana-p drupana-vasena alliyapita/rc : Bhagavd pi tato ekajw nivasesi eka/rc pdrupi. Vita££ika/8 (MS. kkh) viya* ti yatha (MS. tatha) vita££iko angaro antanten eva ^ottti bahi pan' assa pabhd n' atthi, evam bahi pa££^inna- (MS. pa^iwwa-) pabha hutv& kh&yati ti. My MS. of the text reads vitasika/8 (as did Yatr&mulle's MS. here, and one MS. of FausbolFs at Gataka I, 153, 154). There the word is used of embers in which food is cooked, 'without flame,' = 'glowing, smoldering/ Vita£££ik&, 'an eruption on the skin/ belongs to the root £ar£.
82 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
trees, the utter passing away of the Tath&gata will
take place. Come, Ananda! let us go on to the
river Kakutthl'
1 Even so, Lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One.
52. The pair of robes of cloth of gold,
All burnished, Pukkusa had brought,
Clad on with them the Master then
Shone forth in colour like to gold 1 !
53. Now the Blessed One with a great company
of the brethren went on to the river KakutthA ; and
when he had come there, he went down into the water,
and bathed, and drank. And coming up out again
on the other side he went on to the Mango Grove.
54. And when he was come there he addressed
the venerable -ffundaka, and said : ' Fold, I pray you,
./sfundaka, a robe in four and spread it out. I am
weary, A'undaka, and would lie down/
' Even so, Lord ! ' said the venerable A^undaka, in
assent, to the Blessed One. And he folded a robe
in four, and spread it out.
1 We have here the commencement of the legend which after- wards grew into an account of an actual ' transfiguration ' of the Buddha. It is very curious that it should have taken place soon after the Buddha had announced to Ananda his approaching death, and that in the Buddhist Sutta it should be connected so closely with that event; for a similar remark applies also to the Trans- figuration mentioned in the Gospels. The M&lilankdra-vatthu, for instance, says, ' His body appeared shining like a flame. Ananda was exceedingly surprised. Nothing of this kind had, as yet, happened. " Your exterior appearance/' said he to Budha, " is all at once white, shining, and beautiful above all expression." " What you say, O Ananda, is perfectly true. There are two occasions [Ac, much as above]. The shining light emanating from my body is a certain forerunner of this great event [his Parinibb&na]." '
mahA-parinibbAna-sutta.
55. And the Blessed One laid himself down on
his right side, with one foot resting on the other ;
and calm and self-possessed, he meditated on the
idea of rising up again in due time. And the
venerable ^undaka seated himself there in front of
the Blessed One.
56. The Buddha to Kakuttha s river came,
Whose clear and pleasant waters limpid flow,
He plunged beneath the stream wearied and
worn,
The Buddha without equal in the world !
When he had bathed and drunk, the teacher
then
Crossed o'er, the brethren thronging round his steps ;
The Blessed Master, preaching the while the truth,
The Mighty Sage came to the Mango Grove.
There spake he to the brother -ATundaka :
* Spread me the fourfold robe out as a couch/
Cheered by the Holy One, he quickly spread
The fourfold robe in order on the ground.
The Master laid him down, wearied and worn;
And there, before him, A\inda took his seat.
57. And the Blessed One addressed the vener-
able Ananda, and said : * Now it may happen,
Ananda, that some one should stir up remorse in
-ffunda the smith, by saying, " This is evil to thee,
-ffunda, and loss to thee in that when the Tathagata
had eaten his last meal from thy provision, then he
died." Any such remorse, Ananda, in Aunda
the smith should be checked by saying, " This is
good to thee, A^unda, and gain to thee, in that when
84 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.
the Tathfigata had eaten his last meal from thy^w
provision, then he died. From the very mouth ot z*rf
the Blessed One, isfunda, have I heard, from his ss
own mouth have I received this saying, 1 These two «=3
offerings of food are of equal fruit, and of equal JC J
profit, and of much greater fruit and much greater — twt
profit than any other — and which are the two?*T?
The offering of food which, when a Tathigata has^s
eaten, he attains to supreme and perfect insight
and the offering of food which, when a TatMgata .
has eaten, he passes away by that utter passing —
away in which nothing whatever remains behind
these two offerings of food are of equal fruit and oF~
equal profit, and of much greater fruit and much
greater profit than any others. There has been laid
up by isfunda the smith a karma redounding to
length of life, redounding to good birth, redounding
to good fortune, redounding to good fame, redound-
ing to the inheritance of heaven, and of sovereign
power/" In this way, Ananda, should be checked
any remorse in A\inda the smith/
58. Then the Blessed One perceiving how the
matter stood, uttered, even at that time, this hymn
of exultation :
' To him who gives shall virtue be increased ;
In him who curbs himself, no anger can arise ;
The righteous man casts off all sinfulness,
And by the rooting out of lust, and bitterness,
And all delusion, doth to Nirv£#a reach ! '
End of the Fourth Portion for Recitation, containing" the Episode of A/dra.
maha-parinibbAna-sutta.
Chapter V.
1. Now the Blessed One addressed the vener-
able Ananda, and said : * Come, Ananda, let us go
on to the Sfila Grove of the M alias, the Upavattana
of Kusin&rd, on the further side of the river Hira-
nyavati/
1 Even so, Lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One.
2. And the Blessed One proceeded with a great
company of the brethren to the S£la Grove of the
Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusin&r&, on the further
side of the river Hiranyavatl : and when he had
come there he addressed the venerable Ananda, and
said :
3. ' Spread over for me, I pray you, Ananda, the
couch with its head to the north, between the twin
Sila trees 1 . I am weary, Ananda, and would lie
down/