釋迦譜 2.18.2

2.18.2

At that time, when the Śākyas heard that the army of King Virūḍhaka had been routed, the Śākyas immediately summoned the youth Śama and said to him: "Young boy, why have you brought disgrace upon our clan? Do you not know that the Śākyas practice the good Dharma? We cannot even kill insects, how much less human lives! We too could rout this army, for one man could stand against ten thousand. Yet we also reflect: killing human lives leads to falling into hell after death, and if born among humans, one's lifespan is extremely short. Leave! You must not remain here." Thereupon the youth Śama departed the country. At that time, King Virūḍhaka arrived at the gate again, [demanding]: "Open the city gates quickly, without delay!" At that time, the Śākyas said among themselves: "Should we open the gates for him, or should we not?" Then the wicked Māra Pāpīmān transformed into the shape of a Śākya and said to the Śākyas: "Open the city gates quickly, and do not all suffer hardship together!" Thereupon the Śākyas opened the city gates. King Virūḍhaka then said to his ministers: "The people of this Śākya host are exceedingly numerous, not such that can all be slain by knives and swords. Take them all and bury their feet in the ground, and then have fierce elephants trample them to death." At that time, the ministers received the king's order and had elephants trample them to death. Then King Virūḍhaka ordered his ministers: "Quickly select five hundred Śākya women with fine faces and hands." At that time, the ministers received the king's order, selected five hundred shapely women, and brought them before the king. At that time, Mahānāma the Śākya went to King Virūḍhaka and spoke thus: "You must grant my wish." King Virūḍhaka asked: "What wish do you desire?" Mahānāma said: "I shall now sink beneath the water; during the time, long or short, that I remain submerged, let all the Śākyas flee. If I emerge from the water, you may kill them at will." King Virūḍhaka said: "This is very fine." Thereupon Mahānāma the Śākya plunged to the bottom of the water, tied his hair to a tree root, and ended his life. At that time, the Śākyas in the city fled out the east gate and re-entered through the west gate; they fled out the south gate and returned through the north gate. Then King Virūḍhaka said to his ministers: "Why has my grandfather Mahānāma remained concealed in the water and not yet come out?" At that time, the ministers heard the king's command, went into the water, and brought him out; Mahānāma had already ended his life. When King Virūḍhaka saw that Mahānāma had ended his life, he felt remorse: "My grandfather has now ended his life, all because he loved his kinsmen. Had I known this, I would never have come to attack these Śākyas." Then King Virūḍhaka slaughtered ninety-nine million nine hundred thousand people, such that blood flowed into a river. He burned the city of Kapilavastu and went to the Nyagrodha grove. King Virūḍhaka then said to the five hundred Śākya women: "Do not grieve or worry! I am your husband and you are my wives; we shall surely unite." King Virūḍhaka then seized one Śākya woman, intending to molest her. The woman said: "Great King, what do you wish to do?" The king replied: "I wish to unite intimately with you." The woman said: "Why should I unite intimately with the offspring of a slave?" At this, King Virūḍhaka was greatly enraged and ordered his ministers: "Take this woman at once, cut off her hands and feet, and throw her into a deep pit!" The ministers received the order, cut off her hands and feet, and cast her into the pit. All five hundred women likewise cursed the king, saying: "Who would give this body to have sexual union with the offspring of a slave?" In his wrath, the king took all five hundred Śākya women, cut off their hands and feet, and threw them into a deep pit. Having destroyed Kapilavastu, King Virūḍhaka returned to Śrāvastī. At that time, Prince Jeta was deep within the palace, making merry with singing-girls. The king heard the sounds of music and ordered his driver: "Turn this elephant and proceed to the prince's quarters." At that time, the gatekeeper saw the king coming from afar and said to the king: "Walk slowly, O King! Prince Jeta is now amusing himself in the palace; do not disturb him." Thereupon King Virūḍhaka drew his sword immediately, seized the gatekeeper, and killed him. Prince Jeta, hearing that King Virūḍhaka was outside the gate, came out to meet the king: "Welcome, Great King!" [The king] said: "Did you not know that I was fighting with the Śākyas?" Jeta replied: "I heard of it." King Virūḍhaka said: "Why did you make merry with singing-girls and not assist me?" Jeta replied: "I cannot bear to kill sentient beings." At this, King Virūḍhaka was exceedingly enraged; he again drew his sword and struck Jeta dead. At that time, the World-Honoured One, viewing Prince Jeta with the divine eye, saw that he had ended his life and was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. Meanwhile, the five hundred Śākya women took refuge and called upon the name of the Tathāgata: "The Tathāgata went forth and practiced the path here, and subsequently attained Buddhahood. Now that we suffer this bitter agony, why does the World-Honoured One not remember us?" At that time, the World-Honoured One, hearing with the clear purity of the divine ear the Śākya women crying out their grievances to the Buddha, led the bhikṣus and proceeded to Kapilavastu. When the five hundred Śākya women saw the World-Honoured One leading the bhikṣus coming from afar, they all felt shame. At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra and King Vaiśravaṇa were behind the World-Honoured One. Turning, he said to Śakra Devānām Indra: "These Śākya women all feel shame." Śakra Devānām Indra immediately covered these women with heavenly garments. Then the World-Honoured One said to King Vaiśravaṇa: "These women have been hungry and thirsty for a long time." King Vaiśravaṇa at once provided spontaneous heavenly food, fully satisfying all the Śākya women. The World-Honoured One gradually expounded the subtle and wondrous Dharma to the women, explaining suffering, its arising, its cessation, and the path. Thereupon, with all defilements exhausted, the women attained the pure Dharma-eye; each ended her life right where she was and all were reborn in heaven. Then the World-Honoured One went to the east gate of the city and saw that smoke and fire blazed fiercely within the city. The World-Honoured One then went and sat in the Nyagrodha grove, and said to the bhikṣus: "Formerly, I expounded the Dharma to the bhikṣus here; now it is an empty ruin without people. From now on, the Tathāgata will never come here again." Rising from his seat, he went to the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada's park in Śrāvastī, and said to the bhikṣus: "Seven days from now, King Virūḍhaka and this army of his will all be destroyed." When King Virūḍhaka heard the World-Honoured One's prediction, he was terrified and said to his ministers: "The Tathāgata has now predicted that seven days from now, I and my army will all perish. Look outside our borders to see if there are any bandits, floods, fires, or disasters coming to invade the kingdom."