釋迦譜 1.384

1.384

At that time, on that very day, eight kings also fathered crown princes at the same time as King Śuddhodana. Those kings each rejoiced, thinking, 'The birth of my son has brought many wonders,' unaware that these were auspicious portents of Sarvārthasiddha. They all assembled brahmins to establish auspicious names for their princes: the prince of Rājagṛha was named Bimbisāra; the prince of the kingdom of Śrāvastī was named Prasenajit; the prince of the kingdom of Sthūlakoṣṭha was named Kurava; the prince of the Vatsa kingdom was named Udayana; the prince of the kingdom of Bala was named Udrayāna; the prince of the kingdom of Roruka was named Jvalatejas; the prince of the kingdom of Takṣaśilā was named Pukkasāti; and the prince of the kingdom of Varakurava was named Kurava. At that time, King Śuddhodana universally commanded his ministers to seek out those who were intelligent, of broad learning and wisdom, skilled in divination and physiognomy, and well known among worldly people. Hearing this, the ministers searched in the four directions. Then the king erected a great hall in the rear garden, with windows and balustrades adorned with the seven treasures. At that time, the ministers found five hundred brahmins who were intelligent and skilled in physiognomy; having seen the miraculous signs, they had wanted to come visit the king, and coincidentally met the messengers sent by the king, arriving with great speed. The ministers said to the king, 'The physiognomist brahmins have now arrived.' Hearing this, the king rejoiced and ordered them forward, inviting them into the hall to sit and presenting various offerings. The brahmins said to the king, 'We have heard that the Great King’s newly born prince possesses marks of excellence and extraordinary portents; we wish that we may all see him.' The king immediately ordered that the prince be brought out. Once the brahmins saw the prince’s marks of excellence so resplendent and magnificent, they praised it as unprecedented. The king then asked, 'What does the physiognomic reading of the prince reveal?' The brahmins said, 'All sentient beings desire fine sons; the prince born to the Great King today is a great and rare wonder. Do not give rise to worry or fear.' They further said, 'Though the Great King speaks of the newly born prince as his son, he is in fact the eye of the world.' The king asked again, 'How is this known?' The brahmins said, 'We observe that the prince’s bodily color is radiant like pure gold, and his marks of excellence are exceedingly clear and pure. If he leaves home, he will achieve sarvākārajñatā; if he remains at home, he will become a wheel-turning sage king ruling over the sons of the four devas. Just as the ocean is foremost among rivers, Mount Sumeru is most supreme among all mountains, the sun is unsurpassable among all lights, and only the bright moon brings absolute coolness to all, so the prince is the most honored in the realm of gods and humans.' Hearing these words, the king’s heart was overjoyed and freed from all apprehension. The brahmins further said to the king, 'There is a brāhmaṇa seer named Asita, endowed with the five supernatural powers, who dwells on Fragrant Mountain. He will be able to resolve all the king’s doubts.' Having spoken these words, the brahmins took their leave and departed.