free 17. Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory a Wonderful Adviser', learned, clever, and wise; and qualified to lead the Great King of Glory to undertake what he ought to undertake, and to leave undone what he ought to leave undone. 'He went up to the Great King of Glory, and said :— "Do thou, O King, take thine ease! I will be thy guide." 'Such, Ânanda, was the wonderful Adviser who appeared to the Great King of Glory. The Great King of Glory was possessed of these Seven Precious Things. 18. Now, further, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was gifted with Four Marvellous Gifts 2. 'What are the Four Marvellous Gifts? 'In the first place, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was graceful in figure, handsome in appearance, pleasing in manner, and of most beautiful complexion, beyond what other men are. 'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this First Marvellous Gift. 19. And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was of long life, and of many years, beyond those of other men. 'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this Second Marvellous Gift. 20. 'And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was free from disease, and free from bodily. suffering; and his internal fire was neither too hot nor too cold, but such as to promote good digestion, beyond that of other men 3. 1 Parinayaka-ratanam. Buddhaghosa says that he was the eldest son of the king. The Lalita Vistara makes him a general. 2 The Four Iddhis. Here again, as elsewhere, it will be noticed that there is nothing supernatural about these four Iddhis. See the passages quoted above, Vol. I, pp. 272 foll. They are merely attributes accompanying or forming part of the majesty (iddhi) of the King of kings. The same thing is said of Ratthapâla in the Ratthapâla Sutta, where Gogerly renders the whole passage:- Ratthapâla is healthy, free from pain, having a good digestion and appetite, being troubled with 'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this Third Marvellous Gift. is. 21. [178] And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was beloved and popular with priests and with laymen alike. Just, Ananda, as a father is near and dear to his own sons, just so, Ânanda, was the Great King of Glory beloved and popular with priests and with laymen alike. And just, Ananda, as his sons are near and dear to a father, just so, Ânanda, were priests and laymen alike near and dear to the Great King of Glory. 'Once, Ananda, the Great King of Glory marched out with all his fourfold army to the pleasure ground. There, Ananda, the priests and laymen went up to the Great King of Glory, and said : "O King, pass slowly by, that we may look upon thee for a longer time!" 'But the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, addressed his charioteer, and said : may "Drive on the chariot slowly, charioteer, that I look upon my people [priests and laymen] for a longer time!" · This was the Fourth Marvellous Gift, Ânanda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed. 'These are the Four Marvellous Gifts, Ânanda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed.' 22. 'Now to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, there occurred the thought : no excess of either heat or cold' ('Journal of the Ceylon Asiatic Society,' 1847-8, p. 98). The gahani is a supposed particular organ or function situate at the junction of the stomach and intestines. Moggallâna explains it, udare tu tathâ pâcanalasmim gahani (Abhidhâna-ppadîpikâ 972), where Subhûti's Sinhalese version is kukshi, pâkâgni,' and his English version, the belly, the internal fire which promotes digestion.' Buddhaghosa explains samavipâkiyâ kammaga-tejo-dhâtuyâ, and adds:-'If a man's food is dissolved the moment he has eaten it, or if it remains like a lump, he has not the samavepâkini gahani, but he who has appetite (bhattacchando) when the time for food comes round again, he has the samavepâkini gahani,'—which is delightfully naïve. 6.66 Suppose, now, I were to make Lotus-ponds in the spaces between these palms, at every hundred bowlengths." Then, Ananda, the Great King of Glory, in the spaces between those palms, at distances of a hundred bow-lengths, made Lotus-ponds. 'And those Lotus-ponds, Ananda, were faced with tiles of four kinds. One kind of tile was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal. 'And to each of those Lotus-ponds, Ânanda, there were four flights of steps, of four different kinds. One flight of steps was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal. [179] The flight of golden steps had balustrades of gold, with the cross bars and the figure-head of silver. The flight of silver steps had balustrades of silver, with the cross bars and the figure-head of gold. The flight of beryl steps had balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars and the figurehead of crystal. The flight of crystal steps had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure-head of beryl. And round those Lotus-ponds there ran, Ânanda, a double railing. One railing was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden railing had its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its capitals of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver, and its cross bars and its capitals of gold1. 1 Pokkharani, the word translated Lotus-pond, is an artificial pool or small lake for water-plants. There are some which are probably nearly as old as this passage still in good preservation in Anuradhapura in Ceylon. Each is oblong, and has its tiles and its four flights of steps, and some had railings. The balustrades, cross bars, figure-head, and railings are in Pâli thambha, sûci yo, unhîsa, and vedikâ, of the exact meaning of which I am not quite confident. They do not occur in the description of the Lotus-lakes in Sukhâvatî. General Cunningham says that the cross bars of the Buddhist railings are called sûciyo in the inscriptions at Bharahat (The Stupa of Bharhut,' p. 127). Buddhaghosa, who is good enough to tell us the exact number of the ponds to wit, 84,000, has no explanation of these words, merely saying that of the two vedikâs one was at the limit of the tiles and one at the limit of the parivena. See below § 31; and Rhys Davids, Buddhist India,' Figures 6, 7; pp. 74-6. 23. Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, there occurred the thought: "Suppose, now, I were to have flowers of every season planted in those Lotus-ponds for all the people to have garlands to put on1-to wit, blue water-lilies and blue lotuses, white lotuses and white water-lilies." [And the king had such flowers planted there accordingly.] Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, occurred the thought : 6.66 Suppose, now, I were to place bathing-men on the banks of those Lotus-ponds, to bathe such of the people as come there from time to time." [And the king had such bathing-men placed there accordingly.] 'Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, occurred the thought : 6.66 Suppose, now, I were to establish a perpetual grant by the banks of those Lotus-ponds-to wit, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked, means of conveyance for those who have need of it, couches for the tired, wives for those who want wives, gold for the poor, and money for those who are in want." [180] 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory established a perpetual grant by the banks of those Lotus-ponds to wit, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked, means of conveyance for those who needed it, couches for the tired, wives for those who wanted wives, gold for the poor, and money for those who were in want.' 24. 'Now, Ânanda, the people [priests and laymen] went to the Great King of Glory, taking with them much wealth. And they said :— This abundant wealth, O King, have we brought Literally have garlands planted for all the people to put on'-an elliptical expression revealing the ideas of that early time as to the only possible use of flowers. I think the reading should be anavaram. here for the use of the King of kings. Let the King accept it of us!" "I have enough wealth, my friends, laid up for myself, the produce of righteous taxation. Do you keep this, and take away more with you! !" 'When those men were thus refused by the King they went aside and considered together, saying: 6.66 It would not beseem us now, were we to take back this wealth to our own houses. Suppose, now, we were to build a mansion for the Great King of Glory." 'Then they went to the Great King of Glory, and said: "A mansion would we build for thee, O King!" 'Then, Ånanda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent.' 25. 'Now, Ânanda, when Sakka, the king of the gods, became aware in his mind of the thoughts that. were in the heart of the Great King of Glory, he addressed Vissakamma the god, and said : "Come now, Vissakamma, create me a mansion for the Great King of Glory-a palace which shall be called 'Righteousness'. 6.46 Even so, lord!" said Vissakamma, in assent, Ânanda, to Sakka, the king of the gods. [181] And as instantaneously as a strong man might stretch forth his folded arm, or draw in his arm again when it was stretched forth, so quickly did he vanish from the heaven of the Great Thirty-Three, and appeared before the Great King of Glory. 'Then, Ânanda, Vissakamma the god said to the Great King of Glory : "I would create for thee, O King, a mansion—a palace which shall be called Righteousness'!" 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent. 'So Vissakamma the god, Ânanda, created for the Great King of Glory a mansion-a palace to be called "Righteousness' |