止觀輔行傳弘決 3.32

3.32

As for the marks of the fulfillment of morality: take, for example, King Sudarśana. This king was vigorous and constantly adhered to truthful speech. Wishing to go to the park to disport himself, just as he exited the city gate, a brahmin came begging from him, saying: "The king is a person of merit; pity my poverty." The king said: "Wait until I return." Just as he reached the park, a two-winged bird-king named Kalmāṣapāda, who had made a vow with a mountain spirit to capture a thousand kings, and had already obtained nine hundred and ninety-nine kings, lacking only King Sudarśana, flew down from the sky, seized the king, and carried him away. The women wept aloud, filling the park with grief. Kalmāṣapāda took the king to where he lived and placed him among the kings. King Sudarśana's tears fell like rain. Kalmāṣapāda said: "Great Kṣatriya! Why do you weep like a small child? In human life there is death; in meeting there is parting." Sudarśana answered: "I do not fear death. I only regret that since birth I have never spoken falsely, and yet now I have broken faith: having promised the brahmin to practice giving, I have failed my original intention and brought upon myself the sin of deception; that is why I weep." Kalmāṣapāda said: "Go back for seven days; when the giving is finished, come back to face death. If you do not come, I have the power to seize you." The king returned, gave gifts to his heart's content, enthroned the crown prince as king, and assembled the populace. The king then made an apology, saying: "My wisdom is incomplete; if I have acted slightly contrary to the Dharma, you must harbor anger. Today my body is not my own; I must go." The populace and relatives tried to detain him: "We pray the king will stay his thought and shower shade upon this kingdom; do not worry about the ghost-king Kalmāṣapāda. We shall erect an iron chamber and guard it with an elite army; although Kalmāṣapāda is spiritual, we do not fear him." The king spoke a verse: / "Truthful speech is the foremost precept; / Truthful speech is the ladder ascending to heaven; / Truthful speech makes the small person great; / False speech leads into hell. / I now preserve truthful speech; / I would rather lose body and life." / Thereupon he departed and went to Kalmāṣapāda's place. Seeing him come, [Kalmāṣapāda] was delighted: "You are a person of truthful speech, not failing your covenant of trust. All people cherish life; having escaped, you nonetheless returned—you are a great man!" At that time King Sudarśana broadly praised truthful speech and reproached false speech. Hearing this, Kalmāṣapāda's faith became pure, and he said to Sudarśana: "Since you are able to speak thus, I now release you, and the kings may each return to their own countries." Having spoken thus, the kings each departed (and so forth).