________________
342
SADDHARMA-PUN
XVIII.
fragrance of celestial flowers, such as Erythrina, Bauhinia, Mandarava and great Mandarava, Mañgusha and great Mañgusha. He smells the perfume of the divine powders of sandal and agallochum, as well as that of the hundred-thousands of mixtures of different divine flowers. He smells the odour exhaled by the body of the gods, such as Indra, the chief of the gods, and thereby knows whether (the god) is sporting, playing, and enjoying himself in his palace Vaigayanta or is speaking the law to the gods of paradise in the assembly-hall of the gods, Sudharmà, or is resorting to the pleasure-park for sport?. He smells the odour proceeding from the body of the sundry other gods, as well as that proceeding from the girls and wives of the gods, from the youths and maidens amongst the gods, without being surprised or stunned by those smells. He likewise smells the odour exhaled by the bodies of all Devanikâyas, Brahmakâyikas, and Mahâbrahmas. In the same manner he perceives the smells coming from disciples, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas. He smells the odour arising from the seats of the Tathagatas and so discovers where those Tathagatas, Arhats, &c. abide. And by none of all those different smells is his organ of smell hindered, impaired, or vexed; and, if required, he may give an account of those smells to others without his memory being impaired by it.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas :
22. His organ of smell is quite correct, and he
1 The parallel passage in the poetical version, st. 41, is much less confused, and for that reason probably more original.
· Three classes of aerial beings, archangels.
Digitized by
Digitized by Google