仁王經疏 1.40

1.40

Explanation: The fourth [part] is the place where the sūtra was spoken. The country is named Mojieti, or said to be Mojietuo, or called Meijietuo, or written Mogatuo—all of these are phonetic corruptions of the Sanskrit. The correct pronunciation is Magadha, translated here as the Country of Excellent Victory, or the Country of Non-Harm. Another explanation says: *Maga* is the name of a constellation, translated here as "not evil"; *dha* means "place"; it is named the Country of the Place of Not-Evil, and also named the Country of the Place of the Constellation. According to the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa*, just as the city of Rājagṛha surpasses other cities, and Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa surpasses other mountains, because the Buddha spoke in a superior place, it reveals that this Dharma gate is superior. Now we first explain the city, and then explain its mountain. Paramārtha said: The Vinaya-vibhāṣā itself has three explanations. The first says: Prince Vasu at first built houses together with the people, but ghosts and spirits immediately destroyed them, leaving only the king's house. This occurred up to seven times, until the crown prince instructed them, saying: "Just build houses again, and inscribe all of them as 'the king's house'." Thereupon they were able to avoid destruction, and because of this it was given the name "the city of the King's House" (Rājagṛha). The second says: Wheel-turning kings appeared in the world and successively dwelt here; therefore it is named "the King's House". The third says: The Four Heavenly Kings together with the asuras churned the ocean of milk and obtained amṛta; they built a house on this mountain and guarded it for seven days, after which they divided it; because of this it was given the name "the city of the King's House". According to the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, there are also three explanations. The first says: The King of Magadha at first gave birth to a son who had one head, two faces, and four arms. Later, when he grew up, he possessed great strength, ruled over the world of Jambudvīpa, captured eighteen thousand kings from various countries, and placed them to dwell within these five mountains; because of this it was given the name "the city of the King's House". Another explanation says: The city where the King of Magadha previously dwelt caught fire; each time it burned, it was rebuilt, up to seven times. The people of the state were exhausted by forced labour, so the king sought another dwelling place. Seeing that these five mountains encircled [the area] like a city wall, he built a palace and dwelt within them; therefore it is named "the city of the King's House". Another explanation says: In the distant past, this country had a king named Kuśa (Guangche). He went out hunting and happened to see five mountains encircling [the area] steeply and firmly, adorned and wondrous in various ways; he immediately abandoned his original city to dwell within them. Because a king previously dwelt here, it is named "the city of the King's House". The complete account is as found there. The *Samantapāsādikā* states: "This city is the greatest, three hundred yojanas in extent, with eighty billion households and eighty thousand villages." For a detailed explanation, see the *Xiyu ji*. As for Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, this is a corrupted and abbreviated sound; correctly spoken it is Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, translated into the Tang language as Vulture Peak, or as Vulture Terrace. Since this mountain was inhabited by vultures, and its shape also resembles a high terrace, it was named after the bird. Formerly it was called Vulture Head, or Vulture Ridge, or Divine Vulture—these are all of one meaning. According to the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, there are two explanations. The first says: The mountain head resembles a vulture, hence it is called Vulture Head. Another says: Vultures dwell on the mountain peak, hence it is named Vulture Head. That is to say, there were many corpses in the śītavana south of the city of Rājagṛha, and vultures constantly came to eat them and returned to the mountain top; people of the time thereupon called it Mount Vulture Head. Another record states: "Divine" means numinous like a seer. This bird has a numinous power and knows whether people will live or die. When a person is about to die, it leads its flock to that house; waiting until [the corpse] is sent to the forest, it flies down to feed. Because it can know in advance, it is called the Divine Vulture. Furthermore, Paramārtha's *Qishi ji* states: "The Vinaya-vibhāṣā says: In the past, when Śākyamuni practiced the bodhisattva path, in order to transform beings, he took on the body of a vulture. His parents were old and blind; in order to repay their kindness, he sought food to provide for them. An elder in the city of Rājagṛha entered the mountain and saw this, and consequently asked what merit there was in such support. The vulture explained it to him according to the Dharma. The elder was overjoyed and said: 'You are a good spirit of the mountain. From now on, for the rest of my years, I will provide for you.' All the birds, because of this, were able to receive provisions. The vulture said to the birds: 'You must repay the benefactor's kindness.' The birds did not understand his intent, and day after day stole other people's wealth and possessions to send as gifts to the elder. When people lost their belongings, they laid complaints before the king. The king questioned the elder, and the elder replied according to the facts. When the king heard this, he was astonished, and subsequently entered the mountain, where this vulture preached the Dharma to him. The king was greatly delighted and later sent offerings. Because this mountain was where the divine bird dwelt, it was named Mount Divine Vulture (Gṛdhrakūṭa)."