whirled celestial clothes and struck hundred thousands of celestial musical instruments and cymbals, high in the sky; and after pouring a great rain of flowers they uttered these words: The wheel of the law has been put in motion by the Lord, the first time at Benares at Rishipatana in the Deer-park; to-day has the Lord again put in motion the supreme wheel of the law.
And on that occasion those divine beings uttered the following stanzas:
33. The wheel of the law was put in motion by thee, O thou that art unrivalled in the world, at Benares, O great hero! (that wheel which is the rotation of) the rise and decay of all aggregates.
34. There it was put in motion for the first time; now, a second time, is it turned here, O Lord. To-day, O Master, thou hast preached this law, which is hard to be received with faith[1].
35. Many laws have we heard near the Lord of the world, but never before did we hear a law like this.
36. We receive with gratitude, O great hero, the mysterious speech of the great Sages, such as this prediction regarding the self-possessed Ârya Sâriputra.
37. May we also become such incomparable Buddhas in the world, who by mysterious speech announce supreme Buddha-enlightenment
38. May we also, by the good we have done in this world and in the next, and by our having
- ↑ Duhsraddheyo yas te 'yam, var. lect. duhsraddheyo 'yan teshâm. It may be remarked that sraddhâ not only means faith, belief, but also liking, approval.Cf. the passage in Mahâvagga I, 5, 2 sq.; the verses in Lalita-vistara, p. 515.
