Chapter 37 - Śaśa

śaśa iti 37|

buddho bhagavānsatkṛto gurukṛto mānitaḥ pūjito rājabhī rājamātrairdhanibhiḥ pauraiḥ śreṣṭhibhiḥ sārthavāhairdevairnāgairyakṣairasurairgaruḍaiḥ kinnarairmahoragairiti devanāgayakṣāsuragaruḍakinnaramahoragābhyarcito buddho bhagavān jñāto mahāpuṇyo lābhī cīvarapīṇḍapātaśayanāsanaglānapratyayabhaiṣajyapariṣkārāṇāṃ saśrāvakasaṅghaḥ śrāvastyāṃ viharati jetavane 'nāthapiṇḍadasyārāme| śrāvastyāmanyatamaḥ śreṣṭhī āḍhyo mahādhano mahābhogo vistīrṇaviśālaparigraho vaiśravaṇadhanasamudito vaiśravaṇadhanapratispardhī| tena sadṛśātkulātkalatramānītam| sa tayā sārdhaṃ krīḍati ramate paricārayati| tasya krīḍato ramamāṇasya paricārayataḥ kālāttareṇa patnī āpannasattvā saṃvṛttā| sāṣṭānāṃ vā navānāṃ vā māsānāmatyayātprasūtā| dārako jātaḥ| sa unnīto vardhito mahānsaṃvṛttaḥ| pitā cāsya dhanakṣayamanuprāpto bhogakṣayamanuprāptaḥ| sa ca vistīrṇasuhṛtsaṃbandhibāndhavastaṃ putraṃ kālānukālaṃ jñātisakāśaṃ preṣayati| sa tairjñātibhistathā lāḍito yathā teṣu pravṛddhasnehaḥ saṃvṛttaḥ||

yāvadapareṇa samayena jetavanaṃ nirgataḥ| athāsau dadarśa buddhaṃ bhagavataṃ dvātriṃśatā mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇaiḥ samalaṅkṛtamaśītyānuvyañjanairvirājitagātraṃ vyāmaprabhālaṅkṛtaṃ sūryasahasrātirekaprabhaṃ jaṅgamamiva ratnaparvataṃ samattato bhadrakam| sa prasādajātaśca bhagavataḥ pādābhivandanaṃ kṛtvā purastānniṣaṇo dharmaśravaṇāya| tasmai bhagavatā saṃsāravairāgyikī dharmadeśanā kṛtā yāṃ śrutvā saṃsāre doṣadarśī nirvāṇe guṇadarśī bhūtvā mātāpitarāvanujñāpya bhagavacchāsane pravrajitaḥ|| sa evaṃ pravrajitaḥ san jñātibhiḥ saha saṃsṛṣṭo viharati| tato bhagavāṃstaṃ gṛhisaṃsargānnivāryāraṇye niyojayate| sa tatra nābhiramate| yāvadbhagavāṃstaṃ trirapi gṛhisaṃsargānnivārayati| vatsānekadoṣaduṣṭo 'yaṃ gṛhīsaṃsargaḥ satti cakṣurvijñeyāni nūpāṇi iṣṭāni kāttāni priyāṇi manāpāni kāmopasaṃhitāni rañjanīyāni śrotravijñeyāḥ śabdā ghrāṇavijñeyā gandhā jihvāvijñeyā rasāḥ kāyavijñeyāni spraṣṭavyāni manovijñeyā dharmā iṣṭāḥ kāttāḥ priyā manāpāḥ kāmopasaṃhitā rañjanīyāḥ kaṇṭakabhūtāḥ| anekaparyāyeṇa cāsyāraṇyaguṇāḥ saṃvarṇitā yatra sthitasya kuśalānāṃ dharmāṇāṃ vṛddhirbhavati|| yāvattena kulaputreṇa bhagavattaṃ kalyāṇamitramāgamyāraṇyavāsena vasatā yujyamānena ghaṭamānena vyāyacchamānenedameva pañcagaṇḍakaṃ saṃsāracakraṃ calācalaṃ viditvā sarvasaṃskāragatīḥ śatanapatanavikiraṇavidhvaṃsanadharmatayā parāhṛtya sarvakleśaprahāṇadarhattvaṃ sākṣātkṛtam| arhansaṃvṛttastraidhātukavītarāgaḥ samaloṣṭakāñcana ākāśapāṇitalasamacitto vāsīcandanakalpo vidyāvidāritāṇḍakośo vidyābhijñāpratisaṃvitprāpto bhavalābhalobhasatkāraparāṅmukhaḥ sendropendrāṇāṃ devānāṃ pūjyo mānyo 'bhivādyaśca saṃvṛttaḥ||

sa pūrvanivāsamanusmṛtya bhagavato 'syātiduṣkarāṇi dṛṣṭvā bhagavattamupasaṃkramya sagauravaḥ stauti mānayati ca|| bhikṣavaḥ saṃśayajātāḥ sarvasaṃśayacchettāraṃ buddhaṃ bhagavattaṃ papracchuḥ| paśya bhadatta yāvadayaṃ kulaputro bhagavatā yāvattrirapi grāmāttānnivāryāraṇye niyojito yāvadarhattve pratiṣṭhāpita iti|| bhagavānāha| kimatra bhikṣava āścaryaṃ yadidānīṃ mayā vigatarāgeṇa vigatadveṣeṇa vigatamohena paribhuktena jātijarāvyādhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsaiḥ sarvajñena sarvākārajñena sarvajñānajñeyavaśiprāptenāyaṃ kulaputro yāvattrirapi grāmāttānnivāryāraṇye niyojito yāvadarhattve pratiṣṭhāpito yattu mayātīte 'dhvani sarāgeṇa sadveṣeṇa samohenāparimuktena jātijarāvyādhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyoyāyāsairayaṃ kulaputraḥ svajīvitaparityāgena grāmāttānnivāryāraṇyavāse niyuktastacchṛṇuta sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca manasi kuruta bhāṣiṣye||

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavo 'tīte 'dhvani anyatarasmingirikandare prasravaṇapuṣpaphalakandasaṃpanne ṛṣiḥ prativasati kaṣṭatapāḥ phalamūlāmbubhakṣo 'jinavalkalavāsī agnihotrikaḥ| tasya ca ṛṣeḥ śaśo vayasyo mānuṣapralāpī| sa divasānudivasaṃ triḥ ṛṣisamīpamupasaṃkrāmati upasaṃkramyābhivādanaṃ kṛtvā vividhābhiḥ kathābhiḥ saṃmodate| tāvevaṃ pravṛddhasnehau pitāputravadavasthitau|| yāvatkālāttareṇa mahatyanāvṛṣṭiḥ prādurbhūtā yayā nadyudapānānyalpasalilāni saṃvṛtāni puṣpaphalaviyuktāśca pādapāḥ|| tataḥ sa ṛṣistatrāśramapade upabhogavirahānnābhiramate| so 'jinacīravalkalānyabhisaṃkṣeptumārabdhaḥ||

atha śaśastaṃ tathā pravṛttaṃ dṛṣṭvā pṛṣṭavānmaharṣe kka gamiṣyasīti|| ṛṣirāha| grāmāttamavagamiṣyāmi tatra pakkabhaikṣeṇā yāpayiṣyāmīti|| tataḥ sa ṛṣivacanamupaśrutya jātasaṃtāpo mātāpitṛviyogamiva manyamānaḥ pādayornipatya tamṛṣimuvāca| mā māṃ parityaja api cānekadoṣasaṃkulo gṛhavāso 'nekaguṇasaṃpannaścāraṇyavāsa iti|| sa bahvapyucyamāno na nivartate| tataḥ sa śaśenocyate| yadyavaśyaṃ gattavyaṃ kiṃ nvadyeha tāvatpratīkṣasvaśco yathābhipretaṃ yāsyasīti|| tatastasya ṛṣeretadabhavat| niyatamayaṃ māmāhārajātenopanimantrayitukāmo yasmādime tiryagyonigatāḥ prāṇinaḥ saṃcayaparā iti| tena tasya pratijñātam||

atha kṛtāhnikamāhārakāle śaśa upasaṃkramya tamṛṣiṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya kṣamayitumārabdhaḥ| kṣamasva mama maharṣe yanmayā ūhāpohavirahitena tiryagyonāvupapannena tava kiñcidapakṛtaṃ syādityuktvā sahasotplutyāgrau prapatitaḥ|| tataḥ sa riṣirjātasaṃvego bāṣpadurdinamukhaḥ priyaikaputrakamivopagṛhyovāca| vatsa kimidamārabdhamiti|| śaśa uvāca| maharṣe 'raṇyapriyatayā madīyena māṃsenāhorātraṃ yāpayiṣyasi| kiṃ ca
na satti mudrā na tilā na taṇḍulā vane vivṛddhasya śaśasya kecana|
śarīrametattvanalābhisaṃskṛtaṃ mamopayojyādya tapovane vaseti||

tataḥ sa ṛṣiḥ śaśavacanamupaśrutya jātasaṃvega uvāca| yadyevaṃ tava priyatayā kāmamihaiva jīvitaṃ parityakṣyāmi na ca grāmāttamavatariṣyāmīti| śrutvaitadvacanaṃ śaśaḥ prītamanāḥ saṃvṛtta ūrdhvamukhaśca gaganatalamabhivīkṣya yācituṃ pravṛtta āha ca|
araṇye me samāgamya viveke ramate manaḥ|
anena satyavākyena māhendraṃ deva varṣa nu||

ityuktamātre bodhisattvānubhāvena māhendrabhavanamākampitam| devatānāṃ cādhastājjñānadarśanaṃ pravartate| kiṃ kṛtamiti| paśyatti bodhisattvānubhāvāditi| yāvacchakreṇa devendreṇa māhendravarṣaṃ vṛṣṭaṃ yena tadāśramapadaṃ punarapi tṛṇagulmauṣadhipuṣpaphalasamṛddhaṃ saṃvṛttam||

tatastena ṛṣiṇā śaśaṃ kalyāṇamitramāgamya tatra vasatā pañcābhijñāḥ sākṣātkṛtāḥ|| tataḥ sa ṛṣiḥ śaśamuvāca| bhoḥ śaśa tena duṣkareṇa vyavasāyena kāruṇyabhāvācca kiṃ prārthayase iti| tenoktam| andhe apariṇāyake buddho bhūyāsamatīrṇānāṃ sattvānāṃ tārayitā amuktānāṃ mocayitā anāśvastānāmāśvāsayitā aparinirvṛtānāṃ parinirvāpayiteti|| tataḥ sa ṛṣiridaṃ vacanamupaśrutya śaśamabravīt| yadā tvaṃ buddho bhavethāsmākamapi samanvāharethā iti|| śaśa uvācaivamastviti||

bhagavānāha| kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavo yo 'sau tena kālena tena samayena śaśa āsīdahaṃ saḥ| ṛṣireṣa eva kulaputraḥ| tasmāttarhi bhikṣava evaṃ śikṣitavyaṃ yatkalyāṇamitrā vihariṣyāmaḥ kalyāṇasahāyāḥ kalyāṇasaṃparkā na pāpamitrā na pāpasahāyā na pāpasaṃparkā ityevaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ śikṣitavyam||

athāyuṣmānānando bhagavattamidamavocat| iha mama bhadatta ekākino rahogatasya pratisaṃlīnasyaivaṃ cetasi cetaḥparivitarka udapādi| upārdhamidaṃ brahmacaryasya yaduta kalyāṇamitratā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasaṃparko na pāpamitratā na pāpasahāyatā na pāpasaṃparkā iti|| bhagavānāha| mā tvamānandaivaṃ vica upārdhamidaṃ brahmacaryasya yaduta kalyāṇamitratā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasaṃparko na pāpamitratā na pāpasahāyatā na pāpasaṃparkā iti| sakalamidamānanda kevalaṃ paripūrṇaṃ pariśuddhaṃ paryavadātaṃ brahmacaryaṃ yaduta kalyāṇamitratā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasaṃparko na pāpamitratā na pāpasahāyatā na pāpasaṃparkāḥ| tatkasya hetoḥ| māṃ hyānanda kalyāṇamitramāgamya jātidharmāṇaḥ sattvā jātidharmatāyāḥ parimucyatte jarāvyādhiśokamaraṇaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsadharmāṇaḥ sattvā upāyāsadharmatāyāḥ parimucyate| tadanenaiva te ānanda paryāyeṇa veditavyaṃ yatsakalamidaṃ kevalaṃ paripūrṇaṃ pariśuddhaṃ paryavadātaṃ brahmacaryaṃ brahmacaryaṃ yaduta kalyāṇamitratā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasaṃparkā na pāpamitratā na pāpasahāyatā na pāpasaṃparkā ityevaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ śikṣitavyam||

idamavocadbhagavānāttamanasaste āyuṣmānānando 'nye ca bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitamabhyanandan||