無量壽經連義述文贊 1.23

1.23

Regarding the passage in the sūtra, "Śakra and Brahmā attended him, while gods and humans turned to him with reverence": The commentary states: This clarifies the attendance and taking of refuge by gods and humans. After the bodhisattva was born, in the Lumbinī grove for seven days and seven nights, humans and gods played all kinds of marvelous music to make offerings to the Honoured Countenance. Thirty-two thousand renowned Brahmins of superior wisdom were provided with whatever they needed to their complete satisfaction. King Brahmā and Śakra transformed themselves into the handsome forms of young brahmacārins (māṇava), took the foremost seats in the great assembly, and expounded marvelous and auspicious praises. Maheśvara and the Śuddhāvāsa devas made great offerings and proclaimed that this bodhisattva would definitely attain Buddhahood. Returning to their original abodes, when seven days had elapsed after the birth, the holy queen Māyā died and was born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. After seven days had passed, they returned to Kapilavastu, with ceremonial adornments twice as marvelous as when the holy queen had gone to the Lumbinī grove. Five hundred Śākya clansmen each built palaces, requesting of the king, saying: "How wonderful, All-Accomplishing (Sarvārthasiddha)! May the God among Gods grace my palace!" By reason of this cause and condition of achieving benefit, the bodhisattva was named Sarvārthasiddha. The king, taking pity on the Śākyas, thereupon brought the bodhisattva into the palaces of the various Śākyas, taking four months to complete the rounds, and only then did he bring the bodhisattva back to his own palace. Within his own palace there was a great hall named Jeweled Adornment; after the bodhisattva took up residence there, the king summoned all the clan relatives, elders, and venerables, and requested Mahāprajāpatī to be the foster mother. The king personally held the child and entrusted him to his maternal aunt, and the aunt then commanded thirty-two foster mothers to nurture the bodhisattva, just as the bright moon waxes pure and round from the first day to the fifteenth.