Page:The Buddhist Antiquities Of Nagarjunakonda MASI 54 Longhurst A. H..djvu/47

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Plate XXXIV (a).—This story, which relates how the Being who was to become Gautama Buddha, made the first declaration of his intention of attaining Supreme Wisdom, and received the prediction from the Buddha of that world period that his intentions would be fulfilled, is a popular one among all sects of the Buddhists; and is found in the writings of the Theravadins as well as those of the Mahayanists. Though the main incident of the story is the same, the details, however, vary in the different. versions.

According to the Pali Nidanakatha, the Bodhisattva was born, inculculable aeons ago, as a Brahman named Sumedha. He gave up his wealth and, retiring into the forest, lived the life of an ascetic. Once Sumedha came to a city called Rammavati and found the people busy preparing the place to receive Dipankara, the Buddha who was then proclaiming the Truth to the world. Sumedha asked for, and was given, a portion of the road to be cleaned and repaired; but before he could finish his task, the Buddha came along with his disciples. There was a muddy spot on the portion of the road allotted to Sumedha and rather than let the Buddha walk over the mud, he lay down prostrate so that the Teacher might walk over his body without soiling his sacred feet. Sumedha made a vow that, by this merit, he would in the future become a Buddha and Dipankara Buddha predicted that this would come to pass. Legends also state that the Being who was to become Yasodhara, the wife of the Bodhisattva when he was a prince in the last birth, was present on this occasion and, offering eight handfuls of flowers to Buddha Dipankara, vowed that she would become the wife of Sumedha in his future states of existence,

According to the Sanskrit version, the Buddha Dipankara was at a city called Dipavati and at that time the Bodhisattva was a Brahman student named Sumati. From the ruler of the country, Sumati received five great gifts, which he accepted save one, namely a virgin. The girl, seeing Sumati, was enamoured of him and requested him to accept her; but, being disappointed, went to the city of Dipavati and, giving her ornaments to a florist, asked the latter to supply her with flowers every day to be offered at the temple of the gods. Sumati, in order to get from Dipankara Buddha the interpretation of certain dreams he had, came to Dipavati and went in search of flowers to be offered to the Buddha. The king had invited the Buddha on that day and in this connection had requisitioned the whole stock of the florists in the city and Sumati could find flowers only with the girl whom he had rejected. She gave some of her flowers to him only after striking a hard bargain, that is, that she would be his wife in his subsequent births. In the meantime, Dipankara Buddha came forth in the street