大方廣佛華嚴經疏 6.15

6.15

Second, the leader speaking the verses has two parts: first, displaying the manner of speaking; second, explaining the main discourse. Now, the first: Flame Sea (Yan Hai) is the leader of this assembly, reverently receiving the Buddha's power to express their minds for the assembly. The Daśabhūmika-śāstra states: "Receiving the Buddha's power reveals the absence of conceit. Universally contemplating the ten directions indicates the absence of partiality." Here, contemplating his own assembly is only slightly different in being specific rather than general. Now, there are four kinds of verses in total: (1) Anustubh verses: here, without regard to prose or verse, simply counting thirty-two syllables constitutes one verse. (2) Gāthās: here translated as chanted verses; also called non-versified verses, because they do not versify prose; or called direct verses, meaning they directly expound the Dharma in verse. (3) Geyas: here translated as corresponding verses. (4) Udānas: here translated as gathered and bestowed verses, meaning they collect many meanings in few words and bestow them on others to recite and uphold. These here are precisely gāthā verses, and the subsequent ones should all be understood accordingly. For what purpose does the sūtra establish many verses? There are briefly eight meanings: (1) because few words contain many meanings; (2) because praises are mostly delivered in verse; (3) to repeat the teaching for those of dull faculties; (4) for the sake of those who come later; (5) in accordance with personal inclinations; (6) to make it easy to accept and uphold; (7) to further clarify the previous teaching; (8) because it was not spoken in prose. Here it directly pertains only to the first two, implicitly encompassing the fifth and sixth.