妙法蓮華經文句 2.58

2.58

"Yaśodharā, the mother of Rāhula": identifying the mother by the son. This is translated as Flower-Complexion, and also as Renowned; or some say it has no translation. Gentle, good, respectful, and frugal, her virtues equaled the crown prince's. When at home she was the wife of the Bodhisattva and a spiritual friend of gods and humans; having left the household, she became the leader of the assembly of nuns, her status residing in non-training—how could she belong to an assembly of those not widely known? The Sūtra of the Twelve Wanderings mentions three consorts: first, Gopā; second, Yaśodharā; third, Mṛgadāvā. Both the Sūtra on What Has Never Been and the Auspicious Response Sūtra state that Rāhula was the son of Gopā. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Lotus Sūtra both state that he was the son of Yaśodharā. How are the two meanings to be reconciled? Perhaps that sūtra mentions the senior mother, while here the birth mother is mentioned. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states that Govidā was a precious woman who was childless; she is precisely Gopā, here translated as Radiant Woman. Therefore we know he was definitely the son of Yaśodharā.