འཕགས་པ་མར་མ་མཛད་ཀྱས་ལང་བསྟན་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 13

13

The Buddha Dīpaṅkara has emerged,
And he comes to Padmāvatī
With a large retinue of seven thousand.

“ ‘For that reason were victory banners raised.
That is why hundreds of drums are beaten.
For that purpose the whole city was cleaned
And the four streets decorated.’

“Hearing mention of the Buddha,
He was impressed by the Buddha’s qualities
And traveled there swiftly without hesitation.

“From afar he saw a brahmin girl
With darting eyes like utpala flowers.
Sitting at the door holding a lotus,
She spied the brahmin boy.

“To converse with pleasant words,
With the voice of the kalaviṅka and the peacock,
With the pleasing sounds of the goose and the cuckoo,
Abandoning cacophony and with the voice of Brahmā,
The girl spoke to the brahmin boy:

“ ‘What is it, boy? When you were in the forest
Making burnt offerings and reciting mantras,
Were you harassed by the king’s army?³²
You are disturbed and wander the streets.’

“ ‘Girl, I have neither home nor family,
And I have no possessions.³³
I do not desire the pleasures of the senses,
So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.

“ ‘I do not eat food that comes from them—
Even though I wear robes I do not accept it.
I do not knowingly tell lies,
So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.

“ ‘I live in the forest on fruits and roots,
So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.’

“ ‘Were you attacked by lion cubs,
Or were there no fruits or roots in the forest?
Why did you come to this settled place?’

“ ‘I was not harmed by lion cubs,
And in the forest there are fruits and roots.
Good lady, it is because I need utpala flowers
That I came here to the city.’

“ ‘Perhaps, young brahmin, my utpala flowers
Would be suitable to adorn the proud body
Of some young man.’

“ ‘I do not buy them for my own garland.
I do not desire to carry around utpala flowers.
It is for the sake of the compassionate Dīpaṅkara,
Good lady, that I beg for these utpala flowers.’

“ ‘In Gone to Bliss,
When you ate my father’s food,
You disregarded his pleading words.
How can you shamelessly beg for flowers?’

“ ‘Good lady, as payment for your utpalas,
I will give these five hundred coins.³⁴
May the noble lady grant them to me
In my search for qualities of the Buddha.