法苑珠林 5.88

5.88

依正法念經云。脩羅居在五處住。一在地上眾相山中。其力最劣。二在須彌山北。入海二萬一千由旬有脩羅。名曰羅睺。統領無量阿脩羅眾。三復過二萬一千由旬有脩羅。名曰勇健。四復過二萬一千由旬有脩羅。名曰華鬘。復過二萬一千由旬有脩羅。名曰毘摩質多。此中出聲徹於海外。自云。我是毘摩質多阿脩羅。故云響高。其毘摩之母。依長阿含經云。劫初成時。昔有光音天入海洗身。水精入身生一肉卵。經八千歲乃生一女。身若須彌。千頭少一。頭有千眼。口別有千少一。口別四牙。牙上出火。猶若霹靂。有二十四脚。有九百九十九手。此女有時。在海浮戲水精入身生一肉卵。復經八千歲生毘摩質多。有九頭。頭有千眼。口常水出。手有千少一。脚唯有八。納香山乾闥婆女生舍脂羅睺。舍脂羅睺者。是帝釋取為夫人。羅睺阿脩羅。亦云障日日。是帝釋前軍。先放日光射脩羅眼令不見天眾。故彼以手障之。由有勢力多共天諍。又新婆沙論。問。諸阿素洛退住何處。有說。妙高山中有空缺處。如覆寶器。其中有城是彼所住。問何故經說。阿素洛云。我所部村落住鹹海中。而阿素洛王住彼山內。有說。大鹹海中於金輪上有大金臺高廣各五百踰繕那。臺上有城是彼所住。阿素洛王亦有四苑。一名慶悅。二名歡喜。三名極喜。四名可愛。如三十三天有波利夜怛羅樹。阿素洛王所居樹亦有。阿素洛其形云何。答其形上立。問語言云何。答皆作聖語。問何趣所攝。有說。是天趣。有說鬼趣攝。

According to the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra: Asuras dwell in five places. First, on earth in Mount Citrakūṭa; their strength is the weakest. Second, north of Mount Sumeru, entering twenty-one thousand yojanas into the ocean, there is an asura named Rāhu who commands countless assemblies of asuras. Third, further past twenty-one thousand yojanas, there is an asura named Brave and Mighty. Fourth, further past twenty-one thousand yojanas, there is an asura named Garland. Further past twenty-one thousand yojanas, there is an asura named Vemacitrin; the sound issuing from here penetrates beyond the ocean, declaring of itself, 'I am the asura Vemacitrin', hence he is called Loud Echo. As for the mother of this Vemacitrin, according to the Dīrgha-āgama sūtra, when the kalpa was first forming, in the past a deity of the Ābhāsvara Heaven entered the ocean to bathe. The essence of the water entered her body, and she gave birth to a fleshy egg. After eight thousand years, a daughter was born, whose body was like Sumeru, with one less than a thousand heads. Each head had a thousand eyes, and each head had one less than a thousand mouths. Each mouth had four fangs, and fire issued from the fangs like lightning. She had twenty-four legs and nine hundred and ninety-nine hands. This female once floated and played in the ocean, and the essence of the water entered her body, giving birth to a fleshy egg. Again after eight thousand years, she gave birth to Vemacitrin, who had nine heads, each head with a thousand eyes, water constantly flowing from his mouths, one less than a thousand hands, and only eight legs. He married a gandharva woman of the Fragrant Mountains and begot Śacī and Rāhu. Śacī was taken by Śakra to be his wife. The asura Rāhu is also called 'Sun-Obstructing'. The sun is Śakra's advance guard, which first emits sunlight to strike the eyes of the asuras so they cannot see the heavenly host; hence he uses his hand to obstruct it. Because they possess power, they often battle with the gods. Furthermore, the *New Vibhāṣā-śāstra* asks: Where do the asuras dwell when they retreat? Some say: Within Mount Sumeru there is an empty cavity, like an overturned precious vessel, inside of which is a city where they dwell. Question: Why do the sūtras say that the asuras state, 'The villages under my command dwell in the salty ocean, whereas the asura king dwells inside that mountain'? Some say: In the great salty ocean, atop the golden wheel, there is a great golden terrace, five hundred yojanas high and broad, and on the terrace is a city where they dwell. The asura king also has four parks: the first is named Delight, the second Joy, the third Utmost Joy, and the fourth Lovely. Just as the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven has the pāriyātra tree, the asura king also has a tree where he dwells. What is the form of an asura? Answer: Their forms stand upright. Question: What is their language? Answer: They all speak the noble language. Question: By which destiny are they subsumed? Some say they belong to the divine destiny; some say they are subsumed under the ghost destiny.