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At last, after repeated efforts, he reached a mango grove, near Kusinara, on which he said to Ananda, '' Speak in this manner to the smith — ' Chunda, as Budha, from having eaten of the pork you presented to him will attain nirwdna, you will receive on this account an immense reward ;' and if he should still appear doubtful, say to him again, ^ Chunda, you will most certainly receive this reward ; I heard it from the lord of the universe ; it was from the sacred mouth I received my information.' Ananda, there are tv^o offerings that will receive a greater reward than any other. Do you ask what they are ? Before the Tat&gata received the incomparable wisdom, an offering was presented to him by the daughter of Sujata ; and now before he attains to the final rest of nirwana, another offering has been made by Chunda. These are the two most estimable gifts. The merit acquired by the illustrious Chunda^ will endure long, and be exceedingly great Thus, Ananda, the doubts of him who presented the pork will be removed." When the d^was perceived that this was the last great offering that would be presented to Budha, they brought all kinds of agreeable ingredients and imparted their flavor to the pork, sa 358 K MANUAL OF BUDHISM. that it was in every respect desirable and excellent. On this account, it could not be the pork that was the real cause of the illness of Budha. The elements of his body had become indu- rated by extreme old age, in the usual course of nature ; and it was this that gave to the disease its power. In like manner, when one ignited substance is added to another, the fire bums with more destructive fierceness ; or when to a common stream is added the volume of water poured down by the raging storm, its course is swelled to an impetuous torrent ; or when more food is taken into the stomach already filled to repletion, the effects of indigestion are more clearly developed. We must not therefore, blame the ordinance of alms-giving, as if this were the cause of the disease. After leaving the mango grove, Budha crossed the Hiranya- wati, and entered the garden of sal trees, called Upawarttana, near Kusindra, to which the princes of Malwa were accustomed to resort in their seasons of recreation. On seeing it, he said again, *' Ananda, I am weary, I wish to lie down ; quickly place a couch between two sal trees, with the head towards the north." After the couch had been placed as he requested, he lay down upon it with his head in the same direction, never to rise again ; but he still retained the full possession of his senses. He then addressed his faithful attendant, and said, '* Ananda, were I to attain nirwdna without the knowledge of the Malwa princesi they would exclaim, ' Alas, Budha, our king, has attained nir- w4na ; alas, in his last moments we were not permitted to feast our eyes on his sacred presence ; we did not hear bana, though he approached so near us ; we had no opportunity of rendering to him our homage!" They will thus be brought to endure much sorrow. Therefore go, and inform them of our anivaL" In compliance with this command, Ananda went to the place at which the princes were most usually to be found, and said, " Most excellent sirs, our Budha is now in the sal grove ; this day he will attain nirw^a ; and he has sent me to inform you of it, lest you should afterwards say that his departure was from your own gate, and yet you were not permitted in his last moments to hear bana." On the delivery of this message, the 60,000 princes of Malwa, with as many princesses, nobles, and eminent ladies, cried out, *' Budha, our king, will soon obtain nirwdna ; alas, our excellent Tatdgata will soon be no more ; the VII. LEGENDS OF G(5tAMA BUDHA. 359 ejes that have looked upon all oar sorrows will now become dim!" Some tore their hair; others s track their heads with their hands ; thej bowed this way and that, as the tree that has been cat nods to its fall ; they threw themselves down, and rolled npon the ground in every direction ; they cried out alond ; and there was a grievous mourning. Incessantly did they weep as they went towards the grove, and when they arrived in the presence of Budha, they threw themselves prostrate before him. In order to appease their grief, he gave them a suitable exhorta- tion, and at this time the ascetic Subhadra attained rahatship. The d^was and brahmas from the ten thousand sakwalas being assembled, Budha said to Sekra,* " Oh, divine Sekra ! my religion will abundantly flourish in Ceylon ; Wijaya Bahu, son of the monarch Siha B&hu, will proceed thither from the land of Lada, with 500 nobles, and there remain; therefore, take that prince and his kingdom under thy special protection." In this manner he delivered the realm of Ceylon, and the interests of his religion when therein established, into the hands of Sekra. Early in the morning, Budha gave a charge to the assembled priests, and furthermore said to them, " Priests, if ye have any doubts as to the doctrines I have taught you for the space of forty-five years, ye have permission to declare them now ; other- wise, ye may afterwards regret that ye had not the opportunity of stating them whilst I was yet in existence ; or if ye hesitate to make these enquiries of me, make known your doubts to each other." As the priests did not entertain any doubts, they re- mained silent, and Badha proceeded, '* Are there no doubts that you wish to have removed ? Then I depart to nirwana ; I leave with you my ordinances ; the elements of the omniscient will pass away; the three gems will still remain." Thus having spoken, be ceased to exist. (Miliiida Frasna,) When the Malwa princes heard of the deatli of Budha, they were for some time overcome by grief, in which the princesses and royal maidens partook ; but after a little time, having recovered from the excess of their sorrow, they brought the finest cloth, and cotton a hundred times sifted, in which the body of the sage was en wrapped, t First there was a fold of * This account does not appear in Tumour's analysis of the Parinibbina- Buttan, and is probablj a comparatiyelj modem interpolation. t A pine tree was annually wrapt up in wool by the priests of Cjbele, and 360 A MANUAL OF BUDfflSM. cloth, and then a layer of cotton, alternately, until a thonsand folds had been completed. For this purpose 500 bales of cloth, and 500 bales of cotton were presented bj the princes. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth days were occupied in the presenting of ofierings and the preparing of the pLacse where the body was to be burned. Every receptacle of filth in Kusindra was covered knee-deep with celestial flowers. On the seventh day the dewas and brahmas of 10,000 sakwalas brought flowers and perfomes, and appointed the choristers and musicians from their several Mkas to be in attendance, so that there was offered to the corpse of the sage all that is pleasing to the eye or ravishing to the ear. For ihe place of cremation* the prince? offered their own coronation-hall, which was decorated with the utmost magnificence, and the body of Budha being deposited in a golden sarcophagusf filled with sweet-scented oil, it was placed upon a pyre of sandal- wood, 120 cubits high.| When all was properly prepared, the four principal kings of Malwa^ who had previously purified themselves and put on new robes, took fire in their hands and applied it to the pyre, but it would not ig^te. The other princes, in sections of two and two, took golden fans, by which they endeavoured to increase the power of the flame, but all their efforts were in vain, though continued during seven days. The chief of the priests who were endowed wii^ divine wisdom, Anurudha, was then consulted as to the cause why the wood \rith great solemnity oanried into the temple of the goddeee, in memory of her wrapping up in (he same manner the dead body of Atys, and carrying it to her cave. * We learn from Homer that the custom of burning the dead was in nee before the Trojan war. The Jewi burnt many spioeB at the funerals of their great men, but the bodieB were interred. — 2 Chron. xtL 14 ; xxi. 19 ; Jer. xxxiT. 5. It is said that when Gamaliel, the son of Simeon, was buried, Onkelos burnt seyenty pounds of frankincense upon his sepulchre. The funerid pile of the emperor Seyerus, erected near the city of Fork, was one of the most magnificent of which tre have any record.