[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 28.9 # 法苑珠林 28.9 法苑珠林 28.9 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [28.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28.9) 如阿育王經云。昔阿恕伽王。深信三寶常供養佛法眾僧。諸婆羅門外道等皆生嫉妬。共相聚集簡選宿舊。取五百人皆誦四韋陀典。天文地理無不博達。共集議言。阿恕伽王一切盡供養剔頭禿人。我等宿舊未曾被問。當設何方便使彼意迴。有一善呪婆羅門言。諸賢但從我後。却後七日我當以呪力作魔醯首羅身。飛行至到王宮門。汝等皆當步從我後。我能使其大作供養汝等都得。諸婆羅門皆共然可。到七日首。善呪婆羅門即自呪身。化作魔醯首羅。於虛空中飛到王門首。諸婆羅門亦皆侍從。到王門首遣人白王言。虛空中有魔醯首羅。將四百九十九婆羅門從空來下。今在門外。餘婆羅門在地而立。欲得見王。阿恕伽王喚使來前。便喚來入坐於兩廂床上。王言。小坐。共相問訊即語之言。魔醯首羅何能屈意故來相見。欲何所須答言。須飲食。即勅厨中擎五百案飲食著前。魔醯首羅等皆手推言。我從生已來未曾食如此食。阿恕伽王答言。先不約勅不知當食何食。魔醯首羅等皆同聲言。我之所食𩮜頭禿人。阿恕伽王即勅一臣。汝往到雞頭末寺語尊者耶奢。王宮內有五百婆羅門。一自稱言魔醯首羅。不知為是人。為是惡羅剎。請問所以願阿闍梨來為我驅遣使去。所使之人是邪見婆羅門弟子。到彼眾中情不稱實如王所言。阿恕伽王有五百婆羅門。貌狀似人語似羅剎。唯作是言。正欲得汝沙門作食。上座耶奢即語維那。鳴椎集僧起辭眾僧言。我年以老耄我為眾僧當如此事。眾僧安隱護持佛法。聽我使去第二上座言。上座不應去。我身無所堪能。惟我應去。第三者言。第二上座不應去。正應我去。如是展轉乃至沙彌十六萬八千僧中。其最下頭七歲沙彌。起至眾僧中。長跪合掌而作是言。一切大僧不足擾動。我既幼小不能堪任護持佛法。唯願大眾必聽我去。上座耶奢極大歡喜。手摩沙彌頭言。子汝應合去。使人不待即於先去。阿恕伽言。頗有來者不。使人答言。更相推致今次最下沙彌來。王作是言。大者羞恥故。使小者來使作酬對。阿恕伽王聞沙彌來。即出門迎。坐此沙彌。著御座上。諸婆羅門皆大瞋恚。阿恕伽王大不識別。我等宿德尚不起迎。為此小兒而自出迎。沙彌問王言。何以見喚。王時答言。此魔醯首羅欲得阿闍梨為食。墮阿闍梨欲為作食。不為作食。沙彌言。我年幼小朝來未食。王先施我食。然後我當與彼令食。王即勅厨宰擎食來與。食一案食悉皆都盡。如是擎五百案食與皆未足。王復勅厨家言。所有餘食盡持擎來與。沙彌得食忽爾都盡。問言足未。答言。未足。飢渴如本。厨監白王。飲食都盡。王言庫中\[麩-夫+少\]餔乾食一切都來。儵忽都盡。王問言足未。答言。猶未足。王答言。一切飲食悉皆都盡。更無有食。沙彌言。撮下頭婆羅門將來。我欲食之即時噉盡。如是悉食四百九十九婆羅門。悉皆令盡。唯有魔醯首羅。極大驚怖飛向虛空欲去。沙彌即時座上舉手。從虛空中撮頭復噉使盡。王即時驚怕。見噉諸婆羅門使盡。復不噉我以不。沙彌知王心念。即語王言。王是佛法檀越終無損減。慎莫驚怕。即語王言。王能共至雞頭末寺不。王言。阿闍梨將我上天入地皆當隨從。沙彌即時共王到雞頭末寺。王見沙彌朝所食之食。諸眾僧等皆分共食。所食五百婆羅門。皆𩮜除鬚髮被著法衣。在諸眾僧下行末坐。最初食者最在上座首。魔醯首羅最在行末。五百人見王沙彌極生慚愧。我等尚不能與此沙彌共戰。何況與諸大眾而共捔力。猶如鶴尾俟於鑪炭。猶如蚊子與金翅鳥捔飛遲疾。猶如小兔共師子王捔其威力。如此之比不自度量。五百婆羅門心生慚愧得須陀洹道。 > As the \*Aśokarāja-sūtra\* states: Formerly, King Aśoka had deep faith in the Three Jewels and constantly made offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha. The Brahmans and non-Buddhists were all filled with jealousy. Gathering together to select senior elders, they chose five hundred men, all of whom could recite the four Veda scriptures and were thoroughly versed in both astronomy and geography. They assembled and deliberated, saying, 'King Aśoka offers everything exclusively to those shaven-headed, bald people, while we elders have never once been consulted. What expedient should we devise to change his mind?' A Brahman skilled in spells said, 'Noble ones, just follow behind me. Seven days from now, by the power of my spells, I will take on the body of Maheśvara and fly through the air to the king's palace gate. You should all follow on foot behind me. I can make him prepare a great offering, which you will all receive.' The Brahmans all agreed. When the seventh day arrived, the spell-skilled Brahman cast a spell upon his own body and transformed into Maheśvara. Flying through the air, he arrived before the king's palace gate, with the other Brahmans attending him. Having reached the palace gate, they sent someone to announce to the king, saying, 'Maheśvara is in the air, bringing four hundred and ninety-nine Brahmans descending from the sky; he is now outside the gate. The other Brahmans are standing on the ground, wishing to see the king.' King Aśoka called the messenger forward, and then summoned them to enter, seating them on couches along the two wings \[of the hall\]. The king said, 'Pray be seated.' After exchanging greetings, he spoke to him, saying, 'Why has Maheśvara condescended to pay a visit? What do you require?' He replied, 'I require food and drink.' \[The king\] immediately ordered the kitchen to bring five hundred trays of food and drink and set them before them. Maheśvara and the others pushed them away with their hands, saying, 'Since birth, we have never eaten food like this.' King Aśoka replied, 'Having had no prior instruction, I do not know what food you should eat.' Maheśvara and the others said with one voice, 'Our food is shaven-headed, bald people.' King Aśoka immediately instructed an official, 'Go to Kukkuṭārāma monastery and tell the Venerable Yaśas: "Inside the royal palace are five hundred Brahmans, one calling himself Maheśvara. We do not know whether he is a human or an evil rākṣasa. Inquire into the reason, and may the ācārya come to drive them away for me."' The messenger sent was a disciple of a non-Buddhist with wrong views. Arriving among the assembly, his sentiments were not faithful to the king's words: 'King Aśoka has five hundred Brahmans whose appearance is like humans but whose speech is like rākṣasas; they say only, "We wish precisely to take you śramaṇas for food!"' The elder Yaśas immediately told the karmadāna to strike the mallet and assemble the monks. Rising, he took leave of the assembly of monks, saying, 'My years are old and decrepit; I should undertake this matter for the sake of the assembly of monks. May the assembly of monks remain in tranquility and protect the Buddha-Dharma; permit me to go.' The second elder said, 'The elder should not go; my body lacks any ability, so only I should go.' The third said, 'The second elder should not go; it is precisely I who should go.' In this way it passed down in turn, even to the novices among the one hundred and sixty-eight thousand monks. The lowest among them, a seven-year-old novice, rose and approached the assembly of monks, knelt on both knees, joined his palms, and said: 'None of the fully ordained monks need be disturbed. Since I am young and small, unable to bear the responsibility of protecting the Buddha-Dharma, I only wish the great assembly will definitely permit me to go.' The elder Yaśas was overjoyed; stroking the novice's head with his hand, he said, 'Child, you are indeed the right one to go.' The messenger did not wait, but went back ahead. Aśoka asked, 'Is anyone coming?' The messenger replied, 'Yielding to one another in turn, now the very lowest novice is coming next.' The king said, 'Because the great ones are ashamed, they have sent a little one to make a response.' Hearing that the novice had arrived, King Aśoka went out the gate to welcome him and seated this novice upon the royal throne. The Brahmans were all greatly enraged: 'King Aśoka shows great lack of discernment! He did not even rise to welcome us elders of virtue, yet he goes out in person to welcome this child!' The novice asked the king, 'Why have you summoned me?' The king replied, 'This Maheśvara wishes to take an ācārya for food. Does the venerable ācārya wish to serve as food or not?' The novice said, 'I am young and small, and have not eaten since morning. First let the king grant me food, and afterward I will grant them food.' The king immediately ordered the cooks to bring food to give him. He ate a tray of food completely. In this manner, five hundred trays of food were brought and given, yet he was still not satisfied. The king again ordered the cooks, saying, 'Bring all remaining food and give it to him.' The novice received the food and consumed it completely in an instant. They asked, 'Are you satisfied?' He replied, 'Not yet satisfied; my hunger and thirst are as before.' The head cook reported to the king, 'The food and drink are completely exhausted.' The king said, 'Bring all the parched flour, cakes, and dry provisions from the storehouse.' All was consumed in an instant. The king asked, 'Are you satisfied?' He replied, 'Still not satisfied.' The king replied, 'All the food and drink are completely gone; there is no more food.' The novice said, 'Seize the Brahman at the very bottom and bring him here; I wish to eat him.' He instantly devoured him completely. In this way, he ate four hundred and ninety-nine Brahmans, consuming them all completely. Only Maheśvara remained, who was terrified and flew into the air, wishing to flee. From his seat, the novice immediately raised his hand, seized him by the head from mid-air, and devoured him completely as well. The king was immediately terrified at seeing all the Brahmans devoured completely: 'Will he eat me too, or not?' The novice, knowing the thought in the king's mind, said to the king, 'The king is a dānapati of the Buddha-Dharma; you will never suffer any harm. Take care not to be frightened.' He then asked the king, 'Can the king go together with me to Kukkuṭārāma monastery?' The king said, 'Whether the ācārya takes me to heaven or enters the earth, I will follow you everywhere.' The novice immediately went together with the king to Kukkuṭārāma monastery. The king saw that the food the novice had eaten that morning was shared and eaten among all the monks; and the five hundred Brahmans who had been eaten had all had their hair and beards shaved off, were clad in Dharma robes, and sat at the end of the lowest row of the monks. The one eaten first sat at the head of the elder seats, while Maheśvara was at the very end of the row. Seeing the king and the novice, the five hundred people felt immense shame: 'We were not even able to contend with this novice, how much less could we match our strength against the great assembly! We were like a crane's tail awaiting the furnace coals, like a mosquito vying in speed of flight with a garuḍa, like a small hare contesting its might against the lion king. We were just like these, not knowing our own measure.' With shame arising in their hearts, the five hundred Brahmans attained the fruit of srotāpanna. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 28.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28.8) - [Next: 28.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28.10) - [Up: 28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.28.9) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [阿育王傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.avadana.divyavadana.asokavadana*zh-anfaqin.7.11) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.28.9) · Pramāṇa