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Antiquities of Indian Tibet : vol.2 |
CH. II]
THE CHRONICLES OF LADAKH : TRANSLATION 67
time those who ate much became of ugly complexion ; and those who ate
little of fine complexion. ` I have a fine complexion ; you have an ugly complexion !',
they thus saying, the sin of pride began : this was its beginning. When they suffered the
effects of their pride, all those who had sucked of the essence of the earth assembled
and lamented. Then, through the combined [religious] works of the beings, there
appeared on the surface of the great earth a garden of cane, of taste like uncooked
honey, and of colour like that of the Kadamsuka (Kadambaka ?) flower. That also they
ate, and enjoyed it, and, as they despised [one another] as before, that also disappeared.
Then, as all men assembled and lamented, through Buddha's compassion and their
combined [religious] merit, there came into existence the garden of Sälu rice, which
grew without ploughing, and was without husk and straw. If it was mown in the
morning, it grew again in the morning ; if it was mown in the evening, it grew
again in the evening. Every ear . of rice contained four Magadha bre (of 2-4 pints
each) [of grain]. Every grain was [of the size] of four fingers. As during a long
period they lived in enjoyment of this, this food being coarser than it had been
before, urine, mucus of the nose, dung, etc., came into existence. The male and
female genitals appeared. Looking at one another amorously with side-glances, they
fell to embracing. The other creatures, seeing this, said ` There one creature is
embracing another creature ! ' ; and, throwing stones and gravel so as not to see
it, they built miraculous little houses. This is the beginning of house-building.
[These being further divided into the royal families (Rajanya), . which were the
rulers of gods and men, there are 360 [divisions]. If we combine them and divide
them into two sections, they [consist of] the pure Buddha rulers and the impure
creature rulers. The Buddha rulers by act and speech accomplish the welfare of the
creatures. The creature rulers, being divided into five sections, are the [three]
Spyi-phud (universal ?) potentates of the 3,000 [worlds], together with the king of the
six kinds [of beings], and the king of H_ dzam-glin (Jambu-dvipa), making five. Then
the king over the 3,000 [worlds] of suffering beings is Sākya-thub-pa (Sākya-muni
Buddha) ; Tshans-pa (Brāhmå) is the king over 1,000 Spyi-phud (Universal Monarch ?).
There are also the four Great Kings, the protectors of the [four cardinal]
points; the king over the six kinds [of beings] is Gsin-rje-chos-rgyal (Yams Dharmarāja),
the kings of Hdzam-glin are the royal family of Man-bkur (Mahāsammata) ; the
` wheel-turning kings ', Spyi-bo-skyes (Mūrdhaja) and the others, who controlled
the golden, silver, copper, and iron [wheels]. When, in the south of the ` mount of
the middle ', Ri-rab (Sumeru), where is the tree of life, in Rdo-rje-gdan (Vajrāsana) of
India, the heart of Bodhi (Bodhimanda), the 1,002 Buddhas of the good Kalpa were
in the period of decline, the wheel-turning kings appeared. Let us mention only
the great ones among them. Although by the church histories (chos-hbyuii) of the
wise, as well as the great and little genealogies, there are said to be 360 royal
families, they may be grouped under two heads, kings become exalted beyond this
world, and kings not so exalted. Those exalted beyond this world, having, while
ruling over a tranquil world-element, obtained power over transmigration, have been
p. 22
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