search of alms, said to his wife: 'My dear, go yourself and give an
abundant portion of food to the holy man.' She said she would do so, and
went off with excellent hard and soft food; but beholding the hell near
the gateway, she suddenly turned on her heels, terror-stricken and with
bewildered looks. When her husband asked her what was the matter, she
could hardly tell; the sudden fright had almost barred her throat. As
the Bodhisattva, however, was uneasy at the thought that this holy man
might turn back from his house without receiving his beeped meal, he did
not heed what she told him, but taking the excellent hard and soft food,
came himself, desiring to fill with it the almsbowl of the Great-Minded
One. When he arrived near the gateway, he saw that most dreadful hell
between. And whilst he considered what could be the meaning of this,
Mâra, the Wicked One, went out of the house-wall, and showing his divine
and marvellous shape, stood in the air, and, as if he wished to do good
to the Bodhisattva, spoke: 'Householder, this is the great hell, named
Mahâraurava.
5. 'Here is the abode--an abode, out of which it is difficult to
escape--of those who, greedy of the praising voices of the beggars,
desire to give away wealth, indulging in the vicious passion for
charity. In this hell they must stay for many thousands of autumns.
6. 'Material prosperity (artha) is the principal cause of the world's
regular striving after the triad of objects. Whoso injures artha,
injures righteousness (dharma) too[44]. How is it possible, then, that
the injurer of righteousness by destroying material prosperity, should
not stay in hell?
[44] The idea which underlies this assertion is often met with in
Brâhmanical literature. If practising dharma is the same thing as
performing the sacrifices to the deities, material prosperity may
be justly styled the foundation-ground or substratum of dharma; for
the right performance of sacrifices requires the possession of
goods.
7. 'Thou hast sinned, being attached to charity and destroying thy
wealth, which is the root of dharma. For this reason this flame-tongued
hell, that looks like the face of Narakântaka[45], has come to thy
encounter in order to devour thee.
[45] See Vish_n_upurâ_n_a IV, chapter xxix (Wilson, p. 581).
8. 'Well then, desist from giving, lest thou immediately fall down and
share the fate of those almsgivers, who shrink away from pain and are
weeping piteously.
9. 'The recipients, on the other hand, who have ceased from the bad
custom of giving, obtain the rank of Devas. Therefore, desist from thy
effort for charity, which obstructs the way to Heaven, and rather apply
thyself to restraint[46].'
[46] The Evil One uses ambiguous expressions purposely. The worthy
recipients of the gifts are indeed on the way that leads to
salvation; and the 'restraint' sa_m_yama he recommends, may imply
the meaning of the self-restraint of the monks. The Bodhisattva in
his well-turned answer takes care to keep the same ambiguous word
(see stanza 15, sa_m_yamayishyatâpi).
The Bodhisattva, however, knew him: 'Surely, this is an attempt of the
Evil One to thwart my almsgiving.' And understanding so, he made, in
truth, a vigorous reply, yet in accordance with his firm attachment to
virtue, without breaking modesty and kindness of words. He spoke thus to
him:
10-12. 'It is with respect to my welfare, that thou hast had the
kindness to show me the path of the pious. Indeed, it is most proper for
divine beings to show by their actions their skill in feeling compassion
for others. Nevertheless, it would have been wise to use that way of
stopping the illness before its appearance, or immediately after its
first symptoms. For if a sickness have already made progress[47] by the
fault of bad treatment, the desire for cure will but tend to calamity.
So this passion of mine for charity has already spread, I fear, beyond
the compass of medical cure, inasmuch as my mind will never shrink from
almsgiving, notwithstanding thy well-wishing counsel.
[47] The reading prayâmam, proposed by Prof. Kern in the various
readings of his edition, is undoubtedly right. Cp. pp. 78, 2; 96,
23; 111, 16; 171, 15; 182, 3; 238, 11 of his edition.
13, 14. 'As for what thou saidst about unrighteousness arising from
charity and wealth being the principal cause of righteousness, my weak
human understanding cannot grasp how wealth without charity can be
called the path of virtue. Why, tell me, please, at what time is it that
wealth produces virtue? whether when laid up as a treasure, or when
robbed violently by thieves, or when sunk away to the bottom of the sea,
or when having become fuel for fire?
15, 16. 'Further, thou saidst, "the giver goes to hell and the receiver
to the celestial abodes." Speaking so, however, thou hast increased my
longing for works of charity, though endeavouring to restrain me. Yea,
may that word of thine be fulfilled, and those who beg from me rise to
heaven! For it is not as a means of procuring my own happiness that I
give in charity, but I love charity that I may do good to the world.'
Then Mâra, the Wicked One, once more addressed the Bodhisattva, speaking
earnestly as though he were a well-meaning friend.
17. 'Decide thyself, whether I have spoken for thy good or idle talk,
and afterwards go as thou desirest. Thou shalt remember me with high
regard--either happy or remorseful.'
The Bodhisattva said: 'Sir, thou must excuse me.
18. 'I will fall of my own accord into this fiercely blazing hell
headlong, a prey to the flames, that will lick at me, rather than at the
due time of honouring the mendicants, who show me their affection by
requesting from me, incur the guilt of neglecting them.'
After so speaking, the Bodhisattva--relying on the power of his destiny
and knowing that almsgiving cannot at any rate entail evil--stepped
forth across the hell without heeding his family and his attendants, who
were eager to withhold him; his mind was not overcome by terror, and his
desire of giving was still increased.
19. Then, owing to the power of his merit, in the midst of the hell a
lotus sprang up, not rooted in mud like other lotuses[48]. With its row
of stamen-teeth[49] it seemed to laugh contemptuously at Mâra.
[48] In the original there is a pun, pa_m_ka_g_a, 'originating in
mud, born from mud,' being a common word for 'lotus.'
[49] Instead of dantiº I read dantaº.
And with the aid of the lotus, produced out of the large amount of his
merit, the Bodhisattva having reached the Pratyekabuddha, filled his
bowl with food, while his heart was expanding with gladness and joy.
20. The monk, in order to show his satisfaction, rose into the air.
There he displayed his splendour, raining and flaming with as great a
majesty as a cloud from which appear flashes of lightning.
21. Mâra, on the other hand, seeing his design overturned, was in low
spirits and lost accordingly his splendour. He dared no longer look in
the face of the Bodhisattva, and soon he disappeared with his hell.
* * * * *
Why has this been taught? (For this purpose): in this manner the pious
wish to exercise almsgiving even in spite of imminent peril; who, then,
should not be charitable when safe? [Further this too is to be
propounded: 'the virtuous cannot be induced even by fear to take the
wrong way.']
V. THE STORY OF AVISHAHYA, THE HEAD OF A GUILD.
(Comp. the Pâli _G_âtaka, No. 340, Fausb. III, 128-132.)[50]
[50] In the Pâli redaction the story is told of the se_tth_i
Visayha, not Avisayha, in consequence, it seems, of the
misinterpretation of the first pâda of the first gâthâ in this
story; that line should be read adâsi dânâni pure 'visayha.
Likewise in the Nidânakathâ (Fausb. I, p. 45, l. 14) we must read
_K_andakumârakâle 'vishahyase_tth_ikâle.
The virtuous do not allow themselves to be deficient in the virtue of
charity either from respect to the loss of their fortune, or from the
prospect of riches, as will be taught in the following.
In the time, when our Lord was yet a Bodhisattva, he was the head of a
guild, born of an illustrious family. He possessed many virtues:
liberality, modesty, morals, sacred learning, spiritual knowledge[51],
humility, &c. His affluent riches made him appear another Kubera. He
spent them by admitting everybody as his guest and practising charity
like an everlasting sacrifice (sattra). In short, he was the best of
almsgivers and lived for the good of mankind. On account of his being
invincible by vices, selfishness, and the rest, he was known under the
name of Avishahya (that is, 'the Invincible One').
[51] The 'sacred learning' is _s_ruta, knowledge of Vaidik texts.
&c., the 'spiritual knowledge,' _gñ_âna, to be learnt from the
Upanishads, the philosophical Dar_s_anas and the like.
1. The sight of the mendicants had the same effect on him, as he had on
the mendicants. On both sides it was a principal cause of gladness,
since it destroyed the uncertainty as to the attainment of the object
wished for.
2. When requested to give, he was not capable of saying 'no.' His great
compassion had left no room in his heart for attachment to wealth.
3. His joy rose to the highest pitch, when mendicants carried away the
best things out of his house. For he knew those so-called goods to be
the source of violent and heavy calamities, and therefore to cause
dissatisfaction in a short time and without any apparent reason.
4. As a rule, indeed, riches, being joined with covetousness, may be
called caravans on the road towards wretchedness. With him, on the
contrary, they conduced to the bliss of both himself and others; his
goods appeared to be what is signified by their name.
So then, that Great Being bestowed large gifts on the mendicant people
all around, and satisfied them wholly, giving to each according to his
desire and generously, and adorning his bounty by paying a pious
respect to the requesters. When _S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, heard of
his lofty munificence, he was transported with amazement; and wishing to
try the firmness of his resolution, he caused the every-day provisions
of money, grains, jewels, clothes to disappear day after day; 'perhaps,
so he thought, his apprehension at least of the loss of his goods may
entice him to self-interest.' Nevertheless, the Great Being remained
intent on the virtue of charity.
5. As often as his goods disappeared, like water-drops hit by the
sun-darts, so often did he order them to be fetched again from his
house, as if it were on fire, and continued his large gifts.
_S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, understanding the Great Being to be bent
as intently as ever on deeds of charity, although his riches always went
on decreasing, his amazement grew. Now he concealed the whole of his
wealth in one night, except a coil of rope and a sickle. When the
Bodhisattva, as usual, awoke at day-break, he nowhere saw his household
goods, neither furniture, nor money, nor grains, nor clothes, nor even
his attendants. His house looked quite empty, desolate, and sad, as if
it were plundered by Râkshasas; in short, it offered an afflicting
aspect. Then he began to reflect upon the matter; and searching about,
he found nothing left but that coil of rope and that sickle. And he
considered thus: 'Perhaps somebody, not accustomed to begging, but wont
to get his livelihood by his own energy, has in this manner shown a
favour to my house. In that case, my goods are well spent. If, however,
by the fault of my destiny, some person whom my high rank has made
envious, has caused them to run away without being of use to any one, it
is a great pity.
6. 'The fickleness of Fortune's friendship was known to me long before;
but that the indigent have come to grief by it, on this account my heart
aches.
7. 'When coming to my empty house, how will they feel, my mendicants,
who for a long time were accustomed to the enjoyment of my gifts and my
hospitality? Will they not be like thirsty people coming to a dried-up
pond?'
Nevertheless, the Bodhisattva did not yield to the feeling of affliction
and sadness, but kept the constancy of his mind, and though, being in
this condition, he was not capable of asking others, not even his
intimates, as he never had followed the course of getting his livelihood
by begging. Moreover, since he experienced himself that it is hard to
beg, his compassion for the begging people became still greater. Then
that High-minded One, still with the disposition to earn, from those who
lived by begging their food, kind words of welcome and the like, took
that coil of rope and that sickle, and went out to weed grass day after
day. With the little money he earned by selling the grass, he attended
to the wants of the mendicants.
But _S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, seeing his imperturbable calmness
and his devotion to almsgiving even in a state of extreme poverty, was
filled not only with astonishment, but also with admiration. Showing his
wonderful celestial body, he stood in the air and spoke to the Great
Being to dissuade him from giving: 'Householder,
8-10. 'Neither thieves have robbed thee of thy wealth, nor water, nor
fire, nor princes. It is thy own largesses, that have brought thee into
this condition, which alarms thy friends. For this reason I tell thee
for thy own good: restrain thy passionate love of charity. Though being
as poor as thou art now, if thou dost not give, thou mayst recover thy
former beautiful riches. By constant consuming of however little at a
time, possessions fade; by gathering ant-hills become high. For him who
sees this, the only way of increasing his property is self-restraint.'
The Bodhisattva, however, displayed his high-mindedness and his constant
practice of charity, when he answered _S_akra in this manner:
11. 'A gentleman (ârya), however distressed, will scarcely do anything
ignoble (anârya), O thou Thousand-eyed One! Never let such wealth be
mine, O _S_akra, to obtain which I should have to live as a miser.
12, 13. 'Who, thinking himself to belong to an honest family, would
strike with the clear-sky thunderbolt of his refusal the wretched men
who desire to find a remedy for their misery by death-like begging? Is
it possible, then, that such a one as I am, should accept any jewel, or
wealth, or even the realm among the Celestials, and not use it for the
purpose of gladdening the faces of the beggars, grown pale by the pain
of asking?
14. 'Such receiving as would only tend to increase the vice of
selfishness, not to strengthen the propensity to give away, must be
entirely abandoned by such as me; for it is a calamity in disguise.
15. 'Wealth is as fickle as a flash of lightning; it may come to every
one, and it is the cause of many calamities; but almsgiving is a source
of happiness. This being so, how may a nobleman cling to selfishness?
16. 'Therefore, _S_akra, thou hast shown me thy good nature, I thank
thee also for thy commiseration and well-wishing words; yet my heart is
too much accustomed to the gladness caused by deeds of charity. How,
then, can it take delight in the wrong way?
17. 'Do not, however, bend thy mind to anger on this account, I pray
thee! Indeed, it is impossible to assault the hostile fortress of my
native character with small forces.'
_S_akra spoke: 'Householder, what thou describest is the line of conduct
for a wealthy man, whose treasury and granary are full to the top, for
whom manifold and abundant work is well-performed (by his servants), who
has assured his future, and has gained domination among men, but that
conduct does not suit thy condition. See,
18-20. 'Thou must, before all, through honest business either carried on
by exerting thy own sagacity, or by following the traditional line of
trade of thy family, in so far as it be compatible with thy fame,
gather riches surpassing, like the sun, the splendour of thy rivals;
then on proper occasions, display thy opulence to the people, and
rejoice by it thy relations and friends. Afterwards, having obtained due
honour even from the part of the king and enjoying Fortune's favour,
like the embrace of a loving sweetheart, if then there may arise in thee
the inclination for charity or worldly pleasures, nobody will blame
thee. But the sole love of charity without means makes a man come to
calamity and resemble a bird desiring to rise in the air with wings not
yet full-grown.
21. 'Therefore, thou must acquire wealth by practising restraint and
pursuing humble aims, and meanwhile give up the longing for almsgiving.
And what meanness can there be in this after all, if thou dost not give,
possessing nothing?'
The Bodhisattva replied: 'Pray, thy Highness must not urge me.
22, 23. 'Even he who cares more for his own interest than for the
benefit of others, ought to give in charity, not caring for riches. For
great opulence affords him no such gladness, as is caused by the
satisfaction he enjoys by subduing covetousness with charitable deeds.
Add to this, that mere riches do not lead to Heaven, but charity alone
is sufficient to obtain a holy reputation; further, that riches are an
impediment to the subduing of selfishness and the other vices. Who,
then, should not observe charity?
24. 'He, however, who in order to protect the creatures surrounded by
old age and death, desires to give away his very self in alms, moved by
compassion; he whom the sufferings of others forbid to enjoy the relish
of pleasures; say, of what use will be to him the very great bliss,
possessed by thee?
'Hear also this, Lord of the Devas.
25. 'The duration of our life is as uncertain as the prosperity of our
wealth. Thus reflecting, we must not care for riches, when getting a
mendicant.
26. 'If one carriage has beaten a track on the ground, a second goes by
that track with some confidence, and so on. For this reason I will not
spurn this first good road, nor prefer conducting my carriage on the
wrong path.
27. 'And should I once more come to great wealth, it shall to a
certainty enrapture the minds of the mendicants; and for the present,
even in this condition, I will give alms according to my means. And may
I never be careless in keeping my vow of charity, _S_akra!'
On these words _S_akra, the Lord of the Devas, being wholly propitiated,
exclaimed with praise: 'Excellent, excellent,' and looking at him with
admiration and kindness, spoke:
28, 29. '(Other) people run after riches by every trade, be it low and
rough and prejudicial to their reputation, not minding danger, since
they are attached to their own pleasures and misguided by their
inconsiderateness. Thou, on the contrary, dost not mind the loss of thy
wealth, nor the deficiency of thy pleasures, nor my temptation; keeping
thy mind firmly intent on promoting the welfare of others, thou hast
manifested the greatness of thy excellent nature!
30. 'Ah! how thy heart shines with the lustre of exceeding loftiness,
and how it has wiped off entirely the darkness of selfish feelings, that
even after the loss of thy riches the hope for recovering them cannot
spoil it by bringing about reduction of its charitableness!
31. 'Yet, since thou sufferest at the suffering of others, and moved by
compassion strivest for the good of the world, it is no wonder after
all, that I have not been able to deter thee from almsgiving. As little
is the Snow-bright Mountain shaken by the wind.
32. 'But it is in order to enhance thy fame by trial, that I have hidden
that wealth of thine. Not otherwise than by trial can a gem, though
beautiful, reach the great value of a renowned jewel.
33. 'Well then, pour thy gifts down on the mendicants, satisfy them as a
great rain-cloud fills the pools. By my favour thou shalt never
experience the loss of thy wealth, and thou must forgive me my
behaviour towards thee.'
After praising him so, _S_akra restored his large estate to him, and
obtained his pardon, then he disappeared on the spot.
* * * * *
In this manner, then, the virtuous do not allow themselves to be
deficient in the virtue of charity either through regard to the loss of
their fortune, or through the prospect of riches.
VI. THE STORY OF THE HARE.
(Comp. the Pâli _G_âtaka, No. 316, Fausb. III, 51-56; _K_ariyâpi_t_aka
I, 10; Avadâna_s_ataka in Féer's transl. Ann. du Musée Guimet, XVIII,
142[52].)
[52] In the Avadânakalpalatâ the hare that gave up his body is No.
104. It is much akin to the version of the Avadâna_s_ataka, as I
ascertained from the two Cambridge MSS. of the Avadânakalpalatâ.
The practice of charity according to their power by the Great-minded,
even when in the state of beasts, is a demonstrated fact; who then,
being a man, should not be charitable? This is taught by the following.
In some inhabited region of a forest there was a spot frequented by
ascetics. It was beset with thickets made up of lovely creepers,
grasses, and trees; abounding in flowers and fruits; adorned on its
boundary with a river, the stream of which was as blue and as pure as
lapis lazuli; its ground, covered with a carpet of tender grass, was
soft to the touch and handsome to look at. There the Bodhisattva lived a
hare.
1. In consequence of his goodness, his splendid figure, his superior
strength, and his great vigour, not suspected by the small animals nor
fearing others, he behaved like the king of animals in that part of the
forest.
2. Satisfying his wants with blades of grass, he bore the handsome
appearance of a Muni. For the ascetic's skin he wore his own, his
bark-garment was the hairs of his body.
3. As everything he did in thought, speech, and action was purified by
his friendliness, most of the animals given to wickedness were like his
pupils and friends[53].
[53] The text is slightly corrupt here. The MSS. have ºsukhâ_h_,
the printed text ºmukhâ_h_, but in the various readings the editor
again adopts the reading of the MSS. But now Prof. Kern tells me he
should rather suppose that the original reading was ºsakhâ_h_,
which suits the sense better.
But more especially he had caught the hearts of an otter, a jackal, and
an ape. They became his companions, attracted by the love and respect
which his eminent virtues inspired in them. Like relations whose
affection is founded on mutual relationship, like friends whose
friendship has grown by the compliance to each other's wishes, they
passed their time rejoicing together. Opposed to the nature of the
brutes, they showed compassion to living beings, and their cupidity
being extinguished, they forgot to practise theft. By this behaviour and
by their having regard to good renown conformably to (the precepts of)
righteousness (dharma), by their keen understanding and, owing to this,
by their close observance of religious obligations in the manner
approved by the pious, they roused even the surprise of the deities.
4, 5. If out of the two lines of conduct--that which complies with
pleasures and checks virtue, and that which is in accordance with virtue
and obstructs pleasures--a man applies himself to the virtuous side, he
is already illustrious, how much more a being that has the shape of a
beast! But among them, he who bore the figure of a hare and was their
teacher, was so pious, he esteemed the practice of compassion for others
so highly, and his excellent native character was accompanied by such a
set of virtues, that their renown reached even the world of the Devas.
One day at evening-time, the Great-minded One was in the company of his
friends, who had come to him to hear him preach the Law and
reverentially sat down at his feet. The moon, then being at a great
distance from the sun, showed its orb almost full and resembling by its
bright beauty a silver mirror without handle. When the Bodhisattva
beheld it showing its disc not fully rounded on one side[54], and
considered that it was the moon of the fourteenth of the bright half,
that had risen, he said to his comrades:
[54] Instead of îshatpâr_s_vâpav_ri_ttabimba_m_, the reading of the
MSS., I think we should read ºâpak_ri_ttabimba_m_. In the evening
before full-moon's day the disc of the moon is not completely
round, presenting one side so as to seem a little flattened.
6. 'See! The moon by the beauty of its almost complete orb is announcing
with a laughing face as it were the holyday of sabbath (poshadha) to the
pious.
'Surely, to-morrow is the fifteenth. Ye must perform accordingly the
religious duties which are prescribed for the sabbath, and not satisfy
the want of sustaining your body before honouring some guest at the time
appearing with excellent food obtained in a right manner. Ye must
consider thus: