{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/lotus/lot21.htm","path":"bud/lotus/lot21.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/lotus/lot21.htm","text":"Thereupon the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga rose from his seat, and having put his upper robe upon one shoulder and fixed the right knee upon the ground lifted his joined hands up to the Lord and said: How great, O Lord, is the pious merit which will be produced by a young man of good family or a young lady who keeps this Dharmapary\u00e2ya of the Lotus of the True Law, either in memory or in a book? Whereupon the Lord said to the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga: Suppose, Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga, that some man of good family or a young lady honours, respects, reveres, worships hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Tath\u00e2gatas equal to the sands of eighty Ganges rivers; dost thou think, Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga, that such a young man or young lady of good family will on that account produce much pious merit? The Bodhisattva Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga replied: Yes, Lord; yes, Sugata. The Lord said: I announce to thee, Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga, I declare to thee: any young man or young lady of good family, Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga, who shall keep, read, comprehend, and in practice follow, were it but a single stanza from this Dharmapary\u00e2ya of the Lotus of the True Law, that young man or young lady of good family, Bhaishagyarag-a, will on that account produce far more pious merit.\nThen the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga immediately said to the Lord: To those young men or young ladies of good family, O Lord, who keep this Dharmapary\u00e2ya of the Lotus of the True Law in their memory or in a book, we will give talismanic words for guard, defence, and protection; such as, anye manye mane mamane kitte karite same, samit\u00e2vi, s\u00e2nte, mukte, muktatame, same avishame, samasame, gaye, kshaye, akshine, s\u00e2nte san\u00ee, dh\u00e2rani \u00e2lokabh\u00e2she, pratyavekshani, nidhini, abhyantaravisishte, utkule mutkule, asade, parade, suk\u00e2nksh\u00ee, asamasame, buddhavilokite, dharmaparikshite, sanghanirghoshani, nirghoshan\u00ee bhay\u00e2bhayasodhan\u00ee, mantre mantr\u00e2kshayate, rutakausalye, akshaye, akshavanat\u00e2ya, vakule valoda, amanyat\u00e2ya. These words of charms and spells, O Lord, have been pronounced by reverend Buddhas (in number) equal to the sands of sixty-two Ganges rivers. All these Buddhas would be offended by any one who would attack such preachers, such keepers of the S\u00fbtr\u00e2nta.\nThe Lord expressed his approval to the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga by saying: Very well, Bhaishagyar\u00e2ga, by those talismanic words being pronounced out of compassion for creatures, the common weal of creatures is promoted; their guard, defence, and protection is secured.\nThereupon the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Prad\u00e2nas\u00fbra said unto the Lord: I also, O Lord, will, for the benefit of such preachers, give them talismanic words, that no one seeking for an occasion to surprise such preachers may find the occasion, be it a demon, giant, goblin, sorcerer, imp or ghost; that none of these when seeking and spying for an occasion to surprise may find the occasion. And then the Bodhisattva Mah\u00e2sattva Prad\u00e2nas\u00fbra instantly pronounced the following words of a spell: gvale mah\u00e2gvale, ukke mukke, ade ad\u00e2vati, tritye trity\u00e2vati, itini vitini kitini, tritti trity\u00e2vati sv\u00e2h\u00e2. These talismanic words, O Lord, have been pronounced and approved by Tath\u00e2gatas, &c. (in number) equal to the sands of the river Ganges. All those Tath\u00e2gatas would be offended by any one who would attack such preachers.\nThereupon Vaisravana, one of the four rulers of the cardinal points, said unto the Lord: I also, O Lord, will pronounce talismanic words for the benefit and weal of those preachers, out of compassion to them, for their guard, defence, and protection : atte natte vanatte anade, n\u00e2di kunadi sv\u00e2h\u00e2 .With these spells, O Lord, I shall guard those preachers over an extent of a hundred yoganas. Thus will those young men or young ladies of good family, who keep this S\u00fbtr\u00e2nta, be guarded, be safe.\nAt that meeting was present Vir\u00fbdhaka, another of the four rulers of the cardinal points, sitting surrounded and attended by hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Kumbh\u00e2ndas. He rose from his seat, put his upper robe upon one shoulder, lifted his joined hands up to the Lord, and spoke to him as follows: I also, O Lord, will pronounce talismanic words for the benefit of people at large, and to guard, defend, protect such preachers as are qualified, who keep the S\u00fbtr\u00e2ntas mentioned; viz. agane gane gauri gandh\u00e2ri kand\u00e2li m\u00e2tangi pukkasi sankule vr\u00fbsali sv\u00e2h\u00e2. These talismanic words, O Lord, have been pronounced by forty-two hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas. All those Buddhas would be offended by any one who would attack such preachers as are qualified.\nThereupon the giantesses called Lamb\u00e2,Vilamb\u00e2, K\u00fbtadant\u00ee, Pushpadant\u00ee, Makutadant\u00ee, Kesin\u00ee, Akal\u00e2, M\u00e2l\u00e2dhar\u00ee, Kunt\u00ee, Sarvasattvogah\u00e2r\u00ee, and H\u00e2r\u00eet\u00ee, all with their children and suite went up to the place where the Lord was, and with one voice said unto him: We also, O Lord, will afford guard, defence, and protection to such preachers as keep this S\u00fbtr\u00e2nta; we will afford them safety, that no one seeking for an occasion to surprise those preachers may find the occasion. And the giantesses all simultaneously and in a chorus gave to the Lord the following words of spells: iti me, iti me, iti me, iti me, iti me; nime nime nime nime nime; ruhe ruhe ruhe ruhe ruhe; stuhe stuhe stuhe stuhe stuhe, sv\u00e2h\u00e2. No one shall overpower and hurt such preachers; no goblin, giant, ghost, devil, imp, sorcerer, spectre, gnome; no spirit causing epilepsy, no sorcerer of goblin race, no sorcerer of not-human race, no sorcerer of human race; no sorcerer producing tertian ague, quartian ague, quotidian ague. Even if in his dreams he has visions of women, men, boys or girls, it shall be impossible that they hurt him.\nAnd the giantesses simultaneously and in a chorus addressed the Lord with the following stanzas:\n1. His head shall be split into seven pieces, like a sprout of Symplocos Racemosa, who after hearing this spell would attack a preacher.\n2. He shall go the way of parricides and matricides, who would attack a preacher.\n3. He shall go the way of oil-millers and sesamum-pounders, who would attack a preacher.\n4. He shall go the way of those who use false weights and measures, who would attack a preacher.\nThereafter the giantesses headed by Kunt\u00ee said unto the Lord: We also, O Lord, will afford protection to such preachers; we will procure them safety; we will protect them against assault and poison. Whereupon the Lord said to those giantesses : Very well, sisters, very well; you do well in affording guard, defence, and protection to those preachers, even to such who shall keep no more than the name of this Dharmapary\u00e2ya; how much more then to those who shall keep this Dharmapary\u00e2ya wholly and entirely, or who, possessing the text of it in a volume, honour it with flowers, incense, fragrant garlands, ointment, powder, cloth, flags, banners, lamps with sesamum oil, lamps with scented oil, lamps with Kampaka-scented oil, with V\u00e2rshikascented oil, with lotus-scented oil, with jasminescented oil; who by such-like manifold hundred thousand manners of worshipping shall honour, respect, revere, venerate (this S\u00fbtra), deserve to be guarded by thee and thy suite, Kunt\u00ee!\nAnd while this chapter on spells was being expounded, sixty-eight thousand living beings received the faculty of acquiescence in the law that has no origin.","title":"The Lotus Sutra: Chapter 21","type":"page"}