Ekottaragama (Sanskrit fragments) 31.8.16

31.8.16

「是時，去我不遠，有吉祥梵志在側刈草，即往至彼，問：『汝是何人，為名何等，為有姓耶？』梵志報曰：『我名吉祥，其姓弗星。』我爾時語彼人曰：『善哉！善哉！如是姓字，世之希有；姓名不虛，必成其號，當使現世吉無不利，生、老、病、死，永使除盡。汝姓弗星，與我共同。吾今欲所求，見惠少草。』吉祥問曰：『瞿曇！今日用斯草為？』爾時，我報吉祥曰：『吾欲敷樹王下求於四法。云何為四？所謂賢聖戒律、賢聖三昧、賢聖智慧、賢聖解脫。』

“I then left. Not far away, there was an ascetic cutting grass along the side of the road. I went to him and asked, ‘Who are you? What’s your name? What clan are you from?’

“The priest replied, ‘My name is [Maṅgalā] from the Viśākha clan.’

“I then said to that man, ‘Good, good! Such a clan name is rare in this world. That clan name isn’t empty; it surely measures up its epithet. It makes present fortune that’s not without profit. Birth, old age, illness, and death are forever eradicated. Your Viśākha clan and my own are equals. I was just now going to look for some grass.’

“[Maṅgalā] asked, ‘Gautama, could you use this grass today?’

“I then replied to [Maṅgalā], ‘I’d like to prepare a seat under the king of trees to pursue four teachings. What four? They are the noble discipline, noble concentration, noble wisdom, and noble liberation.’