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CHAPTER IX.
vyúha. There the prince was in the lap of the great matron Gautamí. Eighty thousand ladies went there and beheld the face of the Prince. Ten thousand maidens went there and beheld his face. Five thousand Brahmanas did the same. Then the oruaments which had been prepared by the noble S'ákya king were tied on the person of the Prince; but they were all eclipsed by the splendour of the Prince's body,--they did not sparkle, nor glow, nor look bright. Even as a lump of ink brought near a piece of gold from the Júmbunada, does not sparkle, nor glow, nor look bright, so were the ornaments deprived of their lustre by the splendour of the Prince's person. Thus were other ornaments that were tied on his person put to- disgrace like a lump of ink. Thereupon Vimalá, a sylvan goddess, impelled by her liberal nature, came forward, and addressed the following Gathús to king S'uddhodana and the Sakyas:
"Were these three thousand regions along with all their towns and highways fully covered with showy stainless gold, and were then the gold from Jambu brought near, the lustre of the other gold would cease to glow, overpowered by the light of Jambu gold, and the whole of these regions would be lustreless. (1)
Even that (Jambu) gold placed beside the light issuing from the pores of the leader,-full of light, modesty and beauty--would rease to glow, to sparkle, and to radiate. By the light of Sugata's body it would become lustreless like ink. Ile is ornamented fully by a hundred merits; no ornament can appear lustrous on him. The splendour of that stainless body burns ont the light of the sun, the moon and the celestial luminaries. (2)
"The glory of Sakra and Brahmá pales before him of consolidated beauty, whose auspicious body is decorated with the fruit of noble works. Of what avail are to him common ornaments made by man? Remove those ornaments, O ye inconsiderate people; insult not the intelligent one by these. He desires no artificial ornaments-this being of noble object. Give away these nice looking ornaments to slaves.' (3)
