法苑珠林 44.32

44.32

Also, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* asks: 'In large cities like Śrāvastī, all have royal houses; why is this city alone called Rājagṛha [City of the King's House]?' The answer states: 'Some say that the king of Magadha had a son with one head, two faces, and four arms. The people of the time considered him inauspicious. The king then tore his body and head apart and abandoned them in the wilderness. A rākṣasī named Jarā rejoined his body and nursed him. Later, when he grew up, his strength enabled him to annex all the kings and possess the realm. He took eighteen thousand kings and placed them among these five mountains, ruling Jambudvīpa with great power. People on this account named these mountains Rājagṛha. Others say that in the city where the king of Magadha previously lived, fires broke out within the city; as soon as it was rebuilt, it burned again, up to seven times. The people of the kingdom were exhausted by the labor, and the king was deeply worried and terrified. Gathering wise men, he inquired into the reason for this. Some said, "You should change location." The king then sought another dwelling place, saw these five mountains surrounding the area like a city wall, and thereupon built a palace to dwell within it. For this reason it was named Rājagṛha. Furthermore, in ancient times this country had a king named Vasu. Disgusted with worldly ways, he renounced the world and became a ṛṣi. At that time, householder brahmins and renounced ṛṣis were debating together. The householder brahmins said, "The scriptures state that in heavenly sacrifices one ought to kill living beings and eat meat." The renounced ṛṣis said, "One should not kill living beings and eat meat in heavenly sacrifices." They argued back and forth. The renounced brahmins said, "Here is a great king who has gone forth and become a ṛṣi. Do you believe him?" The householder brahmins said, "We believe him." The renounced ṛṣis said, "We shall take this man as witness and ask him another day." That night, the householder brahmins went ahead to the ṛṣi Vasu's place. After inquiring in various ways, they said to the ṛṣi Vasu, "In tomorrow's debate, you must assist us." Thus, at the debate the next morning, the renounced ṛṣis asked the ṛṣi Vasu, "In heavenly sacrifices, should one kill living beings and eat meat or not?" The ṛṣi Vasu said, "In the brahmin dharma, in heavenly sacrifices one should kill living beings and eat meat." The renounced ṛṣis said, "What is in your true mind?" The ṛṣi Vasu said, "For the sake of heavenly sacrifices one should kill living beings and eat meat. Because this living being dies in a heavenly sacrifice, it attains rebirth in heaven." The renounced ṛṣis said, "You are terribly wrong! You are telling a great lie!" They then spat on him, saying, "Sinner, perish!" At that moment the ṛṣi Vasu immediately sank into the ground up to his ankles, for this was the first opening of the gate of great sin. The renounced ṛṣis said, "You must speak the truth! If you persist in lying, your body will sink into the earth." The ṛṣi Vasu said, "I know that for the sake of heaven, killing living beings and eating meat is blameless." He immediately sank further into the earth up to his knees. In this way he gradually sank to his waist and to his neck. The renounced ṛṣis said, "You are now lying and receiving present retribution. If you speak the truth again, though you have entered beneath the earth, I can bring you out so you escape guilt." At that time, the ṛṣi Vasu reflected to himself: "I am a noble person and should not speak with two tongues. Furthermore, in the four Vedas of the brahmins, through various reasons the rituals of heavenly sacrifice are praised. Why should the death of myself alone be worth caring about?" With single mind he said, "For heaven, killing living beings and eating meat in heavenly sacrifices is blameless." The renouncers said, "You heavy sinner, be destroyed! We have no use seeing you!" Thereupon his entire body sank into the earth. From then down to the present day, they constantly follow the ṛṣi-king Vasu's law: when sacrificing sheep in heavenly sacrifices, as the knife descends they say, "The ṛṣi Vasu kills you!" Vasu's son was named Bṛhadratha. He succeeded to the throne as king. Later, he also grew weary of worldly ways but was unable to renounce home life. He reflected: "My father, the former king, went forth and sank alive into the earth. If I govern the realm, I will again commit great sins. How should I conduct myself now?" As he was reflecting thus, he heard a voice in the air say: "If as you travel you see a rare and hard-to-find place, you should build a house there and dwell in it." Having spoken these words, the voice was heard no more. Not long after, the king went out hunting and saw a deer running as swiftly as the wind. The king pursued it but could not catch it; he continued pursuing without stopping, and none of the hundred officials or attendants could keep up with him. Moving forward, he saw five mountains encircling the place, steep and secure. The ground was flat and level, growing soft, fine grass and beautiful flowers everywhere. Various groves of trees bore flourishing flowers and fruits, and thermal spring bathing ponds were all pure and clean. The ground was adorned, with heavenly flowers and heavenly incense scattered everywhere, and heavenly music heard. At that moment the gandharva musicians, upon seeing the king arrive, each withdrew. [The king thought:] "This place is rare and never before seen. Right now I should build a house here and dwell in it." Having reflected thus, the ministers and officials followed his tracks and arrived. The king announced to the ministers, "The voice I heard in the air before said: 'If as you travel you see a rare and hard-to-find place, you should build a house there and dwell in it.' Now I have seen this rare place; I should build a house here and dwell in it." Thereupon he abandoned his original city and dwelt within these mountains. This king was the first to dwell here, and from then on they dwelled here successively. Because this king originally erected palaces and dwellings here, it was called Rājagṛha [City of the King's House].'