Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/334

 in me, to understand and fathom the Buddha-knowledge. And those who fulfilled their duties in the stage of disciples have now been introduced by me into Buddha-knowledge and well instructed in the highest truth.

And at that time the Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas uttered the following stanzas:

3. Excellent, excellent, O great Hero! we are happy to hear that those creatures are decorous, docile, well performing their duty;

4. And that they listen to thy profound knowledge, O Leader, and that after listening to it they have put trust in it and understand it.

This said, the Lord declared his approval to the four Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas who were at the head of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, saying: Well done, young men of good family, well done, that you so congratulate the TatMgata.

And at that moment the following thought arose in the mind of the Bodhisattva Mahisattva Maitreya and the eight hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges: We never yet saw so great a host, so great a multitude of Bodhisattvas; we never yet heard of such a multitude, that after issuing from the gaps of the earth has stood in the presence of the Lord to honour, respect, venerate, worship him and greet him with joyful shouts 8. Whence have these Bodhisattvas Mah&sattvas flocked hither ? Suxodhaka; cf. above. Ash&n&tfz Gang&nadfv&likopam£na0i

Bodhisatvako/inayutasatasahasr£«&7i. Burnouf renders, ' celui des sables de huit Ganges.'

Pratisammodante.