法苑珠林 5.99

5.99

又長阿含經云。阿修羅大有威力。而生念言。此忉利天王及日月諸天行我頭上。誓取日月以為耳璫。漸大瞋恚加欲捶之。即命舍摩梨毘摩質多二阿修羅王及諸大臣。各辦兵仗往與天戰。時難陀跋難陀二大龍王。身繞須彌周圍七匝。山動雲布。以尾打水大海浪灌須彌。忉利天曰。修羅欲戰矣。諸龍鬼神等各持兵從次交鬪。天若不如皆奔。四天王宮嚴駕攻伐。先白帝釋。帝釋告上乃至他化自在天。無數天眾及諸龍鬼前後圍繞。帝釋命曰。我軍若勝以五繫縛毘摩質多阿修羅。將還善法堂我欲觀之。修羅亦曰。我眾若勝亦以五繫縛帝釋。還七葉堂。我欲觀之。一時大戰兩不相傷。但觸身體生於痛惱。於帝釋現身乃有千眼。執金剛杵頭出煙焰。修羅見之乃退敗。即擒質多修羅繫縛將還。遙見帝釋便賜惡口。帝釋答曰。我欲共汝講說道義。何須惡口。壽天千歲少出多減。惡心好鬪。而不破戒。大修布施故。然以諂慢故受此身（餘經以諂心修福而受此身也）觀佛三昧經云。此毘摩質多羅阿修羅王母鬼食法。唯噉淤泥及渠藕根。其兒長大見於諸天婇女圍繞。即白母言。人皆伉儷我何獨無。其母告曰。香山有神。名乾闥婆。其神有女。容姿美妙色踰白玉。身諸毛孔出妙音聲。甚適我意念為汝娉。適汝願不。阿修羅言。善哉善哉。願母往求。爾時其母行詣香山告彼樂神。我有一子威力自在。於四天下而無等倫。汝有令女可適吾子。其女聞已願樂隨從。時阿修羅。納彼女已。未久之間即便懷孕。經八千歲乃生一女。其女顏容端正挺特。天上天下更無有比。面上姿媚八萬四千。左邊右邊各有八萬四千。前後亦爾。阿修羅見。以為殊異。如月處星。甚為奇特。憍尸迦聞求女為妻。修羅聞喜以女妻之。帝釋立字。號曰悅意。諸天見之歎未曾有。視東忘西。視南忘北。乃至毛髮皆生悅樂。帝釋至歡喜園。共諸婇女入池遊戲。爾時悅意即生嫉妬。遣五夜叉往白父王。今此帝釋不復見寵。與諸婇女自共游戲。父聞此語心生瞋恚。即與四兵往攻帝釋立大海水踞須彌山頂。九百九十九手。同時俱作撼喜見城搖須彌山。四大海水一時波動。帝釋驚怖靡知所趣。時宮有神。白天王言。莫大驚怖。過去佛說般若波羅蜜。王當誦持。鬼兵自碎。是時帝釋坐善法堂。燒眾名香發大誓願。般若波羅蜜是大明呪。是無上呪。是無等等呪。審實不虛。我持此法。當成佛道令阿修羅自然退散。作是語時。於虛空中有刀輪。帝釋功德故。自然而下當阿修羅上。時阿修羅耳鼻手足一時盡落。令大海水赤如蜯珠。時阿修羅即便驚怖。遁走無處。入藕絲孔。

The Dīrgha-āgama also says: The asura possessed great majesty and power, and he gave rise to the thought: "This king of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven and the deities of the sun and moon walk above my head! I vow to seize the sun and moon and make them my earrings!" His wrath gradually grew greater, and he further wished to thrash them. He thereupon commanded the two asura kings, Śambara and Vemacitra, together with all their ministers, to each prepare weapons of war and go forth to do battle with the heavens. At that time, the two great dragon kings, Nanda and Upananda, wound their bodies seven times around Mount Sumeru; the mountain shook, clouds gathered, and by striking the water with their tails, the waves of the great ocean poured over Sumeru. The Trāyastriṃśa heavens said, "The asuras wish to do battle!" The dragons, spirits, and ghosts each took up arms and engaged in combat in succession. If the gods were worsted, they all fled. The palace of the Four Heavenly Kings arrayed its chariots to mount an attack, first reporting to Śakra. Śakra reported upward even unto the Paranirmitavaśavartin heaven. Countless hosts of gods, together with dragons and spirits, surrounded them in front and behind. Śakra commanded: "If my army is victorious, bind the asura Vemacitra with fivefold bonds and bring him back to the Hall of Good Dharma; I wish to look upon him." The asura also said: "If my host is victorious, also bind Śakra with fivefold bonds and bring him back to the Saptaparṇa Hall; I wish to look upon him." When the great battle took place, neither side could kill the other; they merely inflicted pain and distress when striking each other's bodies. Thereupon Śakra manifested a body with a thousand eyes, wielding a vajra pestle, with smoke and flames issuing from his head. Seeing this, the asuras retreated in defeat. They immediately captured the asura Vemacitra, bound him, and brought him back. Sighting Śakra from afar, he hurled abusive words at him. Śakra replied: "I wished to discuss the meaning of the Way with you; why must you use abusive speech?" His lifespan as a deity was one thousand years, slightly exceeding it or mostly falling short of it. His wicked mind was fond of fighting, yet he did not break the precepts and extensively cultivated dāna; however, on account of deceit and arrogance, he received this body. (Other sūtras state that one receives this body by cultivating merit with a deceitful mind.) The Sūtra on the Samādhi of the Contemplation of the Buddha says: The mother of this asura king Vemacitra lived on the food of preta spirits, eating only silt and the roots of ditch lotuses. When her son grew up, he saw the deities surrounded by court ladies, and he said to his mother: "All men have mates; why am I alone without one?" His mother told him: "On the Fragrant Mountain there is a spirit named Gandharva. That spirit has a daughter of wondrous and beautiful appearance, whose complexion surpasses white jade, and fine sounds issue from all the pores of her body. She pleases my mind greatly, and I think to betroth her to you. Does this suit your wish?" The asura said: "Excellent, excellent! May mother go and seek her." At that time, his mother went to the Fragrant Mountain and said to that music deity: "I have a son whose majesty and power are unfettered; in the four continents he has no peer. You have a fair daughter who may wed my son." Upon hearing this, the daughter rejoiced and wished to follow him. Then the asura took that maiden as his wife. Before long, she became pregnant. After eight thousand years, she gave birth to a daughter. This daughter's countenance was upright and extraordinary; above heaven and below heaven, none could compare with her. Upon her face were eighty-four thousand charming graces; on the left side and right side there were eighty-four thousand each, and likewise in front and behind. When the asura saw her, he considered her exceptional, like the moon among stars, exceedingly wondrous. Kauśika heard of her and sought the girl as his wife. Hearing this, the asura was delighted and gave his daughter to him in marriage. Śakra gave her the name Yueyi (Priyadarśanā). When the deities saw her, they praised it as unprecedented: looking east they forgot the west, looking south they forgot the north, and even their hairs and pores felt delight and bliss. Śakra went to the Pleasure Garden and entered the pool to sport with all the court ladies. At that time, Yueyi gave rise to jealousy and sent five yakṣas to inform her royal father: "Now this Śakra no longer favours me, and sports only with the court ladies." Hearing these words, the father gave rise to anger in his mind. He immediately took his fourfold army to attack Śakra, standing in the waters of the great ocean and crouching atop Mount Sumeru. With nine hundred and ninety-nine hands moving at the same time, he shook the city of Sudarśana and rocked Mount Sumeru. The waters of the four great oceans surged and billowed at once. Śakra was terrified, not knowing where to turn. At that time, a spirit in the palace said to the Heavenly King: "Do not be greatly terrified. A past Buddha preached the Prajñāpāramitā; if Your Majesty recites and upholds it, the ghost army will naturally be shattered." At that time, Śakra sat in the Hall of Good Dharma, burned various renowned incenses, and made a great vow: "Prajñāpāramitā is the great vidyā-mantra, it is the unexcelled mantra, it is the peerless mantra; it is true and not false. As I uphold this Dharma, I shall attain the Buddha-path; may the asuras naturally retreat and disperse!" When he spoke these words, a wheel of blades appeared in empty space. Due to Śakra's merit, it descended naturally right above the asura. At that time, the asura's ears, nose, hands, and feet all fell off at once, turning the great ocean's water as red as a conch-pearl. The asura was then terrified; having nowhere to flee, he entered the filament hole of a lotus stalk.