廣弘明集 23.47

23.47

比丘尼釋淨秀。本姓梁氏。安定烏氏人也。其先出自少昊至伯益佐禹治水。賜姓羸氏。周孝王時。封其十六世孫非子於秦。其曾孫秦仲為宣王侯伯。平王東遷封秦仲少子於梁。是為梁伯。漢景帝世。梁林為太原太守。徙居北地。烏氏遂為郡人焉。自時厥後昌阜于世。名德交暉蟬冕疊映。漢元嘉元年。梁景為尚書令。少習韓詩為世通儒。魏時梁爽為司徒左長史祕書監。博極群書善談玄理。晉太始中。梁闡為涼雍二州刺史。即尼之迺祖也。闡孫撝晉范陽王虓驃騎參軍事魚陽太守。遭永嘉蕩析淪於偽趙。為祕書監征南長史。後得還晉。為散騎侍郎。子疇字道度。征虜司馬子粲之仕宋。征虜府參軍事封龍川縣都亭侯。尼即都亭侯之第四女也。挺慧悟於曠劫。體妙解於當年。而性調和綽。不與凡孩孺同數。齡便神情峻徹。非常童稚之伍。行仁尚道洗志法門。至年十歲慈念彌篤。絕粉黛之容。棄錦綺之翫。誦經行道長齋蔬食。年十二便求出家。家人苦相禁抑皆莫之許。於是心祈冥感專精一念。乃屢獲昭祥亟降瑞相。第四叔超獨為先覺。開譬內外。故雅操獲遂。上天性聰叡幼而超群。年至七歲自然持齋。家中請僧行道。聞讀大涅槃經不聽食肉。於是即長蔬不噉。二親覺知。若得魚肉輒便棄去。昔有外國普練道人。出於京師。往來梁舍。便就五戒。勤翹奉持未嘗違犯。日夜恒以禮拜讀誦為業。更無餘務。及手能書常自寫經。所有財物唯充功德之用。不營俗好。少欲入道。父母為障遂推流歲月。至年二十九方獲所志。落綵青園服膺寺主。上事師虔孝。先意承旨。盡身竭力猶懼弗及。躬修三業夙夜匪懈。僧使眾役每居其首。精進劬勤觸事關涉。有開士馬先生者。於青園見上。即便記云。此尼當生兜率天也。又親於佛殿內坐禪。同集三人忽聞空中有聲。狀如牛吼。二尼驚怖迷悶戰慄。上淡然自若。徐起下床。歸房執燭檢聲所在。旋至拘欄。二尼便聞殿上有人相語云。各自避路某甲師還。後又於禪房中坐。伴類數人。一尼鼾眠。此尼於睡中見有一人。頭屆于屋。語云。勿驚某甲師也。此尼於是不敢復坐。又以一時坐禪。同伴一尼有小緣事暫欲下床。見有一人抵掌止之曰。莫撓某甲師。於是閉氣徐出歎未曾有。如此之事比類甚繁。既不即記。悉多漏忘。不得具載。性受戒律。進止俯仰必欲遵承。於是現請耀律師講。內自思惟。但有直一千。心中憂慮事不辦。夜即夢見鴉鵲鸜鵒雀子各乘車。車並安軒。車之大小還稱可鳥形。同聲唱言。我助某甲尼講去。既寤歡喜。知事當成。及至就講。乃得七十檀越設供。果食皆精。後又請頴律師開律。即發講曰。清淨甖水自然香如水園香氣。深以為欣。既而坐禪得定。至於中夜方起。更無餘伴。便自念言。將不犯觸。即諮律師。律師答云。無所犯也。意中猶豫恐有失。且見諸寺尼僧。多不如法。乃喟然歎曰。嗚呼鴻徽未遠。靈緒稍隤。自非引咎責躬。豈能導物。即自懺悔行摩那埵。於是京師二部莫不咨嗟云。如斯之人。律行明白規矩應法。尚爾思愆。何況我等動靜多過而不慚愧者哉。遂相率普懺無有孑遺。又於南園就頴律師受戒。即受戒日。淨甖水香還復如前。青園諸尼及以餘寺。無不更受戒者。律師於是亦次第詣寺。敷弘戒品闡揚大教。故憲軌遐流迄屆于今。穎律師又令上約語諸寺尼。有高床俗服者一切改易。上奉旨制勒無不祇承。律藏之興自茲更始。後又就三藏法師受戒。清淨水香復如前。不異青園。徒眾既廣所見不同。師已遷背更無覲侍。於是思別立住處。可得外嚴聖則內窮宴默者。以宋大明七年八月。故黃修儀及南昌公主。深崇三寶敬仰德行。初置精舍。上麻衣弗溫藿食忘飢。躬執泥瓦盡勤夙夜。以宋泰始三年。明帝賜號曰禪林。蓋性好閑靜冥感有徵矣。而制龕造像無不必備。又寫集眾經皆令具足。莊黃染成。悉自然有娑伽羅龍王兄弟二人現迹。彌日不滅。知識往來並親瞻覩。招納同住十有餘人。訓化獎率皆令禪誦。每至奉請聖僧。果食之上必有異迹。又於一時。虔請聖眾七日供養。禮懺始訖攝心運想。即見兩外國道人舉手共語。一云呿羅。一言毘呿羅。所著袈裟色如桑葚之熟。因即取泥以壞衣色。如所見。於是遠近尼僧並相倣斆改服間色。故得絕於五大之過。道俗有分者也。此後又請阿耨達池五百羅漢。日日凡聖無遮大會。已近二旬供設既豐。復更請罽賓國五百羅漢。足上為千。及請凡僧還如前法。始過一日。見有一外國道人。眾僧悉皆不識。於是試相借問。自云。從罽賓國來。又問。來此幾時。答云。來始一年也。眾僧覺異。令人守門觀其動靜。而食畢乃於宋林門出。使人逐視。見從宋林門去。行十餘步奄便失之。又嘗請聖僧。浴器盛香湯及以雜物。因而禮拜。內外寂默。即聞器檥杓作聲。如用水法。意謂或是有人出。便共往看。但見水杓自然搖動。故知神異。又曾夜中忽見滿屋光明。正言已曉。自起開戶見外猶闇即便閉戶還床。復寢久久方乃明也。又經違和極為綿篤。忽自見大光明遍於世界山河樹木浩然無礙。欣爾獨笑。傍人怪問。具陳所見。即能起行禮拜讀誦如常無異。又於一時復違和。亦甚危困。忽舉兩手。狀如捧物。語傍人不解。問言。為何所捧。答云。見寶塔從地出。意欲接之。幡花伎樂無非所有。於是疾恙豁然而除。都無復患。又復違和。數日中亦殊。綿惙恒多。東向視合掌向空。於一時中急索香火。移時合掌。即自說云。見彌勒佛及與舍利弗目連等諸聖人。亦自見諸弟子數甚無量滿虛空中。須臾見彌勒下生翅頭末城。云有人持幡華伎樂及三臺來迎。於此上幡華伎樂。非世間比。半天而住。一臺已在半路。一臺未至半路。一臺未見。但聞有而已。爾時已作兩臺。為此兆故即更作一臺也。又云。有兩樹寶華在邊。人來近床。語莫壞我華。自此之後病即除損。前後遇疾恒有瑞相。或得涼風。或得妙藥。或聞異香。病便即愈。疾差之為理。都以漸豁然而去如此。甚數不能備記。又天監三年。一夏違和。於晝日眠中見虛空藏菩薩。即自圍遶誦唄。唄聲徹外眠覺。所患即除。又白日臥。開眼見佛入房幡蓋滿屋。語傍人令燒香了自不見。上以天監五年六月十七日得病苦。心悶不下飲。彭城寺令法師。以六月十九日夜得夢。見一處。謂是兜率天上。住止嚴麗非世間比。言此是上住處。即見上在中。於是法師有語上。上得生好處當見將接。上是法師小品檀越。勿見遺棄。上即答云。法師丈夫又弘通經教。自應居勝地。某甲是女人何能益。法師又云。不如此也。雖為丈夫不能精進。持戒不及上。時體已轉惡。與令法師素疎不堪相見。病既稍增飲粥日少。為治無益漸就綿惙。至七月十二日。爾時天雨涼。悶勢如小退。自云。夢見迎來至佛殿西頭。人人捉幡竿猶車在地。幡之為理不異世間軍隊擔鼓旗幡也。至二十日便絕。不復進飲粥。至二十二日令請相識眾僧設會。意似分別。至二十五日云。見十方諸佛遍滿空中。至二十七日中後泯然而臥。作兩炊久方復動轉自云。上兜率天見彌勒及諸菩薩皆黃金色。上手中自有一琉璃清淨甖。可高三尺許。以上彌勒。即放光明照于上身。至兜率天。亦不見飲食自然飽滿。故不復須人間食也。但聞人間食皆臭。是以不肯食。於彼天上得波利餅將還。意欲與令法師。有人問何意將餅去。答云。欲與令法師。是人言。令法師是人中果報。那得食天上食。不聽將去。既而欲見令法師閑居。上為迎法師來相見語法師。可作好菜食以餉山中坐禪道人。若修三業。方得生兜率天耳。法師不坐禪。所以令作食餉山。上道人者欲使與坐禪人作因緣也。自入八月體中亦轉惡。不復說餘事。但云。有三十二童子。一名功德天。二者名善女天。是迦毘羅所領。恒來在左右。與我驅使。或言。得人餉飲食。令眾中行之。復云。空中晝夜作伎樂鬧人耳也。

The bhikṣuṇī Shi Jingxiu, originally of the Liang clan, was a native of Wushi in Anding. Her distant ancestry stemmed from Shaohao down to Boyi, who assisted Yu in controlling the floods and was bestowed the surname Ying. In the time of King Xiao of the Zhou, his sixteenth-generation descendant Feizi was enfeoffed in Qin. His great-grandson Qin Zhong became a regional lord under King Xuan. When King Ping moved the capital east, he enfeoffed Qin Zhong's youngest son in Liang, who became Earl of Liang. In the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han, Liang Lin served as Grand Administrator of Taiyuan and moved his household to Beidi, whence the family became locals of Wushi. From that time forth they flourished across generations, where illustrious virtues shone in succession and high-ranking caps of office were handed down in uninterrupted brilliance. In the first year of the Yuanjia era of the Han, Liang Jing served as Prefect of the Masters of Writing; in his youth he had mastered the Han School of the Odes, becoming a renowned classicist of his age. In the Wei dynasty, Liang Shuang served as Left Senior Clerk to the Minister of Education and Palace Library Director; having extensively studied the myriad books, he excelled at discussing profound principles. During the Taishi era of the Jin, Liang Chan served as Inspector of the two provinces of Liang and Yong; he was the nun's grandfather. Chan's grandson Hui served as Adjutant of the General of Agile Cavalry under the Jin Prince of Fanyang, Sima Xiao, and as Grand Administrator of Yuyang. Meeting with the chaos of the Yongjia era, he was swept into the Illegitimate Zhao, serving as Palace Library Director and Senior Clerk of the General Pacifying the South; later he was able to return to the Jin and served as Sanqi Shilang (Attendant Gentleman). His son Chou, courtesy name Daodu, was Adjutant to the General Subduing Bandits. Chou's son Canzhi served the Song, being an Adjutant in the office of the General Subduing Bandits and enfeoffed as the Capital Pavilion Marquis of Longchuan County. The nun was the fourth daughter of this Capital Pavilion Marquis. She had possessed extraordinary wisdom throughout countless kalpas, realizing subtle insight in her present life. By nature gentle, harmonious, and broad-minded, she was unlike ordinary young children. In her early years her spirit was keen and clear, not belonging to the rank of common youths. She practiced benevolence, esteemed the Way, and cleansed her aspirations within the Dharma gate. By the age of ten, her compassionate thoughts grew ever more earnest: she renounced the adornments of powder and rouge, cast aside the playthings of brocade and silk, chanted the sūtras, practiced the Way, and maintained a continuous fast eating only vegetables. At twelve, she asked to leave the household, but her family strictly restrained her and would not grant permission. Thereupon she prayed inwardly for unseen response, concentrating single-mindedly on this sole thought. Consequently, she repeatedly received auspicious omens and miraculous signs descended time and again. Her fourth paternal uncle, Chao, was the only one with foresight; he enlightened both family and outsiders, and thus her lofty vow was eventually fulfilled. She was by nature intelligent and sagacious, surpassing the crowd since childhood. When she was seven years old, she naturally kept the fasts. When monks were invited to the house to perform services, she heard the recital of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra forbidding the eating of meat; thereupon she permanently ate only vegetables and did not consume flesh. Her parents realized this, for if she was given fish or meat, she would immediately discard it. In former times, there was a foreign practitioner named Pulian who appeared in the capital and frequented the Liang household. She took the five precepts from him, diligently and reverently observing them without ever violating them. Day and night, she took prostrations, reading, and chanting as her constant vocation, with no other concern. When her hand could write, she frequently copied sūtras herself. All her wealth and goods were solely applied to merit-making, never pursuing mundane delights. Wanting to enter the Way early in life, her parents obstructed her, so the months and years slipped by. Only at the age of twenty-nine did she attain her wish, shedding her worldly attire at Qingyuan Nunnery and submitting herself to the abbess. She served her teacher with devout filial piety, anticipating her wishes and complying with her instructions; though expending all her bodily strength, she still feared falling short. Personally cultivating the three modes of karma day and night without negligence, she was always at the forefront of the monastic chores and collective labor. Energetic and diligent, she was involved in everything. There was a bodhisattva-practitioner, Master Ma, who saw her at Qingyuan and immediately prophesied, 'This nun will surely be reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven.' Once, while she was sitting in meditation in the main hall of the temple together with two others, suddenly a sound like a bull's roar was heard in the air. The other two nuns were terrified, faint and trembling, but she remained calm and composed as usual. She slowly rose from her seat, returned to her chamber, and took a candle to search for where the sound came from. Upon returning to the balustrade, the two nuns heard voices on the hall saying to each other, 'Step aside! Master So-and-so is returning.' Later, while sitting in the meditation hall with several companions, one nun was snoring in her sleep. In her dream, this nun saw a person whose head reached the roof, saying, 'Do not disturb Master So-and-so.' Thereupon that nun did not dare to sit again. On another occasion during meditation, a companion nun had a minor errand and wanted to step down from her seat for a moment; she saw a person clapping his hands to stop her, saying, 'Do not disturb Master So-and-so.' Thereupon, holding her breath, she slowly exited, sighing at such an unprecedented marvel. Events of this sort were exceedingly numerous; since they were not recorded at the time, many have been forgotten and lost, and cannot all be recorded here. By nature she took the monastic precepts seriously, seeking to comply with them in every movement and demeanor. Thereupon she personally invited Vinaya Master Yao to lecture. She thought to herself that she only had one thousand coins and worried within her heart that the matter could not be accomplished. That night she dreamed that crows, magpies, mynas, and sparrows were each riding in carriages, all of which had eaves, the size of each carriage matching the form of the bird. In unison they proclaimed, 'We are going to assist Master So-and-so in her lecture!' Upon waking, she was overjoyed, knowing that the affair would succeed. When the lecture commenced, she indeed received offerings from seventy patrons, the fruit and food being exquisite. Later, she further invited Vinaya Master Ying to open the Vinaya teachings. When the lecture began, the water in the pure jar naturally smelled fragrant, like the scent of the Udaka Garden; she was deeply delighted. Afterward, while sitting in meditation, she attained absorption and only rose at midnight. There were no other companions, so she thought to herself, 'Might I have incurred a contact transgression?' She immediately consulted the Vinaya master, who replied, 'You have committed no violation.' Still feeling hesitant and fearing some lapse, and seeing that the nuns in various temples mostly did not follow the proper rules, she sighed and lamented, 'Alas! The great vestige [of the Buddha] is not far gone, yet the spiritual line has gradually declined. Unless I take the blame and rebuke myself, how can I guide others?' She immediately repented and undertook the mānāpya penance. Thereupon, among both assemblies in the capital, none failed to exclaim, 'Even a person like this, whose practice of the Vinaya is pure and clear, and whose decorum accords with the Dharma, still reflects on faults like this! How much more should we, who make numerous errors in movement and rest, feel ashamed!' Consequently, leading one another, all repented without exception. Furthermore, she received the precepts from Vinaya Master Ying at Nanyuan. On the very day she received the precepts, the fragrance of the water in the pure jar was again as before. All the nuns of Qingyuan and other temples subsequently renewed their reception of the precepts. The Vinaya master then visited the temples in succession, expounding the precept items and propagating the great teaching. Hence the disciplinary models flowed far and wide down to the present day. Vinaya Master Ying also instructed her to admonish the nuns of various temples that all high seats and worldly dress must be altered. Receiving the instruction, she enforced the restraint, and none failed to respectfully comply. The revival of the Vinaya piṭaka began anew from this. Later, she also received the precepts from a Tripiṭaka Dharma Master, and the fragrant pure water was again as before, no different from Qingyuan. Because the congregation grew vast, their views differed. Her master had already passed away and there was no one to attend upon; she thus thought of establishing a separate dwelling place where she could outwardly uphold the sacred rules with solemnity and inwardly fathom quiet seclusion. In the eighth month of the seventh year of the Daming era of the Song (463 CE), the late Lady of Cultivated Deportment Huang and the Princess of Nanchang, who deeply revered the Three Jewels and held her virtuous conduct in high esteem, first established a monastery. Clad in hemp garments that gave no warmth and eating pulse leaves while forgetting hunger, she personally handled mud and tiles, exerting all her diligence morning and night. In the third year of the Taishi era of the Song, Emperor Ming bestowed the name Zhanlin (Meditation Forest), which was indeed a manifest sign of her fondness for seclusion evoking an unseen response. In making niches and crafting statues, she left nothing incomplete; she also had all the sūtras copied and gathered, ensuring they were fully provided for. When the cinnabar and yellow mountings were completed, the two brothers of the Sāgara Dragon King naturally manifested traces that did not fade for days. Acquaintances coming and going all witnessed it with their own eyes. She took in and accommodated more than ten companions, instructing and leading them to all engage in meditation and recitation. Whenever holy monks were invited, there were invariably miraculous traces upon the fruit and food. On another occasion, she reverently invited the holy assembly for a seven-day offering. Just after completing the prostrations and repentance, she collected her mind and exercised contemplation; she then saw two foreign practitioners raising their hands and talking to each other, one saying 'Khara' and the other 'Vikhara.' The kāṣāya robes they wore were of the color of ripe mulberries. Thereupon, she took mud to dye the robes, making them like what she had seen. At this, nuns far and near emulated her and changed to mixed-color robes, thereby avoiding the fault of the five primary colors and distinguishing the religious from the laity. After this, she invited the five hundred arhats of Lake Anavatapta to a daily non-obstruction great assembly of both ordinary beings and saints. When nearly two decades had passed with abundant offerings, she further invited the five hundred arhats of the kingdom of Kaśmīra, making the total a thousand; ordinary monks were also invited following the previous method. Just one day later, a foreign practitioner was seen whom none of the monks recognized. When they tested him with inquiries, he said, 'I come from the kingdom of Kaśmīra.' When asked, 'How long have you been here?' he replied, 'It has only been one year since I came.' The monks found it strange and sent someone to watch the gate to observe his movements. After finishing his meal, he went out from the Songlin Gate. A person was sent to follow and watch him; he was seen leaving from the Songlin Gate, and after walking more than ten paces, he vanished abruptly. Once, when she invited holy monks, the bath basin was filled with fragrant warm water and various supplies, whereupon prostrations were performed. Inside and out, it was completely quiet. Suddenly the sound of a ladle knocking against the basin was heard, as in the manner of using water. Thinking that someone might have come out, they went together to look, but only saw the water ladle rocking naturally by itself; thus they knew it was a miraculous sign. Also, once in the night she suddenly saw the entire room filled with light. Thinking it was already dawn, she got up and opened the door, only to see that it was still dark outside; she then closed the door and returned to bed, sleeping for a long while before it became light. On another occasion, when she fell ill and was severely afflicted, she suddenly saw a great radiance pervading the world, mountains, rivers, and trees boundless and unobstructed. She smiled alone in delight. Those beside her found it strange and asked, so she detailed what she had seen. She was then able to rise, walk, perform prostrations, and chant as usual. At another time, she fell ill again and was in extreme distress. She suddenly raised both hands as if holding something. Her companions did not understand and asked, 'What are you holding?' She replied, 'I see a jeweled pagoda emerging from the earth; I wish to receive it. Banners, flowers, and instrumental music are all present.' Thereupon her illness vanished completely, without any further suffering. Again she fell ill, and for several days it was extremely severe and exhausting. She constantly looked toward the east with palms joined toward the sky. At one moment, she urgently asked for incense and fire, keeping her palms joined for a long time. She then recounted, 'I saw Maitreya Buddha together with Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and other saints; I also saw an immeasurable number of disciples filling the sky. In an instant, I saw Maitreya descend to be born in the city of Ketumatī, saying that people were holding banners, flowers, instrumental music, and three platforms coming to welcome me. Here, the banners, flowers, and instrumental music were beyond any worldly comparison, resting midway in the sky. One platform was already halfway on the road, one had not yet reached halfway, and one was not yet seen, only heard of.' At that time, two platforms had already been made, so on account of this omen she had one more platform made. She also said, 'There are two trees with jeweled flowers beside me.' When people approached the bed, she said, 'Do not damage my flowers.' From then on, her illness abated. Whenever she fell ill before and after, there were always auspicious omens: either she received a cool breeze, or wonderful medicine, or smelled a rare fragrance, and the illness would immediately heal. Her recovery was consistently through such gradual and complete clearance; this happened so many times that it cannot all be recorded. In the third year of the Tianjian era (504 CE), she was ill for an entire summer. While sleeping during the day, she saw Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, who circled her and chanted hymns; the sound of the hymns penetrated outside, and upon waking, her ailment was immediately gone. Also, while resting in the daytime, she opened her eyes and saw the Buddha enter her room, with banners and parasols filling the room. She told those beside her to burn incense, but they could see nothing. On the seventeenth day of the sixth month of the fifth year of the Tianjian era (506 CE), she fell gravely ill, feeling oppressed at heart and unable to drink. On the night of the nineteenth day of the sixth month, Dharma Master Ling of Pengcheng Temple had a dream in which he saw a place he thought was the Tuṣita Heaven; its dwelling was solemn and magnificent beyond worldly comparison, and he was told that this was her dwelling place. He then saw her inside. The Dharma master then said to her, 'Since you have been born in an excellent place, please guide and receive me. I am your humble patron of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā; do not abandon me.' She replied, 'You, Dharma Master, are a man who also propagates the scriptures and teachings; you should naturally dwell in a superior place. What benefit can I, a woman, provide?' The Dharma master said again, 'It is not so. Though I am a man, I cannot be diligent, and my observance of the precepts is inferior to yours.' At that time, her condition had deteriorated, and since she was not personally close to Dharma Master Ling, they could not meet. As the illness worsened and her intake of gruel decreased daily, treatments were useless and she grew increasingly exhausted. By the twelfth day of the seventh month, it rained and turned cool, and the feeling of oppression seemed to subside slightly. She said she had dreamed of being welcomed to the western end of the Buddha hall, where everyone held banner poles like carriages on the ground, the banners looking no different from the drums, banners, and flags carried by worldly armies. By the twentieth day, she ceased drinking gruel altogether. On the twenty-second day, she ordered that acquainted monks be invited to hold an assembly, as if taking leave. On the twenty-fifth day, she said she saw the Buddhas of the ten directions filling the sky. After midday on the twenty-seventh day, she lay still and unconscious; after the time it takes to cook two meals, she moved again and said, 'I went up to the Tuṣita Heaven and saw Maitreya and all the bodhisattvas, all of golden hue. In my hands was a pure lapis lazuli jar, about three feet high, which I offered to Maitreya, who then emitted light that illuminated my body. In the Tuṣita Heaven, no food or drink was seen, yet one is naturally filled; thus human food is no longer needed. I only smell human food as foul, which is why I refuse to eat.' In that heaven she had obtained a crystal cake and was bringing it back, intending to give it to Dharma Master Ling. Someone asked, 'Why are you taking the cake away?' She answered, 'I want to give it to Dharma Master Ling.' This person said, 'Dharma Master Ling has the karmic retribution of a human; how can he eat heavenly food?' and did not allow her to take it. Afterwards, wishing to see Dharma Master Ling at his leisure dwelling, she had him brought to meet her and said to him, 'You may prepare good vegetarian meals to supply the meditation practitioners in the mountains. Only by cultivating the three modes of karma can one be born in the Tuṣita Heaven. You do not practice meditation, so I have you prepare food to supply the practitioners on the mountain, hoping to create a karmic connection with the meditators.' From the beginning of the eighth month, her condition deteriorated further and she spoke of nothing else, only saying, 'There are thirty-two boys, the first named Guṇadevatā (Merit Deva) and the second named Śrī-mahādevī (Good Woman Deva); they are led by Kapila and constantly attend beside me, at my beck and call.' Or she would say, 'I have received food offerings from others; distribute them among the assembly.' She also said, 'Music is played in the sky day and night, disturbing one's ears.'