法苑珠林 8.95

8.95

At that time, Suprabuddha said to the envoy: 'Good envoy, worthy sir, say to the great king on my behalf: "I have eight daughters, the first named Yi, down to the eighth named Dayi (Great Wisdom). Why does the great king seek the youngest? May the great king wait for a while; after I have arranged marriages for the seven daughters, I will give the youngest daughter, Dayi, to be your consort."' King Śuddhodana again sent an envoy to say to the elder: 'I will not wait for you to marry off each of the seven daughters one by one before taking Dayi as consort. I shall take all eight of your daughters.' The Śākya Suprabuddha reported to the great king, saying: 'If so, I shall obey the great king's command; take them as you wish.' King Śuddhodana then sent envoys to bring all eight daughters to the palace at once. When they arrived at the palace, he took two of the daughters to be his own consorts; the two daughters were the first, named Yi, and the eighth, named Dayi. The remaining six daughters he distributed among his three younger brothers, giving two to each to be his wives and consorts. King Śuddhodana took the sisters Yi [and Dayi] into the inner palace, giving free rein to amusements, joy, and the enjoyment of pleasures, while governing the four quarters in accordance with royal laws. Furthermore, the Pusa benxing jing says: At that time, King Ikṣvāku had a second consort who was exquisitely upright and bore four sons: the first was named Jumiàn (Ulpyamukha / Torch Face), the second Jinse (Golden), the third Xiangzhong (Elephant Host), and the fourth Biecheng (Distinctly Perfected). His first consort, Shanxian, bore only one son, named Changshou (Dīrghāyus), upright and pleasing, with few peers in the world, yet his bodily marks and stature were unsuited for kingship. Consort Shanxian reflected thus: 'The king of the Ikṣvāku clan has these four sons—Jumiàn and his brothers form a strong cohort. I now have only this one son; though he is exceedingly upright and peerless, his destined marks are unsuited for rulership. By what expedient can my son inherit the royal throne?' She further reflected: 'This King Ikṣvāku now shows me boundless respect and love, being deeply attached to me and indulging his desires. I should now exhaust every method of feminine adornment to make the king re-indulge in doting infatuation with me. If I obtain what accords with my heart, I shall request a boon in privacy.' Having so reflected, as described above, she adorned herself to make herself exceedingly extraordinary, and went to the king's side. Seeing the consort arrive, the king felt deep love and respect, giving rein to his wanton mind. Seeing that the king had conceived such a mind, the two lay together. The consort addressed the king, saying: 'The great king should know: I now ask of the king one boon; may the king grant it to me.' The king said: 'Great Consort, as you wish, I shall not go against it; according to your heart's desire, I will grant it to the consort.' Then the consort pressed the king again, saying: 'If you grant me the boon, you must not change your mind or regret it.' The king said: 'Once granted to the consort, if I later regret it, may my head split into seven parts.' The consort said: 'Great King, may the king's four sons, Jumiàn and the others, be banished from the realm, and my born son Changshou be made king.' King Ikṣvāku said to the consort: 'These four sons of mine are without fault; within the realm, what crime or bad omen is there that they should not be allowed to stay?' The consort said again: 'The king has already sworn an oath: "If I regret it, my head shall split into seven parts."' The king said to the consort: 'As I spoke before, I grant the consort what she requested.' After that night passed, at dawn the next morning, King Ikṣvāku gathered his four sons and gave them this decree: 'You four boys must now leave my realm of governance; you may not dwell here, and must go far away to another land.' Then the four boys knelt on both knees, joined their palms, and addressed their father the king, saying: 'The great king should know: the four of us are without crime or evil, and have no faults. Why does our father the king suddenly banish us from the realm?' The king commanded his sons: 'I know that you are truly without fault. It is not my intention to drive you into exile; it is the wish of the great consort Shanxian. That consort asked for a boon, and I did not oppose her; therefore I send you out of the realm.' The birth mothers of the four princes each asked to follow their sons. The king replied to the consorts: 'Go as you wish.' Then the consorts' kinsmen, as well as the ministers and common people, each said to the king: 'Now that these four sons are sent into exile, we ministers also request to follow them.' The king said: 'As you will.' King Ikṣvāku then instructed the princes: 'From this day forth, if you wish to marry, you must not take from other outside clans; return to your own clan, and do not let the Ikṣvāku lineage be cut off.' Having received their father the king's instructions, the princes each took their birth mothers, along with their retinues, wealth, and pack animals, and headed north, arriving at the foot of the Snow Mountains (Himālaya) where they stayed for a short time. There was a great river named the Bhāgīrathī; they crossed that river, ascended the crest of the Snow Mountains, and roamed for a long time. They saw a vast, flat valley without pits, crags, or mounds, growing only soft, fine green grass, pure and delightful, with lush, blooming groves of trees, flowers, and fruits. Having seen it, the princes said to one another: 'We may build a city and rule here.'