Verses on Dhamma 6.4.p7

6.4.p7

Satthāpi taṃ divasaṃ paccūsakāle lokaṃ volokento mahākappinarājānaṃ saparivāraṃ disvā ‘‘ayaṃ mahākappino vāṇijakānaṃ santikā tiṇṇaṃ ratanānaṃ uppannabhāvaṃ sutvā tesaṃ vacanaṃ tīhi satasahassehi pūjetvā rajjaṃ pahāya amaccasahassehi parivuto maṃ uddissa pabbajitukāmo sve nikkhamissati. So saparivāro saha paṭisambhidāhi arahattaṃ pāpuṇissati, paccuggamanamassa karissāmī’’ti punadivase cakkavattī viya khuddakagāmabhojakaṃ paccuggacchanto sayameva pattacīvaraṃ gahetvā vīsayojanasataṃ maggaṃ paccuggantvā candabhāgāya nadiyā tīre nigrodharukkhamūle chabbaṇṇarasmiyo vissajjento nisīdi. ‘‘Rājāpi āgacchanto ekaṃ nadiṃ patvā ‘‘kā nāmesā’’ti pucchi. ‘‘Aparacchā nāma, devā’’ti. ‘‘Kimassā parimāṇaṃ, tātā’’ti? ‘‘Gambhīrato gāvutaṃ, puthulato dve gāvutāni, devā’’ti. ‘‘Atthi panettha nāvā vā uḷumpo vā’’ti? ‘‘Natthi, devā’’ti. ‘‘Nāvādīni olokente amhe jāti jaraṃ upaneti, jarā maraṇaṃ. Ahaṃ nibbematiko hutvā tīṇi ratanāni uddissa nikkhanto, tesaṃ me ānubhāvena imaṃ udakaṃ udakaṃ viya mā ahosī’’ti tiṇṇaṃ ratanānaṃ guṇaṃ āvajjetvā ‘‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṃ sammāsambuddho’’ti buddhānussatiṃ anussaranto saparivāro assasahassena udakapiṭṭhiṃ pakkhandi. Sindhavā piṭṭhipāsāṇe viya pakkhandiṃsu. Khurānaṃ aggā neva temiṃsu.

Early in the morning of that day the Teacher surveyed the world, and seeing King Kappina the Great with his retinue, became aware of the following, “Yonder Kappina the Great has heard from the traders of the appearance of the Three Jewels, has rewarded them with three hundred thousand pieces of money for bringing him word, has renounced his kingdom, and purposes on the morrow, accompanied by his retinue of a thousand courtiers, to retire from the world for my sake and become a monk; he and his retinue will attain Arahatship together with the Supernatural Faculties; it behooves me to go to meet him.” Accordingly on the following day, like a Universal Monarch going forth to meet the headman of a little village, he took bowl and robe and went forth, and having traveled two hundred leagues he sat down on the bank of the river Candabhāgā under a banyan-tree, and there he remained, diffusing rays of six colors.

As the king proceeded on his way he came to a certain river. “What river is this?” he asked. “The river Aravacchā, your majesty.” “How deep is it and how wide is it, friends?” “It is one league deep and two leagues wide, your majesty.” “Is there a boat here, or a raft?” “There is not, your majesty.” “While we are looking for boats and rafts, birth is bringing us to old age and old age is bringing us to death. Free from doubt, I have renounced the world for the sake of the Three Jewels; by their supernatural power may this water be to me unlike water.” Having thus considered the virtues of the Three Jewels, the king meditated upon the Buddha, saying, “He is the Exalted One, the Holy One, the Supremely Enlightened, Endowed with Knowledge and Righteousness.” While thus engaged in meditation the king and his retinue dashed over the surface of the river on their thousand horses, the Sindh horses springing upon the surface of the river as on a flat rock, without so much as wetting the tips of their hoofs.