On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c10.25

v1.c10.25

The word Apalāla means *without straw*, and it is rendered in Chinese by *Wu-tao-kan* (無稻稈) meaning "without ricestraw". Another translation is *Wu-miao* (無苗) that is "without sprouting grain". The name seems to have been given to the dragon of the Swāt on account of the ravages among the crops made by the floods of that river. We read in the Sarvata Vinaya² that the Buddha, on a certain occasion near the end of his career, took with him his attendant Yaksha named Chin-kang-shou or Vajrapāṇi, and went through the air to the country beyond the Indus to subdue and convert this dragon. When Buddha arrived at the palace of the dragon the latter became greatly enraged, and caused fierce showers of rain and hail to descend on the Buddha. Determined to put the dragon in terror Buddha caused the Yaksha to smite the adjoining mountain with his adamantine club, whereupon a vast fragment of the mountain fell into the dragon's tank. At the same time Buddha caused a magic fire to appear all around the place. Then the dragon, frightened and helpless, came to Buddha's feet, gave in his submission, and was converted with all his family. It is worthy of note that this Vinaya story the dragon-king is required by Buddha to take up his abode in Magadha. This dragon is also called A-p'o-lo and we find the Spring which was his residence located in the "Yue-shi (Getæ) country of North India" or simply in "North India". The "A-yü-wang-chuan" places the home of this dragon in Udyāna, but the "A-yü-wang-ching" and the Divyāvadāna do not mention his country. In a Vinaya treatise, apparently from Pali sources, we read of a dragon called Alāpalu in Kapin (Kashmir), who is overcome and converted by the great arhat Madhyantika (Majjhantika) who had come as an apostle to introduce Buddhism.¹ This legend seems to be a version of the story here narrated, Majjhantika taking the place of the Buddha.