English
It was also called Wy^grapura, (from wy^igra, a tiger), because it was by means of a tiger that the princess was discovered in the cave. Another name that it received was that of Dewudeha. The descendants of the king received the name of K61i. The queen having informed her sons that there were four kings in Kapilawastn who were her brothers, and that they had thirty- two daughters, they sent to ask the hand of the princesses in marriage ; but the four kings replied that though the race of the princes was good, as they were bom in the hollow of a tree they could not consent to the proposed marriages, adding insult to 140 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. their refusal. As it was known, however, that the princesses were accustomed to go to a certain place to bathe, the sons of B&ma sent letters to them privately, reqaesting an interview. A time being appointed, the princes, with their retinne, went thither, and taking the princesses by the hand, prevailed npon them to go to K61i. When the four kings heard of this adven- ture, they were pleased with the oonrage of the young men ; and as their race would still be kept pure, they became reconciled to the princes, and sent them presents. From this time it became a custom for the K61i and S4kya families to intermarry with each other. The thirty-two princes had separate establishments, and in due time thirty-two children were born to each family. After many generations Dewudssha was king, and was succeeded by his son Anusikya, whose' principal queen was the younger sister of Singha-hanu. This queen had two sons, Suprabudha and Dandap^ni, and two daughters, Maha M^ya D6wi and Maha Praj&pati. These princesses were beautlEul as the queens of a d6wa*16ka ; no intoxi- cating liquor ever touched their lips ; even in play they never told an untrath ;^they would not take life, even to destroy insects ; and they observed all the precepts. It was declared by a brahman who saw them that they would have two sons, one of whom would be a chakrawartti, and the other a supreme Budha* No sooner was this noised abroad, than all the 63,000 kings of Jambudwipa sent to ask them in marriage ; but the preference was given to Sudh6dana, king of Kapilawastu ; and they became his principal queens. Maha M^ya was in every respect faithful to the king, and lived in all purity. In a former age she had presented an offering to the Budha called Maha Wipassi, saying, '' I present this with the hope that at some future time I may become the mother of a Budha, who like thee shall be ruler of the world." Of Sudhddana and Maha Mdya, 66tama Budha was bom. (JPujdwdiiya^ Amdwatura^ 8fc,) VII. THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF GOTAMA BUDHA. I. THB OOKCBPTIOK, BIBTH, AKD IKFANCT OF GOTAMA. — II. THB UABBIAGB 07 0<5tAMA, and his SUBSBQITBKT ABANPONUBKT 07 THB WOBLD. — III. 0<5tAMA as an ASCBTIC, PBBFABATOBY TO THB BBOBFTION 07 THB BITDHASHIF. — IT. THB CONTEST WITH WA8AWABTTI uAbA. — V. THB BBCBPTION OF THB BUBHABHIP. — YI. THB FIB8T OFFSBING BBCBIYBD BT GOTAMA AS BUDHA. — Til. THB FIBST DISCOUBSB DBLITBBBD BY BUDHA. — Till. FIFTT-FOUB PBINCES AND A THOUSAND 7IBB-W0B8HIF- PBB8 BEOOMB THB DISCIFLBS OF BUDHA. — IX. BIMSABA, KING OF BAJAGAHA, BBCOMBS A DISCIFLB OF BUDHA. — X. THB TWO FBINCIPAL DIBCIPLBS OF BUDHA, 8BBITUT AND MUGALAN. — XI. BUDHA TISITS XAPILAWASTU, HIS NATITE CITY. — XII. NANDA AND BAHULA BBCOMB THB DISCIPLES OF BUDHA. — XIII. BUDUA TISITS THB ISLAND OF CBYLON. — ^XIT. BUDHA FOBBTBLLS THB PB08PBBITY OF A LABOUBBB'S WIFE. — ^XT. BUDHA ATTENDS A PLOUGHING FESTITAL. — ^XTI. THB HISTORY OF ANEPEDU. — XTII. THB HISTOBY OF WISjCkHA. — ^ITUI. ANUBUDHA, ANANDA, D^WADATTA, AND OTHBB PBINCES, BEOOMB PBIE8TS } AND ANANDA IS APPOINTED TO THB OFFICE OF UPASTHAYAXA. — ^XIX. BUDHA TISITS THB CITY OF WIsXla. — ^XX. THB HISTOBY OF jiWAKA, WHO ADMINISTBBED MBDIOINB TO BUDHA. — XXI. THE HISTOBY OF ANGULIMALA. — XXII. THB HISTOBY OF SABHIYA. — ^XXIII. THE HISTOBY OF SACHA. — ^IXIT. THE TWO MEBCHANTS OF SUNAPABANTA. — XXT. THB YAXl ALAWAKA OTEBCOMB BY BUDHA. — XXTI. THB HISTOBY OF UP ALL — ^XXTII. THB BBAHMAN XtJTADANTA BMBBACE8 BUDHISM. — XXTIII. THE BBAHMAN s£lA BECOMES A PBIB8T. — ^XXIX. BUDHA IS FALSELY ACCUSED OF INCONTINENCE BY THE FBMALB UNBBUBTEB, CHINCHI. — XXX. THB FEMALE BBSIDBNT IN MATIKA BECOMES A BAHAT. — XXXI. THB PBOWESS OF BANDHULA. — ^XXXII. THB KING OF KOSOL MABBIBS THE NATURAL DAUGHTBB OF MAHA-NAMA. — XXXIII. THE FLOWEB-GIBL BECOMES A QUEEN. — XXXIT. THE PBIBST WHOSE BBEATH IS LIKE THE PBBFUMB OF THE LOTUS. — ^XXXT. THB FITB HUNDRED QUEENS OF KOSOL. — XXXTI. THE GIFTS PRESENTED TO BUDHA ON HIS RETUBN TO SEWET. — ^XXXTII. BUDHA IS TISITED BY THB d£wA 8EKRA. — XXXTIII. THE TIRTTAKAS ARE PUT TO SHAME ; A LARGE TREE IS MIRACULOUSLY PRODUCED ; AND SEKRA MAKES A PATILION FOR BUDHA. — XXXIX. BUDHA TISITS THB D1^WA*-l6kA TAWUTISjC. — ^XL. THB nAgA, NANDO-PANANDA, OTBRCOMB BY MUGALAN.^— XLI. THE SIXTEEN DREAMS OF THB KINO OF KOSOL. — XLII. THE QUEEN PRAjXpATI BECOMES A PRIESTESS, AND OBTAINS NIBWANA. — XLIII. THE WICKED DETICES OF DBWADATTA and AJASAT. — XLIT. THE CONTEBSION OF AjAsAT. — XLT. THB DESTRUCTION OF DBWADATTA. — XLTI. THB HISTORY OF PRINCE 142 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. BUKAKhXtA. — ^XLTII. THB HISTOBT OF BAwIrI. — ^XLYin. BUDEA TIBITS THE BBAHMA-l6xA. — XLIX. MUGALAN ATTAINS VIBWIkA. — ^L. THB PUNISHMENT OF SUPBA BUDHA. — LI. THB FBINCE88 TA86DHABA-siWI ATTAINS NIBWXnA. — ^LII. THB DBATH 07 CkSTAlCA BUDHA. There are ample materials for an extended life of Gr6tama ; and the incidents that are recorded of his more immediate disciples are almost of equal extent. Of this matter the greater part may be a mass of mere absurdity, with as little of interest as would be presented by the detail of a consecu- tive series of the dreams of a disturbed sleep : but it is pro- bable that nearly every incident is founded upon fact ; and if we were in possession of some talismanic power that would enable us to select the true and reject the false, a history might be written that would scarcely have an equal in the importance of the lesson it would teach. It is said by Niebuhr that " unless a boldness of divination, liable as it is to abuse, be permitted, all researches into the earlier history of nations must be abandoned ;" and a gifted critic may one day arise, who^ by his discriminating skill, will be enabled to arrange every subject under one or other of these four classes — the pure fiction, the uncertain, the probable, and the established fact. In the mean time, we must be content with the legend in its received version, with all the accumu- lations it has gathered in successive ages. As no comment would be understood, until the legends have been read, I shall reserve all exegetical observations to the end of the chapter. 1. The Oonc^Hofif Birth, and Infancy of OStama. After the Wessantara birth, B6dhisat was bom in the d6wa- 16ka called Tosita, where he received the name of Santnsita, and lived in the possession of every enjoyment for the space of 57 kdtis and 60 lacs of years. At the end of this period, as it had been announced that a supreme Badha was about to appear, the d6wa8 and brahmas of the various worlds enquired who it was to be; and when they discovered that it was Santusita, they went in a vast multitude to that d^wa, and requested him to assume the high office, that the different orders of being might VII. LEGENDS OF GCilAMA BUDHA. 143 be released from the sorrows connected with the repetition of ezisteuce. To this request Santusita made no reply, bat exer- cised the five great perceptions,* pancha*maha-wil6kana, that he might discoyer, first, the character of the period in which the Badhas are bom ; second, the continent ; third, the country ; fourth, the family ; and fifth, the day. As to the first percep. tion, he saw that the age of man was about a hundred years,t and that therefore it was an auspicious period in which for the Budha to be bom. As to the second, he saw that the Budhas are bom in Jambudwipa. As to the third, he saw that they are bom in the Madhya-mandala, or Magadha.^ As to the fourth, he looked first to see whether the royal caste or the brahman was then the superior, and when he saw that it was the royal, he looked to see which of the 63,000 kings of Jambudwipa possessed the requisite merit to become the father of a Budha ; by which he perceived that Sudhddana, king of Kapilawastu, of the S4kya race, was alone worthy of this honour.