THE NIDĀNAKATHĀ OR THE THREE EPOCHS. · 3

55. Then they gave me a piece of ground to clear the pathway; Then repeating within me, a Buddha, a Buddha! I cleared the road.

56. But ere my portion was cleared, Dīpankara the great sage, The Conqueror, entered the road with four hundred thousand saints like himself, Possessed of the six supernatural attributes, pure from all taint of sin.

57. On every side men rise to receive him, many drums send forth their music, Men and angels overjoyed, shout forth their applause.

58. Angels look upon men, men upon angels, And both with clasped hands upraised approach the great Being.

59. Angels with celestial music, men with earthly music, Both sending forth their strains approach the great Being.

60. Angels floating in the air sprinkle down in all directions Celestial Erythrina flowers, lotuses and coral flowers.

61. Men standing on the ground throw upwards in all directions Champac and Salala flowers, Cadamba and fragrant Mesua, Punnaga, and Ketaka.

62. Then I loosed my hair, and spreading in the mire Bark robe and mantle of skin, lay prone upon my face.

63. Let the Buddha advance with his disciples, treading upon me; Let him not tread in the mire, it will be for my blessing.

And as he lay in the mire, again beholding the Buddha-majesty of Dīpankara Buddha with his unblenching gaze, he thought as follows: “Were I willing, I could enter the city of Ramma as a novice in the priesthood, after having destroyed all human passions; but why should I disguise myself130 to attain Nirvāna after the destruction13 of human passion? Let me rather, like Dīpankara, having risen to the supreme knowledge of the Truth, enable mankind to enter the Ship of the Truth and so carry them across the Ocean of Existence, and when this is done afterwards attain Nirvāna; this indeed it is right that I should do.” Then having enumerated the eight conditions (necessary to the attainment of Buddhahood), and having made the resolution to become Buddha, he laid himself down. Therefore it is said,

64. As I lay upon the ground this was the thought of my heart, If I wished it I might this day destroy within me all human passions.

65. But why should I in disguise arrive at the knowledge of the Truth? I will attain omniscience and become a Buddha, and (save) men and angels.

66. Why should I cross the ocean resolute but alone? I will attain omniscience, and enable men and angels to cross.

67. By this resolution of mine, I a man of resolution Will attain omniscience, and save men and angels,

68. Cutting off the stream of transmigration, annihilating the three forms of existence, Embarking in the ship of the Truth, I will carry across with me men and angels.131

And the blessed Dīpankara having reached the spot stood close by the hermit Sumedha’s head. And opening his eyes possessed of the five kinds of grace as one opens a jewelled window, and beholding the hermit Sumedha lying in the mire, thought to himself, “This hermit who lies here has formed the resolution to be a Buddha; will his prayer be fulfilled or not?” And casting forward his prescient gaze into the future, and considering, he perceived that four asankheyyas and a hundred thousand cycles from that time he would become a Buddha named Gotama. And standing there in the midst of the assembly he delivered this prophecy, “Behold ye this austere hermit lying in the mire?” “Yes, Lord,” they answered.14 “This man lies here having made the resolution to become a Buddha, his prayer will be answered; at the end of four asankheyyas and a hundred thousand cycles hence he will become a Buddha named Gotama, and in that birth the city Kapilavatthu will be his residence, Queen Māyā will be his mother, King Suddhodana his father, his chief disciple will be the thera Upatissa, his second disciple the thera Kolita, the Buddha’s servitor will be Ānanda, his chief female disciple the nun Khemā, the second the nun Uppalavannā. When he attains to years of ripe knowledge, having retired from the world and made the great exertion, having received at the foot of a banyan-tree a meal of rice milk, and partaken of it by the banks of the Neranjarā, having ascended the throne of Knowledge, he will, at the foot of an Indian fig-tree, attain Supreme Buddhahood. Therefore it is said,

70. Dīpankara, knower of all worlds, receiver of offerings, Standing by that which pillowed my head, spoke these words:

71. See ye this austere hermit with his matted hair, Countless ages hence he will be a Buddha in this world.

72. Lo, the great Being departing from pleasant Kapila, Having fought the great fight, performed all manner of austerities.

73. Having sat at the foot of the Ajapāla tree, and there received rice pottage, Shall approach the Neranjarā river.

74. Having received the rice pottage on the banks of the Neranjarā, the Conqueror Shall come by a fair road prepared for him to the foot of the Bodhi-tree.

75. Then, unrivalled and glorious, reverentially saluting the throne of Bodhi, At the foot of an Indian fig-tree he shall attain Buddhahood.

76. The mother that bears him shall be called Māyā, His father will be Suddhodana, he himself will be Gotama.

77. His chief disciples will be Upatissa and Kolita, Void of human passion, freed from desire, calm-minded and tranquil.

78. The servitor Ānanda will attend upon the Conqueror, Khemā and Uppalavannā will be his chief female disciples,

79. Void of human passion, freed from desire, calm-minded and tranquil. The sacred tree of this Buddha is called Assattha.

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The hermit Sumedha, exclaiming, “My prayer, it seems, will be accomplished,” was filled with happiness. The multitudes, hearing the words of Dīpankara Buddha, were joyous and delighted, exclaiming, “The hermit Sumedha, it seems, is an embryo Buddha, the tender shoot that will grow up into a Buddha.” For thus they thought, “As a man fording a river, if he is unable to cross to the ford opposite him, crosses to a ford lower down the stream, even so we, if under the dispensation of Dīpankara Buddha we fail to attain the Paths and their fruition, yet when thou shalt become Buddha we shall be enabled in thy presence to make the paths and their fruition our own,”—and so they recorded their prayer (for future sanctification). And Dīpankara, Buddha also having praised the Bodhisatta, and made an offering to him of eight handfuls of flowers, reverentially saluted him and departed. And the Arhats, also, four hundred thousand in number, having made offerings to the Bodhisatta of perfumes and garlands, reverentially saluted him and departed. And the angels and men having made the same offerings, and bowed down to him, went their way.

And the Bodhisatta, when all had retired, rising from his seat and exclaiming, “I will investigate the Perfections,” sat himself down cross-legged on a heap of flowers. And as the Bodhisatta sat thus, the angels in all the ten thousand worlds assembling shouted applause. “Venerable hermit Sumedha,” they said, “all the auguries which have manifested themselves when former Bodhisattas seated themselves cross-legged, saying, ‘We will investigate the Perfections,’—all these this day have appeared: assuredly thou shalt become Buddha. This we know, to whom these omens appear, he surely will become Buddha; do thou make a strenuous effort and exert thyself.” With these words they lauded the Bodhisatta with varied praises. Therefore it is said,

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