經律異相 44.60

44.60

The Buddha and Ānanda entered Rājagṛha. At that time it rained heavily, and the water washed over a hidden treasure, exposing various jewels. The Buddha said, 'A venomous snake.' Ānanda said, 'A wicked, venomous snake.' A wheat harvester at the foot of the mountain heard this and thought, 'I have never seen a monk's venomous snake.' He immediately went and saw the objects, and carried them into his house with carts and bags of cloth. Displaying signs of wealth and nobility, he newly built a great mansion. An envious person reported to the king: 'Previously there was an impoverished, low-caste man who suddenly shows signs of wealth. This man must have found a great treasure.' The king summoned and questioned him, but he answered that he had not found any. [The king] ordered him interrogated and punished. This man remembered that the Buddha and Ānanda had called it a wicked, venomous snake. Even when asked who found the treasure, he did not say, but single-mindedly recollected the Buddha. To the king he made this statement: 'The Buddha said, "A venomous snake"; Ānanda said, "A wicked, venomous snake."' The king summoned and questioned him, and the man answered, 'Great King, if you grant me fearlessness, I will speak the truth.' The king agreed. He recounted the earlier events in full: 'Now, what can [this treasure] do to my body? It will surely devour my life.' The king rewarded him with five hundred gold coins, because in the midst of extremity he could speak the words of the Buddha and Ānanda. (From the Shisong lü, Third Recitation, fascicle 3)