妙法蓮華經玄贊 1.93

1.93

贊曰：此下第三列名，有二，初別列名，後結名高。此二十一人中，或有以出家前後為次第。《報恩經》說：「初度五人，次度耶舍門徒五十，次度優樓頻螺門徒五百，次度伽耶門徒三百，次度那提門人二百，次度鶖子門徒一百，次度目連門人一百，合舉大數成一千二百五十人。」或有行德大小為次第，如迦葉在第二列，鶖子在迦旃延上列等，隨應不定。《無垢稱經．弟子品》以德辨為次第，以命問疾要假智辨方堪對揚故。《十二由經》「初成道二年度五比丘，三年化迦葉兄弟三人，五年度目連」，機宜不同，諸部結集誦經異故。《無量壽經》云「了本際者，即阿若憍陳如」。梵云阿若多憍陳那，憍陳是婆羅門姓，那是男聲，阿若多是解義，初悟解故。《因果經》中具說度憍陳那、優樓頻螺、伽耶、那提四人所以。初太子踰城之後，父王乃命內外親族合有五人營衛太子，五人交諍修苦樂行以為道真。太子誡撿依諸外道修苦樂行以過彼行，皆非正術，捨食乳糜，受吉祥草覺樹成道。後趣鹿園度此五人，初轉法輪，佛問解、未。五人之中陳那先報我今已解，淨居等天亦言已解，因以為名名之為解。憍陳之姓乃眾多，以解標名，那是男聲以男簡女，故復云那。《大般若》云「解憍陳那」。梵云摩訶迦葉波。摩訶，大也。迦葉波者姓也。此云飲光。婆羅門姓。上古有仙身有光明，飲蔽日月之光。迦葉是彼之種，迦葉身亦有光能飲日月，以姓為名故名飲光。大富長者之子，捨大財、姓出家，能為大行，少欲知足行杜多行，大人所識故標大名簡餘迦葉。如《因果經》第三卷并彌勒疏，具陳上二姓之所因。次三迦葉皆飲光種，兄弟三人，梵云鄔盧頻螺，言優樓訛也，此云木瓜。當其胸前有一癃起猶如木瓜。又池中龍亦名木瓜，從彼為稱故以為名。伽耶山名，即象頭山，亦云城，城近此山故名伽耶城。梵云捺地迦，言那提訛也，此是河名。《正法華》云「上時、象、江三迦葉」也。然《因果經》說此三人皆近河邊修道，佛作神通化之入法，以大者胸上有木瓜癃，或從池龍，第二從山，第三從河以為名也。

Eulogy: Below this is the third [part], listing their names, which has two parts: first, listing their names individually; and second, concluding with the prominence of their names.
Among these twenty-one persons, some are ordered according to who left home earlier or later. The Sūtra on Repaying Kindness says: "He first liberated the five persons; next he liberated Yaśas and his fifty disciples; next he liberated Uruvilvā[-Kāśyapa] and his five hundred disciples; next he liberated Gayā[-Kāśyapa] and his three hundred disciples; next he liberated Nadī[-Kāśyapa] and his two hundred disciples; next he liberated the son of Śāri and his one hundred disciples; and next he liberated Maudgalyāyana and his one hundred disciples—bringing the grand total to one thousand two hundred and fifty persons." Others are ordered according to the greatness or smallness of their virtuous practice, as when Kāśyapa is listed second and the son of Śāri is listed above Kātyāyana, etc., which varies as appropriate.
The "Disciples Chapter" of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra uses virtue and eloquence as the sequence, because when commanded to inquire about his illness, one must rely on wisdom and eloquence to be capable of responding.
The Sūtra of Twelve Years says: "In the second year after first attaining awakening, he liberated the five monks; in the third year, he converted the three Kāśyapa brothers; and in the fifth year, he liberated Maudgalyāyana." Due to differences in capacities and aptitudes, the various schools' recitations in compiling the sūtras differ.
The Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra says: "The one who understood the original limit is Ājñātakauṇḍinya." In Sanskrit it is Ājñātakauṇḍinya. Kauṇḍi is a brahmin clan name; [the suffix] nya is masculine gender; ājñāta means "understanding," because he was the first to realize and understand. The Sūtra of Cause and Effect fully explains the reasons for liberating these four persons: Kauṇḍinya, Uruvilvā, Gayā, and Nadī. Initially, after the prince leapt over the city walls, the royal father ordered a total of five persons from his inner and outer relatives to guard the prince. These five disputed with each other, practicing asceticism or indulgence as true path practice. The prince admonished and examined them, following various non-Buddhists to practice asceticism and indulgence in order to surpass their practices; seeing that none of these were proper methods, he abandoned them, ate milk porridge, received kuśa grass, and attained awakening under the bodhi tree. Later, he went to the Deer Park to liberate these five persons. When he first turned the wheel of the Dharma, the Buddha asked whether they understood or not. Among the five persons, Kauṇḍinya first responded, "I now understand!" The devas of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven and others also said, "He has understood!" Therefore, this was made his name, calling him "Understanding." The Kauṇḍi clan was very numerous; he was designated by "understanding," and nya is a masculine marker to distinguish him from females, hence he is also called nya. The Great Prajñā[-pāramitā-sūtra] says "Ājñā-Kauṇḍinya."
In Sanskrit it is Mahākāśyapa. Mahā means great. Kāśyapa is a clan name, translated here as "Light-Drinker." It is a brahmin clan. In ancient times, there was a rṣi whose body possessed radiance that drank in and eclipsed the light of the sun and moon. Kāśyapa was his descendant, and Kāśyapa's own body also had light capable of drinking in the sun and moon; named after his clan, he was called Light-Drinker. The son of a wealthy elder, he renounced great wealth and his noble clan to leave home. Capable of great practices, having few desires and knowing contentment, he practiced the dhūta austerities. Known to great people, he was designated with the title "Great" to distinguish him from the other Kāśyapas. As in the third fascicle of the Sūtra of Cause and Effect and Maitreya's commentary, the origins of the above two clan names are fully set forth.
The next three Kāśyapas all belong to the Light-Drinker clan, being three brothers. In Sanskrit it is Uruvilvā; the word Youlou is a corruption. Here it is translated as "Papaya" (bilva). On his chest there was a swelling like a papaya. Also, a dragon in a pond was named Papaya, and he was named after that dragon. Gayā is the name of a mountain, namely Mount Gayāśīrṣa; it also refers to a city, which was called Gayā City because it was near this mountain. In Sanskrit it is Nadīkā; the word Nati is a corruption. This is the name of a river. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka[-sūtra] in Dharmarakṣa's translation calls them "the three Kāśyapas: Upper-Time, Elephant, and River." However, the Sūtra of Cause and Effect says that these three persons all cultivated the path near a river, and the Buddha used spiritual powers to transform them and bring them into the Dharma. The eldest was named after the papaya-like swelling on his chest, or after the pond dragon; the second after the mountain; and the third after the river.