Chapter 170 - The story of the tortoise

bhūtapūrvaṃ, bhikṣava, aniyatarāśyavasthito bodhisatvo mahāsamudre kacchapeṣūpapannasteṣāmadhipatirbabhūva; yāvatpaṃcavaṇikśatāni mahāsamudrayānapātraṃ pratipadya mahāsamudram (i 17) avatīrṇāni; tato nānāratnasaṃgrahaṃ kṛtvā pratinirvṛttāni; yāvadvahanaṃ makareṇa matsyajātenānayena vyasanamāpāditam; tatra mahān kolāhalo jātaḥ; tacchabdaśravaṇātkacchapo mahāsamudrādutthitaḥ; sa teṣāṃ sakāśamupasaṃkramya kathayati: alaṃ bhavatāṃ viṣādena mama pṛṣṭhamabhiruheta ahaṃ vastārayiṣyāmi iti; te naṣṭopalabdhaprāṇāḥ sarve kūrmapṛṣṭhamabhirūḍhāḥ; sa tānādāya samudratīrābhimukhaḥ saṃprasthitaḥ; atyantabhārāvaṣṭabdho'pi vīryamāsthāya viṣādaṃ nāpadyate; sa śrāntakāyaḥ teṣu saṃkīrṇeṣu grīvāmabhiprasārya suptaḥ; tasya nātidūre kīṭikānāṃ nagaram; tasmādekā kīṭikā paribhramantī gandhaṃ ghrātvā tasya sakāśamupasaṃkrāntā; tatastaṃ mahatpramāṇākāravikāraṃ dṛṣṭvā tvaritagatipracārikī kīṭikānagaramabhigatā; svasvasaṃjñayā kīṭikāḥ prabodhya aśītiḥ kīṭikāsahasrāṇyādāya kacchapasakāśaṃ gatā; tataḥ taṃ suotaṃ mṛtamiva niśceṣṭaprāṇaṃ bhakṣayitumārabdhāḥ; yadāsya sthūlaṃ māṃsaṃ bhakṣayanti śramanaparikhinno gāḍhamiddhāvaṣṭabdho na cetayate; yadā tu marmasthāneṣu māṃsaṃ bhakṣayanti tadā prabuddhaḥ paśyati kīṭikābhiḥ sarvaṃ śarīramākīrṇam; sa saṃlakṣayati: yadi kāyaṃ calayiṣye (a 431 ) vā saṃparivartayiṣye vā niyatametāḥ praghātayiṣyāmi; kāmaṃ prāṇaviyogo na tu prāṇoparodhaḥ; iti viditvā chidyamāneṣu marmasu mucyamāneṣu saṃdhiṣu praṇidhānaṃ kartumārabdhaḥ: yathā mayā etāni aśītirkīṭikāsahasrāṇi māṃsarudhireṇa saṃtarpitāni, tānyevamahamanāgate'dhvani anuttarāṃ samyaksaṃbodhimabhisaṃbuddhya saddharmarasena saṃtarpayeyamiti.
kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavaḥ? yo'sau kīṭikānāṃ mārgoddeśika eṣa evāsau kauṇḍinyo bhikṣuḥ; yāni tāni aśītirkīṭikāsahasrāṇi tamāgamya māṃsarudhireṇa saṃtarpitāni, tānyaśītirdevatāsahasrāṇi; tadāpyetānimayā svarudhireṇa saṃtarpitāni; etarhyapyetāni mayā saddharmarasena saṃtarpitāni; iti hi bhikṣavaḥ ekāntakṛṣṇānāmiti yāvadevaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ śikṣitavyam.
yadā bhagavatā paṃcakā bhikṣavaḥ saddharmarasena saṃtarpya saṃsārakāntārāduttāryātyantaniṣṭhe yogakṣeme nirvāṇe pratiṣṭhāpitā (i 18) tadā bhikṣavaḥ saṃśayajātāḥ sarvasaṃśayacchettāraṃ buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ papracchuḥ: paśya bhadanta bhagavatā bhikṣavaḥ saddharmarasena saṃtarpya saṃsārakāntārāduttāryātyantaniṣṭhe yogakṣeme nirvāṇe pratiṣṭhāpitāḥ iti; bhagavānāha: kimatra bhikṣava āścaryaṃ yadidānīṃ mayā vigatarāgeṇa vigatadveṣeṇa vigatamohena parimuktena jātijarāvyādhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsaiḥ sarvajñena sarvākārajñena sarvajñānajñeyavaśiprāptena paṃcakā bhikṣavaḥ saddharmarasena saṃtarpya saṃsārakāntārāduttāryātyantaniṣṭhe yogakṣeme nirvāṇe pratiṣṭhāpitāḥ? yattu mayātīte'dhvani sarāgeṇa sadveṣeṇa samohenāparimuktena jātijārāvyadhimaraṇaśokaparidevaduḥkhadaurmanasyopāyāsairete svarudhireṇa saṃtarpya paṃcasu vratapadeṣu pratiṣṭhāpitāḥ; tacchrūyatām.