RAMA, AND ITS TOPE.
East from Buddha’s birthplace, and at a distance of five yojanas, there
is a kingdom called Rama.(1) The king of this country, having obtained
one portion of the relics of Buddha’s body,(2) returned with it and
built over it a tope, named the Rama tope. By the side of it there was
a pool, and in the pool a dragon, which constantly kept watch over (the
tope), and presented offerings to it day and night. When king Asoka
came forth into the world, he wished to destroy the eight topes (over
the relics), and to build (instead of them) 84,000 topes.(3) After he
had thrown down the seven (others), he wished next to destroy this
tope. But then the dragon showed itself, took the king into its
palace;(4) and when he had seen all the things provided for offerings,
it said to him, “If you are able with your offerings to exceed these,
you can destroy the tope, and take it all away. I will not contend with
you.” The king, however, knew that such appliances for offerings were
not to be had anywhere in the world, and thereupon returned (without
carrying out his purpose).
(Afterwards), the ground all about became overgrown with vegetation,
and there was nobody to sprinkle and sweep (about the tope); but a herd
of elephants came regularly, which brought water with their trunks to
water the ground, and various kinds of flowers and incense, which they
presented at the tope. (Once) there came from one of the kingdoms a
devotee(5) to worship at the tope. When he encountered the elephants he
was greatly alarmed, and screened himself among the trees; but when he
saw them go through with the offerings in the most proper manner, the
thought filled him with great sadness—that there should be no monastery
here, (the inmates of which) might serve the tope, but the elephants
have to do the watering and sweeping. Forthwith he gave up the great
prohibitions (by which he was bound),(6) and resumed the status of a
Sramanera.(7) With his own hands he cleared away the grass and trees,
put the place in good order, and made it pure and clean. By the power
of his exhortations, he prevailed on the king of the country to form a
residence for monks; and when that was done, he became head of the
monastery. At the present day there are monks residing in it. This
event is of recent occurrence; but in all the succession from that time
till now, there has always been a Sramanera head of the establishment.
NOTES
(1) Rama or Ramagrama, between Kapilavastu and Kusanagara.
(2) See the account of the eightfold division of the relics of Buddha’s
body in the Sacred Books of the East, vol. xi, Buddhist Suttas, pp.
133-136.
(3) The bones of the human body are supposed to consist of 84,000
atoms, and hence the legend of Asoka’s wish to build 84,000 topes, one
over each atom of Sâkyamuni’s skeleton.
(4) Fâ-Hien, it appears to me, intended his readers to understand that
the naga-guardian had a palace of his own, inside or underneath the
pool or tank.
(5) It stands out on the narrative as a whole that we have not here
“some pilgrims,” but one devotee.
(6) What the “great prohibitions” which the devotee now gave up were we
cannot tell. Being what he was, a monk of more than ordinary ascetical
habits, he may have undertaken peculiar and difficult vows.
(7) The Sramanera, or in Chinese Shamei. See chap. xvi, note 19.