釋迦譜 1.54

1.54

Sengyou notes: In the primordial chaos at the beginning of the kalpa, sovereign rule was first established, taking its source from Mahāsammata down to Kalyāṇa, thirty-three kings succeeding from father to son. From Kalyāṇa onward, it is said there were ten clans of wheel-turning kings, from the first, Gānuci, to the tenth, Iṣīma. They may have been brothers or collateral descendants; as sages and worthies arose alternately, different clans could have arisen separately, responding to Heaven and receiving the mandate. Their distant lineage and ancient origins can hardly be measured by conjecture. Totalling their generations, there were eighty-four thousand two hundred and ten sage kings altogether. Looking back at what Śuddhodana inherited, it stemmed from Iṣīma, wheel-turners in continuous succession, their glory renewed over hundreds of millions of generations. Therefore, the provisional manifestation of Śākya(muni) appeared as a descent to be born; once his traces were visibly lodged, the lineage was made renowned. Yet when the sūtras cite great numbers, they seem not to be exhaustive. In ancient times, even with Fuxi, Shennong, Huangdi, and Shaohao, the exact years were unknown; how much more so with the flying sage emperors whose lifespans exceeded the great cedrela tree? How could ordinary intellect fathom such vast eras?