RAMA AND ITS TOPE
East from Buddha's birthplace,and at a distance of five yojanas, there is a kingdom called Ramagrama. The king of the country, having obtained one potion of the relics of Buddha's body, returned with it and built over it a tope,named the Rama tope.By the side of it there was a pool,and in the pool a dragon,which constantly kept watch over (the tope),and presented offerings to it day and night.When king Ashoka came forth into the world ,he wished to destroy the eight topes(over the relics),and to built (instead of them)84,000 topes. After he had thrown down the sevens(others),he wished to next to destroy this tope.But then the dragon showed itself,took the king into its palace; and when he had seen all the things provided for offerings,it said to him,'if you are able with your offerings to exceed these,you can destroy the tope, and take it all away.I will not contend with you'.The king,however,knew that such appliances for offerings were not to be had anywhere in the world,and thereupon returned (without carrying out his purpose).(Afterwards ),the ground all about became overgrown with vegetation,and there was nobody to sprinkle and sweep (about the tope);but a herd of elephants came regularly,which brought water with their trunks to water the ground ,and various kinds of flowers and incense,which they presented at the tope.(Once)there came from one of the kingdoms a devotee to worship at the tope. When he encountered the elephants he was greatly alarmed,and screened himself among the trees;but when he saw them go through with the offerings in the most proper manner,the thought filled him with great sadness-that there should be no monastery here,(the inmates of which)might serve the tope,but the elephants have to do the watering and sweeping.Forthwith he gave up the great prohibitions (by which he was bound), and resumed the status of a Sramanera. With his own hands he cleared away the grass and trees,put the place in good order,and made it pure and clean.By the power of his exhortations,he prevailed on the king of the country to form a residence for monks;and when that was done,he became head of the monastery.At the present day there are monks residing in it. This event is of recent occurrence;but in all the succession from that time till now,there has always been a Sramanera head of the establishment.
PARI-NIRVANA
East from here four yojans,there is the place where the heir-apparent sent back Kanthaka,with his white horse;and there also a tope was erected .
Four yojanas to the east from this,(the travelers came to the Charcoal tope,where there is also a monastery.
Going 12 yojanas,still to the east Kusanagara(බුදුගල ),on the of which,between 2 trees,on the bank of the Hiranyavati(වේලිඔය) river,is the place where the World-honored-One,with his head to the north, attained to pari-nirvana.There also are the places where Subhadra, the last (of his converts),attained to Wisdom (and became an Arhath);where in his coffin of gold they made offerings to the World-honored-One for seven days,where the Vajrapani laid aside his golden club,and where the 8 kings divided the relics(of the burnt body);-at all these places were built topes and monasteries,all of which are now existing.
In the city the inhabitants are few and far between ,comprising only the families belongings to the (different)societies of of monks.
Going from this to the south-east for twelve yojanas,they came to the place where the Lichchavis wished to follow Buddha to (the place of)his pari-nirvana,and where ,when he would not listen to them and they kept cleaving to him,unwilling to go away,he made to appear a large and deep ditch which they could not cross over,and gave them his alms-bowl,as a pledge of his regard,(thus)sending them back to their families. There a stone pillar was erected with an account of this event engraved upon it.
VAISALI. THE TOPE CALLED 'WEAPONS LAID DOWN'
East from this city ten yojanas,(the travelers)came to the Kingdom of Vaisali(විසාලා මහනුවර -කැබිලිත්ත). North of the city so named is a large forest, having in it the double-galleried vihara where Buddha dwelt, and the tope over half the body of Ananda. Inside the city the woman Amapali built a vihara in honour of Buddha,Which is now standing as it was at first.Three le south of the city,on the west of the road,(is the)garden (which)the same Ambapali presented to Buddha, in which he might reside.When Buddha was about to attained to his pari-nirvana,as he was quitting the city by the west gate,he turned round,and beholding the city on his right,said to them,'Here I have taken my last walk'.Men subsequently built a tope at this spot.
Three le north-west of the city there is a tope called,'Bows and weapons laid down.'The reason why it got that name was this:-The inferior wife of a king,whose country lay along the river Ganges,brought forth from her womb ball of flesh.The superior wife,jealous of the other,said,'You have brought forth a thing of evil men',and immediately it was put into a box of wood and thrown into the river.Farther down the stream another king was walking and looking about,when he saw the wooden box (floating) in the water.(He had it brought to him),opened it,and found a thousand little boys,upright and complete,and each one different from the others .He took them and had them brought up.They grew tall and large,and very daring,and strong , crushing all opposition in every expedition which they undertook.By and by they attacked the kingdom of real father,who became in consequence greatly distressed and sad.His inferior wife asked what it was that made him so ,and he replied,'The king has a thousand sons,daring and strong beyond compare,and he wishes with them to attack my kingdom;this is what makes me sad'The wife said,'You need not be sad and sorrowful. Only make a high gallery on the wall of the city on the east; and when the thieves come,I shall be able to make them retire.' The king did as she said; and when the enemies came,she said to them from the tower,'You are my sons; why are you acting so unnaturally and rebelliously'?They replied,'If you do not believe me ,'she said,'Look all of you,towards me,and open your mouths'.She then pressed her breasts with her two hands,and sent forth 500 jets of milk, which fell into the mouths of the thousand sons.The thieves(thus)knew that she was their mother, and laid down their bows and weapons.The two kings,the fathers, there upon fell into reflection,and both got to be pratyeka Buddhas.The tope of the two pratyeka Buddhas still existing.
In a subsequent age,when the World-Honoured -One had attained to perfect wisdom(and become Buddha),he said to is disciples,'This is the place where I in a former age laid down my bow and weapons.' It was thus subsequently men got to know (the fact ),and raised the tope on this spot,which in this way received its name.The thousand little boys were the thousand Buddhas of this Bhadra-kalpa.
It was by the side of the 'Weapons-laid-down' tope that Buddha,having given up the idea of living longer,said to Ananda,'In three months from this I will attain to pari-nirvana '; and king Mara had so fascinated and stuperfied Ananda, that he was not able to ask Buddha to remain longer in this world.
Three or four le east from this place there is a tope (commemorating the following occurrence):- A hundred years after the pari-nirvana of Buddha,some Bhikshus of Vaisali went wrong in the matter of the disciplinary rules in ten particulars,and appealed for their justification to what they said were the words of Buddha. Hereupon the Arhaths and Bhikshus observant of the of the number in all of 700 monks,examined afresh and collated the collection of disciplinary books.Subsequently men built at this place the tope (in question),which is still existing.
REMARKABLE DEATH OF ANANDA.
Four yojanas on from this place to the east brought the travelers to the confluence of the five rivers.When Ananda was going from Magadha to Vaisali,wishing his pari-nirvana to take place (there),the devas informed king Ajasaththa of it,and the king immediately pursued him,in his own grand carriage ,with a body of soldiers,and had reached the river.(On the other hand),the Lichchavis of Vaisali(විසාලා මහනුවර ) had heard that Ananda was coming (to their city),and they on their part came to meet him.(In this way),they all arrived together at the river ,and Ananda considered that,if he went forward,king Ajasaththa would be very angry,while,if he went back ,the Lichchavis would resent his conduct.He thereupon in thee very middle of the river burnt his body in a fiery ecstasy of samadhi,and his pari-nirvana was attained.He divided his body (also)into two,(leaving)the half of it on each bank;so that each of the two kings got one half as a (sacred)relic,and took it back(to his own capital),and there raised a tope over it.
No comments:
Post a Comment