經律異相 33.39

33.39

When the prince arrived, the people joined their palms and spoke these words: "We welcome the prince; it was not for strife, nor do we harbour resentment toward that great king. It is only that the minister sent by the king who governs our country has been unruly, and we wished to depose him." Then the people, with various articles of offering, made offerings to Prince Kuṇāla and welcomed him into the realm. At that time, King Aśoka was struck with a severe illness: feces came out of his mouth, and various foul fluids issued from his pores; none of the skilled physicians could cure him. The king then told his ministers, "Summon Kuṇāla back; I shall consecrate him and confer the royal throne upon him. At present I do not covet my physical life." Tiṣyarakṣitā said to the king, "I can cure the king's illness." The king accepted her words and dismissed the physicians. Tiṣyarakṣitā told the physicians, "If you hear of any man or woman outside with an illness like the king's, you may bring them in." At that time, in the country of Ābhīra, there was a person whose illness was no different from the king's. The sick person's wife was searching for a physician. The physician replied, "Bring him here; I wish to examine him and prescribe medicine for him." The wife delivered him to the physician, and the physician brought him to the queen. The queen then placed the sick person in an uninhabited place, had his abdomen cut open, and took out his stomach and intestines. There was a large worm; if the worm moved upward, feces issued from the mouth; if the worm moved downward, it came out below; if it moved left or right, it came out from the pores. The queen placed marica (black pepper) beside the worm, but the worm did not die. She then placed pippalī (long pepper) beside the worm, and the worm still did not die. She then placed dried ginger beside the worm, and the worm still did not die. Finally, she placed garlic beside the worm, and the worm died immediately. The queen reported this matter in detail to the king: "Your Majesty should now eat garlic, and your illness will be cured." The king replied, "I am a kṣatriya and must not eat garlic." The queen said again, "For the sake of your life, eat it regarding it as medicine." The king then ate it; the worm died and the illness was cured, and his bodily functions returned to normal. The king bathed cleanly and said to the queen, "Whatever you now request, I shall grant according to your wish." The queen said to the king, "I wish the king would allow me to be king for seven days." The king told the queen, "If you are king, you will surely kill me." The queen said again, "When seven days have passed, I will return the throne to the king." The king then granted it. The queen forged the king's letter to the people of Takṣaśilā, ordering them to pluck out Kuṇāla's eyes. When she had finished writing the letter, it required the tooth seal to seal it. The king was asleep; when the queen drew near to the king to seal the letter, the king was startled awake. The queen said to the king, "Why were you startled?" The king said, "I dreamed that a vulture wanted to gouge out Kuṇāla's eyes." The queen replied, "The boy Kuṇāla is very safe now." He had a second dream; the king again started awake: "I have just had another dream." The queen asked, "What was the dream again?" The king replied, "I saw Kuṇāla's hair, beard, and nails all long and sharp, and he could not speak." The queen replied, "He is safe now; please do not worry." The king went back to sleep. The queen secretly sealed the letter with the great king's tooth and sent an envoy to deliver it to the people of Takṣaśilā. The king also dreamed that his own teeth all fell out. At dawn the next morning, having washed, he summoned a physiognomist and told him of the dreams. The physiognomist replied, "If someone has these dreams, his son will lose his eyes; it is no different from losing his son." Hearing this, the king immediately stood up, joined his palms, and turned toward the deity of the west, uttering this vow: