分別功德論 4.24

4.24

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: