大般涅槃經集解 15.53

15.53

案僧亮曰：上云學大乘者能令魔事不起，而佛在道樹下，無魔事斯言似虛。是故以此一譬，正顯菩薩以降魔之力攝得聲聞，兼遣此嫌也。龍，譬魔。

Sengliang comments: Above it was said that one who practices the Great Vehicle can cause the deeds of Māra not to arise, yet when the Buddha was beneath the Bodhi tree, Māra was present, so the statement that there were no deeds of Māra seemed false. Therefore, this single simile is used precisely to reveal that the bodhisattva uses the power of subduing Māra to gather in the śrāvakas, and at the same time dispels this doubt. The nāga is a simile for Māra.