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BIOGRAPHIES OF ASVAGOSHA, &c.
BIOGRAPHIES OF ASVAGOSHA, NAGARJUNA, ARYADEVA, AND VASUBANDHU. Translated from Vassilief's work on Buddhism, by Miss E. Lyall.
gáthas (each of which is composed of 42 letters or syllables). He travelled into various kingdoms, and learned all the secular sciences, such as astronomy, geography, secret and magical powers; then he entered into friendship with three very distinguished men, and, having obtained power to render himself invisible, he glided with them into royal palaces, where he began to disgrace the women. Their presence was discovered by the print of their feet; the three companions of Nagarjuna were hewn to pieces, and he himself was saved only by first making a vow to adopt the spiritual state (Buddhist). Accordingly, having arrived on the mountains, at the stúpa of Buddha, he uttered his vows, and in ninety days he learned the three Pitakas, the deepest meaning of which he penetrated. Then he began to search for the other Sútras, but he found them nowhere; it was only on the summit of the Snowy Mountains that a very old Bhikshu gave him The Sútra of Mahayana, the depth of the meaning of which he comprehended, without being able to discover the detailed explanations ofit. All the opinions of the Tirthikas and Śramanas seemed to him worthless; in his pride he supposed himself a founder of a new religion, and invented new vows and a new costume for his disciples. Then Nâgarája (King of the Dragons) concentrated himself in him, took him with him to his palace at the bottom of the sea, and showed him there seven deposits of precious objects, with the Vaipulya books and other Sûtras of a deep and mystical meaning; Nâgârjuna read them for ninety consecutive days, and then returned to the earth with a casket. There was at this time in Southern India a king who knew very little of the true doctrine; Nagarjuna, wishing to attract all his attention, appeared before him for seven years with a red flag, and when the king, in course of a prolonged conversation with him, asked him, as a proof of his universal knowledge, to tell him what was going on in heaven, Nâgârjuna declared that there was war between the Asuras and the Devas, and to confirm his words there fell from heaven an arm and some mutilated limbs of the Asuras.
MAY, 1875.]
Asvagosha (in Chinese Ma-mine, 'voice | of the horse') was a disciple of the venerable Pâráva. Pâréva, on arriving in Central India from the North, learned that the clergy of that district dared not strike the Gantú,† a privilege, as we know, which had been granted to the religions which prevailed or which had obtained preponderance. The cause of this humiliation was A svagosha, who, belonging to the most learned Tîrthikas, had demanded that the Buddhists should not be permitted to strike the Ganta so long as they had not refuted him. Pâráva ordered it to be struck; he entered into discussion with Asvagosha, and first asked him this simple question: What is to be desired in order that the universe may enjoy peace, the sovereign long life, the countries abundance, and that people may no longer have to submit to miseries ?' A turn so unexpected, to which it was necessary to reply, according to the laws of discussion, confounded Asvagosha, and after the meeting he became a disciple of Pâréva, who counselled him to teach Buddhism, and then returned to his native town. Aśvagosha remained in Central India, and made himself celebrated by his superior talents.
It happened that the king of Little Yu-chyi, in Northern India, invaded Magadha, and demanded the cups of Buddha and Asvagosha to be given up to him. The nobles grumbled against the king because he had set much too high a value on the latter; in order to convince them of their merit, the king took seven horses, and after having starved them for six days, he led them to the place in which Aévagosha was teaching, and ordered fodder to be given to them, but when the horses heard the preacher they shed tears, and would not eat. Aévagosha became celebrated because the horses had understood his voice, and because of this he received the name of Asvagosha (voice of a horse).
2. Nagarjuna was born in Southern India. He was descended from a Brahmanical family; he was naturally endowed with eminent qualities; and whilst yet a child he taught the four Vedas, each of which contained 40,000
The biographies of the first three were translated into Chinese under the dynasty of Yao-tzine, A.D. 384-417, by Kumaraya (Kumarasila ?); and the last, that of Vasbandhu, appeared under the Chene dynasty (A.D. 557-588),
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by the celebrated Chene-ti. From these M. Vassilief derives the following abridged lives (pp. 210-223 of the Russian ed.) † A sort of bell for calling to religious exercises.
