Monks, in that way the Bodhisattva revealed this Dharma discourse to the large reti-nue of gods. [F.24.a] Thus they understood his message and became excited, delight-ed, and forbearing. At that point he spoke to the retinue of fortunate gods:
“Friends, I will now proceed to Jambudvīpa. In the past when I practiced the con-duct of a bodhisattva, I attracted sentient beings through the four activities of giving, pleasant speech, beneficial activity, and demonstrating consistency in speech and aims. But friends, if I now do not achieve unexcelled, perfect and complete awaken-ing, I would be ungrateful and irrational.”
Hearing that, the divine sons of the Heaven of Joy wept and embraced the feet of the Bodhisattva. They said, “Virtuous One, if you do not remain, this Heaven of Joy will be [39] without splendor.”
To this, the Bodhisattva replied to the great retinue of gods, “The bodhisattva Maitreya will teach you the Dharma.” Then the Bodhisattva took the crown from his own head and placed it on the head of the bodhisattva Maitreya, saying, “Virtuous one, you shall awaken to perfect and complete buddhahood after me.”
In that way the Bodhisattva enthroned the bodhisattva Maitreya in the Heaven of Joy. Then he again spoke to the great retinue of gods: “Friends, in what type of form should I enter the womb of a mother?”
Some replied, “As a human in the form of a priest.” But other gods suggested, “In the form of Śakra, or Brahmā, or a great king, or Vaiśravaṇa, or a gandharva, or a kiṃnara, or a mahoraga, or Maheśvara, or the moon god, [F.24.b] or the sun god, or a garuḍa.”
There was also one of the divine sons of the Brahmā realm present, who was called Ugratejā. Having been a sage in his previous life, he had taken rebirth among the gods, where he had become irreversible from unexcelled and perfect awakening.
He now spoke:
“The priests’ mantras and the treatises of the Vedas mention the proper form for a bodhisattva to take when descending into the womb of his mother. It should be in the form of an excellent, great elephant with six tusks, covered with golden netting. Its head should be very red and exceedingly handsome. It should ooze fragrant fluids from its temples and have a glorious body. Someone who is learned in the Vedas and scriptures of the priests will then recognize such features and use them to predict the
arrival of a person endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man.”
Monks, while the Bodhisattva was still residing in the sublime Heaven of Joy, he considered the time for his birth. At that time he manifested eight omens at the sub-lime residence of King Śuddhodana. What were these eight?
The residence was immaculate since all weeds, stumps, brambles, small pebbles, and gravel had been removed. It was [40] well watered and very clean. It was undis-turbed by wind and free from soot and dust. There were no mosquitoes, flies, bees, or snakes. It was covered with flowers, and the area became level, like the palm of a hand. This was the first omen.
Flocks of birds came to the palace from the Himālayan mountains, the king of mountain ranges. There were pattraguptas, parrots, mynas, cuckoos, swans, curlews, peacocks, wild geese, painted snipe, nightingales, pheasants, and many others. The birds had beautiful and delightful wings in many colors and sang in melodious sounds. They perched upon the verandas, turrets, doorways, pavilions, and [F.25.a]
upper terraces of King Śuddhodana’s sublime residence. The birds were joyful and content, and they each sang happily. This was the second omen.
In all of King Śuddhodana’s delightful parks, woodlands, and gardens, the various trees blossomed and carried fruits of all seasons. This was the third omen.
In each of King Śuddhodana’s lotus ponds and reservoirs, there appeared lotuses the size of cartwheels, each with many trillions of petals. This was the fourth omen.
In that sublime residence of King Śuddhodana, all the provisions of butter, sesame oil, honey, raw sugar, and sugar-cane juice were never depleted and appeared to be full even though they were used abundantly. This was the fifth omen.
Inside the women’s quarters of King Śuddhodana’s excellent residence, all the in-struments, such as the great kettledrums, the clay and wooden kettledrums, the flutes, lutes, reed pipes, three-stringed lutes, bells, and cymbals suddenly emitted wonderful music by themselves without being played. This was the sixth omen. [41]
In that most excellent residence of King Śuddhodana, all the containers of different types of precious substances, such as gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryl, shells, crys-tals, and corals, opened their lids and displayed their flawless perfection and abun-dance. This was the seventh omen.
A pure and immaculate light, much brighter than those of the sun and the moon, appeared and produced mental and physical pleasure. This was the eighth omen.
[F.25.b]
[B 3] Queen Māyā bathed and applied perfumes to her body. She ornamented her arms with many bracelets and dressed in the softest and most beautiful garments.
Joyful, happy, and rapturous, accompanied and encircled by ten thousand women, she went to where King Śuddhodana was seated comfortably in the music hall. She seated herself to his right side on the fine, precious throne draped with jeweled lat-ticework. With a smiling and trusting face free from anger, she spoke to King Śuddhodana in these verses:
“Your Majesty, master of the earth, good lord, I pray that you hear me!
Your Highness, please grant me a favor!
Please listen and rejoice in your heart
Concerning these wishes on which my mind is set.
“Lord, out of love for all beings, I will adopt the eight precepts, Which include disciplined and moral conduct, as well as fasting.
Without harming any living creature and always with pure feelings, I will love others in the same way that I love myself. [42]
“I have renounced any thievish thoughts and given up attachment and arrogance;
Your Majesty, I will not act immorally.
I will remain truthful, not slander others, and abandon harsh words;
I will never use idle or nonvirtuous words.
“I renounce all anger, aggression, stupidity, and conceit;
Renouncing all covetousness, I will be content with my own wealth.
I will act properly and renounce flattery, hypocrisy, and envy;
I will travel this path of the ten virtuous actions.
“I am joyfully engaged in strict disciplined conduct;
So, sovereign master of men, do not act lustfully because of attraction to me.
Your Majesty, may nonvirtue not arise in you for a long time;
Please rejoice as I am nearby you in strict discipline.
“Your Highness, I beseech you, quick, say yes today!
Inside the cool pavilion at the top of the palace where the swans roost, On a soft and sweetly scented bed scattered with flowers, [F.26.a]
I would like to live happily, always surrounded by my female friends.
“May no male servants, boys, Or even common women attend me.
May I hear only pleasant and harmonious talk, And may there be nothing unpleasant to hear or see.
“I ask that you release all those held in prisons And that you endow the poor with wealth. [43]
For one week, for the sake of people’s happiness,
Please give food, drink, clothing, chariots, palanquins, and horses.
“May each and every man, woman, and child in this palace Be free from quarreling and angry words.
May their minds be full of mutual affection,
And may they enjoy themselves together, like gods in pleasure groves.
“May no persecution, beating, or malicious threats take place.
May there be no royal retribution or unjust punishment.
Lord, please look upon all beings as if upon an only child;
Think benevolently and lovingly with a composed mind.”
When the king heard this speech, he rejoiced and proclaimed:
“Let everything you wish come to pass!
Whatever you seek and wish, That request I shall grant you.”
The excellent king commanded his entourage:
“Make the finest preparations in the upper quarters of the palace.
Decorate them with beautiful flowers and use the best incense and perfume;
Adorn them with parasols, banners, and rows of palm trees.
“Place on guard twenty thousand brave fighting men in armor, Brandishing swords, arrows, spears, and lances.
Let them guard the quarters where the swans call out melodiously;
Let them guard the queen with loving care so that she is not afraid.” [44]
Bathed, perfumed, well dressed, and with her arms bejeweled, Surrounded by her female attendants, like a divine maiden, Accompanied by the pleasant sounds of thousands of cymbals, The queen ascends and rests like a divine maiden.
The legs of her bed are embellished with costly divine jewels;
It is a pleasing bed bestrewn with flowers.
There she unfastens her tiara of precious jewels, [F.26.b]
Like a divine maiden in the Miśraka Garden.
Monks, in the meantime the gods were gathering. There were the four great kings;
Śakra, lord of the gods; and the divine sons of Suyāma, Santuṣita, Sunirmita, and Pa-ranirmitavaśavartin.
There were also Sārthavāha, the officer son of Māra; Brahmā, the lord of Sahā; the divine priest Brahmottara; the divine priest Subrahmā; and Prabhāvyūha, Ābhāsvara, Maheśvara, and the gods living in the pure realms of Niṣṭhāgata and the Highest Heaven, as well as many hundreds of thousands of others as well. They spoke to one another in these words:
“Friends, if we were to allow the Bodhisattva to depart alone, without expressing our gratitude to him, it would be dishonorable of us. Friends, who among us will have the courage to serve the Bodhisattva constantly and ceaselessly as he travels to the womb of his mother? Who will serve him as he is in the womb, when he is born, as he grows and plays as a young child? Who will serve him when he is in the female quarters watching the musical performances, and when he renounces his home and is practicing austerities? Who will serve him as he proceeds to the seat of awakening, tames the demons, attains perfect and complete awakening, and turns the wheel of the Dharma? Who will serve him until he demonstrates passing into great parinir-vāṇa? Who can keep him company with a kind, affectionate, friendly, loving, and noble attitude?”
Then they sang these verses: [45]
“Who among us has the courage to follow joyfully This being, one with such perfect appearance?
Who would like to increase
His merit, splendor, power, and renown? [F.27.a]
“Whoever lives in these divine palaces And wishes to enjoy the divine pleasures Of the goddesses and the divine delights,
Let him serve the one with a face like an immaculate moon.
“Whoever wishes to enjoy the charming Miśraka Garden, With the celestial palace, the birthplace of the gods, Full of golden-hued flowers,
Let him serve the immaculate brilliant one.
“Whoever wishes to frolic together with goddesses In a splendid chariot, or in the pleasure groves Carpeted with petals of māndārava flowers, Let him serve this great being.
“Whoever aspires to be the ruler of the Heaven Free from Strife Or to be the lord of the Heaven of Joy,
Someone worthy of worship by all beings, Let him serve the one of unlimited renown.
“Whoever desires to enjoy himself in a beautiful mansion In the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations
And wants to enjoy all the mentally created illusions, Let him serve this one possessing excellent qualities.
“Whoever is a master over demons, but whose mind has no hatred, Who has attained complete mastery of all types of power,
Who is the master of his senses and has surpassed others, Let him go with this benefactor.
“Similarly whoever wishes to pass beyond the desire realm And reside in the realm of Brahmā,
Let him serve today the great being Resplendent with the four immeasurables.
“Whoever longs to take birth among humans In the vast realm of a supreme universal monarch, Let him serve the One with Abundant Merit,
The Jewel Mine, the One Who Bestows Fearlessness and Bliss.
“Whoever wants to be a ruler or the son of a wealthy merchant,
Rich and happy with great wealth,
Surrounded by an army able to conquer enemies, Let him go with this benefactor.
“Whoever desires beauty, luxuries, and power, And wishes for fame, courage, and good qualities,
And would like to speak agreeably with words that are heeded,
Let him attend upon that learned lord who speaks with the voice of Brahmā. [46]
“Whoever desires the divine and human enjoyments, Or all the happiness of the three realms of existence, Or the bliss of concentration and the happiness in solitude, Let him follow the Dharma Lord.
“Whoever yearns to abandon attachment and anger,
And wants to clear away the darkness of the afflictions, [F.27.b]
Let him, with his mind calm, tranquil, and totally at peace, Quickly follow the One Who Has Tamed His Mind.
“Whoever wishes for the wisdom of learners, masters, and solitary buddhas, As well as the wisdom of omniscience,
And hopes to roar like a lion through the ten powers, Let him follow the learned one with an ocean of qualities.
“Whoever desires to close the path to the lower realms, And open the path to the fortune of deathlessness, And travel on the eightfold path,
Let him follow the One Who Has Completed All Paths.
“Whoever wishes to make offerings to the Thus-Gone One, And listen to the Dharma from that lord of compassion, And attain the qualities of the saṅgha,
Let him follow this ocean of qualities.
“Whoever hopes to exhaust the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death, And be free from the shackles of cyclic existence,
And enjoy purity equal to limitless space, Let him follow this pure being.
“Whoever wishes to liberate himself as well as others, Desiring beauty that is pleasing to all,
Supreme bodily marks, and the blossoming of qualities, Let him attend the learned one who is beautiful to behold.
“The learned one who wishes for Discipline, absorption, and knowledge,
Who wants liberation that is profound, hard to see, and difficult to fathom, Let him quickly follow the king of physicians.
“Whoever desires many such qualities,
And the happiness of existence as well as nirvāṇa, And wants to utterly perfect all qualities,
Let him follow the learned one who masters disciplined conduct.”
When they heard these verses, the gods assembled. There were 84,000 gods from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, 100,000 gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, 100,000 gods from the Heaven Free from Strife, 100,000 gods from the Heaven of Joy, 100,000 gods from the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, 100,000 gods from the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, 60,000 gods from the realm of Māra who were born there because of their former virtuous actions, 68,000 [47] gods from the realm of Brahmā, and many hundreds of thousands of gods assembled from all the realms up to the highest heaven.
Moreover, many hundreds of thousands of divine sons came together from the east, the south, the west, and the north. [F.28.a] The foremost among the divine sons then spoke these verses to the great assembly of gods:
“Immortal lords, please listen to these words That express what is on our minds!
We give up our sensual enjoyments and the perfect bliss of concentration In order to serve this sublime pure being.
“As he enters the womb, abides in the womb, and is born,
We will make offerings to the Great Being, so worthy of worship.
We shall protect the Sage, who is well guarded by merit;
No one shall cause him any problems through a hostile mind.
“In songs and with the melodious sounds of cymbals,
We will praise the qualities of the one with an ocean of qualities.
Whoever hears this will engender the excellent mind of awakening And thus delight all gods and humans.
“We shall fill the king’s palace with flower petals And light the finest incense of black aloe.
With that aroma, gods and humans will become very content;
It will free them from sickness and fever and make them happy.
“We will fill the entire city of Kapilavastu
With blossoms of māndārava flowers, beautiful jasmine, and hibiscus, In order to make offerings to him,
Who appears due to virtuous activities.
“As long as he is in his mother’s womb, untainted by the three stains,
And until he is born in order to bring an end to aging and death, We will serve him devotedly.
Our wish is to make offerings to the great intelligent one. [48]
“It will be a great blessing for gods and humans To witness the newborn taking seven steps, To see him received by Śakra and Brahmā,
And to see the Pure Being bathed with perfumed water.
“While he behaves in accord with the world,
And conquers the afflictions of desire inside the women’s quarters, And as he abandons his entire kingdom,
Throughout that time, we will serve him devotedly.
“When he acquires grass and travels to the seat of awakening, And as he conquers the demons and gains awakening, [F.28.b]
And is entreated to turn the wheel of the Dharma by a billion Brahmā gods, Throughout that time, we will make vast offerings to the Bliss-Gone One.
“While he tames trillions of beings for the deathless state, Performing enlightened activity in the trichiliocosm, And until he passes into cool and peaceful nirvāṇa,
For that long, none of us will abandon the greatly renowned sage.”
Monks, the divine maidens who sport in the desire realms saw the perfection of the Bodhisattva’s bodily form and wondered, “What is she like, that maiden who will conceive this sublime and supreme pure being?”
Filled with curiosity, they gathered the finest and best flowers, incense, lamps, per-fumes, garlands, ointments, powders, and cloths. Then, blessed as they were with supernatural powers from the ripening of merit and with divine bodies that are men-tally created, they instantaneously disappeared from that celestial palace.
By means of their celestial powers, they traveled to Kapilavastu, that sublime city with a hundred thousand gardens, [49] and arrived at King Śuddhodana’s residence, known as Home of the Swans, the great mansion that resembled the palaces of the ruler of the gods.
The divine maidens, wearing loose gowns, were well adorned by the splendor of their immaculate merit, and their arms and hands were full of divine ornaments. They
The divine maidens, wearing loose gowns, were well adorned by the splendor of their immaculate merit, and their arms and hands were full of divine ornaments. They