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his ten para mitās. The wheel became a canopy of flowers over his head. Be it mentioned that the wheel was so very powerful that it could smash even a solid pillar made from a rock as if it were a blade of grass. The stalwarts of Māra showered many rocks and stones at the Buddha to ma ke him flee, but because of the protection given to the Buddha by the par amitás, all these turned into garlands of flowers and fell on the ground within a short range of the Buddha.
Standing at the brink of the cakr avalas, the gods witnessed the scene with the greatest suspense. From time to time, all of them had the same apprehension in their mind,
Siddhartha has lost all his grace. What will he do now ?!
"The seat which is allotted to the Bodhisattvas fulfilling the paramitās on the day they attain Buddhahood is mine; you are a pretender".
When Māra uttered this, the Buddha asked him, "Māra! Who bears witness of your donations"?
Māra stretched his hands to his stalwarts and said,
'Why? All these you see are my witnesses."
At this hint from Māra, his soldiers shouted in one voice,
" We are his witnesses. We shall testify. "
The noise was so very tremendous as if the earth had fallen into pieces.
Mara - "But, pray, who bear witness to your own donations ?
The Buddha firmly declared,
"These bear witness to your donations; but I have no witness of mine who is alive. So let alone the donations made by me in other births. But the do
