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Buddha-carita, or Life of Buddha by Ven. Aśvaghoṣa

An English translation of this famous life of the Buddha, one of the great pieces of Sanskrit literature, with additions to help complete the text.

An English translation of this famous life of the Buddha, one of the great pieces of Sanskrit literature, with additions to help complete the text.

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<strong>Buddha</strong>-<strong>carita</strong>, <strong>or</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong> - 105<br />

69. ‘My heart too is certainly most stern, yea, made <strong>of</strong> rock <strong>or</strong><br />

fashioned even <strong>of</strong> iron, which does not break when its l<strong>or</strong>d is gone to<br />

the f<strong>or</strong>est, deserted <strong>by</strong> his royal gl<strong>or</strong>y like an <strong>or</strong>phan, – he so well<br />

w<strong>or</strong>thy <strong>of</strong> happiness.’<br />

70. So the queen, fainting in her woe, wept and pondered and wailed<br />

aloud repeatedly, – self-possessed as she was <strong>by</strong> nature, yet in her<br />

distress she remembered not her f<strong>or</strong>titude and felt no shame.<br />

71. Seeing Yaśodharā thus bewildered with her wild utterances <strong>of</strong><br />

grief and fallen on the ground, all the women cried out with their<br />

faces streaming with tears like large lotuses beaten <strong>by</strong> the rain.<br />

72. But the king, having ended his prayers, and perf<strong>or</strong>med the<br />

auspicious rites <strong>of</strong> the sacrifice, now came out <strong>of</strong> the temple; and<br />

being smitten <strong>by</strong> the wailing sound <strong>of</strong> the people, he tottered like an<br />

elephant at the crash <strong>of</strong> a thunderbolt.<br />

73. Having heard (<strong>of</strong> the arrival) <strong>of</strong> both Chaṁdaka and Kaṁthaka,<br />

and having learned the fixed resolve <strong>of</strong> his son, the l<strong>or</strong>d <strong>of</strong> the earth<br />

fell struck down <strong>by</strong> s<strong>or</strong>row like the banner <strong>of</strong> Indra when the festival<br />

is over.<br />

74. Then the king, distracted <strong>by</strong> his grief f<strong>or</strong> his son, being held up<br />

f<strong>or</strong> a moment <strong>by</strong> his attendants all <strong>of</strong> the same race, gazed on the<br />

h<strong>or</strong>se with his eyes filled with tears, and then falling on the ground<br />

wailed aloud:

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