法苑珠林 11.29

11.29

Furthermore, the Fo benxing jing (Sūtra of the Buddha's Former Deeds) says: At that time, the six years having been completed, on the sixteenth day of the second month of spring, he mentally reflected thus within himself: "I should not, having consumed such food as this, realize anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi. From whom should I now seek fine and delicious food? Who can provide me with that fine food, so that upon eating it I will immediately realize and attain anuttarabodhi?" When the Bodhisattva reflected thus in his mind, a deva, knowing that the Bodhisattva was thinking this, swiftly went to the two daughters of the village headman Sujāta. Having arrived there, he addressed them, saying: "You, daughters of Sujāta, if you know the right time—the Bodhisattva now wishes to seek fine and delicious food; the Bodhisattva now requires the most supreme fine food, and after eating this fine food, he wishes to realize anuttarabodhi. You may now prepare and provide for him sixteen parts of wondrous milk gruel." At that time, the two daughters of the village headman Sujāta, having heard the deva speak thus, leapt with joy, which pervaded their entire bodies so that they could not contain themselves. They swiftly gathered one thousand cows and milked them, and then fed that milk to five hundred cows. On another day, they milked these five hundred cows and fed that milk to two hundred and fifty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those two hundred and fifty cows and fed it back to one hundred and twenty-five cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those one hundred and twenty-five cows and fed it to sixty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those sixty cows and fed it to thirty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those thirty cows and fed it to fifteen cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those fifteen cows, added one part of pure, fine husked rice, and cooked the supreme milk gruel for the Bodhisattva. While the two daughters were cooking the milk gruel, various signs manifested: either there appeared the sign of a vase filled with flowers, or the sign of the deep pool of a river of merit, or the sign of a svastika, or the sign of a thousand-spoked wheel of merit, or the sign of an ox unburdened of its yoke, or the signs of the elephant king and the nāga king, or the sign of a fish, or the sign of a great man, or the sign of Śakra's form, or the sign of the Brahmā King's form. Or it appeared that the milk gruel bubbled and surged upward, rising as high as half a tāla tree before returning down in an instant; or it appeared that the milk gruel rose as high as a full tāla tree before returning down; or it appeared to rise ten feet high and return into the vessel, without a single drop leaving the vessel to fall elsewhere. While they were cooking the milk gruel, there was a soothsayer skilled in ocean reckoning and divination who came to that place. Seeing the milk gruel display such various signs and having carefully observed them, he said: "How rare! How rare! Who is it that will obtain and eat this milk gruel? Having eaten it, before long that person will realize the wondrous medicine of amṛta!" At that time, when the Bodhisattva arrived at the morning of the twenty-third day of the second month, he went outside the main gate of the village headman's house and stood silently, seeking food. When the women saw him, they took a golden bowl, filled it with milk gruel mixed with honey, held it in their own hands, and approached the Bodhisattva. Arriving, they halted and addressed the Bodhisattva, saying: "We only pray that the Venerable One will accept from us this bowl of milk gruel mixed with honey, out of compassion for us." At that time, the Bodhisattva accepted the milk gruel and took it to the Nairañjanā River. A nāga maiden named Nairañjanā surged up from the earth, holding in her hands an adorned, divine and wondrous cane seat to offer to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva accepted it and sat upon it. Having sat upon it, he took the milk gruel offered by the daughters of the village headman Sujāta and ate his fill as he wished, completely finishing it. After the Bodhisattva had eaten that milk gruel, because of the perfuming force of the karmic reward of his practice of dāna in past lives, his physical marks and characteristics were restored as before, upright, pleasing, complete and perfect without deficiency. At that time, the Bodhisattva, having finished eating the gruel, cast the golden bowl into the river. The Ocean Nāga King felt great wonder and astonishment, and in order to praise the Bodhisattva in the present world, took hold of that golden vessel, intending to make offerings to it and carry it to his own palace. At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra, the lord of the gods, transformed his body into a garuḍa with a vajra-jewel beak, snatched the golden bowl from the ocean nāga, and took it to the palace of Trāyastriṃśa among the thirty-three devas to make offerings to it perpetually. To this day in that place, the thirty-three devas have instituted a festival called the "Festival of Making Offerings to the Golden Bowl Vessel," which has continued unbroken from that time until now. At that time, the Bodhisattva, having finished eating the gruel, rose from his seat and proceeded serenely and gradually toward the Bodhi tree. That cane seat the nāga maiden retrieved and took back to her own palace to make offerings to it. And there is a verse which says: