________________
CHAPTER XII.
213
.
Siddhartha has twanged his gratidfather's bow, and thence the sound."
Thereupon all men anil gods, in great delight, burst forth in hundreds of thonsinds of hilarious cheers and laughter. Deva - patras, coming under the sky, thus addrossed the king and the multitude:
“Since the saint has stringed the bow withont rising from his seat and the ground, he will doubtless soon fully attain his object after overthrowing the arıny of Mára.”
Nw, Bhikslus, the Bodhisattva, having stringed the bow, took an arrow, and, with great force and vigour, shot it. That arrow successively pierced the targets of Ananda, Devadatta, Sundarananda and Dandapáni, and, passing on to the iron drum at the tenth kros'a, pierced it through, as also the seven palin trees and the mechanical boar made of iron, and disappeared within the earth. The spot where thu anivw touched the earth was so pierced as to appear like a well. To this day that spot is called Suruhu, "the arrow well.' Ilundreds of thousands of men and gods burst forth in lond and repeated sbonts and cheers. All the S'ákyas became joyous and struck with wonder. But
this feat anul these accomplishments in art are not particularly wonderful. Devaputras, coming under the sky, thus addressed the king and the muliwe:
“Why this ronier and wherefore ?
“This being, who will assume the seat of former Buddhas on this earth, assuming the bow of might and the arrow of nihility and sunllossness, will kill the master of evil, pierco through the network of darkness which envelopes the "ye (of reason), and attain the prosperous, stainless, griciless ultimatum of Bodhi."
Saying this, the Devaputras showered flowers on tho Budhisattva, and then disappeared.
In this way he excelled in all arts and accomplishments current among men, exceeding all in human and celestial regtongin leapiny ; in running foremost, iu, writing, priuting and arithmetic; in wrestling and arcbery ; in quick walking, jumping,
