經律異相 46.5

46.5

大阿修羅王（長阿鋡經云阿須輪）名曰羅呵。住須彌山北大海之底。水懸在宮上為四風所持（樓炭經云隨風所持）城郭縱廣八萬由旬。內外七重高三千由旬金城銀門園池清涼眾鳥和鳴。去須彌山一萬由旬。身長二萬八千里（餘須輪實形長一由旬衣長二由旬廣一由旬重六銖）亦食揣食洗浴衣服為細滑食。月十五日。入海中央。化其形體。下水著臍上𨶳須彌指覆日月。日月天子。見其醜形皆大恐懼。無復光明。遊矚之時有自然風。吹門開閉吹地令淨。吹華分散。有五大臣。一名捉持。二名雄力。三名武夷。四名頭首。五名摧伏。侍衛左右。忽自念言。我有威德神力如是。而置忉利王及日月諸天行我頭上。誓取日月以為耳璫。漸大瞋忿加欲捶之。即念。舍摩黎毘摩質多二阿須輪王。及諸大臣各辦兵仗往與天戰。時難陀跋難陀二大龍王。身遶須彌周圍七匝。山動雲布以尾打水。大海湧波上冠須彌。忉利天曰。須輪欲戰矣。海中諸龍迦樓羅鬼持華常樂。二鬼神等各持兵眾從次交鬪。若不如皆奔。四天王宮嚴駕攻伐。先白帝釋。帝釋告上諸天。時炎摩以上遠至他化。無數天眾及諸龍鬼前後圍遶。帝釋命曰。我軍若勝以五繫縛。縛毘摩質多。將還善法堂。我欲觀之。須輪亦曰。我眾若勝以五繫縛。縛帝釋還七葉堂。我欲觀之。一時大戰兵刃交接兩不相傷。但觸身體生於痛惱。帝釋現身乃有千眼。執金剛杵頭出煙焰。須輪見之眾乃退敗。即擒毘摩質多係縛將還。遙見帝釋便肆惡口。帝釋答曰。我欲共汝講說道義耳。壽天千歲少出多減。惡心好鬪而不破戒。大修布施故受此身（出長阿含第二十卷樓炭華嚴大智論略同）。

The great asura king (called asurin in the Chang ahan jing) named Rāhu lives at the bottom of the great ocean to the north of Mount Sumeru. The water hangs suspended above his palace, held up by four winds (the Loutan jing says held up in accordance with the wind). The city walls are eighty thousand yojanas across, inside and outside in seven layers, three thousand yojanas high, with golden walls, silver gates, cool gardens and ponds, and various birds singing in harmony. It is ten thousand yojanas away from Mount Sumeru. His body is twenty-eight thousand li tall (the actual body of other asurins is one yojana tall, their garments two yojanas long and one yojana wide, weighing six zhu). He also eats solid food, and when bathed, his garments become fine, smooth food. On the fifteenth day of the month, he enters the middle of the ocean and transforms his physical form: the water below reaches his navel, while above he peers over Sumeru and covers the sun and moon with his fingers. When the gods of the sun and moon see his ugly form, they are all terrified and lose their radiance. When he travels and observes, natural winds blow open and shut the gates, blow the ground clean, and blow flowers to scatter. He has five ministers: the first is named Grasping; the second, Mighty Strength; the third, Martial Valour; the fourth, Head; the fifth, Subduing. They attend him on his left and right. Suddenly he thought to himself: "I have such authority, virtue, and supernormal power, yet the king of Trāyastriṃśa and the gods of the sun and moon walk above my head! I vow to take the sun and moon and make them my earrings." Gradually he became filled with great wrath and wished to beat them. He immediately thought of the two asurin kings, Śambara and Vemacitrin, along with their ministers, each to prepare weapons and go fight the gods. At that time, the two great nāga kings Nanda and Upananda coiled their bodies around Sumeru seven times; the mountain shook, clouds gathered, and with their tails they struck the water. The great ocean surged with waves, crowning the top of Sumeru. The Trāyastriṃśa gods said: "The asurins wish to fight!" The various nāgas, garuḍas, ghosts holding flowers, and ghosts of constant delight in the ocean, each leading their troops, engaged in combat one after another. If defeated, they all fled. The palaces of the Four Heavenly Kings prepared their chariots to attack, first informing Śakra. Śakra informed the gods above. Then, from the Yāma gods upwards to the Paranirmitavaśavartin gods, countless heavenly hosts, nāgas, and ghosts surrounded him in front and behind. Śakra commanded: "If my army wins, bind Vemacitrin with fivefold fetters and bring him back to the Sudharmā hall; I wish to look upon him." The asurin also said: "If my host wins, bind Śakra with fivefold fetters and bring him back to the Saptaparṇa hall; I wish to look upon him." There was a great battle, weapons clashed, but neither side harmed the other; merely touching their bodies gave rise to pain and distress. Śakra manifested a body with a thousand eyes, holding a vajra pestle, with smoke and flames issuing from his head. When the asurins saw this, their army retreated in defeat. Vemacitrin was captured, bound, and brought back. Seeing Śakra from afar, he hurled abusive words at him. Śakra replied: "I only wish to discuss the meaning of the Way with you." His lifespan was one thousand heavenly years, slightly more or mostly less. Because of an evil mind that loved to fight yet did not break the precepts, and greatly practiced giving, he received this body (from the Chang ahan, fascicle 20; the Loutan jing, Huayan jing, and Dazhidulun are roughly the same).