Blessed Śākyamuni, having now emerged from his samādhi, continued to teach the Dharma to the assembly that resembled a great ocean. There, sitting in front of all the [assembled] beings and hosts of spirits, were uncountable thousands of bodhisattvas, headed by Vajrapāṇi; uncountable thousands of arhats, headed by Śāriputra; innumerable gods devoted to the four great kings, headed by Vaiśravaṇa; innumerable gods from the realm of the Thirty-Three, headed by Śakra; as well as innumerable gods from the realms of Suyāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, Paranirmita, Vaśavartin, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, Mahābrahmā, Parīttābha, Apramāṇa, Ābhāsvara, and so forth, until Puṇyaprasava, Bṛhatphala, Avṛha, Atapas, and Akaniṣṭha. The Blessed One addressed them as follows:

“Listen, venerable hosts of gods, and all of you bodhisattvas and noble śrāvakas!

“All conditioned things are impermanent, Being characterized by arising and ceasing. Having arisen, they [temporarily] cease. Their definitive cessation is bliss.

“They all originate from ignorance And arise based on causes. The aggregates are then said to arise From the same cause that constitutes the root of suffering.

“Knowledge is their arrester; It is the cause and the producer of happiness. It is said to be the destroyer of suffering; In short, knowledge prevents suffering.

“That is the very reason that I taught a threefold vehicle. Everything conditioned changes from moment to moment; It is all impermanent, suffused with suffering, and lacking self-essence.

“The entire prison of existence is taught As being empty at all times. Beings who belong to the Buddha family and have developed An aversion to this prison are divided into three groups:

“(1) The bodhisattvas who later become buddhas, (2) Those who attain awakening on their own, And further there are (3) the arhats, Devoid of passion and very powerful.

“The arhats attain the awakening of the śrāvakas And obtain the three types of peace. In short, I gave this teaching To show what is virtuous and what is not.

“One should always shun nonvirtue And practice virtue at all times. The Dharma that is taught Is to never harm any sentient being.

“Regarding the dharmas of the five destinies, Only one constitutes the path— It is the dharma that is free from karmic influences And is rooted in ultimate reality.

“It is the same path that was taught By the primordial buddhas of the past. I also taught it in full, Propelling beings toward the peace of nirvāṇa.

“Relying on this ultimate dharma, One will attain the ultimate reality— The ultimate reality that is described As the absence of limits common to all the dharmas.

“This dharma, in short, Has been explained as twofold. Listen, all you gods, And you bodhisattvas with great powers!

“Arhats, śrāvakas, listen to me! When I attain nirvāṇa on earth, It will be in the middle of the Sāla Grove At the foothills of the Himalayas,

“On the banks of the Hiraṇyavatī That flows through the country of the Mallas. There, in the middle of the Yamakasāla Grove, I will attain nirvāṇa.

“In the city named Pāvā, Near the Makuṭabandhana shrine, On the pleasant bank of the river, I will attain nirvāṇa on earth.

“All the bodhisattvas, The śrāvakas with great magical powers, The gods, nāgas, and yakṣas, The powerful guardians of the world,

“The Śakras, Brahmās, and Suyāmas, As well as the gods of Akaniṣṭha, and so forth— All of them will gather At that place.

“There, in the Yamakasāla Grove, In the country of the Mallas, Between the northern bank of the Gaṅgā And the western bank of the Mahī,

“On the south side of the Himalayas, In the Sāla Grove— In that place there will also be My final resting place.

“At that time, on the pleasant bank of the river, On its sloping bank described as golden, All the hosts of gods And other beings will gather.

“All the most eminent human kings, And beings of human and nonhuman origin Such as all the spirits and mortal beings, Both the naive and the mature,

“Will gather at that place For that public event of great magnitude. This divine celebration Will be on the account of my physical remains.

“Stepping then into the immaterial, I will attain the peace of nirvāṇa. Leaving behind phenomenal reality, I will enter the ultimate reality.

“My final birth occurred In the city of Kapilavastu Within the illustrious family of the Śākyas, Where I was born into the prison of existence.

“Then, leaving behind its inherent suffering, I went forth from my home. I visited many holy places But still did not find the elixir of immortality.

“I practiced severe austerities, Mortifying my body. Having fasted for six years, I was on the verge of dying from exhaustion,

“But I did not find anything That would reveal [true] knowledge to me. I got up, therefore, and partook of some food— A delicious milk porridge.

“Following the road indicated to me by the gods, I traveled across the land, To the bank of the Nairañjanā River, Beautified by kingly trees,

“Where the salty ground Was strewn with various flowers, And fine forest fruits abounded, Produced by various trees.

“Walking along the great river, I came, in the end, to the foot of a tree. As soon as I saw that this place was right for me, A firm resolve was born in me.

“Seeing also that this large tree Was adorned with leafy branches That afforded plenty of shade And had root spurs that provided shelter,

“I attained aśvattha-hood during the aśvattha, Sitting at the foot of that [aśvattha] tree. There, I attained stability, Concentration, and samādhi. At the end of the night I attained that which Is not subject to destruction and ends [the cycle of] rebirth.

“Māra cleverly deployed many vighnas With many different forms, But after his armies were defeated, He turned back and returned to his abode.

“It is because of him That many mantra systems have been taught, Along with many ritual methods, Meditative concentrations, and knowledges.

“The path, moreover, is threefold, To serve each of the three types of beings. The antidotes to the faults, Likewise, are taught as threefold.

“Then, I got up and went To Urubilvā, with its auspicious waters. Having bathed in the waters there, I visited the local sage and his disciples.

“After performing many acts for the sake of beings, I set out once again And in due course Entered the beautiful city of Kāśī.

“Having gone to the place Where the former buddhas with great powers had gone, I remained there myself Among the local Kāśī folk.

“Having turned the wheel of the sacred Dharma That brings the peace of nirvāṇa, I taught the Dharma there To bring about the happiness of all beings Whose existence depends on the five vital airs, Including gods and demigods.

“The Dharma wheel was turned there Before by the primordial buddhas. I too taught The unsurpassed Dharma wheel there.

“To bring the happiness of release from saṃsāra And to stop the faults of sentient beings, I turned the great wheel That brings the happiness of the final peace;

“The wheel that is intended to destroy the path of becoming And arises out of the samādhi of the four truths; The wheel comprised of the eightfold path And adorned with the four abodes of Brahmā;

“The wheel from whose felly arises knowledge, Thus blocking ignorance Along with the twelvefold cycle Of interdependent origination;

“The wheel that spreads the absolute truth Born, at its extreme edge, out of the ultimate reality; The wheel whose greatness arises from its felly With its forward and backward movements;

“The auspicious wheel that spreads instructions And brings liberation to many beings. Having thus turned the wheel, I left the pleasant city of Kāśī and proceeded to Śrāvastī.

“There, I humbled the tīrthikas With displays of miracles. Similarly, I displayed a miraculous feat In the district of Sāṅkāśya.

“Having delighted the people who live In the many places of pilgrimage, I made an auspicious descent from the realm of gods Among the people of Agnibhāṇḍa.

“In the realm of the Thirty-Three I introduced Śakra to the nature of phenomena, And in Akaniṣṭha, and so forth, I did the same With Brahmā and the others, including the Destroyer of Cities;

“The lords of yakṣas, including Vaiśravaṇa; The hordes belonging to the four great kings; The sadāmatta and karoṭapāṇi gods; The vīṇātṛtīyaka and mālādhārin gods;

“All the gods and hosts of yakṣas Who dwell on earth, in heaven, or in the space in between; The noble leaders of yakṣa hosts; And all the lower gods and asuras.

“I introduced them to the fruit of the Dharma And caused them to seek out the threefold nirvāṇa. I established inconceivable numbers of beings In a better state.

“The number of these beings is incalculable, As saṃsāra is infinite and has no end. Within great thousandfold universes dwell inconceivable numbers Of beings composed of the primary elements.

“Having thus introduced many beings To the true meaning, I have now arrived and remain here, Above the realm of the Pure Abode.

“I turned the wheel of the sacred mantra teachings That accord with the three vehicles And established beings in discipline. Further, I taught this king of manuals Throughout the entire world And am now giving it to Mañjughoṣa.

“When I have passed from this world into the final nirvāṇa And the earth is devoid of my presence, Mañjuśrī will continue the work of the Buddha For the sake of the beings there.

“In order to preserve the sacred Dharma When the victorious lords are in the state of nirvāṇa, Mañjughoṣa will always Guard it continually.

“This extensive manual has been taught In order to promulgate the mantra path. During the terrible and dreadful time At the end of the eon

“The human kings will be very violent And delight in killing one another. They will commit evil acts and follow wrong conduct. During the debased eon Enjoyments will be few, Of this there is no doubt.

“The kings of men will come To worship in the Sāla Grove, In the Makuṭabandhana temple, And on the banks of the Hiraṇyavatī river.

“When I have passed, on my bed, into final nirvāṇa And have entered the sphere of peace, My body, in a state of bliss but devoid of sensation, Will be placed upon the funeral pyre.

“Looking upon my former deeds, The miracles I have performed, And the guiding activity of the Buddha That leads to the propriety of conduct,

“And reflecting upon these auspicious and illustrious acts, All the kings, along with the gods, The asuras, and ordinary humans Will offer worship to me.

“All the earthly rulers, having come together, Will offer worship amidst great celebrations At that time, near to my body, There is no doubt about that.

“My physical body, a source of qualities, Will be placed on the funeral pyre, Its faults terminated and only the merit left. It will be free from all nonvirtue And its five empty aggregates Will now arise as the corresponding [five] realities.

“Upon seeing it, Many beings will acquire great merit. The great śrāvakas, great beings devoid of passions And possessed of great powers, And all the bodhisattvas Who abide on the ten levels

“Will all gather around, Filled with compassion for all beings. All the hosts of gods, As well as the noble and ordinary people,

“Will all congregate around That single place of great merit. They will attain the faith that rests upon The understanding of impermanence and suffering.

“All the hosts of spirits Will be near the [funerary] caitya, Making large offerings, Wailing and crying.

“They will shed profuse tears And sob, overwhelmed by compassion. They will lament over impermanence, Suffering, and emptiness as follows:

“ ‘The Buddha taught the Dharma Here on earth, in the present time. And now, this best of sages, The eminent seventh bull of a sage, Born among the Śākyas, the foremost of all beings, Is seen by us for the last time.

“ ‘The Blessed One, who taught us Impermanence and suffering, is lying here. He taught emptiness, the absolute truth, And he explained the meaning of primordial peace. Why, O gods, do you not wake up Our lord and master?

“ ‘Gathered here are all the Buddha’s sons Of great miraculous powers And the powerful śrāvakas, Rich in religious merit and courage.

“ ‘All the beings—men, gods, and asuras— Are thoroughly distressed. This is an occasion to continue Turning the wheel of Dharma,

“ ‘So rise up swiftly, O Blessed One! May the Buddha’s sojourn [on earth] continue For as long as the great ocean [of saṃsāra] lasts! Do not neglect those sinking in it, O sage!

“ ‘Do not disregard so many beings By staying for a long time in a samādhi-like state. Abandon meditative absorption And teach the path to peaceful nirvāṇa.’

“Lamenting, they will utter Many words of this kind.

“Then all these powerful gods, And all their hosts, will fall silent. Having wailed so much, They will now wait, bowing respectfully.

“Then the gods and the asuras, Brahmā and so forth, Will cry for a long time, uttering shrill cries With stammering voices And throats choked by grief.

“All the human-born kings, Sitting on the ground, [will say,] ‘The liberated one born into the Śākya clan, Free from passion and very powerful, Is none other than the great Buddha, The knowing one, the god of gods.’

“A young monk by the name Aniruddha, Human-born and virtuous, Distinguished by his subtlety and ability, Excelling in recitation and conduct, Surrounded by a retinue Of eminent arhats and kings,

“Will then say to the Malla kings and subjects Sighing in anguish, Their minds moist with compassion, The following sweet words:

“ ‘My friends, do not Set this pyre here aflame Until the Blessed One’s foremost son, The fount of the Dharma, has arrived.

“ ‘His name is Mahākāśyapa, And he is a śrāvaka of great miraculous power. He possesses the intelligence of a great sage, And was born a brahmin, free from worldliness.

“ ‘He was born among the Magadhans And spends his time in meditative equipoise there, On a hill, under a pipal tree that affords shelter, Near the fine city of Rājagṛha.

“ ‘He will swiftly arrive here; He would not do otherwise. The deity that he worships Would surely put out the kindling flame,

“ ‘So do not light the pyre just yet, As this would be a vain labor. [Wait] until that powerful śrāvaka, The foremost son of the Sage,

“ ‘Circumambulates [the remains of] the guru, The Buddha worshiped in the threefold universe. After Mahākāśyapa has bowed his head to the feet Of the Teacher who is revered throughout the world,

“ ‘Then you can all proceed with The lighting of the pyre. Only then will the fire In the caitya ignite. So do not, all of you, perform this vain labor That is nothing but [pointless] toil.’

“Being thus told By the sagacious Aniruddha, All the Malla men and their kings Will remain seated.

“Because I was born among humans, And was nurtured by them, With the attendant pleasures of many kinds And other benefits, such as those arising from the arts and crafts;

“Because I attained awakening among humans, On earth, at the foot of the [Bodhi] tree; And because I taught, among humans, The Dharma that benefits all sentient beings,

“It is fit for human beings alone To light the funeral pyre. Since I attained preeminence among all beings As a human being, My peaceful final nirvāṇa Is destined to take place in the human world.

“Whatever buddhas came in the past, Will come in the future, or are active at present, All of them are born in a human body In this human world.

“All of them are born, attain awakening, Turn the auspicious Dharma wheel, And enter the peace [of final] nirvāṇa. Because the pratyeka­buddhas and the noble śrāvakas Also take a human birth and attain unsurpassable peace, This attainment is regarded as threefold.

“I have assisted [human beings] For inconceivable eons. When I pass into the state of final peace, Cool and not subject to arising, I will leave behind my relics there, On the earth devoid of my presence,

“For the benefit of the human beings On whom I wish to bestow the benefits of worship. The relics will likewise be for the lower gods and asuras, For the ṛṣis, yakṣas, and garuḍas,

“For the rākṣasas, pretas, and kuṣmāṇḍas, For the powerful piśācas, For all the spirits including The grahas and the mātṛs,

“And likewise for all the innumerable worlds With their inconceivable world spheres That support all [types of] life. The relics will be left behind on the earth, Destitute at that time of my presence, For the purpose of worship.

“Any mortals who arrive for these substances, Any celestial kings or other beings, Such as the inhabitants of the subterranean paradises, The powerful lords of the dānavas, The nāga kings, and the daityas, Will each separately take my relics.

“Bereft of their valued object But endowed with good qualities, These powerful beings will take [the relics] To their own abodes and worship them.

“All of them will become, without a doubt, Buddhas with great miraculous powers. Depending on their clarity of mind, They will fall into three categories—the highest, the lower, and the middle.

“They will thus become, in this threefold universe, Either buddhas, or rhinoceros-like pratyeka­buddhas, or arhats. Accordingly, there will arise in the world Three vehicles of three different types:

“There will be (1) those who become liberated Based on the practices of the path described as Great Vehicle. There will also be, at that time in the world, (2) Those who attain awakening and become liberated by themselves.

“And there will also be (3) the śrāvakas, Freed from passions and endowed with miraculous powers. Thus, there will be at that time in the world Beings adorned with this threefold family affiliation.

“Kings who enjoy great comforts Yet exercise their imperial might with great gentleness, Will enjoy, as human beings, Divine fortunes for a long time, And when they eventually die, They will attain one of the three kinds of peace.

“The previous buddhas since the beginning, And those of the present and future too, All followed the same course As the one displayed here.

“All the deities sitting there At the place of my nirvāṇa Will become disturbed and upset, And their voices will falter.

“They will all say at that time, ‘Alas, this is impermanence! The buddhas with great miraculous powers Pass from this world into final nirvāṇa.’

“All the powerful divine kings, Having said this, Will experience anguish in their hearts And will remain silent.

“Among the noble people of Magadha Who dwell in the city of Kuśāgrapura, Not far from there, On the mountain called Vārāha, There meditates a monk, Sheltered by [the root spurs of] a pipal tree.

“He is a śrāvaka and my foremost heart son, The fount of the Dharma. His name is Mahākāśyapa and he will be sitting, At that time, in his fine shelter.

“Having eaten his supply of alms, He will sit and reflect as follows: ‘I have spent a lot of time Paying homage to the Buddha, the great sage. Now I would like to visit That supreme, spontaneously arisen person.

“ ‘Where is the Blessed One staying, This most virtuous sage of the Śākyas?’ Mahākāśyapa, the king of brahmins, will thus focus his mind On the Blessed One while remaining at his place.

“He will perceive the sage of sages With his mind alone. He will also see, with the divine eye, The world [where he lives] and all the [other] worlds:

“Akaniṣṭha and other such worlds With their luminous world spheres, And all the worlds that are named after all their beings And are part of great thousandfold worlds within still greater units.

“Looking with his divine eye As far as the śrāvakas can, He will see the Teacher passed into nirvāṇa, Peaceful, emancipated, and immaterial,

“Surrounded on all sides By hosts of very powerful gods As well as human kings, Asuras, yakṣas, rākṣasas, And all the hosts of spirits, And also by the bodhisattvas with great powers,

“Śrāvakas of great renown Who excel in wisdom, And noble celestials and humans Both with and without passion.

“He will see the valiant one upon the funeral pyre— The Buddha, a relative of the sun, The god of gods, The supreme and most virtuous lord of sages,

“Surrounded on all sides By the earthly kings, Including the mighty Mallas, Holding in their hands lamps, fragrances, and grass torches.

“As explained by the monk Aniruddha, Who keeps his observances, The kings, held back by the gods, Will be unable to light the pyre.

“The earth goddess will wail loudly, Her voice choked by tears. There will be terrible exclamations of ‘alas, alas!’ And the sound of thunder will resound.

“The grove will be divinely filled with hosts of ṛṣis And apsarases singing praises; It will resound with songs of siddhas and vidyādharīs, And with the singing of kinnaras.

“There will be the sweet cooing And beautiful warbling of birds And lovely sounds of various instruments Played by celestials and humans.

“The Sāla Grove will be Filled with the songs of apsarases, Graced with the presence of siddhas and vidyādharas, And full of yogins all over.

“The fine bed of the bull among sages Will [thus] be surrounded on all sides, And above it, Kāśyapa will sigh with grief, Even though he is normally free from sorrow.

“Shedding tears, The monk Kāśyapa, Foremost among my śrāvaka-disciples, Will then collapse on the ground

“And promptly cry out, ‘Alas! A difficult time has begun Where the Buddha, free from karmic traits, Has now passed into final nirvāṇa.

“ ‘He himself taught, in this world, About impermanence, suffering, and emptiness. I see nothing permanent; Everything must undergo successive rebirth.’

“Kāśyapa will then quickly get up And go to the king of the Magadhans, Ajātaśatru, who will be in a state of anguish, Overwhelmed by grief for his father.

“Having arrived in his house, Kāśyapa will say to the king, ‘O great king! The perfect Buddha, Supreme among two-legged beings, has passed into nirvāṇa.

“ ‘Quickly prepare a carriage, And let’s go to the Teacher’s side! He is lying on a bed on the ground, His mind free from feverish agitation, Beyond any enmity or fear, Abiding in the supreme body of bliss.’

“Hearing the painful news, The king will become even more distressed. Expressing his inner lament, He will say the following words:

“ ‘I have lost both My Teacher and my father. I have been abandoned by all my relatives, And the people, likewise, do not trust me. When I fall into the terrible hell, In whom will I find my refuge?

“ ‘Protect me, O great hero, Foremost śrāvaka of the Teacher! Mahākāśyapa of great splendor! There is no life for me in this world.’

“Having spoken this, the king, The chief ruler of the Magadhans, Will suddenly collapse on the ground At the feet of the distinguished śrāvaka. He will lie on the ground, stripped of his will, Motionless and unconscious.

“At that time, you, Mañjughoṣa, Divine youth of great magical power, Will visit places around the world With the wish to benefit beings.

“When my body is placed on the pyre At its location in the grove, You will also sit there, Surrounded by a host of bodhisattvas.

“Having prepared my body To be worshiped there, on the earth, You will look at the beings around and reflect, ‘Which of them are suffering? Whom can I save?’

“When I lie there on the ground, there will be you, Divine youth with the profound understanding of the truth. You, Mañjuśrī, will be able to enthrall The greatly suffering King Ajātaśatru.

“Even though [Mahākāśyapa] will be there, It is you alone who will be able to guide the king, Because what is possible for the bodhisattvas Is not possible even for the magically endowed beings, Such as deities, ṛṣis, and so forth Or the pratyeka­buddhas and noble śrāvakas.

“The king, lying there, Will see you, Mañjughoṣa, as if in a dream. Given by you a special power, The king, fallen into a swoon from his grief,

“Will see in a dream The clear form of a young boy— The all-pervading, divine youth, Mañjughoṣa of great power.

“Through you grace, Mañjuśrī, he will see you, A bodhisattva with the form of a child Who is the magical manifestation of the Dharma, With manifold, inconceivable power.

“The king will fall into the Avīci hell But then will rapidly rise up Through the different states of being, His lower rebirths having been auspiciously purified, And will also experience the merits of higher births That are shunned by all the śrāvakas.

“When he has thus completely purified His string of crimes, King Ajātaśatru will enjoy Immense pleasures.

“This teaching, presented here only briefly, Is nevertheless adorned with a wide range of distinctive meanings. It represents the speech of all the buddhas In the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This extensive manual has thus been taught In order to benefit all beings.

“You, divine youth, will, at that time, With your all-reaching words of Mañjuśrī, Guide the kings Who perpetrate evil acts.

“The range of your miraculous powers is inconceivable, And the number of those you will guide is inconceivable too. You will become the guide For all the classes of beings.”

So spoke the great hero to Mañjughoṣa, The great light of the buddhas, Who, at that time, was staying Above the realm of the Pure Abode. The best of speakers, the perfect buddha, Supreme among two-legged beings, addressed [Mañjughoṣa again]:

“After taking, over many eons, Innumerable human births, Too many to be counted or conceived of, You will be the perfect buddha, Mañjudhvaja by name, In the human world.

“Then, having performed the acts of a buddha In the correct order as always occurs, And having liberated many beings, You will enter final nirvāṇa.”

Thus addressed, the divine youth of great power, With the form of a young boy, Let out a long sigh, Awestruck and overcome with compassion.

Shedding tears, He looked at the Buddha for a long time. Then, with his hands folded in salutation, He sat down again.

[The Buddha continued to speak:]

“On the earth down below, The emperor Ajātaśatru Will bow his head to the brahmin, The wonderful Mahākāśyapa.

“Now awake and back to his senses, He will bow down to [Mahākāśyapa’s] feet And, letting out a long sigh, Will announce his aim in full.

“Taking his seat, the son of the late king, The great lord, Ajātaśatru by name, Will then say to Mahākāśyapa, ‘Let us go to the place of cremation, Where people worthy of help Worship the one interred under the caitya dome.’

“The eminent śrāvaka, endowed with many powers, Will however remain in the same place And explain his intentions [to Ajātaśatru]: ‘It is not proper for me to use my magical power; I would like to proceed To that great funerary gathering on foot.’

“He will then set out to see the Teacher In his final journey. On the way, the vow holder [Mahākāśyapa] Will stop at the monastery that is midway,

“So that he can look up The monastery’s occupants, Particularly, a newly ordained elderly monk Who is sinful and deluded.

“Seeing the approaching figure, The elderly monk will come forward To meet this most illustrious brahmin, Who fasted for a long time, pure and free from illness.

“Having approached, He will bow to his feet And say to the illustrious guest, ‘Welcome! What brings you here?

“ ‘Or where are you going? Are you leaving soon, or are you going to stay?’ He will say that to the sage [Mahākāśyapa], Who will reply to the fool, ‘Long-lived one! Have you not heard?

“ ‘The Teacher of the whole world, The perfect Buddha, supreme among two-legged beings, My father, a buddha of great wisdom, Is extinguished like the flame of a lamp.

“ ‘The great hero has departed, And the earth has become empty. All the worlds are likewise empty, And empty too are the regions for me.’

“Thereupon, the elderly monk With the twisted mind of a fool will rejoice. Laughing in ridicule, he will say, ‘Is that old geezer dead?

“ ‘The one with long arms And the head lofty as a parasol? Our chief guide Steeped in his ‘learned’ ignorance?

“ ‘Now that he is gone, I will promptly do whatever I want.’ Powerful Mahākāśyapa, his hair standing on end, Being thus addressed by the old monk,

“Will knit his brows in angry contortion And employ the syllable hūṁ. The brahmin, habituated to asceticism, Will be furious at that moment.

“He will strike the ground, At that moment, with his toe, And the entire earth will sway With a loud thunder coming from the mountains.

“All the oceans will become agitated, All the trees, mountains, Valleys, and caves will quake, And all the nāgas and deities dwelling there will tremble.

“The light of the moon and the sun Will disappear on earth at that time. The winds will die down, And meteors will fall.

“He, One Syllable with the sound hūṁ, When pronounced like this by the śrāvakas, Is the manifestation of the family And auspiciously accomplishes all activities.

“Even when he is not fully mastered, This king of mantras, just by being recited, Arrests all weapons and poisons, Whether they be of animate or inanimate origin.

“Through merely being recited, He paralyzes all evil beings And accomplishes other specific activities Of many different types.

“The garrulous old monk Will fall silent and remain so thenceforth, Humbled by [the display of] magical power And chastised, at that moment, by Mahākāśyapa.

“He will then be led by this eminent śrāvaka To where the funeral pyre is. The monk Mahākāśyapa, free from desire, Exceedingly powerful, will travel there on foot.

“Having arrived, he will see The Sage’s body laid upon the funeral pyre, And many groups of gods Worshiping it with large offerings.

“He will see the funeral pyre, With the body of the sage Gautama mounted upon it, Provided with the best accoutrements And adorned with all the [required] articles.

“When they see the wonderful, Illustrious Mahākāśyapa, All the monks, Free from faults and very dignified,

“And all the hosts of gods and spirits, Will exclaim, ‘Alas, alas!’ They will wail with loud cries, Outpourings of their sorrow.

“All the powerful gods and nāgas Will come forward And say to the illustrious one, ‘Pay respects to the supreme among two-legged beings!

“ ‘All the hosts of gods and all the people Have been waiting for you; The hosts of spirits, The ṛṣis, the yakṣas, and the human kings All tried to light the funeral pyre But were unable to.’

“The illustrious one, free from faults And endowed with great powers, Will circumambulate [the pyre] many times clockwise. Recollecting the Tathāgata, He will pay his respects At the edge of the pyre with great dignity.

“He will break open the iron casket So that the two feet emerge. Bowing his head at the feet [of the Blessed One], He will touch them again and again.

“Having thus repeatedly looked At the fine feet of the eminent sage, He will again lay them to rest In the iron casket.

“The powerful one who is free from desire Will then rise up and take his seat Among the powerful arhats, Who are also free from desire.

“The Magadhan king Will approach the funeral pyre At the head of a procession of chariots Drawn by elephants and horses.

“Then other kings, commanders of great forces, Will arrive there, all of them with their armies, To pay respects To the sage Śākyamuni,

“Who passed into nirvāṇa lying on the ground, In a peaceful spot at the edge of the forest, On the bank of the Hiraṇyavatī, in Makuṭabandhana, And is now inside the caitya, Absorbed into the sphere of peace And abiding in ultimate reality.

“The Magadhan king, Accompanied by his great army, Will see celestial displays Of many kinds,

“Rich in blessing, powerful, Miraculous, adorning the earth, Arising from the form of the caitya Where the Sage will be lying upon the pyre.

“The monk called Ānanda, Who attends upon me as my good student, The most eminent person, Always dear to me and a cause of delight, Will become disheartened at that time And, tormented by anguish,

“Will approach Mahākāśyapa And fall down at his feet. Distressed, he will speak In a stammering and faltering voice:

“ ‘My teacher has passed into nirvāṇa today; Now I am without a protector. He indicated that you alone Will be my refuge and protection.

“ ‘The moon-like sage prophesied That I, continuing at your side, Will remove all my afflictions And attain arhatship.

“ ‘The Victorious One revealed During the last watch of the night That I am selected to be always with you Until I have passed into final nirvāṇa.

“ ‘Desiring what is beneficial, he appointed you To carry out the work of the Buddha. The great Sage has passed into the final peace, Leaving me behind in distress.’

“The sagacious Aniruddha Will comfort the pious monk: ‘Do not cry in distress! Do not fall into despair!

“ ‘Do not go to any other place, But stay here. Mahākāśyapa himself will be our teacher When the “eye of the world” is extinguished.

“ ‘It was prophesied here by the Sage That he will carry on the Buddha’s work, And we will follow him, Along with you.

“ ‘As for his magical powers, Great distinction, energy, and great splendor, Mahākāśyapa is the second Teacher, as it were, His exact replica here on earth.

“ ‘For as long as Mahākāśyapa, This eminent śrāvaka of great power, Remains and holds fast, Do not fall into despair.’

“Talking thus, all the sons of the Sage, Endowed with magical powers, Free from desire, and very studious, Will sit down.

“The pyre will be lit By the Malla kings. It will blaze on all sides And then change into ashes.

“Seeing this, the hosts of gods And the serpent-hooded mahoragas, In order to cool down the pyre ground, Will release a heavy shower

“Of sandalwood water, Followed by, the next instant, A great rain of flowers Released upon the earth.

“Instantly, all who came To worship the relics of the Victorious One Will all start fighting With each other.

“The Brahmās, the Śakras, the Yāmas, And all the hosts of gods Will be held back by the śrāvakas With great magical powers.

“Mahākāśyapa will distribute the relics Born from the body of the Victorious One. He will give only a small portion to everyone, So that they may be worshiped, Since they bring the final peace, The ultimate goal of the three vehicles.

“Then Mahākāśyapa, a yogi Free from desire and very powerful, Will reflect upon the memorable words Spoken by the unruly old monk, and say:

“ ‘The entirety of the great doctrine that brings happiness, With its twelve branches that comprise The Sūtra, the Vinaya, and the Abhidharma, Might vanish like smoke in the sky. When the great hero has departed, The destruction of the doctrine will follow.

“ ‘All the teachings spoken by the Buddha Should be collected together. Let us all go together, Free from desire and dignified, To the capital city of the Magadhans, The fine city referred to as ‘royal’;

“ ‘To beautiful Kuśāgrapura, With its nice, high mountains; And to Vaiśālī, a nice place Where there is a beautiful caitya.’

“All the lamenting Mallas, Together with the dignified [śrāvakas], Will do many such [peregrinations] then For the sake of the teachings.

“At the end of the eon, When I have passed away, The kings will delight In killing one another.

“Monks will engage in many types of business, And beings will be rendered senseless by greed. At the end of the eon, the male and female Lay practitioners will have no faith. Dedicated to mutual slaughter, They will search each other out.

“Armed with ‘piercing’ weapons, They will ever inflict wounds and bring harm. Monks will lack self-control At the end of the eon, when the Sage is gone.

“At that time, there will be on earth Eight arhats with great magical powers, Free from desire and karmic traits. They will be tasked with protecting my doctrine.

“These distinguished arhats Will be those known as Rāhula and so forth. It will not be possible to see them At that time during the debased eon.

“However, the practitioners of mantra, when accomplished, Will be able to see them without fail. All of them, appointed here by me, Will use the mantras of magic and possess great powers.

“I have invested them, the glorious ones, With the authority to administer justice. Any student who disobeys their orders Will be guilty of transgression.

“If you hold on to the sacred Dharma— To the ultimate reality beyond the physical— And proclaim on earth This meritorious message of mine,

“Then you will obtain the peace of no-self And enter the final nirvāṇa without karmic traits. When the Sage and his teaching have disappeared, The following will come to pass:

“The monks and nuns who live on alms Will all become very greedy. Ever acting as detestable beggars, They will proliferate during the debased eon.

“The practice of keeping houses and wives Will become integrated into my doctrine. Lay practitioners, at that time, Will always have sex with the wives of others.

“The fourfold assembly will remain In name only, merely to keep appearances. They will all bring harm upon one another, Delighting in enmity.

“The entire earth will be taken over By the tīrthikas and [saṃsāric] gods; People, at that time, Will adore the brahmin caste.

“Deluded and following wrong conduct, They will delight in harming living beings. This has been prophesied for this lowest eon, When I enter into final nirvāṇa.

“Many men and women will Continuously indulge in adultery. They will all delight in nonvirtue And shun virtuous values.

“After I enter the final peace on earth, Many beings will be present, Worshiping my body, Such as the hosts of gods of great vitality and splendor,

“Men of distinction, Hosts of yakṣas and spirits, Asuras, gandharvas, Kinnaras endowed with great powers,

“Garuḍas, nāgas, Rākṣasas, ṛṣis, Siddhas, yogins, Planets with great vitality,

“Beings of various types That take birth based on their different destinies And are caught in the chain of saṃsāric rebirths, And also the wise ones who have broken this chain.

“They will make offerings to my body, From which the pangs of fever have departed, On the bank of the Hiraṇyavatī, In the Yamakasāla Grove,

“In the Makuṭabandhana shrine, In the country of the Mallas. When I pass into final nirvāṇa there, I will attain the peace that is free from fear.

“My relics will be exhumed, With some being stolen By gods, asuras, And all types of spirits. They will be divided into separate portions And then distributed.

“At that time, the Magadhan king Ajātaśatru, Together with his great army, Will make a request to all the śrāvakas Endowed with great magical powers:

“ ‘Please, great beings, Uplift me also, Crestfallen and suffering, Even though I am a patricide without merit.’

“The most eminent, wise śrāvaka, The dear son of the Buddha Called Mahākāśyapa, Who brings benefit to beings,

“Seeing this intelligent man called Ajātaśatru And noticing his distress, Will give him then his due attention And bless him with his magical power.

“He will pick up a portion of relics Produced from the body of the Victorious One. The remaining relics will be taken by the others, Including very powerful snake-like beings.

“Each trying to be quicker than the other, They will push and shove in great agitation. They will then carry the relics through space To their own abodes and install them there.

“The monk Mahākāśyapa, The most eminent śrāvaka, Will, at that time, reflect on the Sage:

“ ‘Ah, woe to humankind! He is absent from this earthly round With its buddhas, pratyeka­buddhas, And śrāvakas with great miraculous powers.

“ ‘The light has gone out for beings Who wander in the prison of saṃsāra. They will now experience various types Of acute suffering for a long time.

“ ‘If, however, they worship the relics Of the savior, the lord of the world, They will experience the pleasures Of the god realms in abundance.

“ ‘They will obtain kingdoms, prosperity, And mantric accomplishments, so difficult to attain. They will attain the various things That reflect the lifestyles of favorable rebirths,

“ ‘Including the desired boon of reaching the peak of existence That is adorned with the threefold liberation. By worshiping the relics They will attain the supreme accomplishment.’

“Reflecting like this, The world-renowned brahmin, The śrāvaka and the distinguished sage By the name Kāśyapa,

“Will pick up some relics And distribute them, at that time, on earth. With special care, he will give a relic-pill To the king of the Magadhans called Ajātaśatru,

“And also to all the eight kings. This śrāvaka, a great being Of great splendor, Will give everything completely to all of them.

“With his mind overcome with compassion, He will grieve for sentient beings Who, lacking the understanding of impermanence, Continue to undergo the cycle of rebirth:

“ ‘Beings will weep for a long time, Lasting many eons. When the sacred Dharma of the Teacher, the Lion of the Śākyas, Has disappeared in the world, These teachings should be chanted, During the terrible time of destruction.’

“Then the valiant Mahākāśyapa will rise and, With his mind imbued with power, Will address Ajātaśatru, The king of men:

“ ‘To honor the Teacher’s instructions, Let us go to the city of Rājagṛha.’ Having carefully placed the relics In one hundred jars,

“They will then travel eastward, Hastily proceeding toward Rājagṛha. After they arrive in the Bamboo Grove, They will deposit there the relics of the Victorious One.

“After building a marvelous stūpa Of the savior, the lord of the world, The great king will offer to this stūpa Adornments of many kinds:

“Garlands, fabrics, parasols, Scented powders, perfume, incense, Silks, music, riches, banners, Various bells, garlands, unguents, And lamps, chaplets, and wreaths, Of many different kinds.

“Having made these offerings, The great king, his mind steeped in reverence, Will bow with his head to the stūpa And at that time make the following aspiration:

“ ‘May I, by the abundant merit gained Through worshiping the most eminent being in the world, Attain the inconceivable [state whereby I will] Worship many tathāgatas.’

“The king will then rise And speak to Mahākāśyapa, Wiping teardrops off his face. With his eyes dimmed by tears And his heart brimming with compassion, He will recall his father:

“ ‘My noble friend of great wisdom, Please be my confessor! The evil that I have committed Will cause me to fall into the Avīci hell.

“ ‘Having killed my father, A Dharma king established On the path taught by the Teacher, I am unable to distract myself. My good and noble friend, Be so kind as to teach me the meaning of the Dharma!’

“Thus addressed, the great being, The foremost śrāvaka of the Victorious One, The sagacious one called Mahākāśyapa Will say the following:

“ ‘Do not fear, great king! You have accumulated a lot of merit. In your former births You have practiced virtue hundreds of times.

“ ‘Once, when there was no Buddha in the world, There lived a pratyeka­buddha. At that time, in the city of Vārāṇasī, A son was born to a prominent merchant. In his ignorance and childish frivolity, He went out onto the road.

“ ‘He came upon The blessed pratyeka­buddha, Who, out of desire to benefit the world, Was doing his alms rounds.

“ ‘Upon seeing the pratyeka­buddha The boy’s mind was filled with faith. He fell at his feet and asked, “What are you about to do, monk?”

“ ‘The blessed, rhinoceros-like lord Remained silent And stood there As the boy held him by the robe, [saying,]

“ ‘ “Come! Come to that fine house Adorned with a banner! This is our dwelling. You will wash your feet and have some food. We shall promptly eat as much as we like, And then play to our hearts’ content.”

“ ‘The monk, free from faults, His three stains definitively destroyed, And committed to the kind treatment of others, Followed the boy. Having arrived at the door, The glorious monk waited.

“ ‘The boy entered And called out, “Mother! Please give some food for me, And also alms of various kinds.

“ ‘ “My friend has arrived here at long last, Who will play with me in the sand. At last, you will be pleased with him; He stands waiting at the door.”

“ ‘Hastily, she came out the door, And immediately saw The distinguished person, Peaceful, and of great majesty.

“ ‘She then quickly went in, Took a fine vessel, Cleaned it with her hands, And prepared some flowers and incense.

“ ‘She took some pure rice pudding Flavored with many spices, And also different other foodstuffs, And arranged them on a silver plate.

“ ‘She then promptly returned [to the door] And placed [the articles] in the monk’s bowl. Then she, fond of the Dharma like her son, Fell down at the monk’s feet.

“ ‘The monk accepted the alms And flew up into the sky, Where he could be seen As a row of lights.

“ ‘The rhinoceros-like pratyeka­buddhas Do not teach the Dharma verbally. These great beings present it to others Through their magical powers.

“ ‘They are exceedingly compassionate Toward beings and free from selfishness. They reveal their supernatural power To beings with respect to future lives.

“ ‘By the ripening of this karma, The boy along with the mother Attained the state of a celestial being For five hundred births.

“ ‘He became a king of gods, And she his mother. Then he became a human-born king, Ruling over an empire of men.

“ ‘Having enjoyed pleasures for a long time, He was born, in this world, as the son of Bimbisāra, The same one who had grabbed the blessed [monk] By the robe and pulled him.

“ ‘You, however, spoke improper words When addressing a monk, Saying, at that time, “Be my playmate in the sand.”

“ ‘Based on the past karma of those words, Undesirable and rude, You experienced, for a long time, An intense and acute suffering, Falling, against your wishes, into the terrible hell Where the pain is difficult to bear.

“ ‘Ensnared thus in the trammels of karma, Beings follow painful destinies. One creates karma laughing, But experiences it crying.

“ ‘Because of your former childish attitude Toward a savior, a pratyeka­buddha, You spoke improper words, Thus creating the corresponding karma.

“ ‘Having left the hell realm, You became human and arrived here, But your consciousness, O king, Was still in a hell born of karmic ripening.

“ ‘Because of this and your violent anger, You were predisposed to kill your father. Similarly, because of a pre-existing karmic trait Created by serving a pratyeka­buddha, You met the Buddha in person And you worshiped him.

“ ‘By the same cause of [serving a pratyeka­buddha], You have obtained a kingdom in this [world].’ Thus will the two of them converse In the Bamboo Grove on earth.

“The first one, my foremost disciple, And the second one, the king, Will bow to the stūpa hundreds of times And then go each to his own home.

“My foremost disciple, Who shelters under the pipal tree, Will call a meeting of the sages, All of them free from desire and very dignified.

“The entire doctrine with its twelve branches, Along with the Vinaya, will be recited there— The Dharma that I have taught, And that which was formerly taught by other victors.

“The doctrine will be presented By the foremost disciple as threefold, With its scriptures divided into Sūtra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma.

“The wise [Mahākāśyapa] will release beings From the three fetters, dry up their three faults, Free them from the three sufferings, And establish them in the three vehicles.

“The sagacious one will thus Further the cause of the buddhas’ teachings. As for the king of the Magadhans, The great monarch Ajātaśatru,

“He will extend his rule over the entirety of Magadha and Aṅga, After that over Vārāṇasī, And then over Vaiśālī to the north. He will become a very powerful king

“Who will advance the cause of the teachings, Of this there is no doubt. He is prophesied to attain the ultimate peace, After being instructed by you, divine youth.

“His son, the king known By the initial U, Will also become, before long, Actively engaged in promoting the teachings.

“He will have these teachings Committed to writing in their entirety. After worshiping [the volumes] with many offerings, He will distribute them throughout the quarters.

“Later he will not suffer a low rebirth, But will be reborn among gods, After twenty or thirty years Spent among the pitṛs.

“His earthly existence Will end at midnight, When he will succumb to a disease That runs in his family.

“For twenty-six days He will suffer the pain of this terrible disease. Affected by all manner of illnesses, He will be incapacitated in different ways.

“He will thus pass away And swiftly be reborn among the gods. With effort and care, in due course, He will certainly attain realization.

“These and many other kings, Those in the past and the future, Having done various services For the pratyeka­buddhas and the victorious saviors,

“Obtain the wished-for extraordinary fortunes, Whether divine or human, And, in due course, attain peace— The blessed state free from decay.

“Kings can be of three categories, Higher, middling, or inferior. The kings said [to have ruled] in the first eon Are those of the Nahuṣa and Pārthiva lines.

“Budha, Śukra, and Udaya were kings Who were definitely mantra adepts. There were also Śāntanu, Citra, and Sucitra And the kings of the Paṇḍu dynasty.

“The dynasties of Vārati and Yātu Died out because of a ṛṣi’s curse. There were also, in former times, Kārtika, Kārtavīrya, Daśaratha, and Dāśarathi.

“There was Arjuna, accomplished in mantras, And Aśvatthāman, a peerless minister, Who was the only son of the twice-born Droṇa And an accomplished master of mantras.

“Using mantra-empowered weapons, He became the ruler of an earthly realm Extending over the entire three islands Of Jambūdvīpa.

“Kings and other rulers … Making the gods … the mantras … And rejoicing in the worship of the tathāgatas, Proceed to the higher realms.

“Some are destined to become buddhas, While others pursue the pratyeka­buddha path. Some are destined to become śrāvakas. All of them are on course toward liberation.

“As for their lifespans, They are divided into [three] categories. The superior ones have long lifespans, The middling have middling ones,

“But in the final eon, The wretched and debased age of strife, The kings will have short lifespans And be fond of discord.

“They will be given to mutual enmity And inflicting harm on one another. They will be of inferior birth And will provoke armed conflicts.

“At that time, they will be eager to use weapons And will take pleasure in [seducing] others’ wives. There is no doubt that such kings will come, Reviled by the world.

“They will be wicked, vulgar, and selfish, And will engage in evil acts. This will come to pass Between the dvāparayuga and kaliyuga.

“I will now briefly recount The earthly kings Of the present age. Listen, divine youth!

“Learn about the features and marks Associated with their caste. Prasenajit is the king of Kośala; Bimbisāra is another king.

“Udayana, the son of Śatānīka, Is a distinguished kṣatriya. There are also Subāhu, Sudhana, Mahendra, and Candrasama.

“Siṃha of the Licchavi clan Was born in Vaiśālī. In Ujjain, there are Udayana, Vidyota, Pradyota, and Mahāsena.

“In Ujjain there is Caṇḍa. In the city of Kapilavastu There is the king Śuddhodana And the powerful Vairāṭa.

“These kings are said to be kṣatriyas And worshipers of the Teacher. They have seen the Buddha, the supreme person, directly, In his [present existence] as the Lion of the Śākyas.

“Having heard the Dharma, They will obtain lasting good fortune, And if they desire liberation, They will definitely attain the peace of nirvāṇa.

“The kings just listed, known to the world, Belong to the earthly realm. Regarding their caste, they are said to be kṣatriyas, And as for their identification, they are known by their name.

“One of them will worship your teachings, Which I have given on earth. He was predicted by you, Divine youth beautiful as a child, As the one called Ajātaśatru, Who will dedicate himself to the goal of awakening.

“One hundred years after My parinirvāṇa on earth, When there is no light or joy And the darkness of ignorance descends, When the earth is empty Without the Victorious One,

“At that terrible time, In the city called Kusumapura, There will be a king who rules that land, Known by the name Aśoka. He will be severe in his actions, Tempestuous, and pitiless.

“He will, however, meet a virtuous friend Who is free from desire and dignified, A monk endowed with discipline Whose mind is free from the fever [of afflictions].

“Because of the karmic predisposition from the past Formed through a gift of dust to the dignified [Sage], This king will be destined To own vast land and great wealth. He will also understand what is right and what is wrong, And he will become gentle and compassionate.

“Revealing the underlying cause, The monk, free from desire and very dignified, Will say, ‘You, O king, in a former life, Acting innocently with childlike flightiness,

“ ‘Presented at that time, with folded hands, Some dust to the victorious Lion of the Śākyas, Placing it in his bowl as food. Because of this, you attained a divine state,

“ ‘And then, having departed from the celestial realm, You took birth here, in the world of your ancestors. Enjoy the dominion, O king, Over Jambūdvīpa with its pleasant groves!’

“The great king will practice The mantra of the great yakṣa Jambhala. After he becomes accomplished, He will obtain a chariot drawn by spirits.

“He will be attended upon by the yakṣas, Who anticipate his orders. The nāgas will attend upon him too, Duly awaiting his orders.

“Devoted to the Dharma, Aśoka will attain great majesty, And he will exercise the powers of a sovereign, Traveling wherever he pleases Without ever being obstructed.

“He will take, at that time, from the city of Rājagṛha, From the grove called the Bamboo Grove, The finest relics of the victorious ones on earth, Which had been placed there in earlier times.

“With his mind steeped in virtue, He will take the relics from their container And then worship the stūpa, Just as was done in the past.

“He will take out the jar containing the relics and, Having divided them into one hundred parts, That wise one will immediately command The yakṣas as follows:

“ ‘Gentlemen, please adorn The entirety of Jambūdvīpa with stūpas. You must make the earth Into a receptacle of relics.’

“Having received their orders, The yakṣas, carefully at midnight, Using for this task nonhuman labor, Will erect stone pillars throughout the land.

“They will erect, at that time, Many thousands of pillars Serving as signposts for living beings For their worship of the caityas.

“Having thus constructed various stūpas Dedicated to the lord protectors of the world, The yakṣas will instantly return To the side of the king, [Aśoka].

“Bowing their heads to him, The guhyakas will say, ‘We have done everything exactly as instructed. Will you not have a look, O lord?’

“The king will then quickly Mount his chariot, Taking with him various things to offer And adornments of many kinds.

“He will thus quickly fill The spirit-drawn chariot With gold, silver, copper, And various adornments for the stūpas.

“Within a moment, the king Will worship the victorious ones With manifold articles At the locations where their reliquaries will be.

“At that time, when all the land has been adorned With the relics of the victorious ones, The king, the righteous and noble Aśoka, Will make the following aspiration: ‘By the power of this merit May I become a supreme buddha.’

“Remembering this, The noble, righteous king Aśoka Will become a god after he dies, Steadily progressing toward awakening.

“On earth, he will worship The supreme relics for eighty-seven years. He will live for one hundred and fifty years, During which he will rid his kingdom of troubles.

“Because of the maturing of his past karma, He will develop a physical illness. Afflicted by it, he will suffer pain, But when he dies, he will go to heaven.

“He will obtain and enjoy A great fortune of the gods, And in due course, being intelligent, Will attain the realization that is so hard to find.

“The mantras effective at that time Will be those of the Vajra and Lotus families, Those of Jambhala and other yakṣas Who follow the same teachings, And also those of the yakṣiṇīs, Such as the powerful Hārītī and so forth.

“The cakravartin mantras that emanate From Cakravartin will be effective too— The powerful vidyārāja mantras, Starting from the uṣṇīṣas and including All the other mantras Taught by the victors.

“The sādhanas to be performed at that auspicious time Are those of the supreme type. They cannot be accomplished by inferior practitioners, But only by the supreme ones who pursue the highest destiny, Such as Dilīpa, Nahuṣa, Māndhātṛ, and Sagara.

“They accomplished the cakravartin mantras Taught by the victorious ones. Noble Nahuṣa accomplished The mantra of Tejorāśi.

“King Sagara accomplished The mantra of Sitātapatra. King Dilīpa accomplished The One Syllable mantra.

“Māndhātṛ accomplished, in this world, The mantra of Unnatoṣṇīṣa. The supreme king Dhundhumāra Accomplished the mantra of Jayoṣṇīṣa.

“King Kandarpa is said to have accomplished The mantra of Vijayoṣṇīṣa. His son Prajāpati, too, Accomplished the Locanā mantra on earth.

“Prajāpati’s son Nābhi Accomplished the mantra of Ūrṇa. Ṛṣabha, a son of Nābhi, Was successful in his endeavors and strict in his observances.

“He accomplished the mantra of the yakṣa Māṇicara In the Himalayas. Bharata, a son of Ṛṣabha, Also recited the mantras at that time, And in due course accomplished The Great Hero mantra on earth.

“These and many other kings, Renowned throughout the world, After accomplishing their mantras, Ruled their kingdoms and then ascended to heaven.

“The powerful vidyārājas That were taught by the victorious lords Could all be accomplished During the auspicious time of the eon When the lifespan was eighty thousand years, By those who knew the value of the mantra method.

“These and many other kings, Renowned throughout the world, Ruled their kingdoms For eighty thousand or one hundred thousand years And then ascended to heaven, Steadily progressing toward awakening.

“Then, during the middle period, The mantras that brought success Were those belonging to the family of the lotus holder; They possessed great divine and magical powers And were employed by the prominent ministers And the kings who ruled over all the land.

“Thus, the king Brahmadatta, In the great city of Vārāṇasī, Accomplished [the mantra of] the lotus holder Known in the world as Lokeśa.

“He was valiant, magnanimous, And distinguished by his great compassion. He instructed beings in the Dharma, Assuming the form of his mantra deity.

“King Brahmadatta experienced happiness While a human being. Then he, the master of the mantra, Ascended to heaven in his physical body.

“His son, who was intelligent, Virtuous in his actions, and strict in his observances, Accomplished for his part the mantra Of the great hero known as Hayagrīva.

“With the power of this mantra He defeated Śakra during that time. His son, named Śveta, was a king Who gave away everything he had.

“His mantra deity who grants boons Was the one called Mahāśvetā. Having accomplished her mantra, Śveta lived three hundred years.

“By the power of this mantra He went to the realm of Sukhāvatī. He is destined to attain awakening, Just like the others I have prophesied.

“The mantras that would have been accomplished During the middle period are the middling mantras. The mantras that will be effective During the wretched and debased eon, When I have passed into the final nirvāṇa, Are the mantras of the Vajra and Lotus families.

“The mantras that you, divine youth, Have formerly taught on earth Will also be effective and will constitute The cause of good fortune.

“So too is the case with other mantras Used for different worldly purposes, Such as the mantras of kaśmalas and other deformed beings Who course in mid-regions and in the sky;

“Or the mantras of the yakṣiṇīs who roam the earth And of the various piśācīs; And likewise the mantras of the garuḍas and the kinnaras And those taught to be of the rākṣasas and the pretas.

“So, too, the powerful mantras of the nāginīs, Who protect against the piśācas and uragas, Will be effective During the wretched, debased eon.

“The mantras [of deities] with the forms Of kumāras or kumārīs Will also be effective At that terrible time.

“The mantras are thus of three kinds, And so are the sādhanas. The accomplishment can also be of three types, Corresponding to the threefold division of time periods. I present what would be an elaborate explanation In a condensed manner.

“After the first king Aśoka There will come a king Known as Viśoka, A follower of Dharma in the world.

“He will accomplish the mantra Of the goddess Pāṇḍaravāsinī. With this accomplishment, Viśoka will ascend to the celestial realm.

“This great king, having enjoyed happiness In the celestial abode for a long time, Will again resume his life as a human, Disciplined in the Dharma and wise.

“He, the splendorous one, will enjoy his kingship Blessed with many boons. He will worship the supreme relics For seventy-six years. Then, overcome with fever, His body will give out and he will go to heaven.

“Directly after him, there will be A king known as Śūrasena, A celebrated practitioner of the Dharma Always applying himself to the teachings.

“For his part, he will accomplish the mantra Of the goddess Stūpamahāśriyā. He will commission great works In the Teacher’s honor, And the entire land, as far as the ocean shore, Will be adorned with stūpas.

“Then, having developed a physical illness Due to the ripening of his past karma, He will deteriorate and pass away Within one fortnight.

“Having ruled the realm For seventeen human years, When he dies he will enter the celestial realm, Steadily progressing toward awakening.

“Directly after him there will be Another king, Nanda by name. He, the glorious, will reside in the Flower City With his powerful army.

“For his part, he will accomplish The mantra of the piśāca named Pīlu. Through the power of this mantra He will enjoy great comforts.

“He will become known in this world As the ‘chief rogue,’ Who first got rich as a minister And then went on to become a king.

“At that time, there will live on earth, In the capital city of Magadha, Greedy brahmin logicians Proud of their magical abilities. They will be full of vain pride and arrogance, Of this there is no doubt.

“The king, surrounded by them, Will bestow upon them great wealth. Although disciplined in and devoted to the Dharma, The king will give his wealth to them. Later, having met a virtuous friend, He will make offerings to the supreme relics.

“Solely because of his habitual practice And the constancy of his generosity, This wise [king] will construct monasteries Over a period of sixty-eight years.

“There will be, at that time, In the city named after flowers, A great chief minister Who is a good and compassionate brahmin.

“He will become the embodiment of the Dharma For that outstanding king. He will accomplish on earth The mantra of the yakṣiṇī Vīramatī.

“He also will commission the finest reliquary Of the victorious ones on earth. Due to the power of the yakṣiṇī, He will become exceedingly wise.

“Impelled by his earlier habits And because of his karmic traits, This wise minister will attain, in due course, The awakening that is so difficult to obtain.

“At that time, some brahmin youths will die Due to their indulgence in vice. Also at that time he, known by the name of Vararuci, Will succumb to excessive sexual passion.

“The glorious king Nanda, Because of the karma of his earlier transgressions, Will displease his ministers In the city called Pāṭaliputra.

“Although his ministers will be disaffected, He will remain true to his promises and powerful. However, due to the karma of former transgressions, He will develop a severe illness.

“Suffering from high fever, He will die at midnight. The life of this king Will be sixty-six years long. He will be destined to become a śrāvaka And attain awakening.

“Another friend of [King Nanda] Will be a young brahmin named Pāṇini, Prophesied by me To become a śrāvaka.

“He will accomplish The mantra of the noble Lokīśa. Desiring wisdom, this brahmin Will accomplish the mantra of the krodha Hālāhala.

“Next in succession after [King Nanda] Will be the one known as Candragupta. He will accomplish the mantra of the yakṣa Jalendra And will rid his kingdom of troubles.

“This great king will enjoy great comforts And will be true to his promises and dedicated to the Dharma. Having, however, met a nonvirtuous friend He will kill many beings. Because of the ripening of this karma, He will become debilitated by poisonous skin eruptions.

“Lamenting, at midnight he will appoint As his successor on earth his son, Bindusāra by name, still a child, Along with a wicked minister.

“After Candragupta’s time on earth is over, He will pass away And go to the realm of the pretas, Following a nonhuman destiny. But then, because of his mantra practice, He will leave that realm and go to heaven.

“Because of the mantra, His mind will be steeped in virtue, And the king will attain in due course The realization of a pratyeka­buddha.

“In his former life as Siṃhadatta, King Bindusāra Built a caitya as a child, With his mind still undeveloped.

“Through the power of this karma, The virtuous [Siṃhadatta] went to heaven And enjoyed pleasures among the gods For five hundred thousand lives.

“Having departed the celestial realm, He will be become an earthly king Born in the royal family Of the sagacious Candragupta.

“A mere child, the king Will experience great pleasures, And when grown up, he will turn bold, Resolute, and smooth spoken. He will keep the kingdom Under his control for seventy years.

“This king will accomplish The mantra of Keśinī. At that time, divine youth, Your mantras will bring success.

“The mantras that you taught Will be accomplished at that time. The inner essence of every being is that of the divine youth, Who exercises his power over the worlds.

“He will manifest for beings In the form of the mantra without a doubt. The mantras that you have taught Out of the desire to help beings Will be recited on earth at that time And will always bring accomplishment.

“The sagacious King Bindusāra Will have a minister, Cāṇakya by name, a brahmin youth Who will accomplish the mantra of a krodha. This evil-minded man will accomplish The mantra of the krodha Yamāntaka.

“Overcome by anger, He will kill living beings And will commit terrible evil Over the period of the three reigns.

“This corrupt brahmin Will live for a long time and, Through the power of the mantra, Will carnally enjoy an asurī.

“Taking on the body of an asura, He will live for a long time. When his body gives out, He will fall into the hell realm.

“There, the evil-minded [Cāṇakya] Will experience the sufferings of hell. His bad karma will bring upon him The sufferings of different hells.

“Having passed there one eon, he will be aroused From that state by the mantra of the Krodha. After passing away from hell, He will be reborn as an animal.

“Born as a nāga, He will have the frightening form Of a nāga king, very wrathful, With a big hood, and proud of his venom.

“He will commit terrible acts, And when he dies, with his bad karma He will be reborn in the realm of Yama.

“Having become the king Yama, The powerful king of the pretas, He will endure thousands of sufferings Again and again.

“In due course, he will be reborn on earth As a dull-witted brahmin youth. Having obtained a human birth, He will have a frightening form. Destitute and short-tempered, He will have few friends.

“The pratyeka­buddhas, who have no desires in this world And live alone like rhinoceroses, Wander the earth filled with compassion For those who are forsaken and miserable. They take up the life of mendicancy Out of the desire to help sentient beings.

“Seeing the bad [state of Cāṇakya’s] mind, And being able to read the thoughts of others, They will approach him, Solely out of compassion.

“Cāṇakya, having obtained Some inferior gruel in order to eat it, Will be swayed by the power of the Krodha’s mantra And create, at that time, a good cause.

“He will offer the gruel to them as alms With a singularly magnanimous mind and say, ‘Excuse me, all of you renunciants! Eat this food, as much as you like.’ Right then, out of their sympathy for him, The pratyeka­buddhas will display their miraculous power.

“Stricken with wonder, His mind uplifted by their power, He will prostrate himself headlong To the rhinoceros-like pratyeka­buddhas. And they all, free from faults, Will fly into the sky as they please.

“Cāṇakya will then, with a good intention, Make an aspiration for the realization of a pratyeka­buddha: ‘May I become the way These magnificent beings are, Steeped in tranquility and endowed with magical powers. May I be free from suffering and unhappy rebirths.’

“When he dies after exhausting his remaining karma, He will, inevitably, be reborn in heaven. In due course he will fully assimilate the Dharma And attain the realization of a pratyeka­buddha. From this [one should draw the conclusion] That mantras should not be used in the sādhanas of assault.

“Such violent practices are forbidden By the buddhas and the bodhisattvas. The exceedingly compassionate buddhas And the majestic bodhisattvas Taught the implications of the power of mantras For all the practitioners of rites.

“The mantras taught by the tathāgatas Are wish-fulfilling gems. However, beings who are by nature immature, Confused, and under the sway of anger and greed Employ these mantras against each other In the violent rites of assault.

“Such rites are forbidden by the buddhas And the sagacious bodhisattvas, Since the mantras are meant to increase Beings’ well-being in every possible way.

“The mantras raise kingdoms, Provide protection, and bring wealth. They can summon beings Of different types of birth. The mantras should never be mastered In order to destroy life.

“At that time my monks Will be very learned. One by the name of Mātṛceṭa Will compose a hymn of praise for me That will be recited, whenever appropriate, By those who exemplify good qualities.

“Having developed complete faith, He will delight in the teachings of the buddhas. A mantra adept, himself inconspicuous, He will only proclaim praises of Mañjughoṣa. He will be a learned proponent of the Dharma, Endowed with good qualities and discipline.

“When he was an animal in a past life, He recited the same hymn of praise In the fine city called ‘the King’s,’ In the park called ‘the Grove,’ Where I used to spend my time as I pleased, Together with my disciples.

“Living there as a crow, He developed faith in me. He died with thoughts of trust in me And was reborn in heaven.

“When his life as a god ends, He will be reborn among humans. Living among them, he will renounce the world For the sake of my doctrine.

“Having thus become a renunciant, That great being will praise me, Becoming known, at that time, As Mātṛceṭa who keeps his observances.

“For the benefit of all beings, He will compose, as necessary, Religious hymns in fine language With examples and allegories.

“Out of his kindness for sentient beings, He will dedicate himself to writing inspiring hymns. He will live during the final eon That is reviled by the world. When his body gives out, He will go to heaven due to his ripened karma.

“Having experienced various delights, The wise Mātṛceṭa will, in due course, Attain the omniscient awakening— The inconceivable absolute truth.

“When four hundred years Have passed after my parinirvāṇa, A monk by the name of Nāgārjuna Will delight in this beneficial teaching. He will attain the Joyful stage, And will live six hundred years.

“This great person will accomplish The vidyā called Māyūrī. He will know the meaning of various treatises down to every word And will understand that in reality there is no independent existence.

“When he leaves his body, He will be reborn in Sukhāvatī And in due course Will certainly attain buddhahood.

“Then there will be a monk by the name of Asaṅga Who will understand the true meaning of the treatises. He will clearly discern many times over The direct and indirect meaning of the sūtras.

“He will educate people, Dedicated to the task and well disciplined. He will accomplish The vidyā called Śāladūtī.

“With his superior intellect Developed by the power of the vidyā mantra, He will distill the true meaning from the sūtras, Ensuring a long survival of the teachings. He will live one hundred and fifty years, And when he leaves his body he will be reborn in heaven.

“During his lengthy peregrination through saṃsāra, He will experience happiness for a long time, And in due course this great being Will attain awakening.

“There will thus be during that period Many different types of monks who follow my teachings, Including those who possess insight And are disciplined in the Dharma.

“There will also come, in the final period, A very learned person called Nanda. Conversant with the tantras And wholly dedicated to the quest of mantras, He will accomplish the pot of fortune That is activated with the mantra of the yakṣa.

“Accomplished in austerities, He will draw forth from the pot An important Mahāyāna sūtra That I taught in the past.

“Reading the volume continually As its nature is that of the mantra, He will not guard the pot That was obtained through the yakṣa.

“Due to his carelessness and lack of attention, The pot will be stolen by Mūrdhaṭaka. The monk [Nanda] who has mastered the mantra Will start reciting it.

“He will search for the pot, But will not find it anywhere. Then, his flesh turning red from anger, He will declare in a resounding voice,

“ ‘From Brahmā down to the lowest being, Śakra and the others, including Maheśvara, [Everybody] can be summoned by the mantra. If not, I am neither a follower nor a master of mantra.

“ ‘The mantras taught by the Buddha’s heirs And by the supreme victors Are for restraining Those difficult to tame. If I cannot thus bring thieves into my presence, It means that none of them are here on earth.’

“Nanda, accomplished in ritual performance And strict in keeping his observances, will then rise up. Determined to summon them swiftly, He will employ whatever mantra Is prescribed for the summoning From whatever direction.

“The moment he merely recollects them, They will arrive, ready to act. With the single syllable hūṁ, He will summon to earth Brahmā and the others.

“He will thus summon all the gods, Brahmā and the others, including Śakra. Uttering the shouts of hā! hā! They will make frightening noise, asking, ‘What should I do? Why have you brought me here? I have done nothing wrong!’

“Promptly and hastily, The wise and fearless monk Will address the gods: ‘Bring the pot, wherever it is, back here!’

“Passing on the monk’s words, The gods will all say to one another, ‘Quickly name the fellow Who stole the pot!’ They will thus look for the pot But will not find it anywhere.

“The lord of the gods himself will look Into the matter and ask, ‘Who stole the pot?’ He will see the glorious bodhisattva of great splendor, The holder of the vajra,

“And his terrible son, Very wrathful and terrifying, Who roams the entire world, Manifesting in the form of a vighna.

“Knowing that it was he who stole the pot, The lord of gods will say, ‘There is a vighna in the Vajra family. He playfully sports on earth.

“ ‘He makes offerings to me, And that’s why he stole the pot.’ After saying this, the lord of gods Will return to his celestial abode.

“Nanda will then dismiss all the gods, Using their respective mantras. Immediately, in a mere instant, They will be transported [back to their places].

“He will summon the vighna, Who is powerless and has the pot. He will then employ him To take the pot to the pretas.

“The vighna, guided [there and back], Will say the following: ‘As I have delivered the pot to the preta realm, I am free from any offense.’

“The great practitioner of mantra Will scold the vighna angrily: ‘Go, go, great vighna, And don’t do this again!’

“Immediately He will summon the pretas, Whose mouths are as small as the eye of a needle And who are disturbed by hunger and distressed.

“These very dreadful creatures Will let out wretched cries, Wailing in piteous voices, ‘Protect us, O great being!

“ ‘Here is your pot. Having been summoned, we will do whatever you want.’ The mantra adept, filled with great compassion, Will start trembling.

“His mind tender with compassion, He will say the following: ‘Tell me without delay About your sufferings in the world.’

“Dejected in their minds, they will say, ‘For a long time, in the realm of the pretas, We have been afflicted with hunger And thirst, O great being!’

“The monk, filled with compassion, Will then present the pot to them. Uplifted in their minds, They will hastily return to their abodes. Food and drink will now appear in the pot Whenever they merely think of it.

“The monk Nanda will dwell On earth in a sandalwood grove. He will live during the debased period For three hundred years. Noble-minded and dedicated to the pursuit of awakening, He will soon attain the realization so difficult to attain.

“There will certainly come, at that time During the debased eon, An important Gomin king Who will [try to] eradicate my teachings.

“Starting from the east, And up to the gateway into Kaśmīra, This fool will destroy Monasteries and reliquaries.

“In his stupidity, he will kill Monks who are disciplined, Until, having retreated north, The fool will meet his death.

“He will be buried in a landslide Caused by an angry nonhuman being, Together with his subjects, animals, and kinsmen. This fool will be reborn in the nether world.

“Following a downward course, He will fall from one hell to the next, Experiencing ever greater suffering, Intense and terrifying.

“That prominent Gomin [king], Will be rescued after one great eon From the hell called Avīci, Where evildoers go.

“Meeting wrong friends, Beings commit terrible evil. Therefore, with all care, You should put all your trust In the teachings of the Tathāgata. You will then enjoy good fortune.

“All of you should always follow The eightfold path, Which invariably leads to buddhahood, The city without aging or sorrow.

“Next after him will come The king known as Buddhapakṣa. He will enjoy great support, be truly renounced, And delight in the teachings of the buddhas. He will come, there is no doubt, During the debased eon.

“The king will be loved by all And devoted to the teachings of the Teacher. He will build monasteries, lay gardens, and caityas And commission superb images of the Teacher.

“He will also construct many Ponds, tanks, and reservoirs. Having done all this, this great king Will go to heaven at a ripe age.

“While on earth, he will accomplish The mantra of Abjaketu of great efficacy, And he will ask this bodhisattva, the great being, To protect the earth.

“By the power of Abjaketu’s mantra, Buddhapakṣa will live three hundred years. With his accumulation of good karma, He will swiftly attain awakening.

“His son will likewise be a king, With a great powerful army. He will be called Gambhīrapakṣa Throughout the entire earth.

“This king, at that time, Will be very dedicated to his work. He will build numerous monasteries, Lodgings, reliquaries, ponds, and wells. This king of great splendor Will undoubtedly do such things.

“He will accomplish the mantra Of the sagacious Mañjughoṣa— The phrase known as the six syllables, Pregnant in meaning and conducive to well-being.

“By the power of this mantra He will experience great comforts. In due course he will obtain intelligence And swiftly travel the path to awakening. He will do various works Related to the Tathāgata’s teachings.

“At that time, In the north, In the country called Nepāla Nestled at the foothills of the snowy mountains, There will be King Mānavadeva, Born to the Licchavi clan.

“He too, having accomplished his mantric quest, Will come to enjoy great comforts. This king will accomplish The vidyā called Bhogavatī. During his reign of eighty years, The kingdom will be free from thieves.

“When his life ends, The king will go to heaven. The mantras especially effective at that time Will be the peaceful mantras for pacifying and nourishing.

“The world-renowned Tārā, The goddess Pāṇḍaravāsinī, And Mahāśvetā will strive to benefit others, Never growing weary in their minds.

“These and many other kings Will come at that time, it is said. They will be many, of many types, Described according to their varying natures.

“The kings of the mlecchas in the snowy land Will also worship the Teacher. They are Vṛṣa, Suvṛṣa, Bhūbhāsa, Subhūbhāsa, Bhākrama, Padakrama, And the one known as Kamala.

“There will also be the western kings: Bhāgupta, Vatsaka, Bhāsvat, Udaya, and Jiṣṇu being the last. These too are the various kings of the mlecchas. After that, the kings will defy propriety By serving the interests of foreigners.

“At that time, the king of Nepāla Will perish from armed onslaughts. The vidyās will be lost, and so will be the kings Who served the mleccha rogues.

“Many different kings have been foretold, Including some partial to the brahmins, Whose rule will extend All around Tibet.

“The king Hiraṇyagarbha will have A great and very powerful army. He will be a friend to many people, And his government will extend far and wide.

“He will be honored by the mlecchas as a conqueror And devoted to the teachings of the Teacher. He will accomplish the mantra Of the divine youth of great splendor

“And will derive from it great power. He will employ the eight-syllable vidyārāja Known as ‘Great Hero,’ Which confers great fortune and authority.

“With this mantra, which is certain to confer Buddhahood merely by recollecting it, The king will naively focus On the affairs of his realm,

“Occupying himself with small matters For the sake of his kingdom While wishing to obtain Supreme boons.

“He will command, at all times, All the deities such as Brahmā and so forth, Let alone the people in the world Or other beings in reviled states of existence.

“This great king will live one hundred and fifty years, And then go to heaven. In due course he will fully assimilate the Dharma And attain supreme awakening.

“The vidyās taught by the divine youth Will be efficacious in that country. These vidyās and none other Will swiftly lead to success.

“The valiant bodhisattva Mañjughoṣa of great splendor Will be manifestly present In that country in his youthful form. It is the place of supreme accomplishment, And people there will accomplish the state of divinity.

“A king by the name Turuṣka Will rise in the country up north. Valiant and commanding a great army, He will rule the area extending Up to the gateway of Kaśmīra And including Baṣkala, Udyāna, and Kāviśa.

“This king will rule an area Extending over one hundred and seven leagues [With a population of] Two hundred and seventy-seven thousand. This will happen, there is no doubt, During the debased eon.

“Turuṣka will master the mantras And will live three hundred years. This wise king who watches over the people Will accomplish the vidyā Keśinī.

“Adding to his glory, He will establish monasteries And build eighty-six thousand Great stūpas.

“The excellent Mahāyāna Dharma Will be established in that country, Including the mother of the buddhas— The Prajñāpāramitā.

“When King Turuṣka leaves his body, He will go to the celestial realm, And in due course he will attain Supreme awakening.

“After him, there will be another king By the name of Mahāturuṣka. He will be wise, highly esteemed, And wholeheartedly devoted to his teachers. He will accomplish the mantra Of the powerful goddess Tārā.

“His mantra accomplishment will also [serve] The interests of his kingdom on earth. This king, with powerful vassals and a great army, Will be called ‘great lord’ on earth.

“He will be accepted as king Even by his own relatives. At that time, there will be Eight thousand monasteries [in his domain].

“Through the power of his mantra He will live two hundred years. When he leaves his body, He will be reborn in Tuṣita And revered by the gods there As a powerful bodhisattva.

“In due course he will fully assimilate the Dharma By perfecting the limbs of awakening And, with due effort and care, Will attain the unequaled awakening.

“In that country the teachings Will always proliferate, Whether those taught by the victors in the past Or those taught now by me. It will be filled with desireless beings And powerful nāgas.

“At that time, there will be on earth The guardian deities and the yakṣas Who will guard the teachings of the Teacher And protect the sacred Dharma.

“Kings of many different types have been foretold Who will be renowned throughout the world. Having been taught themselves, They will teach [the Dharma] at that terrible time.

“In the country of the Lāḍas, Which extends from Ujjain To the westernmost part Bordered by the ocean,

“There will be a Dharma king By the name of Śīla, who will take delight In the teachings of the Buddha. He will be based in the city of Vallabhī.

“The king, fond of the Dharma, Will apply himself wholeheartedly To the task of building fine monasteries and reliquaries And to improving the lives of sentient beings.

“He will perform various pūjās And make beautiful images of the Victorious One. He will worship the finest reliquaries Of the most illustrious among the lords of the world. He will not be a master of mantras But only reap the supreme benefits of his past karma.

“[His story is as follows:] In that country, there was once A well-known monk who subsisted on alms. He was disciplined, intelligent, And took delight in the teachings of the Buddha.

“In the course of time, this great being Entered [the royal city] on an alms round. He beheld a splendid royal palace, Sprawling and bustling with people.

“Seeking alms, he entered there, Afflicted by hunger, thirsty, And weary in his mind. He did not obtain any alms.

“He was seized by guardsmen, Swiftly expelled from the house, And escorted away by the king’s soldiers In a state of mental distress.

“He then left that city And went to his own place, Hungry and thirsty. In his pain, his mind grew dim.

“Deprived of nourishment, The ascetic breathed out his last At midnight. Quick in his mind, He made an aspiration at that time, To be reborn as the king of the Lāḍas.

“After some time has passed, the monk will be reborn In the royal Dhara family [as King Śīla]. This great being will worship The teachings of the Teacher.

“He will rule for thirty years, Making the kingdom trouble-free. As the result of a plot by his greedy kinsmen, He will develop indigestion and fall unconscious.

“When his body fails and the king dies, He will be reborn in the god realm Where the gods are ‘supremely happy’ And where Maitreya resides.

“He will be reborn where this great being Teaches the Dharma, And he will respectfully listen To the teachings of the splendorous Maitreya. In due course, he will attain the awakening That is so difficult to obtain.

“Within half a year Of King Śīla’s demise, There will be another one called Capala. Having ruled for five months, He will be killed By armed mercenaries.

“He will fall, slain with a sword, Because of problems brought on by women. Then Dhruva, his junior, Will firmly establish himself.

“A naive and heartsick womanizer, He will become the king of the Lāḍas. All the remaining [Lāḍa] kings, however, Were womanizers only prior [to becoming kings].

“After King Śīla’s demise, The lines of these former [servants] Will all become kings Over the maritime provinces as far as Persia.

“In the city of Vāravatī There will be the kings Foretold under the names of Indra, Sucandra, Dhanus, Ketu, and Puṣpa.

“They will come to the city of Vallabhī And start their own line [of kings], Thousands of whom will have the name Prabha or Viṣṇu.

“There will be countless kings Descending from Yadu. The last of them Will have the name Viṣṇu.

“Cursed by a ṛṣi, This wise king will meet his end Along with his relatives and fellow city dwellers, And his city will be submerged in water— His Vāravatī will find Its resting place in the ocean.

“All around the northern area, In various foothill regions, There will rise, it is said, Countless kings of different origin, Thirty of them known to be Of the royal Śaka line.

“Eighteen kings are foretold as rulers Of the entire middle country. In the end, those of the Nāgasena dynasty And the others will both come to an end.

“After them will come Viṣṇu, Hara, Ājita [known] by the name of Kunta, Īśāna, Śarva, Paṅkti, Graha, and Suvrata.

“When these kings fall Or otherwise lose importance, There will come two very wealthy and prosperous men Descended from [the king] Viṣṇu.

“They will be from Madhyadeśa, their names will start with Bh, And both will be chief ministers, Renowned as wealthy and prosperous, Who delight in this auspicious teaching.

“They will also recite mantras— One that is king among your mantras, O divine youth. Subsequently they will become [kings], Protectors of the land and lords of the people.

“The population of Śrīkaṇṭha will be Seven times eight times three hundred. The vaiśyas with the name of Āditya Will dwell in [the capital] Sthāṇvīśvara.

“In the end, there will undoubtedly come a king Who will rule over the entire territory. His name will start with the letter H, And he will be, it is said, the king of all of the land.

“The mantras that will be efficacious In that country at that time Will be the vidyās of pacifying and nourishing Taught by the Dharma King.

“[As the result, people] will enjoy Various material comforts and good fortunes. The powerful yakṣiṇīs Manifesting various forms Will be effectively mastered there During the debased eon.

“In the southern territories That border on the ocean Will rise King Svātisucandra Of the Sātavāhana dynasty.

“There will be kings Mahendra, Śaṅkara, And the great Vallabha, Also called Sukeśin or Keśin, In the southern countries. There will be Maṅgala called Vallabha, And also Govinda called Vṛṣaketu.

“The king Mahendra will also be called Mahāpota, Pota, and Candra. Gopendra will be also called Indrasena, And Mādhava, Pradyumna.

“Gaṇaśaṅkara will be called ‘Tiger,’ And Budha, ‘Lion.’ The pure Budha will also be known By the names of Kumbha and Nikumbha.

“There will be Mathita, Sumita, Bala, and the keśin kings Pulina and Sukeśin.

“There are innumerable kings Said to belong to the southern region— They include the past, The present, and the future kings.

“They will be afflicted by various diseases And will die different types of death, Including in armed conflicts or from famine. Some of them will go to heaven.

“It is said that all these kings Will be given to hostilities. They will end with Mahendra called Pota, Meeting their destruction just like him.

“Those who so desire will be able To accomplish their mantras at that time and place. The mantras that can be accomplished Will be those of the Vajra family That are beneficial in the activities Of assault and of subduing.

“The mantra of the great being Mañjuśrī, The divine prince with a youthful form, Will be effective in that land, At that time, during the lowest eon.

“The deity known as Kārttikeya Will grant boons to beings Who dwell between the Vindhyas And the saltwater oceans.

“By the command of The sagacious bodhisattva Mañjughoṣa, Kārttikeya will take up his abode in the southern regions, Desiring to bring benefit to beings.

“The mantras of Kārttikeya Have been taught by Mañjughoṣa. There is no doubt that they will bring success At that time and in that region, Including in the country of Śrīparvata And the valleys and ridges of the Vindhyas.

“It is said that in all the islands Of the coasts of Kaliṅga, In the countries of the three types of mlecchas, In the areas surrounding Kośala, And in the ocean’s bays and peninsulas There will be innumerable kings.

“The kings of the Kāmarūpa line(s) Will rule at the foot of the snowy mountains. There will be many kings, it is said, All around in the maritime provinces.

“Many kings of the mleccha hordes Will be devoted to worshiping the Teacher. Indra and the great king Sucandra Will live in mleccha countries.

“Both these kings will take joy In studying the teachings there for eight years. All the beings there will have faith in you And worship the images of the Teacher.

“They will have faith in the Victor’s teaching, Of this there is no doubt. Many eminent kings based in the eastern lands Have been described, Those of the past, the present, And the future—of all the periods.

“I will start with the eminent king Born on earth in the dynastic Gauḍa family. He will be born to Yaśasvin In the pleasant city of Vardhamāna.

“This king, Loka by name, Will bring prosperity to Gauḍa. He will care for the Dharma When I arise in this world no more.

“Many kings will come, Pursuing various activities in their lives. Hear now the true account of the kings Of Madhyadeśa during the middle period Who will follow the Dharma of the Middle Way And provide comfort in the final, lowest eon.

“There will be the famous kings Known as Samudra and Vikrama, The eminent king Mahendra, And after him, the emperor with the initial S,

“Who will also be known, In this debased eon, by the name Devarāja, As well as other different names. He will be intelligent and will patronize the Dharma.

“His younger successor by the name Bāla Will delight in the auspicious doctrine. He will beautifully adorn the eastern region As far as the sea with caityas.

“He will build, there is no doubt, Monasteries, parks, ponds, Gardens, and of course shelters Throughout the whole country.

“This glorious king will establish Road links by building bridges. He will worship the images of the Teacher And cause those with faith to worship them too.

“This great king will make the kingdom Trouble-free and without equal. He will live [secular life] for thirty-six years and thirty days, And then he will renounce the world.

“Later, the king will commit suicide By becoming insensible while meditating. He will become a monk Because of grief for his son.

“When his body gives out, He will fall into the hell realms. Having stayed there For four days,

“After he leaves his hell body behind, The king will be reborn, naturally, In the celestial realm of the pious gods Known as the Pure Abode. Himself pure by nature, he will become The king of gods destined for awakening.

“Having experienced celestial pleasures For hundreds of thousands of years, He will once again be reborn as a human And become a buddha in his subsequent rebirth Due to the acts [of kindness] toward sentient beings Carried out in his previous births.

“He lived in the country of Kālava, In the city called Ujjayinī. There, he became a prominent merchant Of great wealth.

“It was a period without a buddha, But some powerful pratyeka­buddhas Wandered in the world That was empty and desolate.

“Wandering thus in the land Out of the desire to benefit beings, They entered the city of Ujjayinī To seek alms.

“While these great beings, the vargacārins, Were walking along the main street, The merchant, seeing the sages, Approached them

“And invited them to his house To partake of some food. Having brought these distinguished ascetics to his home, He promptly offered them seats and said,

“ ‘Please join me, venerable sirs! Now is the mealtime.’ The great beings remained silent And did not say a word.

“Then they held out their bowls To the merchant for any alms he might give. Communicating with these learned men By gestures,

“The merchant filled their bowls With different types of food. He carefully distributed it With his own hand.

“Having accepted it, The pratyeka­buddhas all went to heaven, Where they can be seen as a string of lights, Nestled in the firmament of the sky.

“The merchant, his hair bristling with joy, Very excited, fell on the ground right there, His mind humbled by the great power [Of the pratyeka­buddhas].

“He made an aspiration at that time, Saying the following words: ‘Due to this root of virtue That I have accumulated today, May I become a supreme buddha Just like these eminent sages.’

“Subsequently, he was reborn on earth Ten thousand times as an emperor And, after leaving the human body, Six hundred million times as a god.

“When he leaves his existence as a god, Having experienced great pleasures for a long time, He will obtain a human birth in this world, Subject to another’s will.

“He will certainly be born In this world into a royal family As the king by the name of Bāla, Who will rule a country in the east.

“After thousands of more births Filled with lasting, unadulterated pleasure, This glorious king Will ultimately attain omniscience.

“So, knowing how manifold And extensive is the resulting good fortune, Who would not worship the Teacher And make requests to him? Who would not engage in noble deeds And pursue the path of awakening?

“The next king after [Bāla], Who will rule over the Gauḍas, Will be known under the name Kumāra. He too will be exceedingly virtuous.

“After Kumāra, there will be a glorious king Known by the name with the initial U. After him, the Gauḍas Will fall out with one another

“And, with violent thoughts, Will form large factions. Thereafter, there will come the king called Deva, Also known as ‘the Magadhan.’

“He too will be surrounded on all sides, Attacked, and destroyed by his enemies. After him the kingship will fall To the next king called Candra.

“[Candra] too will die by the sword Because of his former actions. As for his son Dvādaśa, He will live on for another several months.

“He too will die by the sword When still a young boy. These kings will relish hostilities, Intent on causing problems for one another.

“At that time will rise a stalwart king With the initial of Bh. The best among the Gauḍa people, He will be stricken with a serious illness.

“Overcome by this illness, He will meet his demise. After him, there will be a king with the initial D, Who will rule only for a few days.

“He will be based in the Gauḍa country By the bank of the Gaṅgā. After him there will be a king with the initial Bh, Who will rule for three days.

“After that there will be King Gopālaka, Who will represent everything that a king should— He will speak gently, will be compassionate, And will possess great strength.

“Under the sway of women as a young man, Heartsick and foolish, he will vanquish his opponents. But when he meets a virtuous friend, He will become very charitable.

“He will then build monasteries, caityas, Various pleasant gardens and parks, Ponds full of water, And beautiful hospitals.

“Many people will proclaim his fame As one who performs acts of service Such as building deity shrines, Caves, and dwellings.

“The land will be overrun by heretics Belonging to different tīrthika groups. Every place will be overrun by them As far as the ocean’s shore.

“This great king, however, being compassionate, Wealthy, and sensible, will patronize the Dharma. This powerful monarch will rule In the eastern territories, there is no doubt.

“In his old age, he will suddenly Fall ill with dysentery. Having ruled, On the bank of the Gaṅgā, For twenty-seven years, He will die at the age of eighty.

“After his body gives out, He will be reborn in the god realms. Then will come a glorious Nāga king, Devoted to and fond of the Dharma.

“He will build caityas and commission Beautiful images of the Teacher. He will also construct monasteries For the saṅgha.

“Due to the maturing of this karma, He will, in his final birth, Enter the path to awakening And attain the unshakable state.

“From his time onward, the earthly capital of the Gauḍas Will be overrun by tīrthikas. Then, in this eastern city Troubled by the tīrthikas, A king called Bhagavat Will come to power among the Gauḍas.

“He will be consecrated by Prabhaviṣṇu, A vow holder from the south. Having consolidated his kingship, He will make a [military] foray to the west.

“He will wantonly enter The pleasant city of Sāketa But, defeated by the enemy, Will have to retreat.

“In the east, on the ocean’s edge, He will be surrounded by bandits And will die from the blow of a weapon. He will be reborn as a preta.

“Having ruled for merely three years Over a small kingdom And then seized and killed by bandits, He will become a powerful preta And rule over the pretas For three years.

“He will then leave his preta body And the terrible preta realm. Released thus from his birth as a preta, He will surely go to heaven.

“The king that will succeed [Bhagavat] Will be known under the name Samudra. Dull and feebleminded, He will rule the kingdom for just three days. His younger brother who will succeed him Will be known under the name Bhasma.

“This mighty lord will engage in excessive killing And commit other despicable acts. He will be careless and without compassion toward others, But ever careful and vigilant about his own person.

“Unconcerned about the hereafter, He will perform animal sacrificies in this world. Having met a nonvirtuous friend, He will accumulate a lot of evil karma.

“His kingdom will be overrun With brahmins and pathetic logicians. The people and the pitṛs will enjoy Luxuries of various types, And also the king will obtain Good fortune of many kinds.

“This king will gradually Advance toward the west, Until his territory extends up to The gateway of Kaśmīra.

“Victorious in battles there, He will rule his entire kingdom For twelve years And fifteen months.

“When struck with an illness, He will faint again and again, collapsing onto the ground. Overcome by great pain and with his body failing, He will die and be reborn in lower realms.

“Mutual enmities will [then break out in Bengal] Among those greedy for the crown. They will engage in armed struggle, Fighting one another.

“At that time, they will consecrate To kingship a young boy with the initial S. The brahmins who will do this Will be divided among themselves, So they will make him a ruler in title only, And then remove him.

“A brahmin will arrive In the province of Magadha, in the city Udumbara, And will consecrate as rulers upon earth Two boys.

“They will gradually extend their rule To include the eastern provinces. Once they reach the Gauḍa province, They will have no rivals.

“The two boy leaders will be killed By a rogue from Kaliṅga Who, because of his association with bad friends, Will commit many murders.

“He will kill All the inhabitants of Gauḍa Who formerly sided With the arrogant, warring kings.

“After him, King Soma, A hero without equals, Will rule as far as the river Gaṅgā, In Vārāṇasī, and beyond.

“In his ignorance, he will destroy The beautiful images of the Teacher And, as prophesied earlier by the Victorious One, Will burn the great Bridge of the Dharma

“This ignoramus will delight In the teachings of the tīrthikas And will be despised as a cruel And greedy person who holds wrong views.

“He will demolish, throughout the land, All the monasteries, gardens, caityas, And shelters for mendicants, And he will also destroy people’s livelihoods.

“At that time, there will rise In Madhyadeśa a fine king with the initial R. He will be dedicated to his work And unwavering in his vaiśya ways.

“This king, capable to follow this teaching, Will equal the one called Soma But will be overthrown By that king of the Nagna caste.

“Then, his younger brother with the initial H Will become a hero without equals. He will have a great army And be brave in his conquests.

“This H-initialed king from the vaiśya caste, With his powerful army and many soldiers, Will take action to uproot the king Known as Soma.

“He will advance against the eastern country And its capital city called Puṇḍra. He will assume the duties of a kṣatriya With respect to [Soma], who cannot control his pride and anger.

“[It is with] compassion, dedication to the Dharma, And understanding [that] he will take many lives But will rejoice only at defeating [Soma], Who is wont to oppress living beings.

“He will thus defeat Soma, This perpetrator of evil acts. Soma will henceforth be confined To his own country, where he will remain.

“The H-initialed king will [then] withdraw, Honored in the kingdom of the mlecchas, Pleased about his work, and basking in the glory Of someone who dutifully attends to his affairs.

“He will go back to his own country, Free to travel wherever he wants to. The task will thus be accomplished By those who took joy in kingship.

“[Soma] will now obtain The comforts that attend the royal life, Because he offered in the past Food and clothes to a pratyeka­buddha.

“He presented him with a pair of shoes And adorned him with a parasol and a whisk. By the power of this karma, He will become a great king

“And will enjoy a complete array Of pleasures, both human and divine. This brahmin called Soma Will thus be endowed with great pleasures.

“He will thus rule his kingdom, Bestowing benefits on the brahmins, For seven and a half years.

“After seventeen years, One month, And seven or eight days, He will develop a mouth disease.

“Eaten by parasites, he will die And fall into the lower realms. His capital will then Be destroyed by nonhuman beings.

“Due to the ills of his human condition, The king, his time having come, Will develop fever and a debilitating illness. He will die killed by the mantras used against him.

“This evildoer Will then fall Into the hell called Avīci, Propelled by his bad karma.

“That evil-minded one Will burn in the Avīci hell for one great eon. After that, he will stay in the hells called Aṭaṭa, Hahava, Sañjīva, Kālasūtra,

“And the terrible hell of Asipattra. He will experience these places again and again, And then the worlds of animals, Pretas, and the world of Yama, again and again.

“In this way he will circle in saṃsāra, Born there thousands of times, again and again. He will not find any pleasure, But will continually experience suffering.

“You should therefore apply yourselves With effort to the doctrine of the Tathāgata, Generating faith with every thought, So that you may go to the place free from the fever of afflictions.

“Assisting the Buddha, or offending against him, Has infinite karmic results. One should therefore cultivate faith In the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha.

“Kings who worship the Three Jewels Become the foremost in the world— Great lords with great kingdoms, Many pleasures, and great wealth.

“They obtain various types of happiness And vast good fortune. By worshiping the best among men, They attain the status of a sovereign in the world.

“They can further attain the status Of a Śakra, a Yāma, or a Brahmā. Here on earth, they can become A śrāvaka, a pratyeka­buddha, or a buddha, Obtaining excellence in the three vehicles And arriving at non-attachment following the two.

“The buddhas are inconceivable; The buddhas’ wisdom is inconceivable; The results they reap are inconceivable; The ripening of the results is inconceivable.

“After King Soma’s departure From the earthly realm, There will be mutual discord Within the government of the Gauḍa state, With weapons ever at the ready And without any mutual regard.

“This will last For seven days, one month, or more, Until, inevitably, a people-supported rule Is established throughout the land On this bank of the Gaṅgā— The site of many monasteries.

“Next after [Soma] Will be his son, Mānava. He will rule for eight months and five days and will die at night; It will take him one and a half days to die.

“The next king of Gauḍa Will be named Nāgarāja— A young boy of the vaiśya caste.

“Close to him there will be Jaya and the other brahmins. The so-called Nāgas will all be vaiśyas, And will be surrounded by [other] vaiśyas.

“When stricken by famine, They will be attacked by a foreign army. Without an [adult] king, The kingdom will be plagued by many bandits And will politically deteriorate.

“For five years they will Experience a lot of fear and danger. Having killed many beings, They will perish themselves.

“Because of their past transgressions, These vaiśya people Will be predisposed To mutual discord.

“At that time, without a doubt, Prabhaviṣṇu of the kṣatriya caste Will become the king Who will govern Gauḍa.

“Some [Gauḍa] kings will die by weapons And some will succumb to illness. When they die, They will fall into the hell realms.

“The next king will be Śiśu, who will defer to women. He will rule merely for a fortnight, And then be slain by a weapon.

“A great famine will follow, As will an invasion by a foreign army. The eastern provinces will thus become dismembered, And the people terrorized and driven insane.

“These kings will rise in that country, There is no doubt. One born in Mathurā and known to be a vaiśya, Formerly a merchant, Will become the king of Magadha. A superior king, he will become an object of worship.

“His descendant, with the initial Bh, Will live in the eastern country. His son, with the initial P, will be born, Too, in the eastern provinces. He will be described as a prominent kṣatriya. When a young boy, he will be imprisoned.

“He will thus spend seventeen years In prison under supervision. Imprisoned by the king called Gopa, He will be released by the king called Bhagavat.

“A great king with the initial H Will come from a western country And occupy the Gangetic plain As far as the eastern frontier.

“This great king will be from the śūdra caste And will have a powerful army with many soldiers. Having consolidated his rule on the banks [of the Gaṅgā], He will then extend it all around.

“This very powerful king Will besiege and occupy The city in Gauḍa Known as Tīrtha.

“A kṣatriya youth will arrive, Accompanied by a merchant, And will enter the city at night. At dawn, honors will be bestowed upon him.

“The king described as a śūdra Will then return back to The banks of the Gaṅgā, To the city called Nanda.

“He will, at that time, appoint that boy To the kingship of Magadha. The śūdra king will proceed to the country of Kāśī And will advance into the city of Vārāṇasī.

“Having entered the city, This great and mighty king of the śūdra caste Will fall ill with a serious disease; He will then consecrate his son to kingship.

“Having thus been consecrated to kingship The young boy with the name of a planet, The śūdra king, will succumb to severe illness And fall down upon the earth.

“Struggling, he will breathe his last. His body broken, he will pass to another existence And spend eight months and fifteen days In the animal realm.

“When released from his birth as an animal, He will be born among the gods, where, For twenty births, he will experience Various celestial enjoyments.

“In due course, after devoting himself to the Dharma, He will attain the realization of a pratyeka­buddha. This will happen because of the karma That he accumulated in his former births.

“He provided clothes To a great being pratyeka­buddha. He gave him shoes, And draft elephants, and horses. He offered him food With all due attention.

“By the ripening of this karma He became Indra, the lord of gods. In that celestial realm He passed three hundred million lives. When he descends onto earth again, He will become, in that birth, this king.

“He will enjoy a kingdom That has been won by others. His son [Soma] will be installed As king in Vārāṇasī.

“The kingdom will be attacked From all sides, pillaged, and destroyed. It will be filled with brahmins to excess And overrun by enemies.

“The king designated as a ‘planet’ Will be careless and pleasure seeking. In the end, he will die After being struck by an enemy.

“When King Soma is dead, There will now be mutual strife Everywhere in the eastern region For the kingship of Magadha.

“A kṣatriya with the initial P, Honored [earlier as king] By the śūdra [king] with the initial H, Will become king in the territory Right up to the bank of the Gaṅgā, Across from Vārāṇasī.

“He will rule in the city called Nanda, Nestled on the bank of the Gaṅgā. He will become a kṣatriya king Propelled by the former deeds That he performed and rejoiced at After they were performed.

“A long time ago, during the life Of the Teacher called Kanaka, There was in the great city of Vārāṇasī A distinguished and wealthy person.

“The merchant’s son, a young boy, Kept company with foolish boys. One time he went out onto the main road To play in the sand.

“Having previously seen the stūpa in his own house, Worshiped by his father and mother, He visualized such a stūpa in his mind And created it from the sand.

“He then offered to this stūpa Some flowers from a used garland And praised it, Recollecting the Buddha with faith.

“The boy thus played, Surrounded by other children. At that time, there was an eminent śrāvaka disciple Of the victorious Kanaka who wandered alone.

“He was free of faults, focused, With a mind free from the three spheres. This fault-free śrāvaka Was doing his alms round.

“He entered at that time The beautiful city of Vārāṇasī. Free from attachment, he arrived At the place where the children were.

“They all surrounded him On all sides and shouted, ‘Come here monk, come here! Salute the caitya of the Teacher! We carefully built it ourselves. You will not be disappointed.’

“The merchant’s young son Then took a rope of twisted grass And playfully tied it To the dispassionate and very dignified monk.

“Dispassionate and dignified, The monk listened attentively. He saw on the ground there The caitya that the children built. Allowing the boy to have his way, The noble-minded monk said,

“ ‘Release me, son! Let us go where your creation is.’ All of them then went to the place Where the reliquary was.

“The dispassionate great being paid homage To the caitya along with the children. The hero then set off again To seek alms as he wished.

“The merchant’s young son, however, Seized the end of the monk’s robe And led him to his own home, Where he arranged for some food.

“At this moment the senior merchant, Seeing the boy holding The end of the robe Of the dispassionate and dignified monk,

“Became alarmed and his hair bristled. Thinking, ‘An exalted guest has come to my house,’ He fell down at the monk’s feet And promptly made the boy let go of the robe.

“Holding back his son, He apologized to the monk in earnest. He then took the bowl from the kind [monk], The supreme conqueror of the senses,

“And filled it with food Consisting of rice and condiments. He then ordered his son To take the bowl and pass it to the monk.

“The boy, having understood, Carefully washed his hands, Took the full bowl, And handed it to the dispassionate monk.

“Having handed it over, He promptly fell at the monk’s feet. The dispassionate one took the bowl, Went back to his monastery, and ate the food. Free from attachment, He obtained a pleasant sense of satisfaction.

“Another boy, however, Experienced feelings of envy. The next day, Feeling nothing but anger, He took plenty of hard and soft food And offered it to the dispassionate one, saying,

“ ‘If there is any virtue In offering alms to you, May I become, through this, Richer than the merchant’s son on this earth.’

“Then all the tīrthikas And all the brahmin wives Gathered together And quarreled, criticizing one another:

“ ‘Don’t you know this, you fool! How can the “bald heads” get anywhere? Not abiding in the Self, How could these outsiders ever attain nirvāṇa?’

“A similar hatred Arose in the boy. He subsequently destroyed Things that were praised by the Teacher:

“The ever-celebrated Bridge of the Dharma And the best monasteries and caityas. He also murdered the son Of that senior merchant.

“[He said at that time,] ‘What would I gain By giving them a pot of water? I will exterminate these “bald heads” Who are preoccupied with the thoughts of lower rebirth.’

“The boy who said this Will be the king by the name Soma. He will experience pain for a long time, As the inevitable result of his karma.

“The son of that senior merchant Went to heaven when he died. Time after time, he experienced Pleasures among the celestial beings.

“Again and again, he lived in the gods’ realms. When he departs from that realm, In his final birth, He will cut the bonds completely.

“In his third life as a human, He will become the ruler of the land, But, because of his karma, he will fall again and again, At different times and in different places.

“His birth will be in this world, Where he will carry out the duties of a king on earth. Because he had offered to the stūpa, In play, as a child, flowers that had been discarded,

“His pleasures will be tainted As the result of his tainted generosity. Like a broken joint, This king will obtain pleasure with difficulty.

“Because his large offering To a Teacher’s reliquary on earth Was done wholly without firmness, naively, And with an unsteady mind,

“He will, by the maturing of this karma, Experience instability in his reign— Now he will be king, Now he will not.

“He will act as king in the northern, Eastern, and central territories. Because the monk, free in his mind, Was first bound and then released by the boy,

“The boy was, by the ripening of this karma, Bound and released Repeatedly over the course Of five hundred lives.

“In his final birth, though, he will Break out of his bondage once and for all. In that life he will rule fifty-five years, Or perhaps seventy-seven. He will be king on earth, Up to the shore of the eastern ocean.

“All the mleccha bandits from the borderlands Who live in the Vindhya valleys Will come under the control Of this P-initialed ruler of the land,

“And so will those that live up north, In the foothills of the Himalayas. This kṣatriya king will rule at that time All the provinces.

“Because, in his simplicity, He built a stūpa out of sand when still a child, He will become the king of Magadha. He will rule, without rivals and without troubles, Up to the frontier forests And as far as the eastern ocean.

“The wise king will propagate The teachings of the Teacher From the west bank of the Brahmaputra To the Himalayas in the north, The pleasant city of Kāśī in the west, And the city called Śṛṅga [in the south].

“After conquering the two kings Called Pañcakesarī, The king will consolidate his rule. The entire [dynastic] family of Siṃha Will be uprooted and destroyed.

“This kṣatriya king Will then rule all the provinces In the east including the Himalayan valleys, As far as the banks of the Daśānūpa.

“The Siṃha kings, such as Deva and so forth, Will rule over other rogue peoples, [But] he will establish himself As the king over [all] the inhabitants of the Vindhyas.

“In the middle country said to be difficult to access, An extremely wicked king will rule. There will likewise be another king named Siṃha, Who will rule over the north and the east.

“At that time, when even the people of Gauḍa are afraid, There will be, there is no doubt, This kṣatriya king Described as ‘born prosperous.’

“Born into increasing prosperity, The king will likewise experience increasing comforts. Even in his old age, His enjoyments will not change.

“He will live for eighty years, Seven [months], and seven [days]. Then, overcome by old age, The king will die and go to heaven,

“Where he will experience happiness For a long time in the gods’ realms. However, due to his past karma That was tainted by afflictive emotions, He will fall from this realm and spend one month In the animal realm as a powerful nāga king.

“When he leaves his body of a nāga, He will be reborn among humans As a wise kṣatriya who will become, In terms of livelihood, an accomplished trader.

“Having met a virtuous friend, He will become a follower of the Victor’s teachings And will accomplish the mantra of the goddess Tārā— The vidyārājñī of great power and dignity.

“Having accomplished the mantra, He will be a victor who chooses his own destiny And a sugata who becomes A king of the vidyādharas,

“Also known as a cakravartin. His name will be Citraketu. [Because of his] exploits as a vidyādhara, He will also be called Sagacious.

“As a cakravartin, He will experience divine and human pleasures For eight hundred million years, Nine [months], and seven [days]. He will have a retinue of Six hundred million young girls.

“When he leaves his body, he will, Propelled by the goddess Tārā, Become the lord of gods, To whom he will teach the Dharma. Stage by stage, this king will swiftly progress Toward awakening.

“After the death of the P-initialed king, At that time, during the debased eon, There will ensue a great, mutually destructive struggle Among the pretenders to the throne. P’s minister will rule the kingdom For seven days.

“After seven days he will be succeeded By a king with the initial V, Who also, attacked and overthrown, Will be forced to go into exile.

“The [king] with the initial Bh, Accepted as the successor of the king P, Will rule the kingdom For three years.

“His younger brother, with the initial V, Will be supervised by a vow holder. He will bring economic growth Over a period of four years.

“Both of them will fall ill with indigestion And fall unconscious due to a sudden onset of dysentery. After they die in this world, They will be reborn as yakṣas. In due course, they will turn toward the Dharma And attain the realization of a pratyeka­buddha.

“His younger brother, with the initial Dh, A kṣatriya devoted to the Dharma, Will be king, a lord of men, For three years.

“After him, his youngest brother, Widely known by the name beginning with V, Will become the king of the country, Ruling over the entire territory.

“With elephants, horses, chariots, and boats In every direction, He will conquer all the enemies That he faces in battle.

“He will adorn all the provinces And all the land With images of the Teacher, monasteries, And reliquaries of the victorious ones. He will maintain all of them well, And make the entire earth more beautiful.

“He will be of royal ancestry, A twice-born of the Śākya line. He will be noble, of keen intellect, and wise. With his noble intellect, he will be destined for awakening.

“At that time, during the debased eon, He will obtain lasting happiness. Described as a kṣatriya of outstanding intellect, This king will patronize the Dharma. He will live one hundred and twenty years And, if he takes care, another seven or eight years.

“He will die due to problems brought on by women And ascend to the celestial realm. Proceeding through the stages, This wise king will attain the ultimate awakening.

“After him, the lord of the land Will be known by the name of Śrī. In his governance of Gauḍa, This great king will patronize the Dharma.

“He will conquer his enemies all around And will rule his kingdom From the capital city of Gauḍa whose name begins with B, And which has a large population.

“He will build seven monasteries there, Followed by another eight. He will form an alliance With a prominent brahmin called Śākaja.

“Ruling with him as his ally, He will consolidate his rule throughout. This king will live Eighty-one years.

“He will die through his minister’s fault But, devoted to the Dharma, will ascend to heaven. In due course, he will act As king of the gods.

“When he dies, he will go to heaven And move on an ever-higher realm, Skillfully fulfilling the conditions For attaining awakening.

“On earth, his minister will become the king And will rid the kingdom of troubles. The name of this ruler Begins with Y.

“During that period He will rule the kingdom for eight years. Killed by women, He will proceed to the lower realms.

“The next king will be, again, A kṣatriya of the P dynasty. He will kill a group of ministers Who are closely connected.

“Having met a nonvirtuous friend, He will kill many beings. Infatuated with his great power, He will rule the entire realm.

“He will be quick to act, fickle, And a drunkard fond of rogues. He will pass out on the floor In a drunken stupor.

“He will be struck and slain with weapons By enemies ready to kill. With his body thus destroyed, He will die and fall into the lower realms.

“On earth, one of his brothers, Known by the name beginning with R, Will then rule the kingdom For forty-eight days.

“He will provide the brahmins with wealth, Without a doubt, until his death. The king next after him Will be a ‘dog eater,’ and so forth.

“He will be from the śūdra caste, Crippled, and thoroughly reviled. He will be averse to the Dharma, undisciplined, And always delighting in war.

“Not only will he neglect all his vassals, The brahmins, the ascetics, And the Buddhist monks, But he will always delight in oppressing them.

“He will mete out severe punishments And execute bandits. He will suppress all the rogues Adhering to wrong vows.

“He will thus rule the kingdom Without making any provision for final liberation. This king will live Seventeen years only.

“After succumbing to the ravages of leprosy, He will die and be reborn in the animal realm, Where he will be a bold king of the nāgas With a big hood.

“His form, with an expanded hood, Will inspire utter dread. He will experience suffering for a long time As an inevitable result of Dharmic laws.

“Described as they [here have been], These kings, who will make the people prosper, Will have their base in the eastern region And will be known throughout the entire world.

“Born to a hereditary line Branching off from that of King P, There will be another king, a mighty kṣatriya hero Who will rule over the three seas.

“With a great and powerful army, He will rule in the same eastern region And adorn the earth With divine reliquaries of the Teacher,

“Monasteries, houses, temples, And gardens provided with various Ponds, well, pavilions, And, of course, hospitals and shelters.

“Devoted to the supreme victors, He will follow the supreme vehicle And certainly become A Śākya renunciant.

“He will avoid the unfree conditions And cultivate the free conditions. He will be known by the name beginning with K, Will have a good memory, and be skillful.

“This king will rule the kingdom For twenty-one years, Until he dies of cholera. He will be reborn in the celestial realm.

“This wise king will progress through the stages, Destined to attain awakening before long. The remaining members of his royal line Will live in subordination to others.

“The kings after him Will be the Gopālas of the servant caste. The people, without a doubt, Will be stingy toward the twice-born.

“During that lawless period When the teachings of the Teacher are lost, One will, [nevertheless], be able to bring Benefit to beings by reciting mantras.

“The mantras that bring prosperity That were taught by the divine youth Will be accomplished during that time In order to guarantee the king’s sovereignty. The supreme accomplishment, however, Will not be accomplished at that time in that country.

“The mantras that will be accomplished In the places where the Dharma wheel was turned, The pleasant grove of Mahābodhi Or the place where the Blessed One attained The peace that is free from rebirth, Are those of the deities Tārā and Bhṛkuṭī.

“As always, the [mantras of] the Lotus family Will be effective in places such as the ocean’s shore, Near the supreme thundering river, And everywhere along the banks of the Gaṅgā.

“The bodhisattva known by the name Candra Is said to be Tāra, the savior. With this name, he is also Tārā, The vidyārājñī of great power and majesty.

“Having morphed into a goddess with a female form, He wanders throughout the entire world In order to benefit beings, With the mind tender with compassion.

“In the world sphere of Sahā, He abides in the form called ‘woman,’ Who, nevertheless, is a powerful bodhisattva lord Abiding on the tenth level.

“Famed as the goddess Tārā, He guides sentient beings And provides protection, shelter, and cover With his effortless magical power.

“One should strive to accomplish [the mantra Of] this goddess who brings opulence and power And constitutes the cause for accumulating [The merit and wisdom] necessary for awakening.

“This goddess, at that time, will be connected, Through her compassion, to living beings, Constituting, in the form of the mantra, The cause for their accumulations that lead to awakening.

“She resides in the eastern region, Bringing happiness and nourishment to everyone. She manifests in five hundred forms That [each] emanate many more.

“She wanders the entire earth, As far as the four oceans. Her accomplishments will manifest Throughout the eastern region, in Vārāṇasī and beyond.

“The eastern region is famed As the territory of this goddess. There, too, can be accomplished Jambhala, A yakṣa king of great splendor.

“At that time during the debased eon, Those who desire affluence will be successful In accomplishing the yakṣa king and the goddess Tārā, Who fulfill the wishes for prosperity.

“Similarly, the wrathful mantras Will be effective in the southern region, Including the islands in the middle of the ocean Inhabited by mlecchas and pirates.

“Tārā and the powerful yakṣa king Will be accomplished also In Harikela, Karmaraṅga, Kāmarūpa, and Kalaśa.

“The mantras of all the various dūtīs And the powerful yakṣiṇīs, And the wealth-bringing mantras Chanted by Mañjughoṣa, Will be effective in those places And no other.

“There, in the eastern and the intermediate directions, The mantras that serve different purposes Taught for that particular time Will be also accomplished by living beings.

“In Madhyadeśa, there will be Various ministers and kings Who, generally, will be of weak character, Limited intelligence, and inferior understanding. The most important of them Are briefly enumerated below.

“Known by their initials, Their names begin With the letters M, N, P, D, I, S, and A.

“Further, there will be those With the names of Graha, and Kīrti And those with the initials H and Ś.

“There will be those from the lunar dynasty With the initials J, B, and L, And those with the initials H, Pra, and A.

“There will be those with female names Beginning with S and L, respectively, who will antagonize the people, And those with the initials S and M Will enjoy full sovereignty over the people.

“Gradually, concerning their typical occupation, The brahmins will take on the lifestyle of the vaiśyas. Most of them will commit acts contrary to the Dharma, Sowing discord and lusting after women.

“At that time, in this debased eon, The kings will have huge retinues. This will no doubt be the case With the kings of Madhyadeśa.

“At that time, during this debased eon, A human lifespan Of one hundred and twenty years Will be extolled as long.

“Among the prominent people of Madhya[deśa], There will be those long- and short-[lived]. All the kings foretold for this eon Will have a short lifespan.

“On the banks of the Gaṅgā, In the valleys of the Himalayas, And also in the country of Kāmarūpa, There will be kings as listed below.

“They are the first, the middle, and the last. Those specified for the country of Aṅga Are as follows: the first one, Vṛtsudhāna, Will be known as Karmarāja,

“And the last Aṅga king Will be Subhūtibhūti. In Kāmarūpa, there will be Sudaha and Bhavadatta, Who will be casteless.

“In Vaiśālī, at the time of V and Th, The last crown princes were Subhū and Mṛga. In the fine city of Kapilavastu, Where the Sage was born,

“The Śākya-born kings that ended with Śuddhodana Are said to descend from the solar Ikṣvāku dynasty. Śuddhodana is generally regarded as the last Śākya king Under whom the Śākyas prospered.

“The most eminent of men Also taught the mantras of the lesser capacity. These mantras, taught by the victors, Namely the mantras of all the ceṭa groups,

“The various dūtī groups, And all such mantras that belong to the Vajra and Lotus families, Will all succeed when employed By the adepts of the mantra system.

“All these worldly mantras Will be effective in Madhyadeśa, Particularly those that the victors Said reside in Madhyadeśa.

“With their different characteristics And different modes of function, These mantras are employed in various manners, Bringing to beings various accomplishments.

“Thus, the mantras particular to Madhyadeśa Are effective in bringing prosperity. They are also used for the sake of protection, Succor, and enthralling and attracting living beings.

“The past and the future kings Of Madhyadeśa that have been listed Are distinguished by their various characteristics, Such as different lifespan or family lineage.

“All these kings are said to be Of either superior, middling, or inferior types. The accomplishments, likewise, are of three types. The mantras that were taught by the most eminent of sages Are, accordingly, of three types And should be employed at three different times.

“Innumerable kings have been specified For Madhyadeśa; the west, The north, the south, and the east; For all the intermediated directions; And also for the outer islands, All divided into four groups.

“The kings are said to be innumerable, And so are the mantra practices; The mantra accomplishments, ascribed To innumerable regions, are also innumerable.

“When the teachings of the Sage have disappeared, For that particular time, Mañjughoṣa taught, with reference to kings, The mantras intended for suppressing or fostering.

“Taught here are also time-specific performances For the sake of play, protection, or magic; The great [benefits of] the mantras; the types of birth of beings; And the names of the kings.

“For those intending to do a formal mantra practice, There is a prescribed time and place. When the teachings of the path have disappeared, There are kings foretold who will, As required in these circumstances, teach about The greatness of mantra qualities and the final fruit.

“These kings, previously instructed In the two transcendent vehicles, Will establish themselves at that time, during the debased eon, As foretold, there is no doubt. All of these kings are specified For their [respective] regions.

“Having renounced the world and adhering firmly To the doctrine of Śākyamuni, They will serve the cause of the instructions And always delight in the mantra teachings.

“I will now speak, O divine youth, about those who will come After the best of sages—the one whose supreme vision Is uniquely focused on the world—has departed. Please listen with undivided attention.

“At the end of the eon, when the Teacher’s doctrine Has disappeared on earth and the world is corrupt, There will come, there is no doubt, Ascetics involved in affairs of state.

“There will be one by the name Mātṛceṭa, One known as Kusuma, One with the initial M, and one with the initial Ku, Exceedingly fond of the Dharma;

“Also, one referred to as Nāga With the name of Ratnasambhava, One with the initial G, one called Kumāra, And one with the initial V who will care for the Dharma;

“Also, a powerful person with the initial A— An irresistible defender of the Teacher’s teachings— And one known by his initial L, Endowed with virtue and intelligence;

“Also, one with the initial R, One known by the initial N, And King Buddhapakṣa, during whose reign The doctrine of the Teacher will shine brightly.

“There will be a brahmin ascetic with the initial A Who becomes a Buddhist monk— A citizen of the city of Sāketa Who will live eighty years.

“In the southern region there will be An ascetic with an initial A Who is a citizen of Kāśī, is intelligent, And will live sixty years.

“Also in the southern region there will be A well-known ascetic with the initial Th. This ascetic, accomplished in mantra, Will suppress the doctrines of other systems.

“Another eminent renunciant Will be a citizen of the city of lions. This inhabitant of the island of Siṃhala Will be able to tell the ignoble from the noble,

“And he will refute the tenets of the tīrthikas And suppress the doctrines of others. These people will come at that terrible time At the end of the eon.

“There will be one ascetic with the V initial, One with the L initial, One with the R initial, And also a renunciate monk with the V initial,

“Who will be, without a doubt, Wholly devoted to the Teacher’s teachings. During [the reign of] a king called Bālāka, There will be an ascetic with the initial S.

“He will build monasteries, ashrams, caityas, Ponds, and wells everywhere. He will make banners and images of the Teacher And construct bridges and ferry crossings.

“He will be remembered, there is no doubt, as the one Who was slain with a weapon and ascended to the higher realms. After him there will be one with the initial M, One known by the name beginning with K,

“One with the initial N, Sudatta, Suṣeṇa known as Sena, Dattaka, and Dinaka who will refute The doctrines of other systems,

“And also a former merchant and a former physician, Both concerned about the welfare of the poor. There will also be an ascetic known by the initial C, And after him one with the initial R.

“A Bh-initialed ascetic, one with deep faith, Will be instrumental in producing images of the Teacher. Another ascetic, with the initial M, will also be born, Who is intelligent and has faith.

“Various ascetics [such as those] mentioned And innumerable [others] will come at that time. All of them will be known As torchbearers of the Teacher’s instructions.

“When the instructions have disappeared And the earth is deprived of their light, These ascetics will make, without a doubt, Beautiful images of the Teacher.

“All of them have been prophesied to attain awakening And will certainly become models of attainment. Accordingly, they will be venerated in the world As the terminators of the three states of existence Known for their direct application of mantra methods And for making [others] worthy of praise.

“Now I will tell about the brahmins, Disciplined in the Dharma, Who will be involved in affairs of state By directly applying the mantra methods. During that terrible time They will exist all over the world.

“There will be an eminent brahmin with the initial V, Wealthy and fully conversant in the Vedas, Who will wander the earth to its farthest limits In order to debate others.

“He will delight in controverting other schools As far away as the lands beyond the three oceans. When facing others in debate, He will recite the six-syllable mantra,

“Which the divine youth conveyed in song Out of his desire to benefit beings. This famous [mantra] from his extensive manual Is for [helping those] of slow intellect.

“There will be Jaya and Sujaya, And after them, the celebrated Śubhamata, Well-born and virtuous, And the good and hard-working Mādhava.

“Further, there will be, at that time, Madhu, Sumadhu, Siddha, and Nama. There will be Rāghava of the śūdra caste, And others, of Scythian ancestry.

“While debating, all of them will recite The mantra of the divine youth present here. All of them will be honest, Intelligent, and learned. They will be involved in affairs of state Alongside the ministers.

“Another brahmin, known by the name Beginning with Vi, Will live in the Flower City. He will accomplish [the mantra of] Krodha. Having experienced poverty and humiliation, He will direct his acts of destruction at kings.

“Taught by Mañjughoṣa present here, This [mantra of] Yamāntaka, the Lord of Wrath, Is the tamer of the wicked beings So difficult to tame.

“It is for suppressing what is bad And promoting what is good. It can also be used to destroy physical life, But only as an act of kindness to sentient beings.

“This foolish young brahmin, however, Stricken with poverty and swayed by anger and greed, Will recite the Krodha [mantra] In order to kill the king.

“There will also be another brahmin, Known by the name beginning with S. He will be skilled in the art of mantras, studious, Truthful, and in control of his senses.

“A reciter of mantras, He will be known as a very powerful master. He will master the mantras for enthralling, But not for other activities. As the result of enthralling the spirits, He will become very rich.

“There will be another well-known brahmin In the country of Mālava, Concerned about the affairs of the Dharma, Whose name will begin with Ś. He will have faith in the teachings And will be an exemplary reciter of mantras on earth.

“He will enthrall vetālas, grahas, The evil brahmarākṣasas and rākṣasas, And all the pūtanas, bhūtas, And the various kravyādas.

“All animate and inanimate things Without exception will come under his control. All of them will be in his thrall, With benefits for this man marked as twice-born.

“There will be another brahmin In the southern region. He will be widely known by the name beginning with V And will be devoted to the teachings of the Teacher.

“He will adorn the entire land Between the two oceans With monasteries, ashrams, caityas, And beautiful images of the Teacher.

“Another distinguished brahmin, Known by the name beginning with Bh, Wealthy and famous, Will live in the southern region.

“This great being, a reciter of mantras, Will be destined to attain the final goal of awakening. In Madhyadeśa, there will be a brahmin Known by the name of Sampūrṇa.

“There will also be Vinaya, Suvinaya, And Pūrṇa, the citizen of Mathurā. There will be a royal treasurer with the initial Bh, A worshiper of mantra [deities].

“These brahmins, foretold as Worshipers of the Teacher’s teachings, Will be members of different houses and lineages, Prominent at the beginning, middle, and end.

“These and other brahmins will worship Among [other] brahmins in different places. They will belong to different brahmanical orders and lineages And will follow different types of practices. They are foretold as full-fledged ascetics, Ordained as novices and very learned.

“The self-realized buddha, the Dharma king Who fulfills the aims of all beings, Is glorified by all the spirits And also by the three gods.

“The four great kings Are celebrated in all the worlds. They are Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and the king of the yakṣas. Śakra is glorified as The long-lived among the gods.

“There are the gods of the Suyāma, Sunirmita, and Vaśavartin realms, And the king called Santuṣita Is said to be the supreme lord of the desire realm.

“Śakra and the other individually named gods Are, likewise, lords of the desire realm. Endowed with powers and majesty, they share a single nature, Always being one and the same person.

“The gods who possess different forms Are described as infinite. The gods above them are all equal, With equal powers and majesty.

“Known to be this way, The higher gods are said to be in harmony. There is no overlord among them, As they are all of the same status.

“Below, down to the Avīci hell, There is no king to be found. The eight [major hells] are the best known, Each surrounded by sixteen smaller ones.

“The kings of nonhuman beings are karmic kings. King Yama is thus the lord of the pretas. Suvarṇa, a majestic garuḍa, Is the king of the birds.

“[The king] of the kinnaras is called Druma, And that of the bhūtas, Rudra. The king of the vidyādharas Is the majestic Citraketu.

“Similarly, the supreme king of the asuras Is called Vemacitri; Of the ṛṣis, Vyāsa; And of the siddhas, Mahāratha.

“The moon is the king of the nakṣatras, And the sun, of the planets. The king of the mātṛs Is widely known as Īśāna.

“The king of the days is called Pratima, And that of the rāśis, Kanya. The king of the rivers is called Sāgara, And that of the clouds, Supuṣkara.

“Airāvata is the king of the elephants, And Harivara, the king of the horses. Prahlāda is known as the king Of all the animals everywhere.

“The types of beings are said to be innumerable, And so are their kings. Everywhere, in each of their respective worlds, There is a buddha—the supreme person.

“There is no supreme ruler In Uttarakuru and so forth, Nor there is one on the western islands That extend from the east to the west.

“There are kings, though, among The inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa and also in the east. The wheel-holding monarchs on the four islands Where there are kings are said to be infinite.

“These [kings] have been described in brief, Condensing the very extensive narrative. There are also numerous lords of spirits And of beings born as asuras or the three types of gods.

“They reside in infinite world spheres And possess infinite qualities. Those that dwell on earth are innumerable, As described in this manual.

“Both the kings of mantras And the various mantras of the hordes of dūtas Are taught as subject to the restrictions of time and place, Necessary for the mantras to succeed.

“These teachings were given in brief By the eminent sages, And now they have been taught again By them above the realm of the Pure Abode.”

The great hero Mañjuśrī Then asked the guide of the world, “Regarding these teachings, How should I remember them?”

… And so forth, repeating in full the deeds of all the kings.

“The supreme sage taught to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth, the stories of his former births, the Mahā­parinirvāṇa Sūtra ,

“And also the full extent of mantras That serve the aims of the bodhisattvas. These teachings, known as the sūtra teachings, Are to explain the path whose goal is awakening.

“[He also taught] in full the rites that involve mantras, The activities and lifespans of people on earth, The time of death of the kings, And the proclaimed duration of their lives.

“This compendium of Dharma teachings, A basket of writings dedicated to awakening, Is described as leading to such Through the direct application of the mantra methods. You, the sagacious one, should always remember it as The fulfiller of the goals of the mantra system.”