The Elder Sāgata Subdues the Evil Dragon

Original text of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sūtra, Section Five: 佛在支提国跋陀罗婆提邑。是处有恶龙。名庵婆罗提陀。凶暴恶害。无人得到其处。象马牛羊。驴骡驼驼。无能近者。乃至诸鸟不得过上。秋谷熟时。破灭诸谷。

Explanation: The Buddha was in a place called the city of Bhadrāvastī in the country of Caitya. There was a vicious dragon there named Āmrapālita, fierce, violent, and malevolent. No one could reach that place; animals such as elephants, horses, cattle, sheep, donkeys, mules, and camels could not approach it, and even all the birds could not fly over its head. When the autumn grain ripened, even those crops would be destroyed.

Original text: 长老莎伽陀。游行支提国。渐到跋陀罗波提。过是夜已。晨朝着衣。持钵入村乞食。乞食时。闻此邑有恶龙。名庵婆罗提陀。凶暴恶害。人民鸟兽不得到其住处。秋谷熟时。破灭诸谷。

Explanation: At that time, the Elder Svāgata was wandering through the country of Caitya and gradually arrived at the city of Bhadrāvastī. After passing the night there, in the morning he put on his robes, took his alms bowl, and entered the village to beg for food. While begging for food, he heard that in this city there was a vicious dragon named Āmrapālita, fierce, violent, and malevolent, such that people, birds, and beasts could not approach its dwelling place, and when the autumn grain ripened, it would destroy all the crops.

Original text: 闻已乞食讫。到庵婆罗提陀龙住处。泉边树下。敷坐具大坐。龙闻衣气。即发瞋恚。从身出烟。长老莎伽陀即入三昧。以神通力。身亦出烟。龙倍瞋恚。身上出火。莎伽陀复入火光三昧。身亦出火。

Explanation: After hearing this, the Elder finished begging for food and went to the dwelling place of the dragon Āmrapālita. Beside a spring, under a tree, he spread out his sitting cloth and sat down cross-legged. The dragon smelled the odor of his robes and immediately gave rise to anger, emitting smoke from its body. The Elder Svāgata immediately entered meditative concentration (samādhi), and by the power of his superknowledge, smoke also emitted from his body. The dragon became twice as angry, and fire emitted from its body. Svāgata then entered the fire-light samādhi, and fire also emitted from his body.

Original text: 龙复雨雹。莎伽陀即变雨雹。作释俱䴵。髓饼波波罗䴵。龙复放霹雳。莎伽陀变作种种欢喜丸䴵。龙复雨弓箭刀槊。莎伽陀即变作优钵罗花。波头摩花。拘牟陀花。

Explanation: The dragon then rained down hailstones, and Svāgata immediately transformed the hailstones into double-layered cakes, long cakes, and papola cakes. The dragon then discharged thunderbolts, and Svāgata transformed the thunderbolts into various kinds of joy-ball cakes. The dragon then rained down bows, arrows, and great swords, and Svāgata transformed the bows, arrows, and great swords into utpala flowers, padma flowers, and kumuda flowers.

Original text: 时龙复雨毒蛇蜈蚣。土虺蚰蜒。莎伽陀即变作优钵罗花璎珞。瞻卜花璎珞。婆师花璎珞。阿提目多伽花璎珞。如是等龙所有势力。尽现向莎伽陀。如是现德已。不能胜故。即失威力光明。

Explanation: At that time, the dragon then rained down venomous snakes, centipedes, pit vipers, and millipedes from the sky as if it were raining, and Svāgata immediately transformed these vicious creatures into utpala flower garlands, campaka flower garlands, varṣika flower garlands, and atimuktaka flower garlands. In this way, the dragon displayed all of its power to Svāgata. After displaying all such powers, it still could not prevail over Svāgata, and so it lost its might and radiance.

Original text: 长老莎伽陀知龙力势已尽。不能复动。即变作细身。从龙两耳入。从两眼出。两眼出已。从鼻入。从口中出。在龙头上。往来经行。不伤龙身。

Explanation: The Elder Svāgata knew that the dragon's power had been completely exhausted and that it could no longer move, so he transformed into an extremely subtle body, entering through the dragon's two ears and exiting through its two eyes; after exiting through the two eyes, he entered through the dragon's two nostrils and then exited through its mouth. Finally, he walked back and forth in walking meditation on top of the dragon's head, yet without harming the dragon's body.

Original text: 尔时龙见如是事。心即大惊。怖畏毛竖。合掌向长老莎伽陀言。我归依汝。莎伽陀答言。汝莫归依我。当归依我师。归依佛。龙言我从今归三宝。知我尽形作佛优婆塞。是龙受三自归。作佛弟子已。便不复作如先凶恶事。诸人及鸟兽皆得到所。秋谷熟时。不复伤破。如是名声流布诸国。

Explanation: At that time, the dragon saw such things and was greatly astonished in its heart, terrified with its hair standing on end. With palms joined, it said to the Elder Svāgata: "I take refuge in you." Svāgata replied: "Do not take refuge in me; you should take refuge in my teacher—take refuge in the Buddha." The dragon said: "From today onward, I take refuge in the Three Jewels; know that for the rest of my life I will be a lay disciple of the Buddha." After the dragon received the threefold refuge and became a disciple of the Buddha, it no longer committed vicious deeds as before. All people, as well as birds and beasts, could then come to its dwelling place, and when the autumn grain ripened, it no longer destroyed the crops. The fame of this transformation—its wholehearted turning toward goodness—spread to other countries.