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A Manual of Budhism, In Its Modern Development, K. Spence Hardy, 1880 - Complete Book

English

An elephant called Ndlagiri, that in one day would go 100 yojanas, and return. 3. A mule called Mudak^si, that in one day would go 120 yojanas, and return. 4. A horse called Telekarnnika, that would go the same distance. In a former birth the king was a poor man, who was accustomed to carry the alms-bowl of a certain Pas^-Budha, more expe- ditiously than any other person ; and on this account he was after- wards bom of high or royal families and had the swiftest vehicles to convey him from place to place. When the king heard the request of Jiwaka, he gave him permission to use any of the royal modes of conveyance, and to pass out of the palace gates any hour of the day. Of this permission he availed himself, and went hither and thither at his will ; now in this conveyance and then in that ; so that the wonder of the citizens was greatly excited. One day he brought home an abundance of medicine, which he boiled in oil and poured into a dish. He then told the king that it was exceedingly powerful, so that it would be requisite for him to take it at once, without tasting it, or the virtue would be gone. The king stopped his nose with one hand, and with the other put the medicine into his mouth. At this moment Jiwaka^ after informing the attendants what to give the king, went to the elephant hall, and mounting the elephant Baddrawati, set off towards Rajagaha like the wind. After going fifty yojanas, he arrived at Kosambae,* where he remained a little to refresh him- self, as he knew that the king had no army that could come so quickly ; and that if any one came it would be either the slave, the elephant Naldgiri, the mule, or the horse, but that the elephant he had brought was five times swifter than any other animal. * This city is mentioned in the lUm&yana and the Puriuiu. VII. LEGENDS OF g6tAMA BUDHA. 25o When the king took the medicine, he knew instantlj that he had swallowed oil ; and in a rage he commanded that Jiwaka should be impaled ; bnt the nobles informed him that he had fled away npon the elephant Baddrawati. He then sent for the slave Oppanika, and told him that if he wonld pursue the physician and bring him back he should receive a great reward. In an instant the slave was at Kosambfe, and told Jiwaka that he mnst return with him to the palace ; but he said that he was hungry, and mast have something to eat, and requested Op- panika to join him at his meal. As the slave refused, he gave him part of a fruit, in which he had previously put something from the tip of his finger ; but when he had euten about half of it, he fainted away, and Jiwaka was left to finish his repast at his leisure. After a little time he gave the elephant some water to drink, and going to the slave, enquired why he did not take him to the king ; but Oppanika said that he would go with Jiwaka to any part of the world, and become his servant, if he would restore him. The physician laughed, and told him to eat the other half of the fruit ; but he said that from eating the former half he was now unable to lift up his head, and if he ate any more he should certainly die outright. Jiwaka told him that he had never at auy time taken life, and that this was the first time he had gone so far as to render any one unable to hold up his head. The slave then ate the other half of the fruit, and was in an instant well, like a man awaking out of a dream. Jiwaka delivered to him the elephant, and told him to return to Uddni, as by that time the king would be perfectly recovered from his disease ; and he himself went on his way to Rajagaha, on arriving at which he informed Bimsara of all that had taken pkce. It was after these events, that Jiwaka administered medicine to Budha, in the perfume of a flower ; and it was because, in many previous births, he had wished for this opportunity, that he received his unexampled skill ; it was the reward of his merit. In this way was the medicine given. On a certain occasion, when Budha was sick, it was thought that if he were to take a little opening medicine he would be better ; and accordingly Ananda went to Jiwaka to inform him that the teacher of the world was indisposed. On receiving this information, Jiwaka, 254 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. who thouglit thai the time to which he had so long looked forward bad arrived, went to the wihdra, as Bndha was at that time residing near Bajagaha After making the proper enqui- ries, he discovered that there were three causes of the disease ; and in order lo remove them he prepared three lotus flowers, into each of which hfe put a quantity of medicine. The flowers were then given to Budha at three separate times, and by smell- ing* at them his bowels were moved ten times by each flower. By means of the first flower the first cause of disease passed away ) and by the other two the second and third causes were removed. When this event was knowli to the faithful, persons from six- teen kelas of diflerent tribes brought food of a kind proper for an invalid, each one according to his ability. But as Mugalan knew that it wus requisite that food of the most delicate kind it was possible to provide should be procured^ he looked with his divine 6ye8 to see where it could be found> when he discovered that Sdn^a, of the city of Champd,t in Jambudwipa, had in his possession a kind of rice that Would be better adapted for the sage than any other in the world. The parents of S(Sna were exceedingly rich, as they had thou* sands of houses surmounted by towers in the city, and possessed in addition 90,000 villages. ITrom his childhood, S6na never put his foot to the ground. Why ? Upon the sole of his foot was a row of red hairs turning towards the right, like the flowers painted upon a drum, and appearing as if made by a vermilion pencil. It was because his parelits saw this sign of greatness that they did not allow him to step on the ground ; and they gave him many attendants. Greatly were the people of Jambudwipa astonished, when they heard of this remarkable * Bj the ancients great efficacy vas ascribed to pei'fVimes. It is said of DcmocrituB that being aware of his approaching end, but desirous to prolong liis life beyond the festival of Ceres, he held hot bread to his nose, bj means of which his wish was accomplished. t Founded by Champapuri, a city of which traces still remain in the vicinity of Bhagalpur. It is the capital of Anga. Fa Hian says, that in following the course of the Ganges, there was upon the southern bank, the extensive kingdom of Tchen pho. The monasteries he saw appeared to be inhabited by priests. Hiuan Thsang describes the city as being about thirteen miles in circumference ; the countiy^ was fertile, and the climate warm. There were about ten monasteries, for the most part in ruin, with not more than 200 priests, whilst there were twenty temples belonging to the heterodox fraternities. Vn. LEGENDS OF G<iTAMA BUDHA. 255 appearance ; they went in numbers to see it, like the piJgrims vrho yisit the sri-pada, or impression of Budha's foot, tLpoii SamansBlla, in the island of Ceylon. Sdna resided in the upper Btorj of a tower, surronnded by ma^ificent curtains, so that he could not even see the ground. His servants were nef er beaten, as in the families of other nobles, tCad yet were they all obedieht. How was this ? When any of them did wrong, Sona said that he would put his foot to the ground if they were punished ; and as all were afraid lest in this way they should cause the Ibss of so much merit, they were as attentive as if they hikd been coerced by being maimed, or their heads had been poinded by a hammer, or other severe modes of punishment had been tised. In a fonner birth Sona erected a wih^a for a Pas6-Bud)ia, who one day huj-t his foot when he was walkings after T^^hich he provided him with a costly carpet upon which to walk. It was through the merit of this act, that he received in the present birth so great a distinction. Ahd now as to the rice. There was a large field surrounded by a high fence, a)id covered by a network of hair. It was irriglited by water in which sandal- wood, camphor, and all kinds of fmgrant substances had been steeped, so that their smell was imparted to the ground, the grain, and even to the husbandmen. At the harvest, the grain was cut, not with a sickle, but by the nails of the reapers.