法苑珠林 49.27

49.27

The Shanzi jing further states: 'We pray the king lead the two of us to go to his corpse.' The king thereupon led the blind parents to the corpse. The father held his feet, and the mother held his head. Looking up to Heaven, they cried aloud. The mother then licked Shan's chest wound with her tongue, [saying]: 'May the poison enter my mouth! I am already old, my eyes see nothing; let my body substitute for the son: let Shan live and me die, and dying I will have no regrets! If Shan was supremely filial and this is known to Heaven and Earth, may the arrow be drawn out, may the poison be removed, and may Shan come back to life!' Thereupon, the throne of the king of the second heaven, Trāyastriṃśa, was shaken. With the divine eye, he saw the two people of the Way holding their son, wailing and weeping; even the fourth heaven, the palace of Tuṣita, was shaken. Śakra, Brahmā, and the Four Heavenly Kings then arrived from the fourth heaven in the time it takes a man to bend and stretch his arm, descending before Shan and pouring divine medicine into Shan's mouth. When the medicine entered Shan's mouth, the arrow spontaneously came out, and he was revived as before. The parents were startled and rejoiced; seeing that Shan, having died, was alive again, both of their eyes were opened. Flying birds and running beasts all rejoiced greatly. The wind ceased, the clouds dispersed, and the sun shone with renewed brightness. The spring water welled up, blossoms showed five colours, and the trees flourished and bloomed twice as much as ordinary times. The king rejoiced greatly, unable to contain himself. He bowed to Śakra, Lord of the Devas, and then bowed to the parents and Shanzi, wishing to offer the kingdom's wealth to the people of the Way. Shan said: 'If the king wishes to repay this kindness, let the king return to his kingdom, bring peace to the people, and cause them all to uphold the precepts. Let the king no longer hunt or prematurely harm insects and beasts. In the present life one's person will not be at peace, and when one's life ends one will enter Niraya. Mortals dwelling in the world possess affection and love but temporarily, while separation is long; it cannot be kept forever. In past lives the king possessed merit, and so now has become a king; do not become unrestrained simply because you have attained sovereignty.' The king reproached himself: 'From this day forward, I will act according to Shan's instruction.' His several hundred followers were all overjoyed and upheld the five precepts. The king took his leave and returned to his palace. He ordered that all blind parents throughout the kingdom who were like Shan's should be provided for and must not be abandoned; offenders would be guilty of a grave crime. Thereupon, everyone in the kingdom acted according to the king's instruction, upholding the five precepts and the ten virtues; at death they attained rebirth in Heaven, with none entering the three evil destinies.