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86
MAHAVAGGA.
1, 5,5.
Sahampati", understanding by the power of his mind the reflection which had arisen in the mind of the Blessed One, thought: 'Alas! the world perishes! Alas ! the world is destroyed ! if the mind of the Tathagata, of the holy, of the absolute Sambuddha inclines itself to remain in quiet, and not to preach the doctrine.
5. Then Brahmâ Sahampati disappeared from Brahma's world, and appeared before the Blessed One (as quickly) as a strong man might stretch his bent arm out, or draw back his out-stretched arm.
6. And Brahmâ Sahampati adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one shoulder, and putting his right knee on the ground, raised his joined hands towards the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, may the Blessed One preach the doctrine ! may the perfect One preach the doctrine ! there are beings whose mental eyes are darkened by scarcely any dust; but if they do not hear the doctrine, they cannot attain salvation. These will understand the doctrine.'
7. Thus spoke Brahmâ Sahampati; and when he had thus spoken, he further said: "The Dhamma hitherto manifested in the country of Magadha has been impure, thought out by contaminated men. But do thou now open the door of the Immortala; let them hear the doctrine discovered by the spotless One!
'As a man standing on a rock, on mountain's
1 It is difficult to believe that the Pâli name of Brahmâ Sahampati, the ruler of the Brahma worlds (see Spence Hardy's Manual. pp. 43, 56), is not connected with the Brahman svayambhû of the Brahmanical literature. Perhaps the Sanskrit equivalent of sahampati might be svayampati.
? Amata, an epithet of Arahatship, which may perhaps mean simply ambrosia. See Rh. D., Buddhism, pp. 60, III, 184.
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