法苑珠林 49.68

49.68

爾時天神捉持二蛇。著王殿上而作是言。各別雄雌汝國得安。若不別者汝身及國。七日之後悉當覆滅。王聞是已心懷懊惱。即與群臣參議斯事。各自陳謝稱不能別。即募國界。誰能別者。厚加爵賞。大臣歸家往問其父。父答子言。此事易別。以細軟物停蛇著上。其躁嬈者當知是雄。住不動者當知是雌（故律云白疊試蛇去住不同也）即如其言。果別雄雌。天神復問言。誰於睡者名之為寤誰於寤者名之為睡。王與群臣復不能辯。大臣問父此是何言父言。此名學人。於諸凡夫名為覺者。於諸羅漢名之為睡。即如其言以答天神。又復問言。此大白象有幾斤兩。群臣共議無能知者。大臣問父。父言。置象船上著大池中。畫水齊船。深淺幾許。即以此船置石著中。水沒齊畫則知斤兩。即以此智。以答天神。又復問言。以一掬水多於大海。誰能知之。群臣共議又不能解。大臣問父。此是何語。父言。此語易解。若有人解信心清淨。以一掬水施於佛僧及以父母困厄病人。以此功德數千萬劫受福無窮。海水極多不過一劫。推此言之。一掬之水百千萬倍多於大海。即以此言用答天神。天神復化作餓人。連骸拄骨而來問言。世頗有人飢窮瘦苦劇於我不。群臣思量復不能答。復以狀問父。父答子言。世間有人。慳貪嫉妬不信三寶。不能供養父母師長。將來之世墮餓鬼中。百千萬歲不聞水穀之名。身如大山腹如大谷。咽如細針髮如錐刀。纏身至脚。舉動之時支節火然。如此之人劇汝飢苦百千萬倍。即以斯言用答天神。天神又化作一人。手脚杻械項後著鎖。身中火出舉體燋爛。而又問言。世頗有人苦劇我不。群臣率爾無知答者。大臣復問其父。父即答言。世間有人。不孝父母。逆害師長。叛於夫主。誹謗三尊。將來之世墮於地獄。刀山劍樹火車鑪炭。陷河沸𡱁刀道火道。如是眾苦無量無邊不可計數。以此方之劇汝困苦。百千萬倍。即如其言以答天神。天神又化作一女人。端正瑰瑋踰於世人。而又問言。世間頗有端正之人似我者不。群臣默然無能答者。臣復問父。父時答言。世間有人信敬三寶孝順父母。好施忍辱精勤持戒。得生天上端正殊特。過於汝身百千萬倍。以此方之如瞎獼猴。復以此言以答天神。天神又以一栴檀木方之正等。又復問言。何者是頭。群臣智力無能答者。臣又問父。父答言。易知。放著水中。根者必沈。尾者必舉。即以此言用答天神。天神又以二白騲馬形色無異。而復問言。誰母誰子。群臣亦復無能答者。復問其父。父答言。與草令食。若是母者必推草與子。如是所問悉皆答之。天神歡喜。大遺王珍奇財寶。而語王言。汝今國土我當擁護。令諸外敵不能侵害。王聞是已極大踊悅。而問臣言。為是自知有人教汝。賴汝大智國土獲安。既得珍寶又許擁護。是汝之力。臣答王言。非臣之智。願施無畏。乃敢具陳。王言。設汝今有萬死之罪猶尚不問。況小罪過。臣白王言。國有制令不聽養老。臣有老父不忍驅遣。致犯王法藏著地中。臣來應答。盡是父智。非臣之力。唯願大王。一切國土還聽養老。王即歎美心生喜悅。奉養臣父尊以為師。濟我國家一切人命。如此利益非我所知。即便宣令普告天下。不聽棄老仰令孝養。其有不孝父母不敬師長。當加大罪。

At that time, a deva held two snakes, placed them upon the king's palace floor, and said: 'If you distinguish their male and female, your country will obtain peace. If you cannot distinguish them, your own body and your kingdom will both be completely overturned and destroyed after seven days.' Having heard this, the king harboured distress and sorrow in his heart. He immediately conferred upon this matter with his assembled ministers, each of whom made his apologies and declared that he was unable to distinguish them. Thereupon, he recruited throughout the realm: 'Whoever is able to distinguish them will be generously granted noble rank and rewards.' The minister returned home and went to ask his father. The father answered his son, saying: 'This matter is easy to distinguish. Place the snakes upon a fine, soft cloth. The one that is restless and agitated, you should know, is the male; the one that stays still without moving, you should know, is the female.' (Therefore the Vinaya says: 'Using fine white felt to test the snakes, their departure and staying differ.') Following his words, he indeed distinguished the male and female. The deva asked again, saying: 'Among those asleep, who is called awake? Among those awake, who is called asleep?' The king and his assembled ministers were again unable to discern it. The minister asked his father: 'What words are these?' The father said: 'This refers to a person in training (śaikṣa). In relation to ordinary beings, he is called awake; in relation to arhats, he is called asleep.' Following his words, he answered the deva. [The deva] asked yet again, saying: 'How many pounds does this great white elephant weigh?' The assembled ministers deliberated together, but none could know it. The minister asked his father. The father said: 'Place the elephant upon a boat and put it in a great pond. Mark the water along the boat's edge according to how deep or shallow it is. Then take this boat and place stones in it; when the water submerges it up to the mark, you will know the weight.' With this wisdom, he answered the deva. [The deva] asked yet again, saying: 'A handful of water is greater than the great ocean: who can know this?' The assembled ministers deliberated together, but again could not explain it. The minister asked his father: 'What words are these?' The father said: 'These words are easy to understand. If someone understands, and with pure faith gives a handful of water in charity to the Buddha and the Saṃgha, or to parents and the afflicted and sick, through this merit he will receive boundless blessings for tens of millions of kalpas. The sea water, though exceedingly plentiful, does not exceed one kalpa. Deduced from this, a handful of water is hundreds of thousands of myriad times greater than the great ocean.' With these words, he answered the deva. The deva again transformed into a starving person, with bones linked and jutting out, and came to ask, saying: 'Is there anyone in the world whose hunger, poverty, emaciation, and suffering are more severe than mine?' The assembled ministers pondered, but again could not answer. He again asked his father about the situation. The father answered his son, saying: 'There are people in the world who are stingy, greedy, and jealous, who do not believe in the Three Jewels, and who cannot make offerings to their parents, teachers, and elders. In future lives they will fall among the hungry ghosts, not hearing the names of water or grain for hundreds of thousands of myriad years. Their bodies are like great mountains, their bellies like great valleys, their throats like fine needles, and their hair like awls and knives, wrapping their bodies down to their feet. When they move, their joints blaze with fire. Such people are hundreds of thousands of myriad times more severe in their hunger and suffering than you.' With these words, he answered the deva. The deva transformed again into a man, with cangues and manacles on his hands and feet, a chain behind his neck, fire bursting from within his body, and his entire form scorched and festering. He again asked, saying: 'Is there anyone in the world whose suffering is more severe than mine?' The assembled ministers were caught unprepared and none could answer. The minister again asked his father. The father answered: 'There are people in the world who are unfilial to their parents, who rebel against and harm their teachers and elders, who betray their husbands, and who slander the Three Honoured Ones. In future lives they will fall into the hells, onto mountains of blades, trees of swords, fire-carts, and burning coals, sinking into rivers of boiling excrement, roads of blades, and roads of fire. Such diverse sufferings are measureless, boundless, and cannot be calculated. Compared with this, their distress and suffering are hundreds of thousands of myriad times more severe than yours.' Following his words, he answered the deva. The deva transformed again into a woman, upright and magnificent, surpassing worldly people. She again asked, saying: 'Is there anyone in the world as upright and beautiful as I?' The assembled ministers were silent, and none could answer. The minister again asked his father. The father then answered, saying: 'There are people in the world who have faith in and respect for the Three Jewels, are filial and compliant to their parents, delight in giving and patience, and are energetic in upholding the precepts. Born in heaven, their upright beauty is extraordinary, surpassing your body by hundreds of thousands of myriad times. Compared to them, you are like a blind monkey.' With these words, he answered the deva. The deva then took a piece of sandalwood that was square and even on all sides, and asked again, saying: 'Which is the head?' The intellectual power of the assembled ministers could not answer it. The minister asked his father again. The father answered: 'It is easy to know. Release it into water; the root end will certainly sink, and the tip will certainly rise.' With these words, he answered the deva. The deva then brought two white mares whose form and colour were indistinguishable, and asked again, saying: 'Which is the mother and which is the child?' The assembled ministers were also unable to answer. He asked his father again. The father answered: 'Give them grass to eat; if it is the mother, she will certainly push the grass to the child.' All that was questioned was answered in this manner. The deva rejoiced, gave the king a great amount of rare treasures, and said to the king: 'I will now protect your kingdom and make it so that foreign enemies cannot invade or harm it.' Having heard this, the king was exceedingly overjoyed, and asked the minister: 'Did you know this yourself, or did someone teach you? Relying on your great wisdom, the kingdom has attained peace. Having obtained rare treasures, we have also been promised protection. This is your doing.' The minister replied to the king, saying: 'It was not my wisdom. If you deign to grant me freedom from fear, I will dare to state it in full.' The king said: 'Even if you were guilty of a crime deserving ten thousand deaths, I would still not interrogate you, let alone for a minor offense.' The minister said to the king: 'The state had an edict not permitting the care of the elderly. I have an aged father whom I could not bear to drive away. Breaking the royal law, I hid him in the earth. That I was able to reply to all of these questions was entirely my father's wisdom, not my own power. My only wish, Great King, is that the care of the elderly be permitted once more throughout the entire realm.' The king then praised him, felt joy in his heart, provided for the minister's father, and honoured him as his master: 'He has saved the lives of all the people of our kingdom. Benefits such as these were beyond my knowledge.' He thereupon issued an edict proclaiming across the realm that abandoning the elderly was forbidden, and that people were enjoined to support them with filial piety. Those who are unfilial to their parents or disrespectful to their teachers and elders would be subjected to severe punishment.