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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