English
Vessantara, the giver, poor in the wealth of the Buddha, for the acquisition of the jewel of omniscience, having given up wealth and grain, male and female slaves, conveyances, all his possessions, his own children and wife, and himself, to beggars, seeks only Perfect Enlightenment. Or just as, O great king, a minister desirous of a seal, for the sake of the seal, whatever wealth and grain, silver and gold there is in his house, having given all of it, strives for the acquisition of the seal; even so, indeed, O great king, Vessantara, the giver, having given all that external and internal wealth, and having given his very life to others, seeks only Perfect Enlightenment. Moreover, O great king, it occurred to Vessantara, the giver, thus: "Whatever that brahmin asks for, by giving that to him, I shall be one who performs a duty." Thus he gave his children and wife to him. Indeed, O great king, Vessantara, the giver, did not give his children and wife to the brahmin out of hatred. Nor did he give his children and wife out of a desire not to see them. Nor did he give his children and wife thinking, "My children and wife are too many, I cannot support them." Nor did he give his children and wife, being weary, with a desire to cast them out, thinking, "They are unpleasant to me." But indeed, out of love for the jewel of omniscience itself, for the sake of omniscience, Vessantara... That king gave to the brahmin such an incomparable, vast, unsurpassed, dear, delightful, beloved, like his own life, supreme gift of children. “This was also spoken, O great king, by the Blessed One, the god of gods, in the Cariyāpiṭaka: “‘Not hateful to me are both sons, nor is Queen Maddī hateful; Omniscience is dear to me, therefore I gave my dear ones.’ “Therefore, O great king, King Vessantara, having given the gift of his children, entered his leaf-hut and lay down. Distressed by his excessive love, a strong sorrow arose in him, his heart became hot. Unable to breathe through his nose, through his mouth he exhaled hot breaths, his tears turned into drops of blood and came out from his eyes. Just so, O great king, with pain King Vessantara gave his children to the brahmin, (thinking) ‘May my path of giving not decline.’ “Moreover, O great king, King Vessantara, for two reasons, gave the two children to the brahmin. Which two? ‘My path of giving will not decline, and my suffering children, from this cause, their grandfather will rescue them with forest roots and fruits.’ For King Vessantara knew, O great king, ‘My children cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves, and their grandfather will buy these children back, thus our return will also happen.’ These two reasons, O great king, were why he gave the two children to the brahmin. “Moreover, O great king, King Vessantara knew, ‘This brahmin is old, aged, decrepit, weak, broken, dependent on a staff, with a short life, with little merit, he is not capable of enjoying these children as slaves.’ Could a man, O great king, with ordinary strength, these moon and sun, so mighty, so powerful, having taken them and put them in a box or a casket, make them powerless and use them as a lamp?” “No, venerable sir.” “Just so, O great king, in this world, the moon… Vessantara's children, who are like the sun, cannot be held by anyone as slaves. "Again, O great king, listen to a further reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be held by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, the jewel of a universal monarch, beautiful, of good origin, eight-sided, well-polished, four cubits long, of the circumference of a cart's hub, cannot be wrapped by anyone in a rag, put into a basket, and used for cutting and sharpening; even so, O great king, in the world, Vessantara's children, who are like the jewel of a universal monarch, cannot be held by anyone as slaves. "Again, O great king, listen to a further reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be held by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, Uposatha, the king of elephants, with three streams of ichor, all white, seven-footed, eight cubits high, nine cubits in length and circumference, pleasing, delightful to behold, cannot be covered by anyone with a winnowing basket or a bowl, or be kept like a calf, put in a calf-pen; even so, O great king, in the world, Vessantara's children, who are like Uposatha, the king of elephants, cannot be held by anyone as slaves. "Again, O great king, listen to a further reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be held by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, the great ocean, long, broad, extensive, deep, immeasurable, difficult to cross, unfathomable, uncovered, cannot be covered everywhere by anyone, and used from a single shore; even so, O great king, in the world, Vessantara's children, who are like the great ocean, cannot be held by anyone as slaves. "Again, O great king, listen to a further reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be held by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, the Himālaya mountain... A peak, five hundred yojanas high in the sky, three thousand yojanas in length and breadth, adorned with eighty-four thousand peaks, the source of five hundred great rivers, the abode of great beings, bearing various kinds of fragrances, adorned with hundreds of divine herbs, appears exceedingly high like a cloud in the sky. Even so, O great king, the children of Vessantara, who is like the king of mountains, Himavanta, cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves in this world. Furthermore, O great king, hear another reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, in the deep darkness of night, a great mass of fire burning on a mountaintop is visible even from afar, even so, O great king, King Vessantara is clearly visible even from afar, like a great mass of fire burning on a mountaintop. Therefore, his children cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves. Furthermore, O great king, hear another reason, by which reason Vessantara's children cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves. Just as, O great king, in the Himavanta mountain, during the season of Nāga flowers, when a straight wind blows, the fragrance of flowers wafts for ten or twelve yojanas, even so, O great king, the fame of King Vessantara has risen even for thousands of yojanas, up to the Akanittha realm, among the abodes of devas, asuras, garuḷas, gandhabbas, yakkhas, rakkhasas, mahoragas, kinnaras, and Indras, and the excellent fragrance of his virtue wafts. Therefore, his children cannot be enjoyed by anyone as slaves. O great king, Prince Jālī was instructed by his father, King Vessantara: 'Your grandfather, my dear, when ransoming you from the brahmin by giving wealth, let him ransom you by giving a thousand nikkhas. When ransoming Kaṇhājina, let him ransom her by giving a hundred male slaves, a hundred female slaves, a hundred elephants, a hundred horses, a hundred cows, a hundred bulls, and a hundred nikkhas – giving a hundred of each. If, my dear, your grandfather, by force, from the brahmin's hand... He takes it for nothing, for free. Do not you heed your grandfather's word. Be followers of the brahmin only." Having thus instructed, he sent his sons. Then Prince Jālī, having gone, and questioned by his grandfather, said: "Indeed, father, my father gave me, worth a thousand, to the brahmin; And also the dark-skinned maiden, and a hundred elephants." "Well-resolved, Venerable Nāgasena, is the question; well-pierced is the net of views; well-crushed is the opponent's argument; our own doctrine is well-illuminated; the expression is well-purified; the meaning is well-divided; thus I accept this as it is." The First Question of Vessantara. 2. The Question of Austere Practices. "Venerable Nāgasena, do all Bodhisattas perform austere practices, or were austere practices performed only by Bodhisatta Gotama?" "There are no austere practices, great king, for all Bodhisattas. Austere practices were performed only by Bodhisatta Gotama." "Venerable Nāgasena, if so, it is improper that there should be differences among Bodhisattas." "In four respects, great king, there are differences among Bodhisattas. Which four? Difference in lineage, difference in exertion, [difference in duration,] difference in lifespan, difference in measure. In these four respects, great king, there are differences among Bodhisattas. But among all Buddhas, great king, in form, in virtue, in concentration, in wisdom, in liberation, in the knowledge and vision of liberation, in the four fearlessnesses, in the ten powers of a Tathāgata, in the six uncommon knowledges, in the fourteen Buddha-knowledges, in the eighteen Buddha-qualities, and in all Buddha-virtues, there is no difference. All Buddhas are equal in Buddha-qualities." "If, Venerable Nāgasena, all Buddhas are equal in Buddha-qualities, for what reason did Bodhisatta Gotama alone perform austere practices?" "With undeveloped knowledge, great king, for undeveloped enlightenment, Bodhisatta Gotama went forth into renunciation, unripe... having ripened his knowledge, he performed the difficult deed.” “Venerable Nāgasena, for what reason did the Bodhisatta depart in the Great Renunciation when his knowledge was not ripe, when his enlightenment was not ripe? Should he not have ripened his knowledge and departed when his knowledge was ripe?” “The Bodhisatta, O great king, seeing the women's quarters in a perverse state, was filled with remorse. To him, remorseful, discontent arose. Seeing his mind of discontent arisen, a certain divine being from the Māra host, thinking, ‘Now is the time to dispel this mind of discontent,’ stood in the air and spoke these words: ‘Sir, do not be discontent. From today, in the seventh day, a divine wheel-treasure will appear to you, with a thousand spokes, with a rim, with a nave, perfect in all aspects. And treasures on the earth and treasures in the sky