經律異相 47.50

47.50

過去世時有三親友。象獼猴鵽鳥（僧祇律第二十七今云巔多鳥）依一尼拘律樹止。共相謂言。既同依此木宜相恭敬。獼猴鵽鳥共問象言。汝憶事近遠。象言。我憶小時行此樹齊畫我腹。象與鵽問獼猴。獼猴答言。我憶小時此樹舉手及頭（僧祇律云尿此樹上）象語獼猴。汝生年多我。象與獼猴共問鵽。鵽言。我憶雪山右面有大尼拘律樹。我食果子來此便轉即生此樹。共相謂言。鵽生年多。象以獼猴置其頭上獼猴。以鵽置其肩上。共遊人間。從村至村。從邑至邑。常說偈言。

In a past age, there were three close friends: an elephant, a monkey, and a partridge bird (the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, fascicle 27, now calls it a tittira bird). They dwelt relying upon a single nyagrodha tree. They said to one another, 'Since we jointly rely upon this tree, we ought to revere one another.' The monkey and the partridge together asked the elephant, 'How far back do your memories go?' The elephant said, 'I remember when I was young, walking past this tree, it reached level with my belly.' The elephant and the partridge asked the monkey, and the monkey answered, 'I remember when I was young, lifting my hand to this tree reached my head' (the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya says: 'urinating on this tree'). The elephant said to the monkey, 'You have lived more years than I.' The elephant and the monkey together asked the partridge, and the partridge said, 'I remember to the right of the Snowy Mountains there was a great nyagrodha tree. I ate its fruit, came here, and defecated, whereupon this tree sprouted.' They said to one another, 'The partridge has lived the most years.' The elephant placed the monkey upon his head, and the monkey placed the partridge upon his shoulder. Together they wandered among human habitations, from village to village and from town to town, constantly reciting a verse: