分別功德論 4.24

4.24

所以稱朋耆奢比丘能造偈頌者，此比丘前為長者子時，為人天才聰朗觸物讚頌。時出行遊，遇一技家女，形容端正世之希有，覩之情欣便欲納之。歸白父母，啟以前見：「願父母為我娉索不？」父母不悅：「卿族姓子，如何改趣毀先人風。」其子意猛，復重啟曰：「若不為我納者，不能存世。」父母見子言重，不忍呵制，便言：「隨汝。非我所知。」即自遣人與女家相聞。女家是技種，唯技為先，便荅來使曰：「不貪君財。唯能眾技兼備者，便持相與。」朋耆聞之，即詣技工學於諸技，不經數旬眾技兼備。復重遣信：「所學已備，便可相惠。」主人答曰：「若技備者，當詣王試。」時在正節，王集眾技普試藝術，若最勝者賜金千兩。王亦聞此女妙，欲納之宮裏。試之技法，緣幢為最。竪幢高四丈九尺，下置刀劍，刃皆上向，間趣容足。時朋耆緣幢於上空旋七匝便下投之空地。王懼失女，詐佯不視。人皆言妙。王言：「不見。若審妙者，更復為之。」朋耆念曰：「若不順王教者，必失此女，規一果情。」朋耆冒死復緣，既至幢頭，顧視女面，心自惟曰：「何坐此人乃至斯困？」心懼形慄恐不自全：「女人虛妄何用此為？」佛知此人必可濟度，若不救者當墮三塗。告目連曰：「汝以神足救彼危厄。」目連奉教即往現變，於虛空中結加趺坐，復於幢下現七寶階，餘人不見朋耆獨覩。徐於梯間七匝而下，神力所接內安外危。王與眾人甚為奇異，王手自牽女以付朋耆。朋耆曰：「不用此虛詐之物，誑惑世人迷誤清直，亡國破家莫不由之。」即尋目連往詣世尊。世尊告曰：「善來比丘。」便成沙門。為說四諦，即得應真，喜情發中而形於言，便作頌偈讚於世尊：

The reason why the bhikṣu Vaṅgīsa is called able to compose verses (gāthās) is this: previously, when this bhikṣu was the son of a householder, he had brilliant natural talent and praised everything in verse. Once, when he went out traveling, he encountered the daughter of an acrobat family, whose appearance was upright and rare in the world. Seeing her, he felt delight and wished to marry her. He returned and told his parents, reporting what he had seen before: 'Would my parents please propose marriage for me?' The parents were displeased: 'You are the son of a noble clan; how could you change your station and ruin our ancestral tradition?' The son's desire was fierce, and he repeated: 'If you do not marry her to me, I cannot remain alive in this world.' Seeing their son's words were so grave, the parents could not bear to forbid him, and said: 'As you wish. It is not our doing.' Thereupon he sent a messenger himself to communicate with the girl's family. The girl's family belonged to the acrobat caste and valued acrobatics above all, so they replied to the messenger: 'We do not covet your master's wealth. Only if he is fully accomplished in all acrobatic arts will we give her to him.' When Vaṅgīsa heard this, he immediately went to acrobats and studied all the arts; in not many decades of days, he was fully accomplished in all the arts. He sent a message again: 'What was to be learned is now complete; you may now bestow her.' The master replied: 'If your arts are complete, you must go before the king for the contest.' At that time it was the new year festival, and the king gathered acrobats to test their arts widely; to the most victorious he would grant a thousand ounces of gold. The king had also heard that this maiden was exquisite and wished to take her into the palace. In testing the arts, climbing the pole was considered the supreme [feat]. A pole forty-nine feet high was erected, and beneath it were placed swords and blades, all pointing upward, with barely space for a foot between them. Then Vaṅgīsa climbed the pole, spun seven times in mid-air above it, and threw himself down to the empty ground. The king, fearing he would lose the maiden, feigned not to see. The people all said it was wonderful. The king said, 'I did not see it. If it was truly wonderful, do it once more.' Vaṅgīsa thought: 'If I do not obey the king's order, I will surely lose this maiden; I must attain my desire.' Risking his life, Vaṅgīsa climbed up again. Having reached the top of the pole, he looked back at the maiden's face and thought to himself: 'Because of this person, how have I come to such distress?' His mind grew terrified and his body trembled, fearing he could not preserve himself: 'A woman is unreal; what is the use of this?' The Buddha knew that this man could certainly be delivered, and that if not rescued, he would fall into the three bad destinies. He said to Maudgalyāyana: 'Use your supernatural powers to save him from distress.' Maudgalyāyana received the instruction and immediately went to display a transformation: sitting cross-legged in the sky, he further manifested a staircase of seven jewels beneath the pole. Other people could not see it; Vaṅgīsa alone saw it. Slowly, he descended seven rounds along the steps, supported by supernatural power, safe within while appearing endangered without. The king and the crowd considered it marvelous, and the king took the girl by the hand himself to deliver her to Vaṅgīsa. Vaṅgīsa said: 'I have no use for this deceptive object, which deceives worldly people and misleads the pure and upright; the ruin of states and the destruction of families never fail to stem from this.' He immediately followed Maudgalyāyana to visit the World-Honoured One. The World-Honoured One said to him: 'Welcome, bhikṣu.' He thereupon became a śramaṇa. When [the Buddha] taught him the Four Noble Truths, he immediately attained arhatship. Joy welled up from within and found expression in words, and he composed verses to praise the World-Honoured One: