Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Volume 1). Aryashura
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greed
after releasing themselves from it.
Who could be more wicked
than those who promise to give
but change their mind,
their resolve unsteadied by stinginess?
There is no acquittal for a person
who strengthens the hopes of beggars
by promising they’ll give
and then cruelly breaks their word.
And as for your question as to why divine power alone cannot produce his eye, listen:
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Endeavors are clearly accomplished
by a variety of factors.
Likewise even fate, though divine,
must rely on different means.
Do not therefore try to obstruct my exceptional gift.”
The ministers replied: “We have only advised Your Majesty to give wealth, grain, jewels, and other such offerings rather than your own eyes. We are not trying to lure Your Majesty into vice.”
The king answered:
“One should give what is requested.
An undesired gift brings no joy.
What use is water to one swept away by a river?
I shall therefore give this man his desire.”
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The chief minister, who was very close to the king and intimate with him, then disregarded courtesy in a rush of affection and said to the monarch:
“Stop, sir!
Kingship is acquired
through no small toil and dedication.
Taking hundreds of sacrifices to achieve,
it is the means for attaining fame and heaven.
Yet you discard it, though it lies in your grasp,
an asset vying with Shakra’s power.
What insight impels you to give away your eyes?
What is this behavior? Where does it originate?
Gleaming with fame in every direction,
you have attained a place among gods through
sacrifice.
Your feet are tinged with the radiance of kings’ crowns.
What will you gain by giving your eye?”
The king politely replied to the minister:
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“I do not strive to own the entire world,
nor to acquire heaven, liberation, or fame.
My sole concern is to save the world
and not nullify the trouble he takes for his request.”
The king then ordered one of his eyes to be carefully removed, using proper medical procedure so that it remained undamaged. With immense joy he offered the beggar the eye, which gleamed with the beauty of a blue lotus petal. Shakra, the king of the gods, then performed an act of magic so that the king and his retinue perceived the eye to be fixed in the brahmins socket. When he saw the beggar bearing this single open eye, the king’s heart became filled with the greatest joy and he gave him the second eye too.
At the gift of his eyes, the king’s face
resembled a lotus-pond empty of lotuses,
bearing a look of joy, unshared by his citizens.
The brahmin, however, was seen with eyes intact.
Throughout the palace and royal city,
the ground was sprinkled with tears of grief.
But Shakra felt astonishment and great joy
at seeing the king’s unshakeable aspiration for
awakening.
His heart filled with wonder, Shakra then had this thought:
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“What strength! What courage!
What desire to benefit living beings!
Though I see this feat with my own eyes,
I almost doubt it has occurred!
It is not right for a man of such astounding courage* to suffer this way for long. I will therefore strive to show him a way of restoring his eyesight.”
The king’s wounded eyes healed up in due course and the grief of the people in the palace, city, and countryside gradually lessened, becoming the topic of hackneyed songs. One day, in his fondness for solitude, the king was sitting crosslegged on the bank of a lotus-pond in a park. Fine trees bowed under the weight of blossoms; a gentle breeze blew, cool, fragrant, and soothing; and the area hummed with swarms of honey-making bees. While he sat there, Shakra, the king of the gods, appeared before the king. When asked who he was, the god replied:
“I am Shakra, king of the gods.
I have come to visit you.”
“Welcome! Please tell me your need!” Addressed with such polite words, Shakra replied to the king:
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“Choose a boon, royal seer.
Tell me whatever you desire.”
The king was accustomed to giving and it was not his habit to tread the path of petitions and poverty. With composure, modesty, and humility, he replied with the following words:
“My wealth is abundant,
my army powerful and great.
But blindness makes only death
attractive to me now.
Unable to see the faces of petitioners
gleam brightly with joyful serenity
at having their wishes fulfilled,
I have come to cherish death, Indra.”
“Enough of such thoughts!” Shakra answered. “Only good men achieve what you have attained. Let me ask you this instead:
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How can your mind still dwell on beggars
when they’ve brought you to this plight?
And then tell me, hiding nothing,
what conclusion your mind has reached.”
“Why do you insist on making me boast?” the king asked. “Nevertheless, lord of the gods, listen to these words:
If both in the past and present,
the petitioning voices of beggars
have been as dear to me as blessings,
may one of my eyes arise!”
Because of the power of the king’s affirmation of truth and because of his exceptional accumulation of merit, an eye appeared as soon as he uttered these words. It resembled the petal of a blue lotus and a piece of sapphire seemed to lie in its center. The king was filled with joy at the appearance of this miraculous eye and addressed Shakra once more:
“If, despite being asked for one eye,
I joyfully gave the brahmin two,
and if I solely felt delight and jubilation,
may I also receive a second eye!”
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As soon as he said this, a second eye appeared to him, as if rivaling the first.
The earth and her mountains shook.
The ocean surged forward,