Chapter 271 - Devadatta's attempt to kill the Buddha by means of the elephant Dhanapālaka

rājagṛhe cānyataro gṛhapatiḥ āḍhyo mahādhano mahābhogaḥ; tena buddhapramukho bhikṣusaṃghaḥ śvo'ntargṛhe bhaktena upanimantritaḥ; devadattena śrutaṃ yathā amukena gṛhapatinā buddhapramuko bhikṣusaṃghaḥ śvo'ntargṛhe bhaktenopanimantritaḥ iti; tena hastidamakasya śatasahasro muktāhāro dattaḥ; uktaśca: amukena gṛhapatinā śramaṇo gautamaḥ saśrāvakasaṃghaḥ śvo'ntargṛhe bhaktena upanimantritaḥ; tattvayā dhanapālako hastināgaḥ utsraṣṭavyaḥ iti; sa kathayati: ārya evaṃ bhavatu; kiṃtu yathā vā tathā vā devamavalokaya iti; tato devadatto yena rājā ajātaśatrustenopasaṃkrāntaḥ; upasaṃkramya rājānamajātaśatrumidamavocat: śaktastvaṃ māṃ buddhatve na pratiṣṭhāpayitum; (a 493 ) api tu tvaṃ pitaraṃ jīvitādvyaparopya rājye pratiṣṭhapitaḥ; ahamapi śramaṇaṃ gautamaṃ praghātya sarvajñatvaṃ karomi; dhanapālaṃ hastināgamutsṛja iti; ajātaśatruḥ kathayati: na tvayā śrutam? adāntadamakā buddhā bhagavantaḥ iti; sa kathayati: yadyadāntadamakāḥ syuḥ ahameva tāvadanena dāntaḥ syāmiti; sa taṃ yathā vā tathā vā avalokya hastidamakānāṃ sakāśamupasaṃkramya kathayati: niveditaṃ mayā devasya; tadyuṣmābhiḥ śvo dhanapālako hastināgaḥ utsraṣṭavyaḥ iti; tato hastidamakaiḥ rājagṛhe ghaṇṭāvaghoṣaṇaṃ kāritaṃ: śṛṇvantu bhavanto rājagṛhanivāsinaḥ paurāḥ, śvo hastināgo mucyate; tadyuṣmābhiḥ śvaḥ sarvaprayatnena ātmarakṣā kartavyā iti; gṛhapatiḥ śrutvā cintāparo vyavasthitaḥ: īdṛśo'haṃ mandabhāgyaḥ; mayā buddhapramukho bhikṣusaṃghaḥ śvo'ntargṛhe bhaktenopanimantritaḥ; dhanapālakaśca duṣṭanāgaḥ śvo mucyate; kathaṃ mayā buddhapramukho bhikṣusaṃghaḥ bhojayitavyaḥ iti; punaḥ saṃlakṣayati: sādhayāmi pākaṃ; tatraiva nītvā bhagavantaṃ bhojayāmi iti; sa śuci praṇītaṃ khādanīyabhojanīyaṃ sādhayitvā kālyamevotthāya bhagavataḥ sakāśaṃ gataḥ: bhagavan rājagṛhe ghaṇṭāvaghoṣaṇaṃ śvo dhanapālako hastināgo mucyate; yuṣmābhiḥ śaktitaḥ ātmarakṣā kartavyā iti; tadbhagavatā rājagṛhaṃ na praveṣṭavyam; ahamihaiva annapānamānayāmi iti; bhagavān kathayati: alpotsukastvaṃ gṛhapate bhava; annapānaṃ sajjīkuru; vigataṃ tathāgatasya nāgabhayaṃ; praviśāmyahaṃ saśrāvakasaṃghaḥ iti; tato'sau gṛhapatirāttamanāttamanāḥ svagṛhaṃ gataḥ; annapānaṃ (i 188) samanvāhṛtya āsanādi prajñapya bhagavantamudīkṣamāṇaḥ avasthitaḥ; atha bhagavān pūrvāhṇe nivāsya pātracīvaramādāya paṃcabhirbhikṣuśataiḥ sārdhaṃ rājagṛhaṃ praviṣṭaḥ; dhanapālako hastināgaḥ utsṛṣṭaḥ; adrākṣīddhanapālako hastināgo bhagavantaṃ dūrādeva; dṛṣṭvā ca punarbhrūkuṭiṃ kṛtvā nādaṃ ca muktvā yena bhagavāṃstena sabalamājavena prādhāvat
atha devadattaḥ ajātaśatrusahīyaḥ apariprāsādamabhiruhya avasthitaḥ; paśyāmi śramaṇaṃ gotamaṃ praghātyamānamiti; tato devadattaḥ bhagavantaṃ dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭatuṣṭapramuditaḥ uccairgāthāmuvāca
dvipaṃcabala paśyāmi tvāṃ nāgabalamarditam |
saśrāvakaśśākyasuta tvamadya na bhaviṣyasi || iti
bhagavānāha: nīco'si devadatta; pravādaṃ tvaṃ pravadasi daśabalabalinaṃ māmagaṇayitvā; paśyedānīṃ tu balaṃ daśabalabalinaḥ adbhutasya iti; tato bhagavatā dakṣiṇe karatale paṃca siṃhāḥ kesariṇaḥ paṭṭadhāriṇo nirmitāḥ; sa teṣāṃ gandhaṃ ghrātvā mūtrapuriṣamutsṛjanniṣpalāyitumārabdhaḥ; bhagavatā sarvā diśaḥ ādīptāḥ pradīptāḥ saṃprajvalitāḥ ekajvālībhūtā adhimuktāḥ sthāpayitvā (a 493 ) svakameva pādamūlaṃ śāntaṃ śītībhūtamadhiṣṭhitaṃ; tato dhanapālako hastināgaḥ itaścāmutaśca pradhāvan sarvamādiptaṃ paśyati; nānyatra bhagavataḥ pādamūlaṃ śītībhūtṃ; dhanapālakaprakopaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarve bhikṣavo niṣpalāyitāḥ sthāpayitvā āyuṣmantamānandaṃ; tato dhanapālako vigatamadavego mandagatipracāratayā bhagavatsakāśamupasaṃkrāntaḥ; sa bhagavatā cakrasvastikanandyāvartena anekapuṇyaśatanirjātena bhītānāmāśvāsanakareṇa kareṇa śirasi parāmṛṣṭaḥ; gāthā ca bhāṣitā
mā kuñjara viheṭhaya nāgam
duḥkhaṃ kuñjara viheṭhanamasya | (i 189)
no nāgahatasya parasmin
bhadrā hi nāga gatirbhavati || iti+