Udanavarga 2.18-20

2.18

時諸梵志重聞此偈，益懷篤信，為佛作禮，歡喜奉行。

When the brahmacārins heard this verse again, their faithful devotion grew even firmer; they bowed to the Buddha and joyfully put it into practice.

On hearing these lines the Brahmachārins were converted, and worshipping Buddha, arose and departed. On another occasion, when a Pratyeka Buddha, called Kāla, entered Nirvāna, after enduring the insults of certain women as he begged his food, the World-honoured uttered these verses:

2.19

昔佛在舍衛國給孤獨精舍，為諸天人說法。時波斯匿王有一寡女，名曰金剛，少寡來歸，父母哀愍，別為宮舍作好舍宅，給五百妓女以娛樂之。眾中有一長老青衣，名曰度勝，恒行市買脂粉香華。時見男女無數大眾，各齎香華出城詣佛。即問行人：「欲何所至？」眾人答言：「佛出於世三界之尊，度脫眾生皆得泥洹。」度勝聞之心悅意喜，即自念言：「會老見佛，宿世之福。」便分香直持買好華，隨眾人輩往到佛所，作禮却立散華燒香。一心聽法已，過市取香，因聽法功德宿行所追，香氣熏聞斤兩倍前，嫌其遲晚而共詰之。度勝奉道即如事言：「世有聖師三界之尊，擊無上法鼓震動三千，往聽法者無央數人。實隨聽法，是以稽遲。」金剛之徒聞說世尊法義深妙非世所聞，悚然心歡而自歎曰：「吾等何罪獨自不聞？」即報度勝：「試為我說之。」度勝白曰：「身賤口穢不敢便宣。乞更諮受，如命說之。」即便遣出，重告之曰：「具受儀式。」度勝未還，金剛、侍女側息中庭，如子待母。佛告度勝：「汝還說法多所度脫，說法之儀先施高座。」度勝受勅具宣聖旨，皆大歡喜，各脫衣服一領，積為高座。度勝洗浴，承佛威神如應說法，金剛之等五百餘人，疑解破惡得須陀洹道。說法甚美不覺失火，一時燒死即生天上。王將人從來欲救火，見之已燃，收拾棺殮葬送畢訖，往過佛所，為佛作禮却坐常位。佛問王曰：「所從來也？」王叉手言：「女金剛不幸不覺失火，大小燒盡，適棺殮還，不審何罪遇此火害？唯願世尊彰告未聞。」佛告大王：「過去世時有城名波羅奈，有長者婦將婇女五百人，至城外大祠祀。其法難犯，他姓之人不得到邊，不問親踈，其有來者擲著火中。時世有一辟支佛名曰迦羅，處在山中，晨來分衛暮輒還山。迦羅分衛來趣郊祠，長者婦見之忿然瞋恚，共捉迦羅撲著火中，舉身燋爛便現神足，飛昇虛空。眾女驚怖，泣淚悔過，長跪舉頭而自陳曰：『女人憃愚不識至真，群愚荒騃毀辱神靈，自惟過舋罪惡若山，願降尊德以消重殃。』尋聲即下而般泥洹，諸女起塔供養舍利。」

Formerly, when the Buddha was at Anāthapiṇḍada's vihāra in Śrāvastī, he preached the Dharma for gods and humans. At that time, King Prasenajit had a widowed daughter named Vajrā (Jīngāng). Having been widowed young, she had returned home. Her parents took pity on her, building a separate palace and fine residences for her, and provided five hundred singing-girls to entertain her. Among them was an elderly maidservant named Dùshèng, who constantly went to the market to buy cosmetics, incense, and flowers. On one occasion, she saw an immense crowd of men and women, each carrying incense and flowers, going out of the city to visit the Buddha. She asked the passersby, "Where do you wish to go?" The crowd replied, "The Buddha has appeared in the world; he is the most venerated in the three realms, delivering sentient beings so that all attain nirvāṇa." Hearing this, Dùshèng felt joyful and pleased in her heart, thinking to herself, "To meet the Buddha in my old age is the merit of past lives!" She then used part of the money for incense to purchase fine flowers and followed the crowd to the Buddha's abode. She paid homage, stepped back, stood, scattered the flowers, and burned incense. After listening single-mindedly to the Dharma, she stopped by the market to pick up the incense. Because of the merit of hearing the Dharma and the fruition of her past deeds, the fragrance permeated far and wide, and its weight was double that of before. [Her mistresses] suspected her of being late and questioned her. Having embraced the Way, Dùshèng recounted the facts: "In the world there is a holy teacher, the most venerated in the three realms. He strikes the unsurpassed drum of the Dharma, shaking the three-thousandfold world. Countless people have gone to listen to the Dharma. I indeed followed along to listen to the Dharma, which is why I was delayed." When Vajrā and the others heard that the Bhagavat's exposition of the Dharma's meaning was profound and wonderful, unlike anything heard in the world, they felt awestruck and joyful in their hearts, sighing to themselves, "What sin have we committed that we alone have not heard it?" She at once said to Dùshèng, "Try to preach it for me." Dùshèng replied, "My person is lowly and my mouth impure; I dare not proclaim it right away. Please let me inquire further and receive [instructions], and then I will speak as commanded." They immediately sent her out, instructing her again: "Receive the protocol in full." Before Dùshèng returned, Vajrā and the attendant maidens waited anxiously in the courtyard like children waiting for their mother. The Buddha told Dùshèng, "When you return to preach the Dharma, many will be delivered. As for the etiquette of preaching the Dharma, first set up a high seat." Having received the instruction, Dùshèng proclaimed the holy directive in full. All rejoiced greatly, and each took off a robe, piling them up to make a high seat. Dùshèng bathed, and relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, preached the Dharma as appropriate. Vajrā and the more than five hundred others had their doubts resolved, destroyed their evils, and attained the path of a srotāpanna. The preaching of the Dharma was so captivating that they did not notice a fire breaking out. They all burned to death simultaneously and were immediately reborn in heaven. When the king arrived with his retinue wishing to extinguish the fire, he saw that they were already burned. After collecting their remains, encoffining them, and completing the funeral rites, he went to visit the Buddha. He bowed to the Buddha and stepped back to sit in his usual seat. The Buddha asked the king, "Where have you come from?" The king joined his palms and said, "My daughter Vajrā met with misfortune; without noticing, a fire broke out, and all from great to small were burned to ashes. I have just returned from encoffining them. I do not know what sin caused them to suffer this calamity by fire. May the Bhagavat please disclose what has not been heard." The Buddha told the great king, "In a past life, there was a city named Vārāṇasī. A śreṣṭhin's wife took five hundred maidservants to an important sacrificial site outside the city. Its rules were strict and inviolable: persons of other clans were not allowed to approach, regardless of whether they were kin or strangers; anyone who came was thrown into the fire. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha named Kāla, who resided in the mountains; he would come in the morning to seek almsfood and return to the mountains at dusk. As Kāla was going about for alms, he approached the suburban sacrificial site. Seeing him, the śreṣṭhin's wife became furious with anger. Together, they seized Kāla and threw him into the fire. His entire body scorched, he immediately manifested supernatural power and flew up into the void. Terrified, the women wept, repented their fault, knelt for a long time, raised their heads, and confessed: 'We women are stupid and did not recognise the Utmost True One. In our crowd of foolish ignorance, we disgraced a spiritual being. Considering our transgression, our sin and evil are like a mountain. We pray you bestow your revered virtue to dispel this heavy calamity.' Hearing their voice, he at once descended and entered parinirvāṇa. The women erected a stūpa to make offerings to his relics."

2.20

佛為大王而說偈言：

The Buddha spoke this verse for the great king: