Chapter 13 - Country of ’An-ta-lo (Andhra)

This country is about 3000 li in circuit; the capital is about 20 li round. It is called P'ing-k'i-lo (Vingila?)^[1] The soil is rich and fertile; it is regularly cultivated, and produces abundance of cereals. The temperature is hot, and the manners of the people fierce and impulsive. The language and arrangement of sentences differ from Mid-India, but with reference to the shapes of the letters, they are nearly the same. There are twenty saṅghārāmas with about 3000 priests. There are also thirty Deva temples with many heretics.

Not far from Viṅgila (?) is a great saṅghārāma with storeyed towers and balconies beautifully carved and ornamented. There is here a figure of Buddha, the sacred features of which have been portrayed with the utmost power of the artist. Before this convent is a stone stūpa which is several hundred feet high; both the one and the other were built by the Arhat 'O-che-lo (Achala).^[2]

To the south-west of the saṅghārāma of the Arhat 'O-che-lo not a great way is a stūpa which was built by Aśoka-rāja. Here Tathāgata in old days preached the law, and exhibited his great spiritual powers, and converted numberless persons.

Going 20 li or so to the south-west of the saṅghārāma built by Achala (So-hing), we reach a solitary mountain on the top of which is a stone stūpa. Here Jina^[3] Bodhisattva composed the In-ming-lun (Nyāyadvāra-tāraka śāstra or Hetuvidyā śāstra?).^[4] This Bodhisattva, after Buddha had left the world, received the doctrine and assumed the vestments (of a disciple). His wisdom and his desires (prayers or vows) were vast. The power of his great wisdom was deep and solid. Pitying the world, which was without any support (reliance), he designed to spread the sacred doctrine. Having weighed^[5] the character of the Hetuvidyā śāstra, its words so deep, its reasonings so wide, and (having considered) that students vainly endeavoured to overcome its difficulties in their course of study, he retired into the lonely mountains and gave himself to meditation to investigate it so as to compose a useful compendium, that might overcome the difficulties (obscurities) of the work, its abstruse doctrines and complicated sentences. At this time the mountains and valleys shook and reverberated; the vapour and clouds changed their appearance, and the spirit of the mountain, carrying the Bodhisattva to a height of several hundred feet, then repeated (chanted) these words, "In former days the Lord of the World virtuously controlled and led the people; prompted by his compassionate heart, he delivered the Hetuvidyā śāstra,^[6] and arranged in due order its exact reasonings and its extremely deep and refined words. But after the Nirvāṇa of Tathāgata its great principles became obscured; but now Jina Bodhisattva, whose merit and wisdom are so extensive, understanding to the bottom the sacred well, will cause the Hetuvidyā śāstra to spread abroad its power (to add its weight) during the present day."

Then the Bodhisattva caused a bright light to shine and illumine the dark places (of the world), on which the king of the country conceived a deep reverence as he saw the sign of this brilliancy, and being in doubt whether he (i.e., Bodhisattva) had not entered the Vajrasamādhi (or, diamond Samādhi); then he asked the Bodhisattva to obtain the fruit of "no further birth."^[7]

Jina said, "I have entered Samādhi from a desire to explain a profound sūtra; my heart awaits perfect enlightenment (samyak sambodhi), but has no desire for this fruit that admits of no rebirth."

The king said, "The fruit of 'no-birth' is the aim of all the saints. To cut yourself off from the three worlds, and to plunge into the knowledge of the 'three vidyās,' how grand such an aim!^[8] May you soon attain it!"

Then Jina Bodhisattva, pleased at the request of the king, conceived the desire to reach the holy fruit which "exempts from learning."^[9]

At this time Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (Miu-ki-ts'iang-p'u-sa), knowing his purpose, was moved with pity. Wishing to arouse him to the truth and to awaken him in a moment, he came and said, "Alas! how have you given up your great purpose, and only fixed your mind on your own personal profit, with narrow aims, giving up the purpose of saving all! If you would really do good, you ought to transmit and explain the rules of the Yu-kia-sse-ti-lun (Yogachārya-bhūmi śāstra) of Maitreya Bodhisattva. By that you may lead and direct students, and cause them to receive great advantage."

Jina Bodhisattva receiving these directions, respectfully assented and saluted the saint. Then having given himself to profound study, he developed the teaching of the Hetuvidyā śāstra; but still fearing that the students thereof would dread its subtle reasonings and its precise style, he composed the Hetuvidyā śāstra,^[10] exemplifying the great principles and explaining the subtle language, in order to guide the learners. After that he explained fully the Yoga discipline.

From this going through the desert forest south^[11] 1000 li or so, we come to To-na-kie-tse-kia (Dhanakataka).^[12]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This is probably the old city of Veṅgi, north-west of Elur lake, between the Godāvarī and Kṛishnā rivers, which was certainly in the early Andhra dominions. In the neighbourhood are said to be rock temples and other remains.

[2]:

The Chinese translation of the Arhat's name is "he who acts," it should therefore be restored to āchāra. The restoration otherwise might be Achala, who is mentioned in an inscription at Ajanta. See infra.

[3]:

The phonetic symbols for Jina are Ch'in-na; it is translated by t'ong sheu, "youth-received," which Julien restores to Kumāralabdha. But thus Jina cannot be translated by either of these phrases. (For an account of the works of this Bodhisattva, see Bunyiu Nanjio, Catalogue, Appendix i. No. 10). In Hwui-li (iv. fol. 5, b.) the translation of Ch'in-na is simply "sheu".

[4]:

There is much confusion here. The text gives only "In-ming-lun", which must be restored to Hetuvidyā śāstra; but Julien, in his list of errata, p. 568, corrects the text, and supplies the title of the work, "In-ming-ching-li-men-lun", i.e. Nyāyadvāra-tāraka śāstra. This may be so, but this work is not named in Bunyiu Nanjio's Catalogue among those written by Jina.

[5]:

I do not see in the text that he composed this śāstra, but considering its character (i wei), he, etc.

[6]:

It does not necessarily mean that Buddha composed this work, but delivered (shwo) or spake it.

[7]:

That is, to acquire the privilege of an Arhat.

[8]:

"This is the chief, or complete, thing."

[9]:

This also is a phrase to denote the condition of Arhatship.

[10]:

The title is defective. It probably refers to the Nyāyadvāratāraka śāstra; but, on the other hand, this work was composed by Nāgārjuna (see B. Nanjio's Catalogue, 1223). The whole of the passage in the text referring to Jina is obscure, and probably corrupt.

[11]:

In the translation of Hwui-lih, Julien gives "vers le sud," which expression is quoted by Fergusson (J. R. A. S., N. S., vol. vi. p. 262); but it is simply "going south" in the original.

[12]:

Called also the Great Andhra country. Julien has Dhanakacheka; the Pāli inscriptions at Amarāvatī and Nāsik give Dhaṃñakaṭaka, for which the Sanskrit would be Dhanyakataka or Dhānyakataka; and in an inscription of 1361 A.D. we have Dhānyavātīpura, and these would identify the city of Dhaṃñakaṭaka with Dharaṇikota close to Amarāvatī (Ind. Ant., vol. xi. pp. 95 f.) The symbol "tse" is equivalent to the Sanskrit "ṭa".