_S_akra, to the attainment of which no one can aspire without a large
amount of penance and meditation, and the possession of which may pave
with numerous sacrifices the way to glory and Heaven; and you care not
for it! and you are willing to give away both your eyes! With what aim
do you wish so? Where on earth has there been seen such a way of
proceeding?
27. 'By your sacrifices you have gained a place among the celestial
gods, your fame is shining far and wide, your feet reflect the splendour
of the head-ornaments of the kings (your vassals)--what then is it that
you long for to give up your eyesight?'
But the king answered that minister in a gentle tone:
28. 'It is not the realm of the whole earth for which I am striving in
this manner, nor is it Heaven, nor final extinction, nor glory, but with
the intention of becoming a Saviour of the World I now provide that this
man's labour of asking be not fruitless.'
Then the king ordered one eye of his, the lovely brightness of which
appeared like a petal of a blue lotus, to be extirpated after the
precepts of the physicians gradually and intact, and with the greatest
gladness he had it handed over to the beggar, who asked it. Now _S_akra,
the Lord of the Devas, by the power of magic produced an illusion of
such a kind that the king and his bystanders saw that eye filling up the
eye-hole of the old Brâhman. When the king beheld the eye-asker in the
possession of one unclosed eye, his heart expanded with the utmost
delight, and he presented him with the other eye too.
29. The eyes being given away, the king's visage looked like a
lotus-pond without lotuses, yet it bore the expression of satisfaction,
not shared however by the citizens. On the other hand, the Brâhman was
seen with sound eyes.
30. In the inner apartments of the palace as well as in the town,
everywhere tears of sorrow moistened the ground. But _S_akra was
transported with admiration and satisfaction, seeing the king's unshaken
intention of attaining Supreme Wisdom (Sambodhi).
And in this state of mind he entered into this reflection:
31. 'What a constancy! What a goodness and a longing for the food of the
creatures! Though I witnessed the fact, I can scarcely believe it.
'It is not right, then, that this person of marvellous goodness should
endure this great hardship for a long time. I will try to render him his
eyesight by showing him the way for it.'
* * * * *
Afterwards, when time had healed the wounds caused by the operation, and
lessened and almost lulled the sorrow of the inhabitants of the palace,
the town, and the country, it happened one day that the king, desirous
of solitary retirement, was sitting with crossed legs in his garden on
the border of a pond of lotuses. That spot was beset by fair and fine
trees bent down by the weight of their flowers; swarms of bees were
humming; a gentle, fresh, and odoriferous wind was blowing agreeably.
Suddenly _S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, presented himself before the
king. Being asked who he was, he answered:
32 _a_. 'I am _S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, I have come to you.'
Thereupon the king welcomed him and said that he waited for his orders.
After being thus complimented, he again addressed the king:
32 _b_. 'Choose some boon, holy prince (râ_g_arshi); say on what thou
desirest.'
Now the king being ever wont to give, and having never trodden the way
of miserable begging, in conformity with his astonishment and his lofty
mind spoke to him:
33, 34. 'Great is my wealth, _S_akra, my army is large and strong; my
blindness, however, makes death welcome to me. It is impossible for me,
after supplying the wants of the mendicants, to see their faces
brightened by gladness and joy; for this reason, O Indra, I love death
now.'
_S_akra said: 'No more of that resolution! Only virtuous persons come in
such a state as thine. But this thou must tell me:
35. 'It is the mendicants who have caused thee to come in this state;
how is it that thy mind is occupied with them even now? Say on! do not
hide the truth from me and thou mayst take the way to immediate
cure[33].'
[33] This way is the Act of Truth, as Hardy, Manual of Buddhism,
197, calls it. In the Pâli _G_âtaka, Sakka invites the king to it
in plain terms. Other instances of the sa_kk_akiriyâ, as it is
styled in Pâli, will occur in Stories XIV, XV, XVI.
The king replied: 'Why dost thou insist upon my boasting myself? Hear,
however, Lord of the Devas.
36. 'As surely as the supplicatory language of begging people both now
and before is as pleasing to my ears as the sound of benedictions, so
surely may one eye appear to me!'
No sooner had the king pronounced these words than by the power of his
firm veracity and his excellent store of meritorious actions one eye
appeared to him, resembling a piece of a lotus-petal, encompassing a
pupil like sapphire. Rejoiced at this miraculous appearance of his eye,
the king again spoke to _S_akra:
37. 'And as surely as, after giving away both eyes to him who asked but
one, my mind knew no other feeling but the utmost delight, so surely may
I obtain also the other eye!'
The king had hardly finished, when there appeared to him another eye,
the rival, as it were, of the first one.
38-40. Upon this the earth was shaken with its mountains; the ocean
flowed over its borders; the drums of the celestials spontaneously
uttered deep-toned and pleasing sounds; the sky in all directions looked
placid and lovely; the sun shone with pure brightness as it does in
autumn[34]; a great number of various flowers, tinged by the sandal
powder which was whirling around, fell down from heaven; the celestials,
including Apsarasas and Ga_n_as, came to the spot, their eyes wide
opened with amazement; there blew an agreeable wind of extreme
loveliness; gladness expanded in the minds of the creatures.
[34] It was spring when the miracle happened, as is to be inferred
from the flowers being mentioned above.
41-43. From all parts were heard voices of praise, uttered by crowds of
beings endowed with great magic power. Filled with joy and admiration,
they glorified the great exploit of the king in such exclamations: 'Oh,
what loftiness! what compassion! see the purity of his heart, how great
it is! oh, how little he cares for his own pleasures! Hail to thee,
renowned one, for thy constancy and valour! The world of creatures has
recovered their protector in thee, of a truth, as the lustre of thy
eye-lotuses has again expanded! Surely, the stores of merit are solid
treasures! After a long time Righteousness has, indeed, obtained an
immense victory!'
Then _S_akra applauded him, 'Very well, very well!' and spoke again:
44, 45. 'Thy true feeling was not hidden from me, pure-hearted king; so
I have but rendered thee these eyes of thine. And by means of them thou
wilt have the unencumbered power of seeing in all directions over one
hundred of yo_g_anas, even beyond mountains.'
Having said these words, _S_akra disappeared on the spot.
Then the Bodhisattva, followed by his officials[35], whose wide-opened
and scarcely winking eyes indicated the astonishment that filled their
minds, went up in procession to his capital. That town exhibited a
festival attire, being adorned with hoisted flags and manifold banners,
the citizens looking on and the Brâhmans praising the monarch with hails
and benedictions. When he had seated himself in his audience-hall, in
the midst of a great crowd, made up of the ministers in the first place,
of Brâhmans and elders, townsmen and countrymen, all of whom had come to
express their respectful congratulations; he preached the Law to them,
taking for his text the account of his own experience.
[35] The sudden appearance of these officials and ministers is
somewhat strange here. The Pâli _G_âtaka may account for it. 'At
the same time, it is said there (IV, p. 411) that [the eyes]
reappeared, the whole attendance of the king (sabbâ râ_g_aparisâ)
was present by the power of Sakka.'
46-48. 'Who in the world, then, should be slow in satisfying the wants
of the mendicants with his wealth, who has beheld how I have obtained
these eyes of mine, endowed with divine power, in consequence of
charity-gathered merit? In the circumference of one hundred of yo_g_anas
I see everything, though hidden by many mountains, as distinctly as if
it were near. What means of attaining bliss is superior to charity,
distinguished by commiseration with others and modesty? since I, by
giving away my human eyesight, have got already in this world a
superhuman and divine vision.
49. 'Understanding this, _S_ibis, make your riches fruitful by gifts and
by spending[36]. This is the path leading to glory and future happiness
both in this world and in the next.
[36] The purport of this royal precept may be illustrated by the
corresponding parts of the narrative in the Pâli _G_âtaka. The
precept is there given twice, in prose and in verse, see Fausböll's
_G_âtaka IV, p. 411, 22, and p. 412, 7.
50. 'Wealth is a contemptible thing, because it is pithless; yet it has
one virtue, that it can be given away by him who aims at the welfare of
the creatures; for if given away, it becomes a treasure (nidhâna),
otherwise its ultimate object is only death (nidhana).'
* * * * *
So, then, it is by means of hundreds of difficult hardships that the
Lord obtained this excellent Law for our sake; for this reason its
preaching is to be heard with attention. This story is also to be told
on account of the high-mindedness of the Tathâgata, just as the
foregoing[37]. Likewise when discoursing of compassion, and when
demonstrating the result of meritorious actions appearing already in
this world: 'in this manner the merit, gathered by good actions, shows
already here (in this world) something like the blossom of its power,
the charming flowers of increasing glory.'
[37] Viz. the story of the tigress.
* * * * *
In the list of the contents of the Avadânakalpalatâ which Somendra
added to that poem of his father Kshemendra, I do not find our
avadâna, unless it should happen to be included in No. 91, which
deals with a king of the _S_ibis. But the edition which is being
published in the Bibl. Indica is not yet so far advanced. For the
rest, like the story of the tigress, it is alluded to in the second
pallava, verse 108: 'And in my _S_ibi-birth I gave away both my
eyes to a blind man, and with (the gift of) my body preserved a
pigeon from the danger caused by a falcon.'
III. THE STORY OF THE SMALL PORTION OF GRUEL.
(Comp. the Pâli _G_âtaka, No. 415, Fausb. III, 406-414; Divyâvadâna VII,
p. 88, Cowell's ed.; Kathâsarits. XXVII, 79-105.)
Any gift that proceeds from faith of the heart and is bestowed on a
worthy recipient produces a great result; there does not exist at all
anything like a trifling gift of that nature, as will be taught by the
following.
In the time, when our Lord was still a Bodhisattva, he was a king of
Ko_s_ala. Though he displayed his royal virtues, such as energy,
discretion, majesty, power, and the rest in an exceedingly high degree,
the brilliancy of one virtue, his great felicity, surpassed the others.
1. His virtues, being embellished by his felicity, shone the more; as
the moonbeams do, when autumn makes their splendour expand.
2. Fortune, who dwelt with him, distributed her wrath and favour to the
other kings in such a manner, that she abandoned his enemies, however
proud, but like an amorous woman cherished his vassals.
3. His righteousness, however, prevented his mind from doing ill; so he
did not oppress at all his adversaries. But his dependents displayed
their affection for him in such a degree, that Fortune would not stay
with his foes.
Now one day this king recollected his last previous existence. In
consequence of remembering this he felt greatly moved. He bestowed still
greater gifts in charity--the motive and essential cause of
happiness--on _S_rama_n_as and Brâhmans, the wretched and the beggars;
he fostered unceasingly his observance of good conduct (_s_îla); and he
kept strictly the poshadha[38] restrictions on sabbath-days. Moreover,
as he was desirous of bringing his people into the way of salvation by
magnifying the power of meritorious actions, he was in the habit of
uttering with a believing heart in his audience-hall as well as in the
inner apartments of his palace these two stanzas, full of import:
[38] Poshadha in Buddhistic Sanskrit = Pâli uposatha, which is of
course the same word as Sanskrit upavasatha. A fuller form
uposhadha occurs in the Avadânakalpalatâ VI, 76.
4. 'Attending on Buddhas[39] by paying them honour, howsoever little,
cannot produce a trifling fruit. This has been taught before only by
words, now it may be seen. Look at the rich affluence of the fruit,
produced by a small portion of saltless, dry, coarse, reddish-brown
gruel.
[39] The text has na Sugatapari_k_aryâ vidyate svalpikâpi, the
parallel passage in the Pâli _G_âtaka may serve as its commentary:
Na kir' atthi anomadassisu
Pâri_k_ariyâ Buddhesu appikâ.
In stanza 18 of this _G_âtaka the purport of these words of the
king is thus expressed: kshî_n_âsraveshu na k_r_ita_m_ tanu nâma
ki_mk_it; therefore, kshî_n_âsrava = Pâli khî_n_âsavo, 'who has
extinguished his passions,' is here synonymous with buddha.
Speaking properly, then, all wandering monks, who are earnestly
performing their duties as such, may be styled 'buddhas,' cp. for
instance, Suttanipâta, Sammâparibbâ_g_anîyasutta, verse 12; in
other terms, buddha may sometimes be an equivalent of muni. So it
is used in chapter xiv of the Dhammapada; see the note of Prof. Max
Müller on verses 179 and 180 in Sacred Books, vol. x, p. 50, and
the verses pointed out by Weber, Ind. Streifen, I, p. 147. It is
also plain that the Pratyekabuddhas are considered to belong to the
general class of the Buddhas. Though they are different from the
Supreme Buddhas (Samyaksambuddha), they are nevertheless also
sugatas or buddhas. Cp. Spence Hardy, Manual, pp. 37-39; Kern, Het
Buddhisme, I, pp. 294-296.
5. 'This mighty army of mine with its beautiful chariots and horses and
its dark-blue masses of fierce elephants; the sovereignty of the whole
earth; great wealth; Fortune's favour; my noble wife: behold the beauty
of this store of fruit, produced by a small portion of coarse gruel.'
Neither his ministers nor the worthiest among the Brâhmans nor the
foremost among the townsmen, though tormented with curiosity, ventured
to question the king as to what he meant by these two stanzas which he
was in the habit of reciting every moment. Now by the king's incessant
repeating of them the queen also grew curious; and as she felt less
embarrassment in putting forth her request, one day, the opportunity of
entering into conversation upon this subject presenting itself, she put
this question in full audience to him:
6, 7. 'Verily, at all times, my lord, you are reciting, as if you were
giving vent to the gladness which is within your heart. But my heart is
troubled by curiosity at your speaking so. If my person is allowed to
hear it, say on, then, what you mean by this utterance, sir. A secret is
nowhere proclaimed in this manner; therefore, it must be a matter of
public knowledge, and I may ask you about it.'
Then the king cast a mild look of gladness on his queen, and with a
smile-blooming face he spoke:
8, 9. 'When hearing this utterance of mine without perceiving its cause,
it is not only you, that are excited by curiosity, but also the whole of
my officials, my town, and my zenana are troubled and disturbed by the
desire of knowing the meaning of it. Listen, then, to what I am going to
say.
10. 'Just as one who awakes from sleep, I remember my existence, when I
lived a servant in this very town. Although I was keeping good conduct,
I earned a sorry livelihood by performing hired labour for people
elevated only because of their wealth.
11. 'So one day I was about to begin my service for hire, that abode of
toil, contempt, and sorrow, striving to support (my family) and fearing,
lest I should lack the means of sustenance myself; when I saw four
_S_rama_n_as with subdued senses, accompanied as it were by the bliss of
monkhood, going about for alms.
12. 'After bowing to them with a mind softened by faith, I reverentially
entertained them in my house with a small dish of gruel. Out of that
sprout has sprung this tree of greatness, that the glitterings of the
crest-jewels of other kings are now reflected in the dust on my feet.
13. 'Thinking of this, I recite these stanzas, my queen, and for this
reason I find satisfaction in doing meritorious actions and receiving
Arhats.'
Then the queen's face expanded with gladness and surprise. She raised
her eyes respectfully to the king, saying: 'Highly probable, indeed, is
it that such very great prosperity is the fruit produced by meritorious
actions, since you, great king, being yourself a witness of the result
of meritorious actions, are so anxious for (gathering) merit. For this
very reason you are disinclined to evil actions, disposed to protect
your subjects duly like a father, and intent on earning plenty of merit.
14. 'Shining with illustrious glory enhanced by charity, vanquisher of
your rival kings waiting with bent heads for your orders, may you for a
long time with a righteous management rule the earth up to its
wind-wrinkled ocean-border!'
The king said: 'Why should this not be? my queen!
15. 'In fact, I will endeavour to keep once more the path leading to
salvation, of which I have noted the lovely marks. People will love
giving, having heard the fruit of charity; how should not I be liberal,
having experienced it in myself?'
Now the king, tenderly looking on his queen, beheld her shining with
almost divine splendour, and desiring to know the reason of that
brightness, said again:
16. 'Like the crescent amidst the stars you shine in the midst of the
women. Say, what deed have you done, my dear, having this very sweet
result?'
The queen replied: 'O yes, my lord, I too have some remembrance of my
life in my former birth.' Now, as the king gently entreated her to tell
it, she spoke:
17, 18. 'Like something experienced in my childhood I recollect that
being a slave, after giving with devotion to a Muni with extinguished
passions the remnants of one dish, I fell asleep there, as it were, and
arose from sleep here. By this wholesome action, my prince, I remember,
I have obtained you for my lord, sharing you with the earth. What you
said: "surely, no benefit given to holy persons who have extinguished
their passions, can be a small one"--these very words were then spoken
by that Muni.'
Then the king, perceiving that the assembly was overcome by feelings of
piety and amazement, and that the manifestation of the result of merit
had roused in their minds a high esteem for meritorious actions,
earnestly pressed on the audience something like this:
19. 'How is it possible, then, that anybody should not devote himself to
performing meritorious actions by practising charity and good conduct,
after seeing this large and splendid result of a good action however
small? No, that man is not even worth looking at, who inwrapt in the
darkness of avarice, should decline to make himself renowned for his
gifts, though being wealthy enough to do so.
20. 'If by abandoning in the right manner wealth, once necessarily to be
left and so of no use at all, any good quality may be acquired: who,
then, knowing the charm of virtues, would follow in this matter the path
of selfishness? And different virtues, in truth, gladness, &c., being
followed by good renown, are founded on charity.
21. 'Almsgiving is a great treasure, indeed, a treasure which is always
with us and is inaccessible to thieves and the rest[40]. Almsgiving
cleanses the mind from the dirt of the sins of selfishness and cupidity;
it is an easy vehicle by which to relieve the fatigue of the travel
through Sa_m_sâra; it is our best and constant friend, that seeks to
procure manifold pleasure and comfort for us.
[40] That is: to fire, water, seizure from the part of the king.
Cp. Story V, stanza 8.
22. 'All is obtained by almsgiving, whatever may be wished for, whether
it be abundance of riches or brilliant domination, or a residence in the
city of the Devas, or beauty of the body. Who, considering this matter
so, should not practise almsgiving?
23. 'Almsgiving, it is said, constitutes the worth of riches; it is also
called the essential cause of dominations, the grand performance of
piety. Even rags for dress, given away by the simple-minded, are a
well-bestowed gift.'
The audience respectfully approved this persuasive discourse of the
king, and felt inclined to the exercise of charity and the like.
* * * * *
So any gift that proceeds from faith of the heart, and is bestowed on a
worthy recipient, produces a great result; there does not exist at all
anything like a trifling gift of that nature. [For this reason, by
giving with a faithful heart to the Congregation of the Holy[41]--that
most excellent ground fit for (sowing) meritorious actions--one may
obtain the utmost gladness, considering thus: 'such blessings, and even
greater than these, may erelong occur to me too.']
[41] Âryasa_m_ghe.
IV. THE STORY OF THE HEAD OF A GUILD.
(Comp. the Pâli _G_âtaka, No. 40, Fausb. I, 231-234.)
The pious wish to exercise almsgiving even in spite of imminent peril;
who, then, should not be charitable when safe? This will be taught as
follows.
In the time, when our Lord was still a Bodhisattva, he was a head of a
guild. In consequence of the excessive favour of his destiny, and owing
to his own great activity, he had acquired a large estate. His fairness
and integrity in commercial transactions procured him the highest esteem
among the people; he was born of an illustrious family; he had
acquainted himself with various branches of learning and art, and by
them purified his mind. These qualities and his noble virtues caused him
to be honoured by the king. As he was always keeping the precept of
almsgiving, he shared his opulence with the people.
1. The mendicants loving him, praised his name far and wide, so as to
fill all parts of the horizon with the high reputation of his prowess as
an almsgiver.
2. With him, no one indigent was floating on the swing of doubt as to
whether he would give or not. Trusting in this benefactor of renowned
exploits, the mendicants were bold enough to put forth their wants
freely.
3. And he, for his part, did not keep his wealth from them, neither for
his own pleasures, nor striving to emulate others, nor overcome by
avarice. It was impossible for him to see the suffering of the
mendicants, and for this reason he avoided saying 'no' to them.
One day, at meal-time, when the Great Being had just bathed and anointed
himself, and a complete dinner made up of various dishes of hard and
soft food and the rest, dressed by skilled and excellent cooks, and so
prepared as to please by their colour, smell, taste, touch, &c., was
served up, a mendicant came near his house. It was a Pratyekabuddha, who
by the fire of his knowledge had burned away all the fuel of innate evil
passions, and now desired to increase the merit of the Bodhisattva. He
placed himself in the gateway.
4. There he stood without apprehension, without agitation, looking
firmly and quietly[42] to no greater distance before him than the length
of a yoke[43], in a quiet attitude, holding his lotus-white fingers
clasped on his almsbowl.
[42] Read pra_s_amaº instead of pra_n_amaº, an error of print of
course.
[43] Cp. Lalitavistara (Bibl. Ind.), p. 230 infra, Buddha_k_arita
X, 13.
Now Mâra, the Wicked One, could not bear the Bodhisattva to enjoy that
bliss of almsgiving. In order to put an obstacle in his way, he created
by magic between the Reverend and the threshold of the entrance-door a
very deep hell measuring several fathoms in width. It offered a dreadful
sight, accompanied with terrible sounds; tremulous flames were burning
awfully within; it contained many hundreds of men in great agony.