The Entry into the City
Chapter 10
The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should be someone who makes practice essential, and always trains in that way. Why is that? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who make practice essential will not even find it difficult to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, not to mention attaining this samādhi.”
10.2 Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, [F.29.a] with palms placed together, bowed toward the Bhagavān and exclaimed, “Bhagavān, that teaching and instruction that the bhagavāns have taught well, presented well, and explained well to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, the entire bodhisattva training that they have explained well and presented well is marvelous.
10.3 “Bhagavān, this is the scope of activity of the tathāgatas, not of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, let alone the tīrthikas.
10.4 “Bhagavān, I, too, will make practice essential, and without care for life or body I shall train as the tathāgatas have. Why is that? Bhagavān, I wish to train as the tathāgatas have. Bhagavān, I wish to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Bhagavān, I wish to eliminate the evil māras. Bhagavān, I wish to free all beings from all fear and all suffering.382 I pray that the Bhagavān will place his right hand upon my head.”
He said to the Bhagavān:
10.5
“You have an excellent body, like a clear sky.
You are the son of wisdom, who has no body or attributes.
You are a deep ocean of qualities, and have compassion.
You who are without equal, place your hand upon my head.”383 {i}
10.6
The Bhagavān placed upon Candraprabha’s head his right hand, which was adorned with many characteristics that were the result of many roots of merit, and which was of the color of divine gold.
10.7 As soon as the Bhagavān placed his right hand upon Candraprabha’s head, in that very instant, more indescribable than indescribably many hundred thousand quintillions of samādhi entranceways that arise from the perfection of wisdom were revealed to Candraprabha, such as the heroic,384 the treasury of space,385 the vajra-like,386 the speed of the mind,387 the revealing of all forms,388 [F.29.b] the ultimate absence of obscurations, the revealing of all tathāgatas,389 the consecration of all emptiness,390 and so on. Many entranceways to dhāraṇīs and liberations391 were revealed. He attained the knowledge of the joy and happiness that is described by the noble ones, of the countless vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of experience of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
It was said:
10.8
The Bhagavān placed upon the head of the youth Candraprabha
The hand that for many millions of eons had given away jewels,
Which was beautified by being webbed, and had markings of a vase and hook,
A knot of eternity, a wheel, a victory banner, a flag, and fishes. {ii}
10.9
Then Candraprabha, full of joy and happiness and the knowledge of the countless, vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of experience of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and recited these appropriate verses of praise:
10.10
“I pay homage to you, the unsurpassable provider of freedom from fear.
I pay homage to you, a loving friend of beings who benefits others.
I pay homage to you, who possess the power of truth and the ten strengths.
I pay homage to you, who are the equal of the unequaled tathāgatas. {iii}
10.11
“I pay homage to you, the Lord who has the highest compassion.
I pay homage to you, the hero who has subjugated the four enemies.392
I pay homage to you, who know the benefits of sublime diligence.
I pay homage to you, the Lord393 who has the supreme dharmakāya. {iv}
10.12
“I will always go for refuge to you, Lord,
The Jina who is a sun shining in the center of the vast sky of wisdom,
Dispelling darkness with the light of love and compassion,
And who is the teacher of the extremely profound Dharma of the ultimate truth.” {v} [F.30.a]
10.13
When the youth Candraprabha had recited these appropriate verses of praise to the Bhagavān, he said to him, “Bhagavān, so that you may show me your compassion I pray that you, with your saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha of bhikṣus, will assent to eat your meal tomorrow at my home.
10.14
“I pray to the Lord of men and your sons
That you eat a pure meal at my home.
Lord of sages, in order to show me your compassion,
Chief of devas, give your assent.” {vi}
10.15 The Bhagavān, because of his compassion, by remaining silent assented to eat a meal together with his saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha of bhikṣus at the home of the youth Candraprabha.
10.16 The youth Candraprabha, knowing that the Bhagavān had assented by his silence, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, and departed from the Bhagavān’s presence.
10.17 The youth Candraprabha then went down from Vulture Peak Mountain, and at that time he perfectly adorned the entire road in between Vulture Peak Mountain and the great city of Rājagṛha.
10.18 As an offering to the Bhagavān he cleared a great, wide roadway so that it was free of grass, tree stumps, thorns, stones, pebbles, and gravel, and spread pure sand over it, so that it was as soft and pleasant to the touch as down, and made a pleasant sound. He covered it with flowers from all seasons, such as divine blue lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, water lilies, kachnar flowers, sambac jasmines, magnolias, bignonias, star jasmines, sesame flowers, ironwood flowers, and aśoka flowers. Parasols, banners, flags, flags of victory, precious arches,394 and canopies were set up along the road. [F.30.b] There were precious censers from which flowed the smoke of black agarwood.395 Arranged in different places were dancers and performers skilled in performing divine songs, dance, and music. Beautifully adorned men, women, boys, and girls were arranged holding paṇava drums,396 one-stringed lutes,397 lutes, flutes, mṛdaṅga drums,398 mukunda drums,399 and muraja drums.400 On both sides of the road tall palm trees were adorned with various divine jewels and a jingling network of bells made from Jambu River gold.401 There were many hundred thousand quintillions of pillars made of precious materials, and different kinds of trees of various heights and thicknesses made from the seven jewels, and on which were arranged the leaves, flowers, and fruits of all seasons.
10.19
The road was excellently adorned in various ways.
Canopies, parasols, and flags were erected.
The sound of music was perfectly played,
And similarly there was the beautiful sound of songs. {vii}
10.20
That perfect road was excellently adorned
By many women performing dances,
Many millions of various excellent cloths,
And beautiful, excellent garlands of flowers. {viii}
10.21
“The Buddha, the moon of sages, the compassionate one
Is coming to this pure excellent city.”
On hearing that, young Candraprabha with great faith
Perfectly adorned a great, vast road. {ix}
10.22
He spread out pure, divine sand
And scattered perfect, beautiful flowers.
He also set up precious pillars
And made the road as beautiful as a divine city. {x}
10.23
Young Candraprabha, with immense joy,
Perfectly adorned the road in various ways.
Devas, asuras, and nāgas, upon seeing it
Were astonished and cried out, “Ha ha ha!” {xi}
10.24
To the left and right of the road there were placed
Tall, excellent, round palm trees made of Jambu River gold,
Decorated and beautified by a network
Of numerous jingling, precious bells. {xii}
10.25
Similarly arranged were million of precious trees [F.31.a]
Adorned by blossomed flowers of all seasons,
Which were beautiful adornments for that vast road,
Like a blissful park in the deva realms. {xiii}
10.26
Pillars that were made from precious materials,
With beautiful strings of beads that shone like light—
An indescribable sight, huge and vast—
Were set up and arranged on the left and right of the road. {xiv}
10.27
The Buddha, the Lord of the three worlds,
Traveled on that road to the capital city.
That great road was adorned in that way
So that it was beautiful in every way. {xv}
10.28
On the right and left, precious censers were hung.
They were filled with black agarwood.
From all the censers there formed a cloud of smoke,
With divine, pleasant aromas of various kinds. {xvi}
10.29
The youth Candraprabha, for the sake of the Jina,
Arranged vast, incalculable ornaments of divine materials,
From the entrance to the water well of the city
Up to the king of mountains, Gṛdhrakūṭa. {xvii}
10.30
Young Candraprabha adorned the road with many different precious arrangements.402 Then young Candraprabha descended from Vulture Peak and went to the great city of Rājagṛha, to his tall, vast, great, divine home. He reached there and he entered his home. He spent that night preparing a great amount of excellent, delicious403 food and drink, and creating food that had a hundred flavors. Then he sprinkled well the ground in the great city of Rājagṛha and swept it clean, scattered flower petals, perfumed it with incense, put up canopies, hung ribbons and wreaths of silk, and set up parasols, banners, and flags.
10.31 In that way he made the main road of Rājagṛha up to the town free of stones, pebbles, and gravel, scattered it with various flowers, and sprinkled it with sandalwood powder. He adorned the windows, porticoes, doors,404 roofs,405 lattices,406 and the crescent moons,407 and perfumed them with sandalwood. In that way he adorned the city of Rājagṛha with countless displays [F.31.b] and adorned his own house, too, with a variety of many adornments. He hung it with many precious strings of beads. He adorned it with the raiment of the Tuṣita deities and also beautified the grounds. He had many kinds of garlands and wreaths put up as adornments. He arranged a hundred thousand precious seats. In order to make offerings to the Bhagavān he placed in their center a lion throne of divine materials that surpassed the work of devas and humans. In the four directions he hung censers made of various precious materials, from which flowed the smoke of black agarwood. In that way the youth Candraprabha arranged his excellent home so that for the enjoyment of the Bhagavān there was the sound of divine songs, performances, and music; pure parasols and banners were erected; an audience of a hundred thousand devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans thronged it; and it was filled with many various kinds of precious flowers.
10.32
Candraprabha perfectly, extensively adorned
His vast and excellent home.
In the center he placed a lion throne of divine materials
Where the lamp of the world would sit. {xviii}
10.33
He perfectly set out countless millions
Of extremely precious, beautiful seats
Where the saṅgha of the lamp of the world,
The Lord of jinas, would sit. {xix}
10.34
Censers made of all kinds of precious materials,
Completely filled with agarwood,
Were hung in all directions,
And from them a beautiful aroma spread. {xx}
10.35
Candraprabha, in order to attain the ten strengths,
Spread throughout the entire excellent grounds of the house
Various kinds of beautiful, precious flowers—
A multitude of excellent, aromatic flowers. {xxi}
10.36
The sound of dancers, singers, and of music
Filled the entire excellent house with sound.
He erected also parasols and banners [F.32.a]
So that the house was intensely beautiful, like that of a deity. {xxii}
10.37
The vast excellent home of the youth Candraprabha
Was adorned by a multitude of young people.
It was filled with many nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras,
And was gazed upon by many hundreds of devas.408 {xxiii}
10.38 The young man Candraprabha, having adorned the great city of Rājagṛha and having perfectly beautified his own home, after the night was over, in the early morning, departed, accompanied by the music of hundreds of various kinds of instruments, with many millions of parasols, banners, and flags held high, and with an encircling vanguard of a great assembly of eight million quintillion bodhisattvas, their cupped hands filled with divine coral tree flowers. Among them were bodhisattvas with one life remaining, such as Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Gandhahasti, Ratnaketu, Dundubhisvara,409 Durabhisambhava, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Vīrasena, Subāhu, Ratnakusuma, Amoghadarśin, Maitreya, and others, accompanied by many adorned horses and elephants without riders that were being led along, with an assembly of countless people of the country, his own cupped hands filled with divine coral tree flowers; and they were accompanied by the enchanting, beautiful, harmonious sound of the laughter of the deities as they cried, “Oh, the bodhisattva’s great power! The bodhisattva’s great miracles! The bodhisattva’s great manifestations! The bodhisattva’s—a la la!”
10.39 He came out through the hot springs gateway410 of the great city of Rājagṛha and went toward Vulture Peak Mountain, and to the Bhagavān.
10.40 When he arrived, he bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times,411 sprinkled the divine coral tree flowers that filled his cupped hands over the Bhagavān, and went to sit down to one side.
10.41 Maitreya and the other [F.32.b] bodhisattva mahāsattvas bowed their heads to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, sprinkled the divine coral tree flowers that filled their cupped hands over the Bhagavān, and also sat down to one side.
10.42 Then the youth, who had sat to one side, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together bowed toward the Bhagavān and said, “It is midday, Bhagavān, the time to eat. If the Bhagavān considers the time has come, then together with the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, and the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, humans, and nonhumans who have great power, who are widely renowned for their great power and have great influence, come to the great city of Rājagṛha, as the time has come to eat the midday meal in my garden. Sugata, it is midday.412
10.43
“I have adorned well the entire, excellent city,
And similarly, Lord, my garden.
I have prepared and laid out divine food with a hundred flavors.
As it is midday, I pray to the Sugata to arise. {xxiv}
10.44
“Supreme Rishi, you who hold the qualities of the ten strengths in your hands,
Encircled by the assembly of your sons, come to the city.
I pray that you, the illuminating sun who dispels darkness, will arise.
Bhagavān, the time has come for the midday meal in my garden. {xxv}
10.45
“I pray that you come, with your sons, to my garden.
You will benefit an assembly of many beings.
Just as Dīpaṃkara granted a prophecy to you,
Grant me likewise a direct prophecy in this world. {xxvi}
10.46
“When I have heard that prophecy in this world,
I will also develop a vast and perfect aspiration,
And all these beings will become buddhas. [F.33.a]
There are no unworthy beings present here. {xxvii}
10.47
“Arise, arise, Lord who has the ten strengths.
Benefit me and come to my garden.
Just as you come to my garden,
In that way I will go to the supreme tree of enlightenment. {xxviii}
10.48
“When I have gone to the foot of the supreme tree of enlightenment,
I will remain there unshakable and unwavering.
I will defeat with love the māras and their claws,
And just as you attained it, I, too, will attain enlightenment.” {xxix}
10.49
Then the Bhagavān, who had known what the youth Candraprabha would request, addressed these lines of verse to him:
10.50 “Arise Candraprabha, son of the jinas! Arise, you who are joyful in generosity, you supreme being! Arise, you who have compassion and firm conduct! Let us go to the meal!413 Let us proceed414 to your home.” {xxx} 10.51 After speaking these lines,415 the Bhagavān arose from his seat. He put on his lower robe, picked up his Dharma robe and alms bowl, and with the great saṅgha of a hundred thousand bhikṣus, and accompanied by a multitude of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, he proceeded. Many hundreds of thousands of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas,416 humans, and nonhumans made offerings to him and praised him. Through his great buddha powers, his great buddha miracles, his great buddha manifestations, and his buddha conduct he radiated many quintillions417 of light rays. He emanated flocks of melodious, soft, and beautiful birds of many different shapes and colors, such as geese, cranes, ruddy shelducks, swans, partridges, peacocks, rollers,418 parrots,419 mynas, cuckoos, avadavats,420 and snipe, so that like devas in the sky, each with its own song, they emitted the sound of music.421 [F.33.b]
10.52 The yakṣa lords Surūpa, Indraketu, Vikaṭa, Bakula, Pāñcika, Śākyavardhana, and many quintillions of yakṣa lords holding pestles422 with both hands, offered many quintillions of huge, vast censers made of various divine precious materials, with handles of beryl, sapphire, crystal, and white coral, filled with uragasāra sandalwood, gośīrṣa sandalwood, vetiver, yellow sandalwood, Malaya sandalwood, red sandalwood, agarwood, and so on, and from which smoke flowed.
10.53 There were the superior kings of great power, renowned as having great power, from their own regions, accompanied by many divisions of perfectly adorned horses and elephants being led without their riders, chariots, and infantry,423 in lines marching in front, holding in their hands many streamers and precious garlands. The horses and elephants, even though they were being led along without riders, were proceeding magnificently and emitting beautiful cries.
10.54 The Bhagavān was accompanied on his right-hand side by Brahmā, who was making offerings to him and attending upon him, and on his left-hand side by Śakra, lord of the devas, and by countless devas with great power, who were renowned for their great power, who were mighty and illustrious, and whose bodies were adorned by excellent divine crowns, ornamented anklets, earrings, bracelets, flowers on their ears, bejeweled necklaces, and flower garlands. Their forms were made visible and they were holding coral tree flowers, asters, orchids, hibiscus, amaranths, magnolias, karnikara flowers, aśoka flowers,424 bignonias, kachnar flowers, blue lotuses, medlar flowers,425 sambac jasmine, star jasmine, ironwood flowers, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, water lilies, precious garlands, precious agarwood, and precious fruit. They were playing hundreds of thousands of different kinds of musical instruments, waving millions of pieces of cloth, crying out, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” and sending down a great rain of flowers. In order to make offerings to the Bhagavān they filled the entire sky without leaving any space [F.34.a] and sent down a great rain of flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, powders, and jewels.
10.55
The Bhagavān entered at midday the great city of Rājagṛha through the hot springs gateway. The nature of this is described in these verses:426
10.56
The Tathāgata Buddha, knowing it was time,
That hero adorned with all qualities,
Who illuminates countless realms,
The Bhagavān, the lion of men, set forth. {xxxi}
10.57
Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta,427 and Amoghadarśin;428
Gandhahasti, Ratnakusuma,429 and Ratnabāhu;430
And Ratnaketu, Durabhisambhava,431 Vīrasena,432
And others followed in the Jina’s footsteps.433 {xxxii}
10.58
On his right was Ajita, who is named Maitraka,434
Who has the wealth of infinite qualities,
Who will become the following buddha
And has completed the accumulation of merit and wisdom. {xxxiii}
10.59
He is one who has cultivated435 love, rejoicing, and equanimity.
He is a great being of the Dharma who has developed compassion.
He understands the infinite qualities, the qualities of the Lord of sages.436 {xxxiv}
10.60
He followed behind437 the compassionate Sugata
And was followed by those438 who will be
Those with great realization in the Good Eon:
The thousand buddhas less four, {xxxv}
10.61
Who were preceded by Maitraka.
And also he who in the past, in this city of Rājagṛha,
While born in divine bodies that were like beautiful moonlight,
Made infinite offerings to jinas throughout eons, {xxxvi}
10.62
That hero Candraprabha was also present at the front.
To the left of the one with supreme compassion
Was Mañjuśrī,439 along with many thousands of millions440
Of heroes who have sublime qualities of miraculous powers,441 {xxxvii}
10.63
Who traveled to endless hundreds of realms.
Following him were those in the śrāvaka saṅgha:
Śārisuta,442 Maudgalyāyana,443 Kāla,
Kāśyapa, Subhūti, Nanda, and Kapphiṇa; {xxxviii}
10.64
Bhadrikarāja,444 and similarly Kauṇḍinya;
Ānanda, and similarly Sthavira Rāhula;
And Svāgata, Kañcika,445 Pūrṇa, Udāyin,
Revata, Kauṣṭhila,446 Upāli, and Aniruddha. {xxxix}
10.65
A full nine thousand447 of those with matted hair [F.34.b]
Followed behind the śrāvaka saṅgha.
They were all mighty ascetics who knew the Vedas and the rituals,448
And had mastered curses, renunciation, and beneficial incantations.449 {xl}
10.66
Self-controlled rishis with peaceful minds,
With disciplined minds, bowing with palms together,
Followed behind the Buddha, the lamp of the world,
The lion of men, endowed with compassion, {xli}
10.67
The liberator of thousands of beings, as he proceeded.
Like the completely pure lord of the host of stars,
The full moon of the last month of autumn,450
The Teacher who is without equal was encircled {xlii}
10.68
By many hundred thousands of Brahmās.
As he stepped on the threshold of the city’s gateway,
The earth and its thick forests shook.
The devas, asuras,451 and mahoragas {xliii}
10.69
Scattered excellent flowers and supreme incense.452 {xliv} 10.70 The moment the Bhagavān placed his right foot, adorned by a precious wheel from the accumulation of countless roots of merit, upon the threshold of the gate, this universe of a thousand million worlds shook in six ways. It trembled, trembled strongly, and trembled intensely; it quivered, quivered strongly, and quivered intensely; it shook, shook strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered strongly, and shuddered intensely; it quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked intensely; the east sank and the west rose, the west sank and the east rose, the north sank and the south rose, the south sank and the north rose, the perimeter sank and the center rose, and the center sank and the perimeter rose. A great radiance shone in the world, and countless, numberless other amazing, wonderful, miraculous manifestations appeared.453 [B4]
The nature of this is described in these verses:
10.71
When the Guide came to that supreme city
And placed his supreme foot upon the gateway’s threshold,
That magnificence caused this earth to shake,
And the beings in this supreme city were overjoyed. {1}
10.72
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The people who were hungry and thirsty [F.35.a]
At that time became free of the need to eat or drink.
They became free of hunger and thirst. {2}
10.73
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
All those people who were blind,
Deaf, and had no protector and little merit
Were all able to see and hear. {3}
10.74
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
All the pretas in the realm of Yama,
Suffering greatly and eating snot and spit,
Were touched by light and became happy. {4}
10.75
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The supreme trees—the sal and the karnikara—
At the summit of crags and on mountaintops,
They all bowed toward the Buddha. {5}
10.76
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The entire ground shook in six ways
Throughout the villages and towns as far as the ocean,
Without causing harm to anyone. {6}
10.77
Devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas—
Wherever beings lived, there was happiness and joy.
They developed faith in supreme, sublime enlightenment
And held a parasol for the guide of the world. {7}
10.78
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,
Thousands of musical instruments sounded without being played;
Hearing the beautiful sound of music,
All beings were filled with joy. {8}
10.79
Hundreds of thousands of trees bowed down,
And all flowers blossomed at that time.
Hundreds of thousands of devas in the sky
Made nonhuman offerings to the Jina. {9}
10.80
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,
Hundreds454 of bulls455 lowed with joy.
The kings of horses and elephants456 raised their bodies;
The lions, the kings of animals, roared. {10}
10.81
The kings, the rulers, however many there were,
Came from the cardinal and intermediate directions.
When they saw the glorious majesty of the Jina,
With minds filled with joy they bowed to him. {11}
10.82
Some praised the Lord of the World;
Some scattered a rain of flowers on the Jina;
Some placed their ten fingers together in homage,
And they cried, “Oh, the Jina, compassionate one!” {12}
10.83
Some scattered excellent strings of pearls [F.35.b]
And various ornaments that give rise to joy,
And some scattered clothing and jewels.
They developed the supreme, unequaled aspiration to enlightenment. {13}
10.84
Some scattered excellent meshes of gold;
Some also scattered mukhaphullaka adornments.
Some scattered excellent ornaments of gold,
And some, likewise, scattered anklets.457 {14}
10.85
Some scattered excellent bracelets,458
Some scattered armlets inset with jewels,
And some aspired to enlightenment, scattering excellent
Pieces of cloth,459 saying, “May we become buddhas!” {15}
10.86
When the Lord of the World stood in the gateway,
Some people scattered golden necklaces.
Some with minds filled with faith scattered excellent crest jewels;460
Some scattered networks of jewels. {16}
10.87
Those beings who were in extreme suffering,
Tormented by many kinds of miseries,
All attained happiness through the majesty
Of the Guide, the supreme human. {17}
10.88
Cuckoos, mynas, and peacocks,
And similarly cranes and other water birds461—
All the flocks of birds were in the sky
Emitting their beautiful, perfect songs. {18}
10.89
Desire, anger, and ignorance
Ceased in whoever heard
The sweet, beautiful songs
Of those flocks of joyous birds. {19}
10.90
The millions of beings who heard that joyful sound
All attained the patience that is concordant with the Dharma.
The Sugata gave them all this prophecy:
“You will in the future become buddhas.” {20}
10.91
At that time the kleśas did not arise,
And everyone was respectful to the Dharma king.462 {21}
10.92
At that time, when they saw the form of the Guide’s body,463
They developed the aspiration for the supreme wisdom of buddhahood.
They wondered, “When will we attain this kind of wisdom?”
And the Jina, knowing that, gave them their prophecies. {22}
10.93
From each pore of the Sugata
There shone hundreds of thousands of light rays
And more, as many as there are sand grains in the Ganges—
It would not be possible to perceive all their attributes. {23}
10.94
At that time, the sunlight did not shine.
Nor was there light from jewels, fire, or the devas. [F.36.a]
There was no other light at that time
When there was the splendor of the Buddha entering the city. {24}
10.95
When with that great assembly the Sugata proceeded on the path,
Wherever the feet of the one with the ten strengths trod
There appeared from the ground a hundred thousand lotuses
That were pure and had ten thousand million petals. {25}
10.96
When the Guide entered the supreme city,
At that time there was no dirt or refuse.
Throughout the entire city there arose
The lovely aroma of the most fragrant incense. {26}
10.97
The entire city and its streets were purified.
They had no stones or gravel and were sprinkled with perfume
And bestrewn with the petals of various kinds of flowers.
That is the kind of merit the one with ten strengths had. {27}
10.98
When a hundred thousand yakṣas with ferocious minds
Saw the Buddha, the Lord of men who was like gold,
They felt an immense love for the Guide
And took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. {28}
10.99
All of the million millions464 of devas
Who had come to see the Lord of men465
Let fall a rain of flowers on the Sugata.
They scattered flowers while in the middle of the sky. {29}
10.100
The flowers scattered by humans for the Jina
Formed a parasol of flowers in the sky.
The flowers scattered by the devas
Were strewn on the ground as divine flowers. {30}
10.101
The devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas
Never tired of gazing upon him.
When they saw the Lord466 with the ten strengths,
They were overjoyed and felt the highest delight. {31}
10.102
When they saw the body of the supreme being,
All beings were overjoyed and delighted;
They did not even think of the divine flowers,
Which did not seem at all wonderful.467 {32}
10.103
Brahmā upon the right of the one with ten strengths,
Śakra, the king of the devas, on his left,
And the many millions of deities in the middle of the sky
Showed great veneration to the supreme being. {33}
10.104
Devas and asuras encircled the Jina,
Who eclipsed all the majesty of devas and humans.
With the soles of his feet making patterns on the ground,
The invited Bhagavān entered into the city. {34}
10.105
His body was beautified by excellent primary signs,
Like the firmament filled with stars. [F.36.b]
The Buddha shone upon the king’s road468
Like the full moon in the sky. {35}
10.106
Just as an excellent, pure, precious jewel
That is free of all impurities shines
So that a pure light goes in all directions,469
In that way the Jina illuminated the entire world. {36}
10.107
Devas and asuras encircled the Jina.
The supreme human who entered Rājagṛha
With the soles of his feet leaving patterns on the ground,
The Buddha, came to the home of the youth Candraprabha. {37}
10.108
The supreme city was perfectly adorned,
Millions of banners had been erected,
The entire ground was anointed with the best perfumes,
And beautiful summer flowers were scattered. {38}
10.109
When the Sugata spoke to teach
With compassion for the people in the streets,
The Jina manifested emanations
That taught to them the excellent Dharma of the Buddha. {39}
10.110
[The Jina manifested emanations;
Bodies that were like gold were manifested.
The Buddha, the Jina, through his emanations,
Remained in emptiness, peace, the enlightenment of buddhahood.]470 {40}
10.111
When the hundreds of thousands of beings heard that,
They prayed for the supreme wisdom of the Buddha,
Wondering, “When will I attain this kind of wisdom?”
Knowing their thoughts, the Jina prophesied to them. 471{41}
10.112
There were those who aspired to attain
That inconceivable supreme attainment.
They had invited the Jina, the Lord of men,
And there was no limit to the offerings they made. 472 {42}
10.113
There were those who developed an excellent aspiration,
Thinking, “I will tomorrow invite the compassionate one,
He who wishes to benefit beings,
Whom it is difficult to see in saṃsāra.”473 {43}
10.114
Some who were upon the roofs
Developed the sublime, supreme aspiration to enlightenment
And they scattered divine flowers on the handsome,
Beautifully adorned body of the one with the ten strengths. {44}
10.115
Some developed the supreme, highest aspiration
And scattered garlands of magnolias,
Kachnar flowers, the scents of summer,
And wreaths of silken ribbons. {45}
10.116
Some stood, holding excellent flowers,
Their bodies perfectly beautified by their raiment.
They held various flowers and wreaths of silk
That they cast in the direction of the Jina with great power.474 {46}
10.117
Some scattered red lotuses, night lotuses,
Blue lotuses, and excellent golden flowers. [F.37.a]
Some scattered precious flowers,475
And some scattered sandalwood powder. {47}
10.118
When the Guide entered the supreme city
The wonders that appeared were uncountable,
Unequaled, impossible to describe,
And they brought many millions of beings to buddha wisdom. {48}
10.119
Those in Avṛha, Atapa, who had seen the truth,
The devas of Sudṛśa and Sudarśana,
And those in Akaniṣṭha, who are free of desire—
They all came to see the Lord of humans. {49}
10.120
Similarly, countless Parīttaśubha476 devas,
Apramāṇaśubha477 devas, filled with joy,
And countless millions of Śubhakṛtsna devas
Came to see the Guide, the great Rishi. {50}
10.121
Countless Apramāṇābha devas,
And similarly the Parīttābha devas,
And countless millions of Ābhāsvara devas
Came to see the Lord of the World.478 {51}
10.122
Many hundreds of thousands of Brahmā’s entourage,479
And similarly the faithful Brahmapurohita devas
And many hundreds of Brahmakāyika devas,
All came so as to see the Guide. {52}
10.123
Also the Paranirmitavaśavartin480 devas,
And the pure beings who dwell in Nirmāṇaratin,
And the joyful devas of Tuṣita and Yāma
All came to pay homage to the Buddha. {53}
10.124
Śakra, king of the devas, and the Trāyastriṃśa481 devas 482
Came with hundreds of millions of apsarases
And they sent down a rain of flowers,
Having come to see the Buddha, the Lord of sages. {54}
10.125
Also the world guardians of the four directions
Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra the nāga king,483
Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa, their minds filled with joy,
All came in order to praise the Lord of men. {55}
10.126
Ailavila, the powerful king of the yakṣas,
With a delighted mind and encircled by a hundred yakṣas,
Was in the middle of the sky and joyfully
They sent down a rain of numerous various flowers. {56}
10.127
Also the Sadāmatta484 and Mālādhāra devas,
Holding various kinds of incense and flowers,
With their retinues, all joyful, [F.37.b]
Made offerings there to the supreme individual. {57}
10.128
Also numerous Karoṭapāṇi yakṣas
And adorned yakṣa maidens
Made offerings to the Buddha
With hundreds of compositions of
The beautiful, melodious music of the yakṣas. {58}
10.129
Druma, the king of the kiṃnaras,
With thousands of kiṃnara maidens skilled
In sweet and melodious songs and music,
Arrived from Gandhamādana to make offerings to the supreme Jina. {59}
10.130
Śambara, Bala, Vemacitra, and Rāhu,
Together with an entourage of thousands of asura maidens,
And together with crowds of other powerful asuras,
Came and sent down a rain of jewels. {60}
10.131
From countless trillions of rākṣasas
A thousand million rākṣasas honored him.
They respectfully scattered a multitude of various
Flower petals upon the supreme individual. 485 {61}
10.132
The nāga king Girivalgu,
With a great entourage came before the Tathāgata,
Holding great numbers of perfect, precious flowers,
And bowed down at the Sugata’s feet.486 {i}
10.133
The nāga lords Padma and Mahāpadma,
And also Vāsuki, Ananta, and Phanaka,487
Came before the great leader
And respectfully bowed to the Sugata. {ii}
10.134
The nāga king Maṇi, filled with joy,
Came before the feet of the great leader
Holding fragrant, perfect nāga flowers
And sat before the Sugata at no great distance. {iii}
10.135
Also the nāga king Anavatapta,
With perfectly trained nāga maidens
Playing a hundred thousand musical instruments and drums,
Came and made offerings there to the Lord of the World. {62}
10.136
The five hundred sons of Anavatapta,
Encircled by their kindred and filled with joy,
Seeking the highest, vast wisdom,
Came to make offerings to the self-arisen one. {63}
10.137
Similarly, the nāga king Apalāla,
Palms together, bowed to the supreme individual
Holding beautiful, excellent nāga pearls.
He remained in the sky, making offerings to the king of sages. {64}
10.138
Similarly, the nāga king Mucilinda,
With great happiness and filled with joy,
Holding various jewels and pearls, [F.38.a]
Came and scattered them for the Guide. {65}
10.139
Similarly, the nāga king Kālika
Came before the Tathāgata.
Joyful and holding perfect, beautiful strings of jewels,
He made offerings to the supreme individual.488 {66}
10.140
He489 felt great veneration as he thought
Of the qualities of the Tathāgata.
Encircled by his many nāga kindred,
He recited many praises of the Guide. {67}
10.141
Similarly, the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda—
Similarly, also, Takṣaka and Kṛṣṇagautama—
Came there gazing upon the Jina
And bowed down to the Sugata’s feet. {68}
10.142
The nāga king Elapatra
Came weeping, encircled by a hundred nāgas.
He remembered the supreme sage Jina Kāśyapa
And saw what an unfavorable rebirth he himself had obtained. {69}
10.143
“Alas! I had doubts in the past.
In the past I cut down an elapatra490 bush,491
And therefore I obtained this unfavorable rebirth.
It is not easy to know the Dharma of the Jina. {70}
10.144
“I forsake this rebirth into a nāgī’s womb,
And this birth in an extremely detestable body.
I will realize the Dharma, the state of peace,
That the best of men realized in the Bodhimaṇḍa.” {71}
10.145
Sāgara, the nāga cakravartin king,
Accompanied by an entourage of thirty million nāgas,
And the majestic Varuṇa, holding necklaces of jewels,
Came in order to make offerings to the Bhagavān.492 {72}
10.146
The yakṣa of Rājagṛha who caught
While he was in the sky
The rock thrown at the Buddha
Was respectfully present before the Sugata. {73}
10.147
The entire domain of the king of Alakavatī493
Became empty, with no yakṣa remaining there.
They had all promised each other
To come and see the Lord of the World. {74}
10.148
In the same way, Kharakarṇa and Sūciromā,
The terrifying yakṣas of the forests,
And the yakṣa Gardabhaka, who lives in the snow mountains,
Had come into the presence of the self-arisen Jina.494 {75}
10.149
Indraketu, Vikaṭa, and Surūpa,
Bakula, Pañcika, and Śākyavardhana,495
And a thousand other yakṣa lords [F.38.b]
Came holding censers of incense.496 {76}
10.150
Many with ugly, misshapen bodies,
Many kinds of bodies, destitute of adornment,
In their hundreds of thousands
Came into his presence, holding yakṣa flowers. {77}
10.151
Gautama, Rishi Bṛhaspati, and Jahnu,
Kauśika, Kāśyapa, and Markandeya,
Viśvāmitra, Parāśara, and Gargā,
They all came to pay homage to the Buddha. {i}
10.152
And similarly, there were the joyous and enraptured Nārada,
And the rishis Vyāsa, Kutsa, and Aṅgiras,
And Manu, Bhṛgu, Vātsyāyana, and Vaśiṣṭha,
Who came to pay homage to the Buddha. {ii}
10.153
Jaimini, Vāmana,497 and Vaiśampāyana,
Jamadagni and supreme rishi Vālmīki,
Durvāsa, and also Cyavana
Came to the supreme city to see the Guide. {iii}
10.154
When they saw the Rishi, the rishis were overjoyed
And they bowed down to the feet of the king of sages.
They paid homage to the lamp of the world and praised him,
Standing before the Hero with palms placed together. {iv}
10.155
The entire multitude of rishis in the world
Came in order to see the Lord of men.
When they saw him they made vast offerings
And stood before him with palms placed together. {v}
10.156
The garuḍas that live at the ocean’s shore
Came, having transformed into the appearance of brahmins.
Holding various beautiful kinds of crowns
And positioned in the sky, they paid homage to the Sugata. {78}
10.157
All of the devas that dwell in Jambudvīpa,
Whether in hundreds of towns or in its forests,
And all the goddesses of the towns
Came and made offerings to the Lord. {79}
10.158
The countless devas of the forests
And all the mountain devas came,
And also the countless devas of rivers498
Arrived to make offerings to the Guide. {80}
10.159
The hundreds of devas of desert wildernesses,
All the devas of mountain peaks,
The devas of lakes, springs, and ponds,
And the devas of the ocean came into the Buddha’s presence. {81}
10.160
Assemblies of devas, asuras, and nāgas,
Yakṣas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, and garuḍas, [F.39.a]
And similarly, a multitude of pretas and pūtanas
Showed their respect to the supreme being. {82}
10.161
They made offerings to the supreme Jina
When the Guide entered the supreme city.
The kings of the devas, asuras, nāgas, and yakṣas
Could not get their fill of looking at him. {83}
10.162
In previous existences the Lord of the World
Had made perfect offerings to the jinas of the past.
This was the ripened result of that merit.
The beings could not stop looking at the Lord of humans. {84}
10.163
When the Jina shone light through the buddha realm,
Meru, and similarly Sumeru and Cakravāla
The Himagiri and Gandhamādana
Could not obscure the Jina’s light. {85}
10.164
All of the oceans in this buddha realm
At that time all became land,
And the entirety of this buddha realm
Became equally scattered with flowers. {86}
10.165
Countless hundreds of thousands of light rays
Came from the soles of the King of Dharma’s feet.
All the beings in the hells were cooled
And, freed from suffering, experienced happiness. {87}
10.166
The one with the ten strengths taught the Dharma
So that the sight of devas and humans was purified.
Countless hundreds of thousands of beings
All gained certainty in the Buddha’s wisdom. {88}
10.167
The numerous miracles manifested by the Sugata
Could not easily be described in ten million eons.
When the Guide entered the supreme city
All beings rejoiced at the Jina, the Sugata.499 {89}
10.168
These qualities of the Sugata are immeasurable.
They are the supreme human’s perfection of qualities.
They have transcended all unique qualities.
Bow your heads to the realm of the Buddha’s merit! {90}
10.169
Conclusion of the tenth chapter, “The Entry into the City.
