法苑珠林 9.54

9.54

According to the *Fo benxing jing*: At that time Māyā went to the place of the boy. Having arrived, she took him with her hands, cradling the boy's head, turning it toward the ṛṣi intending that he bow down to the ṛṣi's feet. At that time, through the power of the boy's majestic virtue, his body turned of itself so that his feet faced the ṛṣi. Then King Śuddhodana joined in to assist, turning the boy's head to make him bow to the ṛṣi. Through the boy's power, his feet turned back of themselves toward that ṛṣi. King Śuddhodana again turned the boy's head toward the ṛṣi, and again his feet turned back. This happened three times. Asita beheld the boy from afar. At that time the boy radiated a constant light that illuminated and touched the great earth. The boy's majestic virtue was upright and pleasing; his color was like pure jambūnada gold, his head was like a jeweled canopy, his nose was straight and round, his long arms hung down, and his limbs and joints were regular and proportioned. He was complete with adornments, lacking nothing and deficient in nothing. Then Asita immediately rose from his seat and said to the King: 'Great King, do not turn the boy's noble head toward me! Why? That head should not prostrate to my feet; my head ought to prostrate to his feet.' He further proclaimed these words: 'Rare! Rare! A great personage has appeared in the world! Most exceedingly rare! A great personage has appeared in the world! What I originally heard from the heavens was precisely this boy; it is truly and definitely so, not different from that!' Then Asita adjusted his garments, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, extended both hands, held the boy, placed him upon the crown of his head, and returned to his original seat. Having sat upon his original seat, he lowered the boy and placed him on his lap.