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Then seeing the army of Mdra coming towards him, he thought thus : '* This great army comes to fight against me alone ; my parents are not here : no brother is with me ; nor is any one else present to assist me ; therefore the piramita of truth that I have kept perfectly during four asankyas and a kap-laksha must be to me as a mother ; the pdramitd. of wisdom must be to me as a father; my knowledge of the dharmma must be to me as an assisting brother ; my piramitd of kindness must be to me as most excellent friends; my firm faith must be to me as a beloved parent ; my pdramitd of patient endurance must be to me as a helping son ; these six relatives have continually preserved me until now, not leaving me for a single day or hour ; therefore my relatives that are as my life are here : the thirty paramitds that 1 have kept continually until now, without any intermission, shall this day be as thirty warriors to protect me ; and thus 1 have powerful defenders ; the thirty-seven great virtues of the Budhas are my nobles ; the countless assemblage of my observances is as a powerful army. This powerful army of my observances will not leave me to-day. My profound endowments will be to me as a deep fosse ; my renowned benevolence will be to me as water filling it ; and with this fosse around me the approach of my enemies shall be prevented. My p4ramitds shall be to me as bricks for the building of a strong wall, so high that it shall touch the brahma-l<5ka ; and this wall shall keep off my enemy Mdra when he approaches. The four great duties, chatnparisudhi- sila, that I have constantly attended to, shall be as gates ; the four observances of the senses, indrasangwarasila, shall be as four trusty servants, who shall stand as wardens ; and my wardens will not to-day open the gate to my enemies, but will protect me. This my throne shall be to me as the place of honour ; this my illustrious b6-tree shall be to me as a triumphal canopy ; and these two assistances, that have been produced by my own power, will not leave me to-day." Thus the prince was N 178 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. encompassed by bis p^ramitds as by a fortification ; and by bis obedience to tbe precepts, as by a city snrronnded witb a wall and well defended ; and be was therefore without fear. At this moment M^ came behind the tree, but he was not able to approach it, on account of the splendour proceeding from the body of Sidhdrtta ; so he caused a mighty wind to arise, that he might hurl him into the next sakwala ; and a violent wind it was, as it tore up rocks twenty or thirty miles in size, threw down great trees, and blew as at the end of a kalpa ; yet as it went and came, not even a leaf of the tree was shaken, not even the comer of his robe was disturbed, nor was a single hair of his head at all moved ; like a gentle and agreeable breeze it refreshed him, did homage to him, and passed away. Then Mara, that he might see into what sakwala the prince was blown by the storm, mounted to the top of the TJdayagiri rock ; but when he saw his body still resplendent as the orb of the sun, be became angry as a stricken serpent, and thought within himself, " I will cause a thick rain to fall and destroy him by the force of the water ;'' intending to cause a rain like that which falls at the end of a kalpa. By his great power, M^ra caused a hundred and a thousand clouds to arise, and spread in the ten directions the noise of a thunder-storm ; a hundred lightnings played, rain -drops fell, in size like a palm-tree, ploughing the earth, and bearing along many trees ; but when it approached Sidhdrtta, it did not wet even the hem of his robe ; it was refreshing to him, as it fell like a shower of water lilies, did him honour, and went away. Mdra again looked to see whether he had given up the desire to become Budha, or to see into what ocean he had been driven by the force of the stream ; but when he saw the renowned mouth of the prince, shining like a full moon, he became angry as a goaded elephant, and he thought, *' I will now destroy him by crushing him to pieces," intending to bring upon him a shower of rocks. He therefore hurled through the sky a hundred thousand burning mountains, twenty or thirty miles in size ; but when they approached the prince, by the power of his obedience to the precepts, they were converted into garlands of sweet flowers, and arranged themselves in order around him, like a floral offering. ** What," said Mara, " is Sidhdrtta not yet ground to powder? Vn. LEGENDS OF G(5tama budha. 179 Does he still wish to become Bndha P" and when he saw his month shining like a golden mirror, he became angry as an elephant that has stmck his foot against a stone. Then he thought, '' I will cnt his golden body, his ears, and his nose, by a shower of weapons," causing a shower of weapons to fall. Sharp on both sides were the weapons that fell, swords and spears, arrows and javelins, like a shower ; but by the merit of his wisdom, the weapons were changed into flowers on their passage, and fell as if they were presented as an offering. When Mara looked to see if the prince's body was not cnt to pieces, he beheld his month beautiful as the water-lily ; and at the sight he raged like straw cast into the fire. Now he thoaght, " I will at this time bum him," causing a shower of burning charcoal to fall; but it fell at his feet, by the power of his various pdramitds, like an offering of rubies; and when tbe d^wa looked again to see the effect produced by the fire upon his victim, or whether he yet desired the Budhaship, and beheld bim like the summit of a golden mountain whence the darkness is receding, he became tremulous as grains of salt when cast into the fire. After this he resolved to try what a shower of fiery ashes would accomplish ; but they vanished away, and in their stead there was an offering of fragrant sandal-powder. The next attempt of M4ra was to bring against the prince a shower of fine burning sand ; but it fell at his feet like pearls ; and he was still seen seated upon the throne in beauty, like a sal tree covered with flowers. The d^wa now became agitated as a flame exposed to the wind, and rained a shower of burning filth ; but it fell like an offering, as of perfumes presented at a festival, and Sidhirtta was seen as a brilliant gem. Next there was caused by the same power a thick four-fold gloom; but when it approached the throne it vanished away, like darkness at the approach of the san, and became an offering of light. When M^a looked to see what was the effect of the darkness, and beheld the prince yet unmoved, his mouth full of friendship, like a golden tal-frnit falling ripe from the stalk, he became angry as an elephant that has seen a pr6ta. Thus these nine dangers, wind, rain, rocks, weapons, charcoal, ashes, sand, mud, and darkness, did no harm whatever to 8idh4rtta, but were converted into offerings. When Mdra N 2 180 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. perceived this, as he was unable to approacli the prince, he said angrily to his army from a distance, ''All of yon, seize Sidhiirtta, pierce him, ont him, break him to pieces, grind him to powder, destroy his desire to become Bndha, do not let him escape." Saying this, he monnted his elephant Girim^khala ; and bran- dishing his formidable discns on every side, he approached the prince, and threw it towards him. Were this weapon to be thrown against Maha M^ru, it wonld cleave the monntain in twain as if it were a bamboo ; were it cast into the ocean, its waters wonld be dried np; were it hnrled into the sky, it wonld prevent the falling of rain for twelve years ; bnt thongh it has sach mighty energy, it conld not be bronght to approach the prince who was seeking the Bndhaship ; through his great merit, it rose and fell in the air like a dry leaf, and afterwards remained in splendour above his head, like a canopy of flowers. The warriors of M^ra meanwhile said to each other, " It is to no purpose now to look for SidhiLrtta, as he is undoubtedly destroyed ; never before this time did our divine master throw the discus ; to look for him now would be useless ;" yet after poising for a time a hundred thousand rocks, they hurled them in the same direction, which however, became only like an offering of sweet-scented flowers.