經律異相 32.10

32.10

昔遮羅國王。適后無嗣。王甚悼焉。命曰。爾歸汝宗以求有嗣之術。后泣辭退。誓命自捐投隕山阻遂之林藪。帝釋感曰。斯王后者故世吾姊也。今以無嗣捐軀山險。愴然愍之。忽爾降焉。以器盛果授之曰。姊爾吞斯果必有聖嗣。將為世雄。若王有疑以器示之。斯天王神器明證之上者。后仰天吞果忽然不覩即覺身。重還覩王具以誠聞。月滿生男。厥狀尫陋世間希有。年在齠齓聰明博暢智策無籌。力能躄象走獲飛鷹舒聲震嚮若師子吼。名流遐邇八方咸嗟。王為納隣國之女。厥名月光端正妍雅世好備足。次有七弟。又亦姝好。后懼月光惡太子狀。訛曰。吾國舊儀室家無白日相見。視之重者也。妃無失儀矣。對曰。敬諾。不敢替尊教。自斯之後太子出入未常別色。深惟本國與七國為敵力爭無寧兆民呼嗟。吾將權而安之。心自惟曰。吾體至陋妃覩必邁。啟母欲一覩妃儀容。后曰。爾狀醜妃容華艶。太子重辭。后愍之將妃觀焉。太子陽為牧人。妃覩之曰。牧人醜乎。后曰。斯先王牧夫矣。後將觀象。妃又覩焉。疑之曰。吾之所由輒覩斯人將是太子乎。妃曰。願見太子之光容。后即權之令其弟出遊。以大子官僚翼從。妃觀之厥心微喜。後又入苑。太子登樹以果擲背。妃曰。斯是太子定矣。夜伺其眠默以火照覩其姿狀懼而奔歸。后妃忿曰。焉使妃還乎。對曰。妃邁天下太平之基民終寧其親矣。拜辭尋之至妃國。陽為陶家賃作瓦器。又入城賃染。又為大臣賃養馬肥。又為太官監典諸餚饍以羹入內。王有八女並欣其事月光不眄。帝釋歎曰。菩薩憂濟眾生乃至于茲。吾將權而助之。挑七敵國化為月光父王手書。以月光妻之。七國興禮造國親迎。俱云。娉娶王女名曰月光。訟之紛紜。各出手書。厥怨齊聲云。當滅爾嗣。其為不貳。使還書僉然詰曰。以爾一女為七國怨。齊兵盛發念爾喪國在于今矣。王聞懼曰。斯禍將至乃宿行所招。謂月光曰。爾為人妃。若婿明愚吉凶好醜厥由宿命孰能攘之。而不貞一盡孝尊奉薄智還國禍至于茲。吾今當七分爾尸以謝七王耳。月光泣曰。願假吾命漏刻之斯。募求智士必有能却七國之患者也。王即募曰。孰能攘斯禍者。妻以月光育以元福。太子曰。疾作高觀吾能攘之。觀成。太子權病躇步頓地。須月光荷負爾乃却敵矣。月光惶㣿懼見屠戮扶格登觀。太子高聲曰。七國王厥音遠震。若師子之吼喻以佛教為大。收民當以仁道。而今興怒盛即禍著。禍著即身喪國亡。其由名色乎。七國師雄靡不尸蹌者。斯須而蘇欲旋本土。太子啟王婚姻之道莫若諸王矣。何不以七女適彼七王子。婿為蕃屏王元康矣。臣民休矣。親獲養矣。王曰。善哉斯樂大矣。遂命七王以女妻之。八婿禮敬君臣欣欣。王逮臣民始知太子月光之舊婿也。即選良輔武士翼從各各還國。九國和寧兆民抃舞。僉然歎曰。天降聖權非凡所照德聚功成晏然無譏。還國有年大王崩殂。太子登位大赦眾罪。以五戒六度八齋十善教化兆民。災㜸都息國豐眾安大化流行皆奉三尊。德盛福歸眾病消滅。所以然者。菩薩宿命在家俱耕令妻取食。望覩妻還與一辟支佛俱行隱山崖。久久不至疑心生焉。興忿執鋤欲往捶之。至見其妻以所食分供養沙門。退叉手立。沙門食竟挑鉢虛空光明偉曄飛行而退。婿心悔愧念妻有德。乃致斯尊。吾有重愚將受其殃。即謂妻曰。爾供養福吾當共之。餘飯俱食爾無就也。至其命終各生王家。妻有淳慈之惠。生而端正。婿先恚而後慈故初醜而後好也。太子者我身是。妻者俱夷是。父王者白淨王是。母者吾母舍妙是。天帝釋者彌勒是。開士世世憂念眾生拯濟塗炭（出遮羅國王經）。

Formerly, the king of the kingdom of Cāra had a principal queen who had no heir. The king grieved deeply over this and commanded her, saying: 'Return to your clan to seek an art for obtaining an heir.' Weeping, the queen took her leave and withdrew. Vowing to sacrifice her own life, she cast herself down a precipitous mountain into the dense forest. Śakra was moved and said: 'This king's queen was my sister in a former life. Now, because she has no heir, she is abandoning her body on this dangerous mountain.' Grieved with pity for her, he suddenly descended, presented her with fruit in a vessel, and said to her: 'Sister, if you swallow this fruit, you will surely bear a noble heir who will become a hero of the world. If the king has doubts, show him this vessel. This is a divine vessel of the Heavenly King, a supreme and luminous proof.' The queen looked up to the sky and swallowed the fruit, and instantly it was gone from sight. She immediately felt heavy with child. She returned to see the king and reported the truth in full. When her months were complete, she gave birth to a son whose appearance was frail and hideous, rare in all the world. While yet a child shedding his milk teeth, he was intelligent, broadly learned, and peerless in wisdom and strategy. In strength he could knock down an elephant, running he could catch a flying eagle, and when he raised his voice, the reverberating sound was like a lion's roar. His fame spread near and far, and the eight directions all praised him. The king took a wife for him, a maiden from a neighboring kingdom whose name was Yuéguāng (Candraprabhā), who was upright, refined, and elegant, fully endowed with worldly beauties. Next after her she had seven younger sisters, who were also lovely and fine. The queen feared that Yuéguāng would loathe the crown prince's appearance, so she falsely said: 'According to our kingdom's ancient custom, spouses do not see one another in broad daylight; looking upon one another is treated with great solemnity. Consort, do not violate this propriety.' She replied: 'Respectfully I obey; I would not dare disregard your venerable instruction.' From this time forth, when the crown prince came and went, she had never distinguished his appearance. The prince reflected deeply: 'My home country is at enmity with seven kingdoms, struggling by force without peace, so that the myriad people lament. I must use skillful means to bring them peace.' He thought to himself: 'My body is extremely hideous; if the consort sees it, she will surely flee.' He reported to his mother that he wished to look upon the consort's countenance once. The queen said: 'Your appearance is ugly, while the consort's visage is radiant and splendid.' The crown prince pleaded repeatedly, and the queen, pitying him, took the consort to look around. The crown prince pretended to be a herdsman. The consort saw him and said: 'How ugly that herdsman is!' The queen said: 'He is a herdsman of the late king.' Later, the queen took her to view the elephants, and the consort saw him again. She grew suspicious, saying: 'Wherever I go, I always see this man; could he be the crown prince?' The consort said: 'I wish to see the crown prince's luminous countenance.' The queen then used a skillful means, ordering his younger brother to go out touring, escorted by the crown prince's officials. The consort looked upon him and her heart was slightly pleased. Later she went into the park again; the crown prince climbed a tree and threw fruit at her back. The consort said: 'This is definitely the crown prince.' At night, waiting until he was asleep, she quietly illuminated him with a lamp, saw his form and appearance, and fled back [to her home kingdom] in terror. The queen and king were indignant and said: 'Why did you let the consort return?' The prince replied: 'The consort's flight is the foundation for peace under heaven; the people will finally bring peace to their kin.' Bowing in farewell, he went in search of her and arrived at the consort's kingdom. He pretended to be a potter, working for hire making earthenware. He also entered the city and worked for hire dyeing clothes; he also worked for an eminent minister, tending horses so that they grew fat; and he also served as a supervisor of the royal chefs overseeing various delicacies, bringing soups into the palace. The king had eight daughters, and all of them took delight in his work, but Yuéguāng would not even look at him. Śakra sighed and said: 'The Bodhisattva's care to save sentient beings has reached even to this! I must use skillful means to assist him.' He provoked the seven enemy kingdoms by magically producing a letter in the handwriting of Yuéguāng's royal father, promising Yuéguāng as wife to each of them. The seven kingdoms prepared gifts and set out for the kingdom to welcome her in person. All said: 'We have come to marry the king's daughter named Yuéguāng.' The disputes arose in confusion, each displaying the handwritten letter. In their grievance they said with one voice: 'We shall annihilate your lineage! We will not tolerate deceit!' Envoys returned the letters and all rebuked him, saying: 'Because of your single daughter, seven kingdoms are aggrieved. Our combined armies are launched in force; reflect that the ruin of your kingdom will be today!' Hearing this, the king was terrified and said: 'That this calamity is about to arrive is brought on by past deeds.' He said to Yuéguāng: 'You are another man's consort. Whether a husband is wise or foolish, fortunate or disastrous, handsome or ugly, it stems from past karma—who can avert it? Yet you were not loyal and devoted, nor did you practice utmost filial respect and reverent service, but with shallow wisdom returned to our kingdom, bringing disaster to this point. Today I must divide your corpse into seven parts to apologize to the seven kings, and that is all.' Yuéguāng wept and said: 'I beg you to grant me life for the space of a brief moment. Solicit a wise man; there surely must be someone who can repel the danger of the seven kingdoms.' The king immediately issued a call, saying: 'Whoever can avert this calamity, I will give him Yuéguāng as wife and endow him with supreme fortune.' The crown prince said: 'Quickly build a high observation tower; I can avert it.' When the tower was completed, the crown prince feigned illness, faltered in his steps, and fell to the ground, [saying]: 'Yuéguāng must carry me on her back, and only then can I repel the enemies.' Yuéguāng, in terror and fearing she would be slaughtered, supported him and climbed the tower. The crown prince cried out in a loud voice: 'O kings of the seven kingdoms!' His voice reverberated far and wide like a lion's roar, instructing them with the Buddha's teaching as supreme: 'To win over the people, one must rely on the way of benevolence. But now you have given rise to blazing anger, so calamity will follow; when calamity follows, your bodies will be lost and your kingdoms will perish. Does this not arise from name-and-form?' The champion hosts of the seven kingdoms all fell as if dead. After a moment they revived and wished to turn back to their native lands. The crown prince addressed the king: 'For the way of marriage, none is better than these kings. Why not marry your seven daughters to those seven princes? With the sons-in-law serving as protective screens, Your Majesty will have great well-being, the ministers and people will find rest, and your parents will receive care.' The king said: 'Splendid! Great indeed is this joy!' He then commanded the seven kings and gave them his daughters as wives. The eight sons-in-law showed ritual reverence, and ruler and ministers were joyful. Only then did the king, his ministers, and people learn that the crown prince was Yuéguāng's former husband. Thereupon, selecting fine counselors and warriors as escorts, each returned to his own kingdom. The nine kingdoms were peaceful and harmonious, and the myriad people danced with joy. All praised him, saying: 'Heaven has sent a holy master of expedient means, beyond what ordinary minds can fathom; virtue is gathered and merit accomplished, and all is tranquil without blame.' Several years after returning to his kingdom, the great king passed away. The crown prince ascended the throne and proclaimed a great amnesty for all crimes. With the five precepts, the six perfections, the eight purifications, and the ten wholesome deeds, he transformed the myriad people. Disasters and calamities were completely extinguished; the kingdom was prosperous, the multitude was at peace, the great teaching prevailed, and all revered the Three Jewels. Virtue flourished and blessings gathered; all diseases vanished. Why was this so? In a past life, when the Bodhisattva was a householder, he was plowing together [with his family] and told his wife to fetch food. Gazing in the distance, he saw his wife returning, walking together with a pratyekabuddha, secluded beside a mountain cliff. When she did not arrive for a long time, suspicion arose in his heart. Aroused to anger, he seized a hoe and wished to go and beat her. When he arrived, he saw his wife offering a portion of the food to the śramaṇa. He withdrew, standing with hands folded. When the śramaṇa had finished eating, he tossed his bowl into the air, radiant with bright light, and flew away through the sky. In his heart the husband felt remorse and shame, thinking: 'My wife possesses virtue, which brought forth this venerable one. I have deep ignorance and am about to suffer retribution for it.' He immediately said to his wife: 'The merit of your offering, I should share in it. Let us eat the remaining food together; do not go without.' When their lives ended, each was reborn in a royal household. Because the wife possessed the kindness of pure compassion, she was born upright and beautiful. Because the husband was angry first and compassionate later, he was ugly at first and handsome afterward. The crown prince was my own person; the wife was Gopī; the father king was King Śuddhodana; the mother was my mother Māyā; and the heavenly king Śakra was Maitreya. Life after life the Bodhisattva is deeply concerned for sentient beings and rescues them from misery and suffering. (Extracted from the Sūtra of the King of the Kingdom of Cāra).