諸經要集 6.70

6.70

天女說已。俱還天上。帝釋心念。女施米汁乃致此福。迦葉大哀。但福劣家不往大姓。當作良策。即與天后持百味食。盛小瓶中詣王舍城。巷邊作小陋屋。變其形狀。似于老公。身體痟瘦。僂行而步。公妻二人而共織席。貧窮之狀不儲飲食。迦葉後行分衛。見此貧人而往乞食。公言。至貧無有如何。迦葉呪願良久不去。公言。我等夫妻。甚老織席。不暇向乞。唯有少飯。適欲食之。聞仁慈德但從貧乞。是以福之。今雖窮困。意自割損以施賢者。審如所云。令吾得福。天食之香非世所聞。若預開瓶苾芬之香。迦葉覺之全不肯取。即言。道人弊食不多。將鉢來取迦葉即以鉢取受。呪願施家。其香普熏王舍大城及其國界。迦葉即嫌其香。公母釋身。疾飛空中。彈指歡喜。迦葉思惟。即知帝釋化作老公而為福祚。吾今已受不宜復還。迦葉讚歎帝釋種福無厭。忍此醜類。來下殖福。必獲影報。帝釋及后倍復欣踊。是時天上伎樂來迎。帝釋到宮。倍益歡喜　　頌曰。

When the heavenly maiden finished speaking, they all returned to heaven. Śakra thought: “A woman's offering of rice water led to such merit. Kāśyapa has great compassion, yet he blesses only poor families and does not visit the great clans. I must devise a clever plan.” Thereupon, with his heavenly consort, carrying food of a hundred flavours held in a small jar, he went to Rājagṛha. By the side of an alley, they made a small, shabby hut and transformed their appearances to look like an old man, emaciated in body, walking with a stoop, the old man and his wife weaving mats together, in an appearance of such poverty that they stored no food or drink. Kāśyapa later went begging on his almsround; seeing this poor man, he went to beg food. The old man said: “We are utterly destitute and have nothing; what can be done?” Kāśyapa offered words of blessing and did not leave for a long time. The old man said: “We, husband and wife, are very old and weave mats, having no leisure to go begging. We only have a little rice that we were just about to eat. Having heard of your humane and benevolent virtue, and that you beg only from the poor so as to bless them, now, though we are impoverished, we willingly part with it to give it to the worthy one. If it is truly as they say, may it cause us to gain merit.” The aroma of heavenly food is not something smelled in the world. If he had opened the jar beforehand, its sweet fragrance would have been perceived by Kāśyapa, who would have refused to take it at all. So he said: “Man of the Way, our coarse food is not much; bring your bowl to receive it.” Kāśyapa then held out his bowl and accepted it, offering words of blessing to the donor's household. The fragrance spread throughout the great city of Rājagṛha and its entire borders. Kāśyapa immediately suspected its fragrance. The old man and woman shed their disguised bodies, flew swiftly into the air, and snapped their fingers in joy. Kāśyapa contemplated and knew at once that Śakra had transformed into an old man to plant roots of blessing: “I have already accepted it; it is not fitting to return it.” Kāśyapa praised Śakra for planting blessings untiringly, enduring such a base form to come down and cultivate merit, which would surely yield a corresponding reward. Śakra and his consort rejoiced doubly. At that time, celestial music came to welcome them, and when Śakra reached his palace, his joy increased even more. An eulogy says: