請觀音經疏闡義鈔 2.34

2.34

Fourth, their names. The sūtra text briefly enumerates thirteen venerables. Śāriputra was foremost in wisdom, and hence is designated with "great wisdom." Śāriputra, fully Śāriputra-la, is translated here as Shenzi ("son of the body"). Because his mother had a beautiful bodily form, and he was born from her body, he was called Shenzi. It is also translated as Zhuzi ("son of the pearl"): his mother was intelligent among women, and the sign of intelligence was in the pearl of her eye; being born from the pearl, he was called Zhuzi. People of the time made this title for him by using the son to make the mother manifest. The new translation renders it Śāriputra: *śāri* means a *qiu* (myna), which is the mockingbird, also called the spring oriole; *putra* means son. Because his mother's eloquence was compared to a *qiu* bird, and he was her son, he was made known through his mother, and hence is called Qiuzi. Maudgalyāyana is a clan name, translated as "praising and chanting." The *Mañjuśrī-paripṛcchā-sūtra* translates it as "radish root." Paramārtha says: "Maudgala is translated as chickpea. These two items were relished by ancient immortals, and were thus used to name the clan." The new translation renders it Mahāmaudgalyāyana, translated here as "the great pulse-gatherer clan." In ancient times an immortal dwelt in a tranquil mountain spot, constantly gathering mung beans to eat, which became his clan name. The venerable's mother belonged to that clan, and taking his mother's clan name, he was named after it. Having attained great supernormal powers, he was distinguished from the other clans, hence called "the great pulse-gatherer clan." His personal name was Kolita: Kolita is the name of a tree; his parents prayed to the tree deity and obtained a son, naming him after it. The new translation says that following his father's original name, he was called Kolika, also called Kolita. Mahākāśyapa is translated here as "great tortoise clan," of the brāhmaṇa caste. His ancestors studied the Path, and a divine tortoise bearing an immortal's diagram appeared in response; naming the clan from this virtue, they were called the tortoise clan. It is also translated as "drinker of light": in ancient times there was an immortal whose body had light that swallowed and eclipsed the sun and moon; Kāśyapa belonged to his lineage, and taking the clan name as his personal name, he was called Drinker of Light. The word "great" distinguishes him from other Kāśyapas. Mahākātyāyana is rendered here as "literary adornment," and also as "fan cord." His mother loved this son and refused to remarry, like a cord tied to a fan. The new translation renders it Mahākātyāyana. Subhūti is translated here as "empty-born." When he was born, the storehouses and containers in his home all became empty, which the diviner declared auspicious. Born because of emptiness, his courtesy name was Kongsheng ("empty-born"); he was also called Shanji ("good auspiciousness"). Aniruddha is also called Anilü, and also Anirudou, which are all variations of the Sanskrit phonetic transcription, translated here as "free from poverty." In the past, during a time of famine, he presented coarse millet to a pratyekabuddha and received an abundant retribution for ninety-one kalpas, hence named "free from poverty." The new translation renders it Aniruddha, translated here as "non-extinction." Kapphiṇa is translated here as Fangxiu (pronounced *xiù*, lunar mansion). His parents prayed to the constellation Fang and were granted a son; hence they used the mansion Fang to name his physical birth. It is also translated as Fangsu (pronounced *sù*, lodging in a room): the Buddha lodged in the same room with him, transforming into an old monk to expound the Dharma for him, whereupon he attained the Path; hence "lodging in a room." Ci'en says: "The constellation Fang, because he was born when the constellation Fang appeared." Gavāmpati is translated here as "cud-chewing ox." The *Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra* calls him "ox king." The *Ekottarika-āgama* says: "Ox tracks: in the past, because he plucked a stalk of grain and several grains fell to the ground, he spent five hundred lifetimes as an ox to repay it. Even though he now has a human body, he still exhibits the characteristics of ox hooves and cud-chewing." The new translation renders it Gavāmpati, translated here as "ox characteristics." Pilindavatsa is translated here as "residual habits." For five hundred lifetimes he had been a brāhmaṇa, with a malicious nature and coarse speech; even though he has now attained the fruition, his residual habits still remain, as when he scolded the river deity; hence the name Residual Habits. The new translation renders it Pilindavatsa. Vakkula is translated here as "good countenance," because of his upright and handsome appearance. He lived to the age of one hundred and sixty, free from disease and untimely death. He had five death-defying retributions: his stepmother placed him in a frying pan, in a boiling caldron, into the water where a fish ate him, and under a knife, yet he never died, because in the past he strictly maintained the precept against killing. For ninety-one kalpas his life was never cut short prematurely. In the past he was a poor man who gave a single myrobalan (harītakī) fruit to a sick monk; upon taking it the monk's illness was cured, and so now he is free from disease. The new translation renders it Vakula. Nanda is translated here as "good joy," also called "delight," also "root of joy." He was a cowherd; upon questioning the Buddha about the eleven matters of herding cattle, he realized that the Buddha possessed all-knowledge and attained the fruition of an arhat. Ānanda is translated here as "joy," also "celebrated joy." When the World-Honoured One attained enlightenment, both inside and outside all celebrated; he was born at that time of joy, hence named "celebrated joy." Rāhula is translated here as "covering and obstructing." Paramārtha says: "Rāhu was originally the name of an asura who could obstruct the sun and moon with his hand; translating this, it should be 'moon-obstructor.'" The Buddha said: "My Dharma is like the moon; this child obstructed me from immediately leaving home. Lifetime after lifetime he obstructed me, and lifetime after lifetime I was able to renounce him." Hence he is called "covering and obstructing." The new translation renders it Rāhula, translated here as "seizer of the sun." The reason the old and new translations differ is entirely because the lands within the five regions of India differ locally, and the Sanskrit coming down to us differs between past and present. For example, in this land, the Later Han had its capital at Luoyang, while the Eastern Jin moved to Jianye; if Chinese texts had first been transmitted to India, they would certainly have regarded northern pronunciation as standard, whereas when Jin people later traveled to India, they would certainly have regarded southern speech as standard. Therefore, there are inevitably contradictions in what is said. Illuminating it in this way, ancient Sanskrit was not necessarily altogether erroneous or abridged.