經律異相 14.24

14.24

爾時大臣持七寶頭來。前語婆羅門言。此王頭者骨肉血合不淨之物用索此為。今持爾所七寶之頭以用貿易。汝可取之。博易足得終身之富。婆羅門言。我不用此。欲得王頭全我所志。時大月臣種種曉喻永不迴轉憤感心裂七分而死。王前勅語。臣下乘八千里象遍告諸國言。月光大王却後七日當持其頭施婆羅門。若欲來者速時馳詣。爾時八萬四千諸王馳驛而至。咸見大王腹拍王前。閻浮提人賴王恩澤。云何一日為一人故永捨眾庶更不矜憐。唯願垂憫莫以頭施。一萬大臣皆身投地腹拍王前唯見哀憫矜恤我等。莫以頭施。二萬夫人亦身投地仰白王言。莫見忘捨唯垂蔭覆。若以頭施我等何怙。五百太子啼哭王前。我等孩幼當何所歸。願見愍念莫以頭施。長養我等得及人倫。於是大王告諸臣民夫人太子。計我從本受身已來。涉歷生死由來長久。若在三塗截斷其頭死而復生。如是無數亦無福報。若生人間諍於財色。為貪恚癡恒殺多身。未曾為福而捨此命。今我此身種種不淨會當捐棄不能得久。捨此穢頭用貿大利何得不與。我持此頭施婆羅門。以是功德誓求佛道度汝等苦。今我施心垂欲成滿。慎莫遮我無上道意。一切諸王臣民夫人太子聞王語已默然無言。爾時大王語婆羅門。欲取頭者今正是時。婆羅門言。今王臣民大眾圍遶。我獨一身力勢單弱不堪此中而斫王頭。欲與我者當至後園。爾時大王告諸小王太子臣民。汝等若必愛敬我者。慎勿傷害此婆羅門。作此語已。共婆羅門入於後園。時婆羅門又語王言。汝身盛壯力士之力。若遭斫痛儻復還悔。取汝頭髮緊繫在樹爾乃能斫。時王用語語婆羅門。汝斫我頭墮我手中然後取去。今以頭施用求無上正真之道誓濟群生。時婆羅門舉刀欲斫。樹神見此甚大懊惱。如此之人云何欲殺。即以手搏婆羅門耳。其頭反向手脚了戾。失刀在地不能動搖。爾時大王仰語樹神。我過去已來於此樹下。曾以九百九十九頭以用布施。今捨此頭便當滿千。捨此頭已於檀便具。汝莫遮我無上道心。爾時樹神聞王是語。使婆羅門平復如故。時婆羅門便從地起。還更取刀便斫王頭頭墮手中。爾時天地六反震動諸天宮殿掉動不安。各懷恐怖怪其所以。尋見菩薩為一切故捨頭布施。皆悉來下感其奇特悲淚如雨。因共讚言。月光大王以頭布施。於檀波羅蜜今已得滿。音聲普遍。彼毘摩羡王聞此語已。喜踊驚愕心擘裂而死。時婆羅門擔王頭去。諸王臣民夫人太子。已見王頭自投于地。同聲悲叫絕而復蘇。時婆羅門嫌王頭臭即便擲地脚蹴而去。或復有人語婆羅門。汝之酷毒劇甚乃爾。既不中用何為乃索。時婆羅門進道而去。人見便責無給食者。飢餓委悴困切極理。道中有人自問消息。知毘摩羡王已復命終。失於所望及勞度差命終。皆墮阿鼻泥犁。其餘臣民思念王恩感結死者皆得生天。如是阿難。欲知爾時月光王者。今我身是。毘摩羡王今波旬是。時大月大臣今舍利弗是。當於爾時不忍見我死而先我前死。乃至今日不忍見我入於涅槃。而先滅度（出賢愚經第五卷及方便佛報恩經大同小異）。

At that time, the minister brought the heads of the seven treasures, came forward, and said to the brāhmaṇa, 'This head of the king is an impure thing compounded of bone, flesh, and blood; what use is it to ask for it? Now I bring you this many heads of the seven treasures to trade. You may take them; trading for them will be enough to give you lifelong wealth.' The brāhmaṇa said, 'I have no use for these; I wish to obtain the king's head to fulfill my intention.' The minister Mahācandra used every means to persuade him, but he would never relent; out of indignation and grief, the minister's heart split into seven parts and he died. The king had earlier given an order: his subordinates rode elephants capable of traveling eight thousand li to announce everywhere to the various kingdoms, saying, 'Seven days from now, the great King Moonlight will take his head and give it to a brāhmaṇa. If you wish to come, make haste and arrive quickly.' At that time, the eighty-four thousand kings arrived by courier relay; seeing the great king, they threw themselves prone before him, [saying,] 'The people of Jambudvīpa rely on the king's kindness. How can you, on a single day and for the sake of a single man, forever abandon the multitude and show no more pity? We only pray that you will show mercy and not give away your head.' The ten thousand ministers all cast their bodies to the ground and threw themselves prone before the king, [saying,] 'Only look upon us with pity and compassion; do not give away your head.' The twenty thousand queens also cast their bodies to the ground and looked up, saying to the king, 'Do not forget and abandon us; only extend your sheltering shade over us. If you give away your head, on whom can we rely?' The five hundred princes wept before the king, [saying,] 'We are young children; to whom can we turn? We pray that you will have pity on us and not give away your head, but raise us so that we may reach adulthood.' Thereupon the great king addressed the ministers, commoners, queens, and princes, 'Consider this: since I first took on a body, my passage through birth and death has been long indeed. When in the three evil destinies, my head was severed and I died and was reborn, countless times like this, yet without any karmic merit. When born among humans, I fought over wealth and sex, constantly having multiple bodies killed out of greed, anger, and delusion, but never did I abandon this life for the sake of merit. Now, this body of mine is diverse in its impurities; it must inevitably be cast away and cannot last long. To abandon this defiled head in exchange for a great benefit—how could I not give it? I take this head and give it to the brāhmaṇa; by this merit, I vow to seek the Buddha Way and deliver you all from suffering. Now my mind of giving is on the verge of fulfillment; be careful not to obstruct my mind set on the unsurpassed Way.' Having heard the king's words, all the kings, ministers, commoners, queens, and princes were silent and said nothing. At that time, the great king said to the brāhmaṇa, 'If you wish to take my head, now is the right time.' The brāhmaṇa said, 'Now the king's ministers, commoners, and a great assembly surround you; I am alone and my strength is weak; I am unable to cut off the king's head here. If you wish to give it to me, you must go to the back garden.' At that time, the great king addressed the lesser kings, princes, ministers, and commoners, 'If you truly love and revere me, take care not to harm this brāhmaṇa.' Having spoken these words, he entered the back garden together with the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa then said to the king, 'Your body is vigorous with the strength of a champion; if you suffer the pain of the cut, you might regret it. Take your hair and tie it firmly to the tree, and only then will I be able to cut it.' At that time, the king gave an order, saying to the brāhmaṇa, 'Cut my head so that it falls into my hands, and only then take it away. Now I give my head to seek the unsurpassed, true, and correct Way, vowing to rescue all living beings.' The brāhmaṇa raised his sword, intending to strike. Seeing this, the tree spirit was greatly distressed: 'Why would anyone wish to kill such a person?' He immediately struck the brāhmaṇa's ear with his hand. The brāhmaṇa's head turned backward, his hands and feet became contorted, he dropped his sword to the ground, and was unable to move. At that time, the great king looked up and said to the tree spirit, 'In the past beneath this tree, I have already given nine hundred and ninety-nine heads in acts of charity. Now, if I abandon this head, it will complete one thousand. Once this head is abandoned, my giving will be perfected. Do not obstruct my mind set on the unsurpassed Way.' Hearing the king's words, the tree spirit caused the brāhmaṇa to recover as before. The brāhmaṇa then arose from the ground, took up the sword again, and cut off the king's head, which fell into the king's hands. At that time, the earth shook in six ways, and the palaces of the devas swayed unsteadily. Each was terrified, wondering at the cause. Soon they saw that the bodhisattva had abandoned his head in charity for the sake of all beings; they all descended, moved by this extraordinary act, weeping tears of grief like rain. They joined together in praising him: 'King Moonlight has given his head in charity; he has now fulfilled the pāramitā of generosity!' Their voices resounded everywhere. When King Bhīmasena heard these words, his heart tore apart in a mixture of joyful leaping and shock, and he died. At that time, the brāhmaṇa carried the king's head away. The kings, ministers, commoners, queens, and princes, having seen the king's head, threw themselves to the ground, crying out together in grief, fainting and reviving. The brāhmaṇa was disgusted by the foul smell of the king's head, threw it to the ground, kicked it away with his foot, and departed. Some people said to the brāhmaṇa, 'Your cruelty is extreme indeed! Since it is of no use to you, why did you demand it?' The brāhmaṇa continued on his way; people who saw him rebuked him, and none would give him food. He became famished, emaciated, and pressed by extreme distress. On the road, someone asked him for news and learned that King Bhīmasena had already passed away. Having lost what he hoped for, Raudrākṣa also passed away; both fell into Avīci Hell. The rest of the ministers and commoners, who died from grief and longing in remembrance of the king's kindness, were all reborn in heaven. In this way, Ānanda, if you wish to know who King Moonlight was at that time, he was my very self. King Bhīmasena was Māra Pāpīyān. The minister Mahācandra at that time was Śāriputra. At that time, he could not bear to see me die and died before me; even today, he could not bear to see me enter parinirvāṇa and so passed into extinction first. (Drawn from the Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra, fascicle 5, and the Sūtra on the Buddha's Skillful Means in Repaying Kindness, with minor variations.)