一切經音義 29.18

29.18

Elā-leaf 瑿羅葉 (The first character has the fanqie ying + ji. Ela 瑿羅 is Sanskrit, the name of a western tree; “leaf” [ye 葉] is the Tang word; it is the name of the great dragon king Elāpattra. Pattra 鉢多 is also Sanskrit, meaning “leaf” in the Tang language. Because this dragon king, in the past during the time of a former Buddha, was a monk who out of anger chopped down a small elā tree, upon death he fell into the realm of dragons. Because he did not protect the precepts and destroyed living grass and trees, his karma caused an elā tree to grow upon his head as a dragon king. Because of his angry heart he received a dragon’s body; but because he cultivated various merits, having great virtue he became a dragon king. Therefore the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: “Even through a hundred kalpas, the actions one performs do not perish; when conditions come together, the retribution is received by oneself”).