Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/116

Rh extinction, last thirty-two intermediate kalpas, and the counterfeit of his true law will last as many intermediate kalpas 1.

And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas :

23. Thou also, son of *S&ri, shalt in future be a Gina, a Tathigata named Padmaprabha, of illimited sight ; thou shalt educate thousands of ko/is of living beings 2.

24. After paying honour to many ko/is of Buddhas, making 8 strenuous efforts in the course of duty, and after having produced in thyself the ten powers, thou shalt reach supreme, perfect enlightenment

25. Within a period inconceivable and immense there shall be an JEon rich in jewels (or, the ^Eon jewel-rich), and a sphere named Viraja, the pure field of the highest of men ;

26. And its ground will consist of lapis lazuli, and be set off with gold threads ; it will have hundreds of jewel trees, very beautiful, and covered with blossoms and fruits.

27. Bodhisattvas of good memory, able in showing

This counterfeit, pratirupaka, of the true law, reminds one of the counterfeit, paitiy£ro, produced by Ariman in opposition to the creation of Ormazd ; mythologically it is the dark side of nature. That there is some connection between the Buddhistical pratirupaka and the Iranian paitiyiro can hardly be doubted.

A striking example of how the original Pr&krit of the verse has been adulterated in order to give it a more Sanskrit colouring is afforded by this stanza. One MS. has bhavishyasi S&risut& tuhampi; another bhavishyase Sarisutinukampi, with marginal correction tvayampi.

Upddayitvd, i.e. Pdli upddiyitvi, synonymous with 4rabhya (vtryam) ; the var. lect. up£r^ayitv£, having acquired, is an innovation, at first sight specious enough.