Overall Teaching

The elder Śākyas convince the king that he should prevent the prince from renouncing. In order to do this they attempt to make him allured by sensuality and get a wife. The prince requests a girl with the best qualities. Finding the girl Gopā, her father Daṇḍapāṇi requires that her husband be skilled in the arts. The Bodhisattva proposes to have a demonstration of skill in the arts, which is held after seven days. Devadatta kills an elephant out of jealousy. The Bodhisattva wins all the contests, those focused on are: scripts, mathematics, wrestling, and archery. Gopā marries the prince. She refuses to cover her face because what matters most to her is correct behaviour. The king gives gifts to her.

Summary

1.     When the prince was older, the elder Śākyas told King Śuddhodana that if he does not renounce, he will become a world-conquering monarch, their lineage will not end, and they will be respected by all kings. If, therefore, he is married and surrounded by women, discovering pleasure he will not renounce.

2.     When the king, finding that every Śākya claimed their daughter was suitable, decided that the prince should decide. The prince said he will decide within seven days.

3.     The prince reflected that, not being allured by sensuality and women, he ought to dwell in the forest in meditation. But out of skillful means, he also compassionately considered:

a.     When surrounded by a sizable entourage, a Bodhisattva can lead many beings to nirvāṇa.

b.    Past Bodhisattvas all had wives, but they did not become ensnared by desire and it did not deprive them of them of meditation.

4.     He told others that a suitable wife would have certain qualities, which they should seek out for him. They included:

a.     Beautiful but without vanity.

b.    Without mental deceit, and be content with what is hers.

c.     She should be without pride and not be attracted to sensuality.

d.    She should be as loving to the servants and maids as she is to herself.

5.     When the king heard this, he commanded the priests to scrutinize the girls and find one of any caste and select only based upon good qualities.

6.     Finding the daughter of the Śākya Daṇḍapāṇi, the girl asked the priest what he wanted. The priest explained that the prince was looking for a bride with good qualities. The girl replied that she has the qualities they were looking for, and the prince should not delay.

7.     After the priest reported this to the king, the king said that most girls think highly of themselves. So he will instead arrange for the prince to give jewels to all the girls, and choose whomever they see his eyes linger upon.

8.     After announcing this event, the Bodhisattva and the girls arrived in the assembly hall.

9.     The Bodhisattva gave the gifts to the girls as they arrived, but since they could not bear his splendour, they quickly departed.

10.  When the Śākya Daṇḍapāṇi’s daughter, Gopā, arrived, she asked the prince why he did not pay any attention to her. He replied that she had arrived late, but proceeded to give her his ring worth hundreds of thousands of silver coins, along with all his other ornaments. The girl said they should, rather, give to the prince, and left.

11.  The king’s spies reported that Gopā and the prince had the most significant exchange. But Daṇḍapāṇi reported that he would not give her to a man who is not skilled in the arts of swordsmanship, archery, combat, or wrestling. The king also reflected that the Śākyas did not attend upon him since they regarded him as an indolent.

12.  The king told the prince, who asked the king whether anyone could compete with him in the arts. The king asked whether he was capable of competing in the arts. The prince declared that he was, and that they should assemble everyone for a demonstration.

13.  After seven days, five hundred Śākya boys gathered and Gopā was put forward as a trophy for the victor.

14.  When Devadatta arrived ahead of everyone, he, seeing the Bodhisattva’s white elephant and being intoxicated with jealousy and pride in his strength, he grabbed it with his left hand and killed it with his right hand in a single stroke.

a.     When Sundarananda saw this, declaring that it was not right of Devadatta, he dragged the elephant outside the city gate by the tail.

b.    When the Bodhisattva saw the dead elephant, declaring it was not good of Devadatta, and hearing that Sundarananda dragged it outside the gates to avoid the stench of its rotting, he extended one foot to the ground, and with his big toe hurled the elephant a mile outside the city creating a gorge where it landed called Elephant Gorge.

c.     Gods and humans praised this deed—similarly, he will hurl the people of saṃsāra, bloated with pride, far beyond the city of saṃsāra with the strength of his insight.

15.  First, the Śākya boys competed in their knowledge of penmanship and scripts. The teacher Viśvāmitra declared, beforehand, that the Bodhisattva was foremost in his knowledge of scripts.

16.  Second, a mathematician named Arjuna arrived to determine who had greatest knowledge of numbers. 

a.     Posing a problem for them, even five hundred of the Śākya boys combined could not solve the problem. 

b.    Then the Bodhisattva asked the Śākya boys to devise a problem for him. After one, then two, up to five hundred Śākya boys devised problems, all of which he solved easily.

c.     All the Śākyas declared that the prince had won.

d.    The king asked the Bodhisattva to match his ways of calculation with Arjuna.

e.     Arjuna asked the prince to calculate ten million to the hundredth powers. The prince went through the various units of calculation until he got to a number which only a Buddha and a Bodhisattva in his final birth can conceive of.

f.      Arjuna then asked the prince to calculate the number applied to the smallest particles, and the Bodhisattva showed off how he could determine how many of these smallest particles there were in a league, up to a great trichiliocosm.

g.     After this Arjuna asked, if the Bodhisattva can calculate these, what is so special about any of the other Śākya boys?

h.    Devas praised this.

17.  The Bodhisattva, throughout the day, also excelled in all aspects of leaping, swimming, and running. The gods noted that his deeds here should not provoke wonder, as in any instant he is coming and going throughout the ten directions paying homage to infinite buddhas without anyone noticing his comings or goings.

18.  Third, the Śākyas then wished to test the Bodhisattva’s strength in wrestling. 

a.     Nanda and Ānanda collapsed on the ground after only being touched. 

b.    Conceited Devadatta, circling and lunging, was seized with the Bodhisattva’s right hand, spun three times, and tossed to the ground—but the Bodhisattva’s mind was full of love and Devadatta was unharmed.

c.     The Bodhisattva said all the Śākyas should face him at once. After they all faced him at once, they all fell to the ground with one touch.

d.    The gods praised this, and said he could do the same to Mount Meru, so what is so special about him wrestling a human body?

e.     He will likewise vanquish Māra, and peacefully attain awakening.

19.  Fourth, the Śākyas wished to test his skill in archery. So they set up four layers of iron drums, each twice the shouting-distance away from the previous one, and behind that the Bodhisattva set up an iron drum ten times shouting-distance away and then seven palm trees, behind which was an iron image of a wild boar.

a.     Ānanda pierced the first drum, Devadatta pierced the second, Sundarananda pierced the third, and Daṇḍapāṇi pierced the fourth.

b.    However, the Bodhisattva’s strength snapped every string or broke every bow. 

i. He asked if there was a stronger bow. ii. The king said that his grandfather, Siṃhahanu, had a bow that is being worshipped, but no one after him was able to string it, let alone draw it.

iii. The bodhisattva requested that bow, which was brought. iv. After the bow was brought, none of the Śākyas could string it.

v.       The prince could string it while sitting cross-legged, holding it with his left hand and stringing it with a single fingertip of his right hand—the sound of the bow sounded like throughout the entire city.

vi.     The gods praised this, and said just as this bow is drawn without the prince rising from his seat, likewise he will conquer Māra’s armies with ease.

c.     When the Bodhisattva shot the arrow with Siṃhahanu’s bow, it not only pierced all the drums, trees, and the iron boar, but it created a crater behind them which is called Arrow Crater.

d.    While the Śākyas were amazed, the gods said it is not amazing compared to how he will sit on the seat of previous buddhas and, with the bow of calmabiding, shoot the arrows of no-self to destroy the enemies (afflictions), rend asunder the net of views, and attain sublime awakening.

e.     The gods then strew the Bodhisattva with flowers.

20.  The Bodhisattva was superior in all physical and mental activities, and realms of knowledge, which are listed.

21.  When all these ways in which the prince was superior became clear, Daṇḍapāṇi agreed to allow Gopā to marry the prince.

22.  The prince had Gopā as his foremost wife, among 84,000 women—he showed himself to partake of amorous games with pleasure in order to conform to worldly conventions.

23.  Gopā did not cover her face, as was expected of a new wife, and was thus criticized. She said:

a.     A noble being shines in any situation or when doing any activity.

b.    A noble being shines regardless of what she or he wears.

c.     Those with evil in their hearts but sweet speech are like caressing a viper’s head.

d.    Those who are truly gentle are approached and honoured by all.

e.     Those who shun evil companions are surrounded by precious spiritual friends.

f.      Those who control their body, speech and mind are controlled, not confused in words, and serene: what good is it to cover the face of such beings?

g.     If one is covered by a thousand garments, but has no shame or modesty in their mind, without good qualities or truthfulness, then they are more naked than naked.

h.    Those who know the thoughts of others (gods and sages) know all her thoughts, so why should she veil her face?

24.  When the king heard this, he was satisfied and offered Gopā many jewels and ornaments. He declared:

a. That his son and Gopā come together is like butter and clarified butter coming together.