諸經要集 7.39

7.39

Also, the Fo shuo zhangzhezi aonao sanchu jing says: At that time in the city of Śrāvastī there was a very wealthy elder with countless treasures. His family had no son of his own, and he feared that after his death his property would be confiscated by the state. The husband and wife prayed and sacrificed, taking refuge in the Triratna with unremitting diligence, and then she became pregnant. A clever woman should know five things: first, knowing her husband's intentions; second, knowing whether her husband cares for her or not; third, knowing the reason for her pregnancy; fourth, distinguishing whether it is male or female; fifth, distinguishing good from bad. This woman informed the elder, saying: ‘I am already pregnant.’ The elder rejoiced. When the months were fulfilled, she gave birth to a boy. They engaged five wet nurses to provide for him and hold him in their arms. When he grew up, they found him a fine wife. The son and his wife went walking in a grove, where there was a tree called ‘Aśoka’ whose blossoms were pure white and whose soft fibers were crimson. The wife said to her husband: ‘I want this blossom.’ The husband then climbed the tree to pick this blossom for her. The branch was weak and frail, and immediately snapped; the boy fell to his death. Hearing this, the parents rushed over, embraced his head, caressed him, and observed him, but he had breathed his last and did not revive. The parents were overwhelmed with grief, their five viscera torn with pain; the many guests who saw it also grieved for them. The Buddha and Ānanda, on entering the city, saw this and pitied their only son dying by falling from the tree. The Buddha said to the elder: ‘For human life there is death; for things formed there is destruction. When the retribution arrives and life is exhausted, it cannot be avoided or hidden. Cast away your sorrowful thoughts; do not grieve any longer.’ The Buddha told the elder: ‘This boy originally had his lifespan exhausted in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, and came to be born in your household. When his lifespan in your household ended, he was born among the nāgas, and the king of the garuḍas seized and devoured him. His parents in three places weep together at the same time: whose son is he?’ The Buddha then spoke a gāthā: