Sanghâli1; and (where) king Vaidûrya slew the seed of Śâkya, and they all in dying became Śrotâpannas. A tope was erected at this last place, which is still existing. Several le north-east from the city was the king's field, where the heirapparent sat under a tree, and looked at the ploughers 3. Fifty le east from the city was a garden, named Lumbinî, where the queen entered the pond and bathed. Having come forth from the pond on the northern bank, after (walking) twenty paces, she lifted up her hand, laid hold of a branch of a tree, and, with her face to the east, gave birth to the heir-apparent. When he fell to the ground, he (immediately) walked seven paces. Two dragon-kings (appeared) and washed his body. At the place where they did so, there was immediately formed a well, and from it, as well as from the above pond, where (the queen) bathed, the monks (even) now constantly take the water, and drink it. 1 See note 1, page 39. I have not met with the account of this presentation. See the long account of Prajâpatî in M. B., pp. 306-315. 2 See note 2, page 57. The Śrotâpannas are the first class of saints, who are not to be reborn in a lower sphere, but attain to nirvâna after having been reborn seven times consecutively as men or devas. The Chinese editions state there were '1000' of the Śâkya seed. The general account is that they were 500, all maidens, who refused to take their place in king Vaidûrya's harem, and were in consequence taken to a pond, and had their hands and feet cut off. There Buddha came to them, had their wounds dressed, and preached to them the Law. They died in the faith, and were reborn in the region of the four Great Kings. Thence they came back and visited Buddha at Jetavana in the night, and there they obtained the reward of Śrotâpanna. 'The Life of the Buddha,' p. 121. See the account of this in M. B., p. 150. The account of it reminds me of the ploughing by the sovereign, which has been an institution in China from the earliest times. But there we have no magic and no extravagance. The place of Liberation;' see note 2, page 38. See the accounts of this event in M. B., pp. 145, 146; 'The Life of the Buddha,' pp. 15, 16; and Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 66. There is difficulty in construing the text of this last statement. Mr. Beal had, no doubt inadvertently, omitted it in his first translation. In his revised. version he gives for it, I cannot say happily, 'As well as at the pool, the water of which came down from above for washing (the child)." |