Lotus of the True Law, Chapter 23

GADGADASVARA
At that moment the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., darted a flash of light from the circle of hair between his eyebrows, one of the characteristic signs of a great man, by which flash of light hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddha-fields, equal to the sands of eighteen rivers Ganges, became illuminated. Beyond those Buddha-fields, equal, &c., is the world called Vairocana-raśmi-pratimaṇḍita (i.e. embellished by the rays of the sun). There dwells, lives, exists the Tathagata named Kamaladala-vimalanakshatra-rajasankusumitabhijña, who, surrounded and attended by a large and immense assembly of Bodhisattvas, preached the law. Immediately the ray of light flashing from the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., filled the world Vairocana-raśmi-pratimaṇḍita with a great lustre. In that world Vairocana-raśmi-pratimaṇḍita there was a Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Gadgadasvara, who had planted roots of goodness, who had before seen similar luminous flashes emitted by many Tathagatas, &c., and who had acquired many Samadhis, such as the Samadhi Dhvajagrakeyura (i.e. bracelet at the upper end of the banner staff), Saddharma-pundarika (i.e. the Lotus of the True Law), Vimaladatta (i.e. given by Vimala), Nakshatra-raja-vikridita (i.e. sport of the king of asterisms, the moon god), Anilambha, Jñanamudra (i.e. the seal of science), Candrapradipa (i.e. moon-light), Sarvarutakaushalya (i.e. skill in all sounds), Sarvapunyasamucchaya (i.e. compendium or collection of all piety), Prasadavati (i.e. the favourably-disposed lady), Riddhivikridita (i.e. sport of magic), Jñanolka (i.e. torch of knowledge), Vyuharaja (i.e. king of expansions or speculations), Vimalaprabha (i.e. spotless lustre), Vimalagarbha (i.e. of spotless interior part), Apakritsna, Suryavarta (i.e. sun-turn); in short, he had acquired many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Samadhis equal to the sands of the river Ganges. Now, the flash of light came down upon that Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara. Then the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara rose from his seat, put his upper robe upon one shoulder, fixed his right knee on the ground, stretched his joined hands towards the Lord Buddha, and said to the Tathagata Kamaladala-vimalanakshatra-rajasankusumitabhijña: O Lord, I would resort to the Saha-world to see, salute, wait upon the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c.; to see and salute Manjusri, the prince royal; to see the Bodhisattvas Bhaishajyaraja, Pradanasura, Naksha-Bhaishajyarajasamudgata.

Then the Lord Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, &c., said to the Lord Prabhūtaratna, the Tathāgata, &c., who was completely extinct: Produce such a token, Lord, that the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Gadgadasvara be admonished by it to come to this Saha-world. And the Lord Prabhūtaratna, the Tathāgata, &c., who was completely extinct, instantly produced a token in order to admonish the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Gadgadasvara (and said): Come, young man of good family, to this Saha-world; Mañjuśrī, the prince royal, will hail thy coming. And the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Gadgadasvara, after humbly saluting the feet of the Lord Kamaladalavimalanakṣatrarājasaṅkusumitābhijña, the Tathāgata, &c., and after three times circumambulating him from left to right, vanished from the world Vairocanaraśmipratimaṇḍita, along with eighty-four hundred thousand myriads of koṭis of Bodhisattvas who surrounded and followed him, and arrived at this Saha-world, amid a stir of Buddhafields, a rain of lotuses, and a noise of hundred thousands of myriads of koṭis of musical instruments. His face showed eyes resembling blue lotuses, his body was gold-coloured, his person marked by a hundred thousand holy signs; he sparkled with lustre, glowed with radiance, had limbs marked by the characteristic signs, and a body compact as Nārāyaṇa's. Mounted on a tower made of seven precious substances, he moved through the sky to a height of seven Tālas, surrounded by a host of Bodhisattvas, in the direction of this Saha-world, and approached the Gṛdhrakūṭa, the king of mountains. At his arrival, he alighted from the tower, and went, with a necklace of pearls worth a hundred thousand, to the place where the Lord was sitting. After humbly saluting the feet of the Lord, and circumambulating him seven times from left to right, he offered him the necklace of pearls in token of homage, whereafter he said to the Lord: The Lord Kamaladalavimalanakṣatrarājasaṅkusumitābhijña, the Tathāgata, &c., inquires after the Lord’s health, welfare, and sprightliness; whether he feels free from affliction and at ease. That Lord has also charged me to ask: Is there something thou hast to suffer or allow? The humours of the body are not in an unfavourable state? Thy creatures are decent in manners, tractable, and easy to be healed? Their bodies are clean? They are not too passionate, I hope, not too irascible, not too unwise in their doings? They are not jealous, Lord, not envious, not ungrateful to their father and mother, not impious, not heterodox, not unsubdued in mind, not unrestrained in sexual desires? Are the creatures able to resist the Evil One? Has the Lord Prabhūtaratna, the Tathāgata, &c., who is completely extinct, come to the Saha-world in order to hear the law, sitting in the centre of a Stūpa made of seven precious substances? And as to that, Lord Prabhūtaratna, the Tathāgata, &c., the Lord Kamaladalavimalanakṣatrarājasaṅkusumitābhijña inquires: Is there something

XXIII. GADGADASVARA
What has the Lord Prabhutaratna, &c., to suffer or allow? Is the Lord Prabhutaratna, &c., to stay long? We also, O Lord, are desirous of seeing the rudimentary frame of that Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c. May the Lord therefore please to show us the rudimentary frame of the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c.
Then the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., said to the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c., who was completely extinct: Lord, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara here wishes to see the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c., who is completely extinct. Whereon the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c., spoke to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara in this strain: Well done, well done, young gentleman, that thou hast come hither in the desire to see the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c.; to hear this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, and see Manjusri, the prince royal.

Subsequently the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Padmasri said to the Lord: What root of goodness has the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara formerly planted? And in presence of which Tathagata? And the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., said to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Padmasri: In the days of yore, young man of good family, at a past period there appeared in the world a Tathagata called Meghadundubhisvararaja (i. e. the king of the drum-sound of the clouds), perfectly enlightened, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, &c., in the world Sarvabuddhasandarcana (i. e. sight or display of all Buddhas), in the Æon Priyadarsana. To that Lord Meghadundubhisvararaja the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara paid homage by making resound hundred thousands of musical instruments during twelve thousand years. He presented to him also eighty-four thousand vessels of seven precious substances. Under the preaching of the Tathagata Meghadundubhisvararaja, young man of good family, has the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara obtained such a beauty as he now displays. Perhaps, young man of good family, thou hast some doubt, uncertainty or misgiving, (and thinkest) that at that time, that epoch, there was another Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Gadgadasvara, who paid that homage to the Lord Meghadundubhisvararaja, the Tathagata, and presented him the eighty-four thousand vessels. But, young man of good family, do not think so. For it was the very same Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara, young man of good family, who paid that homage to the Lord Meghadundubhisvararaja, the Tathagata, and presented to him the eighty-four thousand vessels. So, young man of good family, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara has waited upon many Buddhas, has planted good roots under many Buddhas, and prepared the soil under each of them. And this Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara had previously seen Lords Buddhas similar to the sands of the river Ganges. Dost thou see, Padmasri, how the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara now looks? Padmasri replied: I do, Lord; I do, Sugata. The Lord said: Now, Padmasri, this Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara preaches this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law under many shapes he assumes; sometimes under the shape of Brahma, sometimes under that of Indra, sometimes under that of Siva, sometimes under that of Kubera, sometimes under that of a sovereign, sometimes under that of a duke, sometimes under that of a chief merchant, sometimes under that of a citizen, sometimes under that of a villager, sometimes under that of a Brahman. Sometimes again the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara preaches this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law under a monk's shape, sometimes under a nun's, sometimes under a male lay devotee's, sometimes under a female lay devotee's, sometimes under that of a chief merchant's wife, sometimes under that of a citizen's wife, sometimes under a boy's, sometimes under a girl's shape. With so many variations in the manner to show himself, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara preaches this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law to creatures. He has even assumed the shape of a goblin to preach this Dharmaparyaya to such as were to be converted by a goblin. To some he has preached this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law under the shape of a demon, to some under a Garuda's, to some under a Kinnara's, to some under a great serpent's shape. Even to the beings in any of the wretched

states, in the hells, the brute creation, Yama's realm, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara is a supporter. Even to the creatures in the gynaeceums of this Saha-world has the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara, after metamorphosing himself into a woman, preached this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law. Verily, Padmasri, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara is the supporter of the creatures living in this Saha-world. Under so many shapes, assumed at will, has the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara preached this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law to creatures. Yet, there is no diminution of wisdom, nor diminution of magic power in that good man. So many, young man of good family, are the manifestations of knowledge by which this Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara has made himself known in this Saha-world. In other worlds also, similar to the sands of the river Ganges, he preaches the law, under the shape of a Bodhisattva to such as must be converted by a Bodhisattva; under the shape of a disciple to such as must be converted by a disciple; under the shape of a Pratyekabuddha to such as must be converted by a Pratyekabuddha; under the shape of a Tathagata to such as must be converted by a Tathagata. Nay, he will show to those who must be converted by a relic of the Tathagata himself such a relic, and to those who must be converted by complete extinction he will show himself completely extinct. Such is the powerful knowledge, Padmasri, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva is possessed of.

Thereafter the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Padmasri said to the Lord: The Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara then has planted good roots, Lord. What meditation is it, Lord, whereby the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara, with unshaken firmness, has converted (or educated) so many creatures? Whereupon the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., replied to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Padmasri: It is, young man of good family, the meditation termed Sarvarupasandarsana. By steadiness in it has the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara so immensely promoted the weal of creatures.
While this chapter of Gadgadasvara was being expounded, all the eighty-four hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who, along with the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara, had come to the Saha-world, obtained the meditation Sarvarupasandarsana, and as to the number of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas of this Saha-world obtaining the meditation Sarvarupasandarsana, it was beyond calculation.
Then the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Gadgadasvara, after having paid great and ample worship to the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., and at the Stupa of relics of the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c., again mounted the tower made of seven precious substances, among the stir of the fields, the rain of lotuses, the noise of hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of musical instruments, and with the eighty-four hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas surrounding and following him, returned to his own Buddha-field. At his arrival there he said to the Lord Kamaladalavimalanakshatrarajasankusumitabhijna, the Tathagata, &c.: O Lord, I have in the Saha-world promoted the weal of creatures; I have seen and saluted the Stupa of relics of the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c.; I have seen and saluted the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c.; I have seen Manjusri, the prince royal, as well as the Bodhisattva Bhaishajyaraja, who is possessed of mighty knowledge and impetuosity, and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Pradanashura; and these eighty-four hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhi-