法苑珠林 96.10

96.10

爾時大王　即從座起　以水灑妃
良久乃蘇　還得正念　微聲問王
我子今者　為死活耶　爾時大王
即告其妃　我今當遣　大臣使者
周遍東西　推求其子　汝今且可
莫大憂愁　大王如是　慰喻妃已
即便嚴駕　出其宮殿　是時大王
既出城已　四向顧望　求覓其子
煩惋心亂　靡知所在　最後遙見
有一信來　既至王所　作如是言
願王莫愁　諸子猶在　不久來至
令王得見　須臾之頃　復有臣來
大王當知　一子已終　二子雖存
哀瘁無賴　第三王子　見虎新產
飢窮七日　恐還食子　見是虎已
深生悲心　發大誓願　當度眾生
於未來世　證成菩提　即上高處
投身餓虎　虎飢所逼　便起噉食
一切血肉　已為都盡　唯有骸骨
狼籍在地　是時大王　聞臣語已
轉復悶絕　失念躄地　憂愁盛火
熾然其身　諸臣眷屬　亦復如是
以水灑王　良久乃蘇　復起舉手
號天而哭　復有臣來　而白王言
向於林中　見二王子　愁憂苦毒
悲號啼哭　迷悶失志　自投於地
臣即求水　灑其身上　是最小子
我所愛重　無常大鬼　奄便吞食
其餘二子　今雖存在　而為憂火
之所焚燒　或能為是　喪失命根
我宜速往　至彼林中　迎載諸子
急還宮殿　其母在後　憂苦逼切
與諸侍從　欲至彼林　即於中路
見其二子　號天扣地　稱弟名字
時王即前　抱持二子　悲號洟泣
隨路還宮　速令二子　覲見其母
佛告樹神　汝今當知　爾時王子
摩訶薩埵　捨身飼虎　今我身是
爾時大王　摩訶羅陀　於今父王
輸頭檀是　爾時王妃　今摩耶是
第一王子　今彌勒是　第二王子
今調達是　爾時虎者　今瞿夷是
時虎七子　今五比丘　及舍利弗
目揵連是

"At that time the great king / immediately arose from his seat,
sprinkled water on the queen, / and after a long while she revived.
Regaining mindfulness, / in a faint voice she asked the king:
'Are my sons now / dead or alive?'
Then the great king / told his queen:
'I will now send / ministers and envoys
all around, east and west, / to search for our sons.
You should for now / not grieve so greatly.'
After the great king had thus / comforted the queen,
he immediately prepared his carriage / and set forth from his palace.
When the great king / had gone out of the city,
he looked around in the four directions, / searching for his sons;
with an anguished and bewildered mind, / he did not know where they were.
At last, in the distance, he saw / a messenger approaching.
Having arrived before the king, / he spoke these words:
'May the king not sorrow; / your sons still live.
Before long they will arrive, / letting the king see them.'
In a brief moment, / another minister arrived:
'The great king should know / that one son has already died.
Though two sons survive, / they are desolate in grief.
The third prince, / seeing the tigress newly delivered,
starving for seven days, / feared she would eat her cubs.
Seeing this tigress, / he gave rise to deep compassion,
made a great vow: / "I shall deliver sentient beings,
and in future ages / realize bodhi."
He then climbed to a high place / and cast his body to the starving tigress.
Pressed by hunger, / the tigress arose and devoured him;
all flesh and blood / have been completely exhausted,
leaving only bones / scattered on the ground.'
At that time, the great king, / having heard the minister's words,
fainted again, / fell senseless to the ground,
and the raging fire of sorrow / burned within his body.
The ministers and kin / did likewise.
Sprinkling water on the king, / after a long while he revived;
arising again, he raised his hands / and wept, crying out to heaven.
Another minister arrived / and addressed the king, saying:
'Just now in the forest / I saw the two princes,
in bitter grief and sorrow, / crying out in lamentation,
swooning in despair, / casting themselves on the ground.
I then sought water / and sprinkled it on their bodies.'
'This youngest son / was cherished by me;
the great demon of impermanence / has suddenly swallowed him up.
Though the other two sons / are still alive,
they are burned / by the fire of grief;
perhaps for this reason / they may lose their life faculties.
I ought to go quickly / into that forest,
receive and carry my sons, / and return in haste to the palace.'
Their mother, following behind, / pressed by bitter sorrow,
together with her attendants / wished to reach that forest.
Right on the road / she saw her two sons,
crying to heaven and striking the earth, / calling their brother's name.
Then the king stepped forward, / embraced the two sons,
wailing and weeping, / and along the road returned to the palace,
quickly letting the two sons / see their mother.
The Buddha told the tree deity: / 'You should now know
that the prince at that time, / Mahāsattva,
who relinquished his body to feed the tigress, / was myself.
The great king at that time, / Mahāratha,
is now my father the king, / Śuddhodana.
The queen at that time / is now Māyā.
The first prince / is now Maitreya.
The second prince / is now Devadatta.
The tigress at that time / is now Gopā.
The tigress's seven cubs at that time / are now the five bhikṣus,
and Śāriputra / and Maudgalyāyana.'"