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He did not attain the vision of noble knowledge, Only the weariness of self-torment, He became a partaker, going on the ignoble path. 112. Wandering in the endless, fearful, great cycle of rebirth, the truthful one Experienced suffering, a refuge for gods, humans, and beasts, a haven of peace for beings, The wise, heroic, excellent one, free from the fear of birth, free from evil and torment, Avoided this practice, the Yogi, with shame, just like this skin. Thus, composed by the ascetic named Medhananda. The cause of delighting the whole assembly of poets, the lamp of the lineage of the Conqueror, the immediate cause, the eleventh chapter, a description of the great effort of the Great Bodhisattva. 1. Indulgence in sensual pleasures is low, Unprofitable, of such a nature, Thinking, "Leaving the pleasure of the forest, What will you, Siddhartha, do by going?" 2. Who, indeed, by engaging in self-mortification, Has ever attained the state of happiness? Therefore, consider that self-mortification Is low and unprofitable. 3. Thus advising himself, Going from house to house for alms, When he had eaten the food, in his body There were natural signs. 4. By completely avoiding both extremes, In that hero, whose wisdom was exalted, For the sake of enlightenment, for detachment, Practicing the highest conduct. 5. Having done difficult deeds for six years, Not having attained enlightenment, "Good food Eating, what effort does he make? He is confused," thus the group of five. 6. Not giving ghee, having obtained oil from sesame, What kind of ascetic has come here? Who is foolish enough to wish to attain enlightenment? Thinking, they went down to the Deer Park. 7. At that time, in the village of Senani, the daughter Of the wealthy man was adorned for her husband's family, Her body bent by the weight of her breasts, Sujata, moving gracefully like a swan. 8. When her desired wish was fulfilled, By the deity dwelling in the banyan tree, To perform a sacrifice, honoring her, She had a thousand cows in the forest of herdsmen. 9. Of those, five hundred were milked, Then as many strong cows, Changing the milk, At dawn she milked those strong cows. 10. Mixing the milk herself, She began to cook milk-rice, The gods, pouring nectar into it, Protected it from above. 11. For her, the Himalayas were the cooking pot, The earth was the seat, Her hands were in the western and eastern oceans, Her feet were in the southern ocean. 12. Rising up... Grasses are like needle holes. Having struck, it stood in the sky completely, Covering the ground, arisen from his feet, black- Headed insects, even knee-high, also black insects; () 13. Four birds from the four directions Having flown, they reached his foot-cage, discolored, They were white, on the head of the great heap-mountain He walked, not clinging; () 14. Just so, Sumati, having seen those Five dreams completely at that time, "Today we have become Buddhas," Approaching the Banyan tree, he sat down; () 15. "Clean this together," Puṇṇadāsī At dawn, at the foot of the Banyan tree, before sunrise, Seeing him, the sole light of the world, shining, She spoke, "This matter is well-born"; () 16. Having brought a hundred thousand worth of ghee, She stirred the cooked food in the vessel, The rice-milk did not drip, it stood, Like water on a lotus leaf; () 17. Knowing this, with a golden bowl, she Covered it, joyful, with a serene mind, Having gone, adorned with ornaments, with a head-covering, Sujātā made an offering of food; () 18. Only this much time for the Bodhisatta, Not exceeding the bowl given by the ordainer, He arrived, then disappeared from her sight, Having received the golden bowl; () 19. Swans and bees made the lotus pond beautiful, Covered with pollen, filled with dark blue water, The famous Nerañjarā, He went to the bank of that river, full of essence; () 20. A golden bowl full of rice-milk and meat, The sprout of the Jina placed in brown robes, On the bank of that flowing river, to bathe, He descended to the bathing place like a fragrant elephant; () 21. With blue lotuses crowded with Rolamba bees, The water of the river was dark blue with algae, From the body of him who had gone down, a mass of radiating light Went forth, becoming reddish-brown; () 22. Like the Ganges, a woman with lotus pollen fragrance- Powder, with the arm of a high wave, Anointing her husband with cool water, She seemed to bathe him well; () 23. To obtain equality with that lotus face, Coming with the meeting of the sun's rays, The flock of swans disturbed the heap of lotus pollen, For the cooking was obstructed; () 24. On the bank, the Sārasa and Chakravāka birds, Dried their wings, having spread their wings wide, Deep They drank the intoxicating liquor. I think, by the merciless one, so much was done. 25. With a lotus stalk adorning its beak, Wings spread like white lotuses, The royal swan, intoxicated, carried the Master, With a white umbrella, supreme glory on its head. 26. A swarm of bees, enticed by the lotus face, Entered the eye-well of the Jina sprout, Showed the weight of glory, In the blue, on the kasina, prominently placed. 27. Like attendants doing service, the fish Cleaned away the moss and algae, The water at the feet, marked with the wheel, Of the moon-going one, they purified. 28. For the one who had crossed over, the wide sal tree, With branch-handfuls, scattering flowers, The sal-grove maiden gave, A garment of gentle, fragrant wind. 29. The world-leader, perfectly round, unclothed, Covering the three circles with an inner garment, Tying the body-band above, Wore the kasaya robe, picked from a dust heap. 30. Having made forty-nine lumps, Of milk-rice, without salt, Facing east, sitting on the river, On the bank, he performed the meal duty. 31. This milk-rice, sweet, for him, For seven weeks, for the one who had pierced enlightenment, Was the place for spreading energy, Therefore, he spent time there, without anxiety. 32. "If I awaken to enlightenment today, May this golden bowl, going upstream, Be thrown into the Ganges," he said, The wise one, that precious thing in his right hand. 33. Breaking the current, in the middle of the flowing river, Standing, the bowl, eighty cubits away, Going upstream, sank down, Therefore, he too sank into the river of joy. 34. Reaching the abode of the Nagas, of three Buddhas, in this auspicious eon, The golden bowl, used for the milk-rice, Having struck, stood, making a reverberation. 35. That long-lived Naga king, Hearing the sound, thought, "Today a Buddha," Praising the arisen Jina, He stood with hundreds of songs of praise. 36. Reaching the sal grove, shaded by wide sal trees, Near the river, With the restraint of the eightfold livelihood, At the beginning... Pure in body and speech; 37. Having made eighteen million spinal cord contacts Gradually, Sitting in a cross-legged posture, Establishing mindfulness of the meditation subject; 38. Having grasped mindfulness of breathing, Having developed the defilement-destroying previously ungrasped, Eight attainments and five Supernormal powers, he was a master, a controller; 39. Delighting in meditation, spending the day, In the Sāla grove, with gods and demons, The wise one, like an elephant adorning the path, Descended to go to the Bodhi tree; 40. Strewn with popped rice and other flowers, Covered with pearl-white sand, The path, destroying high waves, Was like the ocean, the abode of fortune; 41. Beautiful with lotuses placed in the middle, Crowded with pearl garlands all around, Golden bells hanging from the ears, Gods raised a divine canopy; 42. In him, urged to do good for the world, In that sun of the world, the unique hero, As he went to the Bodhi tree where he was born, Light arose in the whole world; 43. Seeing him coming, the grass-cutter Named Sotthiya, a Brahmin, Gave eight handfuls of grass, The Lord accepted that grass; 44. While the best miracle was happening, On the path, the fragrance-elephant yawned, Having reached the Bodhi tree, devoted to compassion, For the attainment of enlightenment; 45. His seat seemed to support the universe, Below, to the south, to the north, without end, With wisdom, the upper universe, Having crossed, seemed to support the realm of existence; 46. Thus, going around to the west and north, Without stopping, circumambulating, Having gone to the best place in the east, The master stood, facing west; 47. The wise one, with his right hand, Spread that grass on the top, From there, rising fourteen cubits, The seat adorned the king of trees; 48. A skilled craftsman, painter, or artist, Could not make or write, Green and spread out, they stood, Thus that grass, having risen; 49. Flesh and other things dried up, sinews Even if only skin, sinew, and bone remain, And my blood and flesh dry up in my body, I will not give up until I attain Enlightenment, having destroyed all the fetters. Firmly resolving, with steadfast mind, Facing east, he sat cross-legged, On the Bodhi seat, like the sun Upon the Yugandhara mountain. The Lord of the World, with the moon's radiance, Held a white parasol above him then; Pure Abode deities, with folded hands Adorned with crowns, paid homage to him. Those deities dwelling in the Realm of Form, And others in the Realm of Non-Perception, Approaching him seated on the Diamond Throne, Worshipped him with handfuls of flowers. Some from the Paranimitta realm and others, Filled with devotion, honored the Conqueror, With hands full of offerings for worship. What could the Evil One, the Wicked One, do there? Those deities delighting in Creation, Approaching with caskets of perfume, Worshipped his feet, beautifully adorned, The Best One, seated on the Victory Seat. From the Tusita heaven, with his army, Came the Deva-king Santusita, Waving fans of peacock feathers, And rows of golden palm-leaf fans.