On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c13.s5: Pi-Lo-Shan-Na
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c13.s5
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Pi-Lo-Shan-Na
v1.c13.s5.1
From Ahichitra, the pilgrim tells us, he went south (according to the other texts but according to D, east) about 260 *li* and crossing the Ganges went to the south (or according to the B text, south-west) into the *Pi-lo-shan-na* country. This was above 2000 *li* in circuit and its capital above ten *li* in circuit. It resembled Ahichitra in climate and products. The people were mainly non-Buddhists, a few reverencing Buddhism. There were two Buddhist Monasteries with 300 Brethren all Mahāyāna students. There were five Deva-Temples and the sectarians lived pell-mell. In the capital was an old monastery within the inclosure of which stood an Asoka tope at the pilgrim's time in ruins. It was here that the Buddha delivered during seven days the sūtra called *yun-chic-ch'u-ching* (蘊界處經). By its side were vestiges of the sitting and exercise places of the Four Past Buddhas.
v1.c13.s5.2
The name of the country here described is restored by Julien tentatively as Viraśāna, but it may have been something like Vilaśāna or Bhilasana. *Pi-lo-shan-na* (毗羅珊那) is the reading in the A, B, and C texts of the Records, and in the Fang-chih, but in the D text of the Records and in the Life the reading is *P'i-lo-na*-na which may be for a word like Bhiladaṇa.
v1.c13.s5.3
Cunningham identifies the capital of the *P'i-lo-shan-na* of our text with "the great mound of ruins called *Atranji-khera* which is situated on the right or west bank of the *Kāli Nadi*, four miles to the south of *Karsāna*, and eight miles to the north of *Eyta*, on the Grand Trunk Road".¹
v1.c13.s5.4
¹ A. G. I. p. 365.
v1.c13.s5.5
The name of the sūtra which the pilgrim says the Buddha delivered at the capital of this country is given as *yun-chie-chou-ching*. This means "the sūtra of the place of the elements of the skandha", and it may represent a Sanskrit name like Skandhadhātusthāna sūtra (B. Nanjio suggests "Skandhadhātuupasthāna sūtra"), the "sūtra of the basis of the elements of phenomena", that is, of the senses and their objects. No sūtra with a name like this seems to be known to the collections of Buddhist scriptures, and the Fang-chih merely states that the Buddha preached for seven days "the dharma of the elements of the skandha".