妙法蓮華經文句 2.127

2.127

"Utpalaka", translated here as "Lake of Dark Blue Lotuses"; the nāga dwells depending on it, taking his name from the lake. Originally he abides in the Lotus Samādhi, while his traces dwell in this lake. As for contemplation: the threefold contemplation is cultivating the cause, and the cause is precisely the lotus. The *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* says: "The nāgas protect the boundaries for the devas; when the asuras raise troops, they first fight with the nāgas." Thus we know they are governed by the devas.