འཕགས་པ་བད་སའ་རྒྱལ་པ་འཆར་བྱད་ཀྱས་ཞས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་ལའ 2

2

Through the power of the Buddha, the razor-sharp arrow turned back and burst into flames directly above King Udayana of Vatsa’s head. As it burned and blazed, it became a single flame, sometimes moving about and sometimes standing still. Then, moving toward King Udayana of Vatsa, the arrow remained on his right side without touching his body.

King Udayana of Vatsa shot two or three more arrows with the same result before Queen Śyāmāvatī said to him, “Great King, in this situation, if you were to prostrate to the Thus-Gone One, you too would find well-being.”

Full of terror and fear, King Udayana of Vatsa became weak, and his hair stood on end. Falling to the ground, he spoke these verses to Queen Śyāmāvatī:

“Are you a goddess or a gandharvī?
Are you a piśācī or a rākṣasī?
How is it that I should consider you?
Answer my question thus.

“There is no woman anywhere
Who is not harmed by weapons.
I have never heard of nor seen,
Nor known of someone like that.

“I am mighty and diligent
And skilled in the art of archery;
There is no doubting my arrow
For never has it missed.

“Whether it be monkeys or birds,
No matter if it be men or targets,
Wherever I shoot my arrow,
Never yet has it missed its mark.

“And yet today, this arrow that I shot
Returned back as if counteracted,
And—without any physical harm—
It came to rest right in front of me.

“Having heeded the words of others,
I desired to bring about your death,
Yet now I go to you for protection.
Please protect me, pitiful being that I am.

“Henceforth⁹ I will not act in this manner.
Please be patient with miserable beings,
Recollect your past love for me, and
Delight therein, curbing your wrath.”

Queen Śyāmāvatī responded in verse to King Udayana of Vatsa:

Through the power of the Buddha, the razor-sharp arrow turned back and burst into flames directly above King Udayana of Vatsa’s head. As it burned and blazed, it became a single flame, sometimes moving about and sometimes standing still. Then, moving toward King Udayana of Vatsa, the arrow remained on his right side without touching his body.

King Udayana of Vatsa shot two or three more arrows with the same result before Queen Śyāmāvatī said to him, “Great King, in this situation, if you were to prostrate to the Thus-Gone One, you too would find well-being.”

Full of terror and fear, King Udayana of Vatsa became weak, and his hair stood on end. Falling to the ground, he spoke these verses to Queen Śyāmāvatī:

“Are you a goddess or a gandharvī?
Are you a piśācī or a rākṣasī?
How is it that I should consider you?
Answer my question thus.

“There is no woman anywhere
Who is not harmed by weapons.
I have never heard of nor seen,
Nor known of someone like that.

“I am mighty and diligent
And skilled in the art of archery;
There is no doubting my arrow
For never has it missed.

“Whether it be monkeys or birds,
No matter if it be men or targets,
Wherever I shoot my arrow,
Never yet has it missed its mark.

“And yet today, this arrow that I shot
Returned back as if counteracted,
And—without any physical harm—
It came to rest right in front of me.

“Having heeded the words of others,
I desired to bring about your death,
Yet now I go to you for protection.
Please protect me, pitiful being that I am.

“Henceforth⁹ I will not act in this manner.
Please be patient with miserable beings,
Recollect your past love for me, and
Delight therein, curbing your wrath.”

Queen Śyāmāvatī responded in verse to King Udayana of Vatsa: