經律異相 35.35

35.35

When the Buddha was in Rājagṛha, there was a prominent elder named Śrīṣṭha, exceedingly wealthy. His wife gave birth to a boy whose appearance was dignified and wonderful. He invited masters to divine his fortune, and they praised the child's merit and virtue. They asked, saying, "Since conceiving this child, what auspicious signs have there been?" The elder said, "His mother was slow of speech and blunt of phrase, but once she conceived this child, her speech became clever and wondrous." He was named Vaśeṣṭha. When he grew up, he went out on an excursion to look around and saw a woman from a family of naṭa performers. His heart immediately became attached to her, and he wished to take her as his wife. He returned and requested his parents, "I wish that you would seek her for me." His parents said to him, "High and low are not a match; how could we arrange a marriage?" The son requested again, saying, "Do not ask about family status; just consider the person. Please seek her for me; if it does not accord with my wish, I will end my own life." His parents consented and arranged the marriage. The son was infatuated with her beauty and was not ashamed of base matters. He went to her house, learned the arts of entertainment, and mastered them all. At that time, the king gathered numerous naṭa acrobats for performances. When it was the elder's son's turn to show his skill, he ran upon a high rope. The king happened not to see it and ordered him to go up again. His strength gradually grew exhausted, and halfway across he was about to fall. In his heart, he was terrified, having nowhere to turn for refuge. Maudgalyāyana soared in the sky and said to him, "As for you today, would you rather preserve your life, go forth to learn the Way, or would you rather fall to the ground and marry that woman?" He answered, saying, "I wish to save my own life; I have no need for the woman." Maudgalyāyana immediately transformed [the ground below] into level earth, and his whole body and head were saved. He was overjoyed beyond measure. Following Maudgalyāyana, he went to the Bhagavat, bowed down in homage, and made offerings. At that time, the Buddha extensively preached the wondrous discourse. His mind opened in understanding, and he immediately attained the first fruit. Thereupon he requested to go forth, and the Bhagavat granted it. His hair and beard fell off on their own, and the Dharma robes were upon his body. Concentrating with diligence on meditation, he became an arhat. The Buddha said: In a past age, in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, there was a great elder. He first had a son born who was incomparably handsome. A person came from the sea carrying a bird's egg, which he presented to the elder. The elder accepted it. After a short time, the egg hatched a fledgling bird, whose feathers were sleek and lustrous. The elder took it and gave it to his son to play with. The son rode upon the bird's back and flew about on excursions to look around. Hearing that the king of another state was staging a naṭa spectacle, he rode the bird thither. The bird perched in a tree. He chanced to see the king's daughter, and his passion became inflamed with love. He sent a message to convey his feelings, and the woman had relations with him. This became known to the king, who had him tracked down, bound, and brought forth to be decapitated. The elder's son said, "Why should you gentlemen trouble yourselves to kill me? Allow me to climb the tree and throw myself down to die." The people permitted it. He thereupon climbed the tree, mounted his bird, and flew away into the sky, thereby prolonging his life. The elder's son of that time is now Vaśeṣṭha. The king's daughter is now the woman of the entertainer's family. The bird at that time was Maudgalyāyana. In a past life, he was brought to distress by infatuation with beauty and was saved on account of the bird; now, when he was on the verge of death, it was on account of Maudgalyāyana that he gained safety (from the thirteenth fascicle of the Damamūka-nidāna Sūtra).