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I, 1.
THE BIRTH.
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They scattered before him Mandâra flowers, rejoicing with heartfelt joy to pay such religious homage; (and so, again,) Tathâgata having appeared in the world, the Suddha1 angels rejoiced with gladness; 23
With no selfish or partial joy, but for the sake of religion they rejoiced, because creation, engulfed in the ocean of pain, was now to obtain perfect release. 24
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Then the precious Mountain-râga, Sume (ru)3, firmly holding this great earth when Bodhisattva appeared in the world, was swayed by the wind of his perfected merit. 25
On every hand the world was greatly shaken, as the wind drives the tossing boat; so also the minutest atoms of sandal perfume, and the hidden sweetness of precious lilies, 26
Floated on the air and rose through space and then commingling came back to earth; so again the garments of Devas descending from heaven touching the body, caused delightful thrills of joy; 27
The sun and moon with constant course redoubled the brilliancy of their light, whilst in the world the
The Suddha-vâsas, 'beings dressed in pure garments.' A class of heavenly beings, supposed to take peculiar interest in the religious welfare of men.
2 Creation,' in the sense of all that lives.'
* Sumeru, written also Sumě and Meru. The primeval mountain; the Alborz, Atlas, or Olympus of other tribes. It is explained as 'the high, or resplendent, mountain.' On it was the heaven of the gods (the thirty-three gods).
It would seem from this that the original idea of Sumeru was 'the mountain of Heaven;' the visible heaven, or firmament, which 'firmly holds the earth.'
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