Ch.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
CHAPTER XXI.
SPELLS.
Thereupon
the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Bhaishagyarâga rose from his
seat, and having put his upper robe upon one shoulder and
fixed the right knee upon the ground lifted his joined
hands up to the Lord and said: How great, O Lord, is the
pious merit which will be produced by a young man of good
family or a young lady who keeps this Dharmaparyâya of
the Lotus of the True Law, either in memory or in a book?
Whereupon the Lord said to the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Bhaishagyarâga: Suppose, Bhaishagyarâga, that some man of
good family or a young lady honours, respects, reveres,
worships hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
Tathâgatas equal to the sands of eighty Ganges rivers;
dost thou think, Bhaishagyarâga, that such a young man or
young lady of good family will on that account produce
much pious merit? The Bodhisattva Bhaishagyarâga replied:
Yes, Lord; yes, Sugata. The Lord said: I announce to
thee, Bhaishagyarâga, I declare to thee: any young man or
young lady of good family, Bhaishagyarâga, who shall
keep, read, comprehend, and in practice follow, were it
but a single stanza from this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus
of the True Law, that young man or young lady of good
family, Bhaishagyarag-a, will on that account produce far
more pious merit.
Then the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Bhaishagyarâga
immediately said to the Lord: To those young men or young
ladies of good family, O Lord, who keep this
Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law in their
memory or in a book, we will give talismanic words for
guard, defence, and protection; such as, anye manye mane
mamane kitte karite same, samitâvi, sânte, mukte,
muktatame, same avishame, samasame, gaye, kshaye,
akshine, sânte sanî, dhârani âlokabhâshe, pratyavekshani,
nidhini, abhyantaravisishte, utkule mutkule, asade,
parade, sukânkshî, asamasame, buddhavilokite,
dharmaparikshite, sanghanirghoshani, nirghoshanî
bhayâbhayasodhanî, mantre mantrâkshayate, rutakausalye,
akshaye, akshavanatâya, vakule valoda, amanyatâya. These
words of charms and spells, O Lord, have been pronounced
by reverend Buddhas (in number) equal to the sands of
sixty-two Ganges rivers. All these Buddhas would be
offended by any one who would attack such preachers, such
keepers of the Sûtrânta.
The Lord expressed his approval to the Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva Bhaishagyarâga by saying: Very well,
Bhaishagyarâga, by those talismanic words being
pronounced out of compassion for creatures, the common
weal of creatures is promoted; their guard, defence, and
protection is secured.
Thereupon the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Pradânasûra said
unto the Lord: I also, O Lord, will, for the benefit of
such preachers, give them talismanic words, that no one
seeking for an occasion to surprise such preachers may
find the occasion, be it a demon, giant, goblin,
sorcerer, imp or ghost; that none of these when seeking
and spying for an occasion to surprise may find the
occasion. And then the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Pradânasûra
instantly pronounced the following words of a spell:
gvale mahâgvale, ukke mukke, ade adâvati, tritye
trityâvati, itini vitini kitini, tritti trityâvati svâhâ.
These talismanic words, O Lord, have been pronounced and
approved by Tathâgatas, &c. (in number) equal to the
sands of the river Ganges. All those Tathâgatas would be
offended by any one who would attack such preachers.
Thereupon Vaisravana, one of the four rulers of the
cardinal points, said unto the Lord: I also, O Lord, will
pronounce talismanic words for the benefit and weal of
those preachers, out of compassion to them, for their
guard, defence, and protection : atte natte vanatte
anade, nâdi kunadi svâhâ .With these spells, O Lord, I
shall guard those preachers over an extent of a hundred
yoganas. Thus will those young men or young ladies of
good family, who keep this Sûtrânta, be guarded, be safe.
At that meeting was present Virûdhaka, another of the
four rulers of the cardinal points, sitting surrounded
and attended by hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
Kumbhândas. He rose from his seat, put his upper robe
upon one shoulder, lifted his joined hands up to the
Lord, and spoke to him as follows: I also, O Lord, will
pronounce talismanic words for the benefit of people at
large, and to guard, defend, protect such preachers as
are qualified, who keep the Sûtrântas mentioned; viz.
agane gane gauri gandhâri kandâli mâtangi pukkasi sankule
vrûsali svâhâ. These talismanic words, O Lord, have been
pronounced by forty-two hundred thousand myriads of kotis
of Buddhas. All those Buddhas would be offended by any
one who would attack such preachers as are qualified.
Thereupon the giantesses called Lambâ,Vilambâ, Kûtadantî,
Pushpadantî, Makutadantî, Kesinî, Akalâ, Mâlâdharî,
Kuntî, Sarvasattvogahârî, and Hârîtî, all with their
children and suite went up to the place where the Lord
was, and with one voice said unto him: We also, O Lord,
will afford guard, defence, and protection to such
preachers as keep this Sûtrânta; we will afford them
safety, that no one seeking for an occasion to surprise
those preachers may find the occasion. And the giantesses
all simultaneously and in a chorus gave to the Lord the
following words of spells: iti me, iti me, iti me, iti
me, iti me; nime nime nime nime nime; ruhe ruhe ruhe ruhe
ruhe; stuhe stuhe stuhe stuhe stuhe, svâhâ. No one shall
overpower and hurt such preachers; no goblin, giant,
ghost, devil, imp, sorcerer, spectre, gnome; no spirit
causing epilepsy, no sorcerer of goblin race, no sorcerer
of not-human race, no sorcerer of human race; no sorcerer
producing tertian ague, quartian ague, quotidian ague.
Even if in his dreams he has visions of women, men, boys
or girls, it shall be impossible that they hurt him.
And the giantesses simultaneously and in a chorus
addressed the Lord with the following stanzas:
1. His head shall be split into seven pieces, like a
sprout of Symplocos Racemosa, who after hearing this
spell would attack a preacher.
2. He shall go the way of parricides and matricides, who
would attack a preacher.
3. He shall go the way of oil-millers and
sesamum-pounders, who would attack a preacher.
4. He shall go the way of those who use false weights and
measures, who would attack a preacher.
Thereafter the giantesses headed by Kuntî said unto the
Lord: We also, O Lord, will afford protection to such
preachers; we will procure them safety; we will protect
them against assault and poison. Whereupon the Lord said
to those giantesses : Very well, sisters, very well; you
do well in affording guard, defence, and protection to
those preachers, even to such who shall keep no more than
the name of this Dharmaparyâya; how much more then to
those who shall keep this Dharmaparyâya wholly and
entirely, or who, possessing the text of it in a volume,
honour it with flowers, incense, fragrant garlands,
ointment, powder, cloth, flags, banners, lamps with
sesamum oil, lamps with scented oil, lamps with
Kampaka-scented oil, with Vârshikascented oil, with
lotus-scented oil, with jasminescented oil; who by
such-like manifold hundred thousand manners of
worshipping shall honour, respect, revere, venerate (this
Sûtra), deserve to be guarded by thee and thy suite,
Kuntî!
And while this chapter on spells was being expounded,
sixty-eight thousand living beings received the faculty
of acquiescence in the law that has no origin.
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