Which is in the "Jatakas" of Buddha.... At his birth the
waters of the Sea became fresh, and the deeps of the Seven
Hells were illuminated. The blind received their sight,
that they might behold the bliss of the world; the deaf
their hearing, that they might know the tidings of joy; by
sevenfold lotus-flowers the rocks were riven asunder; the
light of glory immeasurable filled the world systems of ten
thousand suns....
In the years when Brahmadatta reigned over Benares--the holy city--the
city of apes and peacocks--the city possessing the seven precious
things, and resounding with the ten cries, with the trumpeting of
elephants, the neighing of horses, the melody of instruments and voices
of singing girls--then the future Buddha-elect was born as a son in the
family of the royal treasurer, after having passed through kotis of
births innumerable.
Now the duration of one koti is ten millions of years.
And the Buddha-elect, the Bodhisattva, was brought up in splendid
luxury as a prince of the holy city, and while yet a boy mastered all
branches of human knowledge, and becoming a man succeeded his father
as keeper of the treasury. But even while exercising the duties of his
office, he gave rich gifts to holy men, and allowed none to excel him
in almsgiving.
At that time there also lived a holy Buddha, who, striving to fulfill
each and all of the Ten Perfections had passed seven days and seven
nights without eating so much as one grain of rice. Arousing himself
at last from his holy trance, he cleansed and robed his person,
and purified himself, and passing through the air by virtue of his
perfection, alighted before the door of the treasurer's house, with his
begging-bowl in his hand.
Then the Bodhisattva, beholding the sacred mendicant awaiting in
silence, bade a servant fetch to him the Buddha's bowl, that he might
fill it with such food as those who seek supreme wisdom may permit
themselves to eat. So the servant proceeded to fetch the bowl.
But even as he advanced, and before he might reach out his hand, the
ground rocked and heaved like the sea beneath him; and the earth opened
itself, and yawned to its entrails, making an abyss between the holy
mendicant and the servant of the Bodhisattva. And the gulf became a
hell of seething flame, like the hell of Avici, like the heart of a
volcano in which even the crags of granite melt as wax, pass away as
clouds. Also a great and fantastic darkness grew before the sun, and
blackened all his face.
Wherefore the servant and his fellows fled shrieking, leaving only the
Bodhisattva standing upon one verge of the abyss, and the Buddha,
calmly waiting, upon the other. Where the feet of the perfect mendicant
stood, the abyss widened not; but it widened swiftly, devouring the
ground before the feet of the Bodhisattva, as though seeking to engulf
him. For Mara, Lord of Rakshasas and of evil ones, desiring that
the Buddha might die, sought thus to prevent the almsgiving of the
Bodhisattva. And the darkness before the sun was the darkness of Mara's
awful face.
And as a muttering of mountain thunder came a voice, saying: "The
Buddha shall not live by thine alms-gift; his hour hath come.... Mine
is the fire between thee and him."
And the Bodhisattva looked at the Buddha across the abyss of fire; and
the Buddha's face changed not, neither did he utter a word to dissuade
nor give one sign to encourage.
But the Bodhisattva cried aloud, even while the abyss, widening, grew
vaster to devour him: "Mara, thou shalt not prevail! To thee power is
not given against duty!... My lord Buddha, I come to thee, fearing not;
take thou this food from the hands of thy servant."
And with the dish of rice in his hands, the Bodhisattva strode into the
roaring waste of fire, uttering these jewel-words: "Better to enter
willingly into hell than neglect a duty or knowingly commit a wrong!"...
Even then the Buddha smiled on the other verge. And ere the
Bodhisattva could fall, there suddenly arose from the depths of the
pit of fire a vast and beautiful lotus-flower, like unto that from
whose womb of gold was Brahma born; and it received the feet of the
Bodhisattva, and bore him beyond the pit, upcasting over him a spray of
golden dust like a shower of stars. So he poured into the Buddha's bowl
the holy gift of alms.
The darkness vanished; the abyss was not; the Buddha, rising in air,
passed over a bridge of rosy cloud to the mountain regions of Himalaya.
But the Bodhisattva, still standing upon the lotus of gold, long
discoursed unto the people concerning holy things.