Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/329

 CHAPTER XIV. ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS FROM THE GAPS OF THE EARTH.

Out of the multitude of Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas who had flocked from other worlds, Bodhisattvas eight (times) equal to the sands of the river Ganges 1 then rose from the assembled circle. Their joined hands stretched out towards the Lord to pay him homage, they said to him: If the Lord will allow us, we also would, after the extinction of the Lord, reveal this Dharmaparyfiya in this Saha-world; we would read, write, worship ft, and wholly devote ourselves 2 to that law. Therefore, O Lord, deign to grant to us also this Dharmapary&ya. And the Lord answered: Nay, young men of good family, why should you occupy yourselves with this task? I have here in this Saha-world thousands of Bodhisattvas equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, forming the train of one Bodhisattva ; and of such Bodhisattvas there is a number equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, each of these Bodhisattvas having an equal number The text has ash/au Gangdnadfvaiik&sama* Bodhisatv&s. Burnouf renders the passage by 'en nombre £gal a celui des sables de huit Ganges.' Perhaps we must understand eight to mean eight thousand, just as e. g. Dipavawsa VI, 98 the word eighty-four denotes eighty-four thousand. Yogam dpadyemahi.