四分律行事鈔資持記 1.181

1.181

薩遮尼犍，即外道名，以為經題。廣如第二，今略引之。彼明佛在欝闍延城。時有大薩遮尼犍子，與八十八千萬尼犍子遊行諸國，教化眾生（此竝大權示化），次至欝闍城。時國主嚴熾王問尼犍子：如來相好莊嚴之身，以何為本？從何為始？尼揵答言：一切功德助道之行，舉要言之，以戒為本，持戒為始。續云：若不持戒等，如鈔所引。破戒墮獄。畜是別報，故云不得。又畜為下趣，而復疥癩，猶故不得。欲明毀戒尚無劣報，以勵持者必加勝功。（野干，應法師云：形色青黃如狗，群行夜鳴如狼。）

Satyaka Nirgrantha is the name of a non-Buddhist, used as the title of the sūtra. As detailed in the second part, it is now cited in brief. It explains that the Buddha was in the city of Ujjayinī. At that time, there was a Great Satyaka Nirgranthaputra who, together with eighty-eight thousand Nirgranthaputras, traveled through various lands teaching and transforming sentient beings (these were all manifestations of great expedient means), and next arrived at the city of Ujjayinī. At that time, the ruler of the country, King Jvalanogra, asked the Nirgranthaputra: "With what as the root, and from what as the beginning, is the Tathāgata's body adorned with the marks and signs?" The Nirgrantha answered: "To summarize all the virtuous qualities and practices assisting the Path, they have the precepts as their root and the maintenance of precepts as their beginning." He continued: "If one does not maintain the precepts..." as quoted in the Manual. Breaking the precepts leads to falling into the hells. Animals are a distinct retribution, hence it says "one cannot even obtain [it]". Furthermore, animals are an inferior destiny, and to also have scabies and leprosy makes it even more unobtainable. This intends to show that one who violates the precepts does not even obtain an inferior retribution, in order to encourage those who maintain them to surely add superior effort. (Regarding the jackal, Master Ying says: its shape and color are blue-yellow like a dog; they travel in packs and howl at night like wolves.)