瑜伽論記 7.506

7.506

世尊依此已下，第二舉喻。大等生等者，三藏云：應言大生等生，即長者兒。若生自大夫人，名為大生，生自小婦，名為等生。泰云：劫初始立王時，眾人共許為大。許者，非一，故名等。復許為大，故總云大等。自此已後，所有人王，從大等生故，名大等生。後言等者，向上等是。又解：帝王名大等，諸侯名生等，灩溢之言，覆脫之言若。

From "The World-Honoured One, relying on this" onward, the second part presents a metaphor. Regarding "Mahāsammata and the like": the Tripiṭaka Master says that it should read "born of the great, born of the equal," referring to sons of an elder. If born of the principal wife, he is called "born of the great"; if born of a secondary wife, he is called "born of the equal." Tai says: when a king was first established at the beginning of the kalpa, the multitude collectively agreed that he was great. Those who agreed were not one, hence the term "equal" (sammata). Furthermore, they agreed that he was great, so he was collectively called Mahāsammata ("Great-Equal"). From then on, all human kings were born from Mahāsammata, hence called "born of Mahāsammata." The subsequent word "and the like" refers upward to the equals. Another explanation: emperors are called "the great and their like," and feudal lords are called "those born [of them] and their like"; these are hyperbolic words or textual corruptions.