經律異相 25.28

25.28

Formerly there was a king named Sarvadā (in the Liang language, “Giver of All”), who never went against anyone’s wishes in whatever was sought of him. The king's name was renowned throughout the eight directions. Mañjuśrī wished to go and test him, so he transformed himself into a young brāhmaṇa coming from a foreign land to the palace gate. The king was greatly delighted; he immediately came out to welcome him, greeting the man of the Way and asking where he had come from. The brāhmaṇa said, “Having heard of your majesty's merit, I came to meet you, wishing now to beg [something of you].” The king said, “Very well. Do not hesitate over whatever you wish to obtain.” The brāhmaṇa said, “I wish to have your majesty's person to serve me as a slave, and your consort to serve me as a maidservant.” The king was greatly pleased and replied, “Very well! Now my own body can certainly be had, and I am willing to belong to you, man of the Way, to supply your service and bidding. As for the consort, she is the daughter of a great king; I must go and ask her.” The king then entered and spoke to his consort. Thereupon the consort followed the king out and personally addressed the man of the Way: “I wish to offer my person to serve you, man of the Way.” The brāhmaṇa said, “You must follow me completely barefoot without wearing shoes, in accordance with the rules for slaves.” Both said, “Yes, we will obey the master’s orders.” He then led the slaves away on the road. With transformed persons taking the place of the king and the consort, he had them administer the affairs of state, keeping things just as before. As the consort had long dwelt deep within the palace and had never experienced hardship, and moreover was heavily pregnant for several months, walking behind her master her whole body ached, the soles of her feet were wounded and broken, and she could advance no further, lagging behind in utter exhaustion. Then the brāhmaṇa looked back and scolded her, saying, “Now that you are a maidservant, you must follow the rules of a maidservant; you cannot behave with your former attitude!” The consort knelt upright and said, “I dare not be negligent; I am merely slightly exhausted, resting for a short while.” He shouted, “Come quickly! Hurry up and follow behind me!” Ahead they arrived at the state marketplace, where he sold the slaves separately, each to a different master, several li apart. At that time an elder bought this slave and set him to guard a mortuary shed, having him collect tax from all who buried the dead, not allowing wrongful taxation. Meanwhile, the master to whom the maidservant belonged had a very jealous wife, who made her work day and night without ever letting her rest. Several months later, the maidservant gave birth to a baby boy. The master's wife angrily said, “As a maidservant, how did you get this child? Seize him and kill him!” In accordance with the mistress's command, she killed her child and carried him off to bury him. She went to the place of the [male] slave, where they met together; they did not speak of their hardships and neither had a resentful heart. While speaking thus, in an instant, in a trance as if in a dream, they were back in their own state, seated in the main hall just as before without difference, and all the ministers, palace women, and attendants were just as before. The born prince was also naturally alive. The king and the consort wondered within themselves by what cause this had come about. Mañjuśrī, sitting upon a precious lotus flower in the empty sky, manifested his physical form and praised them, saying, “Excellent! Today your giving is sincere like this.” The king and his consort leapt with joy and immediately went forward to pay homage. Mañjuśrī expounded the sūtras and Dharma for them; the three-thousand-fold world trembled, and all the people of the state brought forth the resolve for the unsurpassed, correct, and true Way. The king and his consort immediately attained the endurance of the non-arising of phenomena. The Buddha told Ānanda, “The king at that time was my own body; the consort at that time was now Gopī; and the prince at that time was now Rāhula.” (Extracted from the Sūtra of King Sarvadā)