Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/71

Rh of Yasaskâma. He had propitiated many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas by that root of goodness, and afterwards esteemed, honoured, respected, revered, venerated, worshipped them. Perhaps, Agita, thou feelest some doubt, perplexity or misgiving that in those days, at that time, there was another Bodhisvattva Mah&sattva Varaprabha, preacher of the law. But do not think so. Why? because it is myself who in those days, at that time, was the Bodhisattva Mahisattva Varaprabha, preacher of the law ; and that Bodhisattva named Yasaskima, the lazy one, it is thyself, A^ita, who in those days, at that time, wert the Bodhisattva named Ya^ask^ma, the lazy one.

And so, Agita, having once seen a similar foretoken of the Lord, I infer from a similar ray being emitted just now, that the Lord is about to expound the Dharmapary&ya called ' the Lotus of the True Law.'

And on that occasion, in order to treat the subject more copiously, Ma#£uyri, the prince royal, uttered the following stanzas:

57. I remember a past period, inconceivable, illimited kalpas ago, when the highest of beings, the Gina. of the name of Kandrasûryapradîpa, was in existence.

58. He preached the true law, he, the leader of creatures ; he educated an infinite number of ko/is of beings, and roused inconceivably many Bodhisattvas to acquiring supreme Buddha-knowledge.

59. And the eight sons born to him, the leader, when he was prince royal, no sooner saw that the