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1. 1.
THE BIRTH.
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come here to receive from me becoming gifts and reverence; I pray you therefore enter on your exhortation.' 76
Thus requested and invited the Rishi felt unutterable joy, and said, 'All hail, ever victorious monarch! possessed of all noble (virtuous) qualities1 77
*Loving to meet the desires of those who seek, nobly generous in honouring the true law, conspicuous as a race for wisdom and humanity, with humble mind you pay me homage, as you are bound. 78
'Because of your righteous deeds in former lives, now are manifested these excellent fruits; listen to me, then, whilst I declare the reason of the present meeting. 79
As I was coming on the sun's ways, I heard the Devas in space declare that the king had born to him (begotten) a royal son, who would arrive at perfect intelligence ; 80
Moreover I beheld such other portents', as have
1 The Chinese symbol 'teh' properly means 'virtue,' as in the title of Laou Tseu's work, Tau-teh-king. But in Buddhist books it generally corresponds with the Sanskrit guna, in the sense of a quality' or 'characteristic.'
The expression suh khih points to conduct in former conditions of existence. It properly means "a night's rest' or 'a lodging one night' (Williams), but in Buddhist books it commonly refers to abodes or conditions of life, occupied during the night (long night) of transmigration.
* Following the way of the sun. • Complete the way of true wisdom (Sambodhi or Sambuddha).
• Such miraculous portents going before. It would seem from Asita's description that he came from the East following the sun, and as he came he saw before him miraculous portents.
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