妙法蓮華經文句 2.135

2.135

次列四迦樓羅，此云金翅，翅翮金色，居四天下大樹上，兩翅相去三百三十六萬里，有人言：《莊子》呼為鵬，鵬行眾鳥翼之，亦稱為鳳皇。私謂鳳不踐生草，噉竹實，棲乳桐；金翅噉龍，云何是類？「大威德」者，威勝群輩，又威攝諸龍也，《正》本云「具足」。「大身」者，大群輩也。「大滿」者，龍恒充滿己意也。「如意」者，頸有此珠也，《正》本云「不可動」。迦樓鳥有神力，雄化為天子，雌變為天女，化己住處有寶宮，亦有百味，而報須食龍，胎能噉胎，不能噉三，卵能噉二，濕能噉三，化能噉四。《觀佛三昧經》云：「正音迦樓，一日山東噉一龍王，五百小龍，三方亦爾，周而復始壽八千年。臨終失勢欲噉龍子，龍母𭋣嘇之不得食，即嗔從金剛山透海，穿地輪過，不能過風輪，風彈之，從故孔湧到金剛山，如是七返，還山頂命終，肉裂火起，將燒寶山，難陀雨雨滅之，肉爛心衝風輪亦七返，墮山上成如意珠，龍得之即為王，人王亦感此珠者也。」

Next are listed the four garuḍas, translated here as "golden-winged". Their wings and feathers are of golden color, and they dwell atop great trees in the four continents. The distance between their two wings is 3,360,000 li. Some say that Zhuangzi calls them the peng: when the peng travels, the host of birds flaps its wings beside it; it is also called the fenghuang. I personally consider that the fenghuang does not tread on living grass, eats bamboo seeds, and perches on the milk-tong tree; the golden-winged bird devours dragons—how could they be of the same kind? "Great Majesty and Virtue" refers to one whose majesty surpasses his peers, and who also majestically subdues the dragons; the Zheng version translates it as "Complete". "Great Body" means having a body larger than his peers. "Great Fullness" means that dragons constantly fulfill his desires. "Wish-Fulfilling" refers to having such a jewel at his neck; the Zheng version translates it as "Immovable". The garuḍa bird possesses supernatural powers: the male transforms into a son of heaven and the female transforms into a maiden of heaven. Their transformed dwellings possess precious palaces and also hundreds of flavors; yet by retribution they must feed on dragons. The womb-born can devour womb-born, but cannot devour the [other] three; the egg-born can devour two; the moisture-born can devour three; and the transformationally born can devour all four. The Guannfo sanmei jing says: "The correct pronunciation is garuḍa. In one day, to the east of the mountain it devours one dragon king and five hundred small dragons; the same is true for the other three directions. Repeating this cycle, its lifespan is eight thousand years. At the verge of death, it loses its power and wishes to devour a dragon's child; the dragon mother conceals and protects it so that it cannot be eaten. Enraged, it plunges from Mount Vajra through the sea, piercing through the earth mandala, but cannot pass through the wind mandala. Struck back by the wind, it surges up from the former hole to Mount Vajra. Seven times like this, it returns to the mountain peak and dies. Its flesh splits and fire arises, threatening to burn the precious mountain. Nanda rains down showers to extinguish it. Its flesh decays, and its heart strikes against the wind mandala also seven times; falling upon the mountain, it becomes a wish-fulfilling jewel. When a dragon obtains it, he becomes a king; human kings also resonate with this jewel."