經律異相 36.30

36.30

In ancient times, there was an elder whose wife became pregnant, and a fine fragrance emitted from her mouth, filling the whole country. King Ajātaśatru dispatched messengers to search for it, and they found the elder's house. When they questioned the elder, he answered fully. The messenger reported this to the king. The king was greatly delighted; he summoned the elder and said to him, "If you give birth to a boy, you shall give him to me, and if a girl is born, [she shall wed my son]." Later, a daughter was born, and a robe of golden thread was naturally worn on her body. The mother found it strange and removed it, but as soon as she did, another layer appeared and was worn on her body again. They then went to ask the Buddha. The Buddha said, "In the past, there was a poor household. The wife was walking outside when she encountered rain, and she saw an old śramaṇa who was a pratyekabuddha. He had fallen in the mud to the ground, injuring his knees so that blood flowed. She immediately helped the śramaṇa up and washed away the blood, tearing her own clothing to wrap his wounded knees. Although the woman had not yet received the essentials of the Dharma, she constantly loved to praise the Buddha's path. Upon dying, she was born in the second heaven. When her lifespan ended, she was born below; thus, she naturally had clothing and a fine fragrance emitted from her mouth." (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Ten-Fascicle Sūtra of Avadānas)