經律異相 43.33

43.33

When the Buddha was dwelling in Śrāvastī, south of the city was the village of Mahāvana. A merchant drove eight oxen to the northern country of Kūṭa. Another merchant was with him, pasturing oxen together in a marsh. At that time, a Licchavi caught a nāga maiden, pierced her nose, and led her along. When the merchant saw this, thoughts of compassion arose in him. He asked the Licchavi, “What do you intend to do, leading this [creature]?” He replied, “I want to kill and eat her.” The merchant said, “Do not kill her. I will give you an ox in exchange for her release.” The captor refused, until [the merchant offered] up to eight oxen, at which point he said, “Now, for your sake, I will release her.” He then took the eight oxen and let the nāga maiden go. Then the merchant thought again, “This is an evil man, and I fear he will pursue her and capture her again.” So he followed behind, watching where she went. Arriving at the edge of a pool, the nāga transformed into human form and said to the merchant, “You, my lord, have spared my life, and now I wish to repay your kindness. You may come into the palace with me, and I shall repay your lordship’s kindness.” The merchant answered, “The nature of you nāgas is sudden, violent, angry, and fickle; you might kill me.” She answered, “The earlier man bound me, and I had the power to kill him, but only because I was observing the poṣadha precepts did I have no thought of killing at all. How much less would I harm my lord, who has just bestowed life upon me? Stay here for a short while; I will go in first to arrange things.” At the gate of this nāga [palace], he saw two nāgas bound in one place. He asked them, “Why are you here?” They answered, “This nāga maiden observes the fasting precepts three days every half-month. We brothers failed to guard this nāga maiden securely, so she was caught by the Licchavi. For this reason we are bound. We only pray that in your lordship’s compassion, you will tell her to release us. If this nāga maiden asks what kind of food you wish to eat, you should ask for the human food of Jambudvīpa.” Once the nāga maiden finished arranging things, she summoned him inside. He sat on a precious couch with mats. The nāga maiden addressed him, saying, “What kind of food does my lord wish to eat now?” He answered, “I desire human food of Jambudvīpa.” She immediately set out various kinds of food. He asked the nāga maiden, saying, “Why are these persons bound?” The nāga maiden said, “They have committed a fault, and I wish to kill them.” The merchant said, “Do not kill them.” [She said,] “If not [killed], they must at least be executed.” The merchant said, “Only if you release them will I eat.” She said, “They cannot be simply released like that; they must be punished by being banished to the human realm for six months.” The merchant asked, “You possess such adornments; why do you observe the poṣadha?” She answered, “In our nāga existence, there are five kinds of suffering. What are the five? At birth one is a nāga; while sleeping one is a nāga; during lust one is a nāga; in anger one is a nāga; and three times in the middle of a single day, one’s skin and flesh fall to the ground and hot sand roasts one’s body.” He asked again, “What do you seek?” She answered, “I seek to be born in the human realm.” He asked, “I have already attained a human body; what should I seek?” She answered, “Leaving home is hard to attain.” He further asked, “Under whom should I leave home?” She answered, “The Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha is now in the city of Śrāvastī; he liberates those not yet liberated. You may go to him to leave home.” He then said, “I wish to return home.” The nāga maiden then gave him eight cakes of gold, telling him, “This is nāga gold; it will suffice for your parents and family members to use for their entire lives without being exhausted.” She said, “Close your eyes.” Then, by supernatural power, she transported him back to his native country. His traveling companions had arrived earlier and told his family, “He entered the nāga palace.” His parents thought their son had died, and the family and clan gathered in one place, wailing and weeping. At that time, cowherds and gatherers of firewood and grass saw him and returned first to tell his family, “So-and-so has returned.” Hearing this, the family rejoiced greatly, going out to welcome him into the house, and held a feast to celebrate his survival. During the feast celebrating his survival, he took the eight cakes of gold and presented them to his parents, [saying], “This is nāga gold. When a piece is cut off, it grows back again; use it for your whole lives.” (From the thirty-third fascicle of the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya.)