YUAN CHWANG—KINGDOMS OF THE DECCAN

XIV. YUAN CHWANG—KINGDOMS OF THE DECCAN

Wu-t’u (Oḍa)

From Karṇasuvarṇa he travelled south-west above 700 li and came to the Wu (U)—t’u country.¹ This, he states, was above 7000 li in circuit, and its capital above twenty li in circuit, the soil was rich and fertile yielding fruits larger than those of other lands, and its rare plants and noted flowers could not be enumerated; the climate was hot; the people were of violent ways, tall and of dark complexion, in speech and manners different from the people of “Mid India;” they were indefatigable students and many of them were Buddhists. There were above 100 Buddhist monasteries, and a myriad Brethren all Mahāyānists. Of Deva Temples there were 50, and the various sects lived pell-mell. There were more than ten Asoka topes at places where the Buddha had preached. In the south-west of the country was the Pu-sie-p’o-k’i-li (restored by Julien as “Pushpagiri”) monastery in a mountain; the stone tope of this monastery exhibited supernatural lights and other miracles, sun-shades placed by worshippers on it between the dome and the āmalaka remained there like needles held by a magnet. To the north-east of this tope in a hill monastery was another tope like the preceding in its marvels. The miraculous power of these topes was due to the topes having been erected by supernatural beings.² Near the shore of the ocean in the south-east of this country was the city Che-li-ta-lo (Charitra ?),³ above twenty li in circuit, which was a thoroughfare and resting-place for sea-going traders and strangers from distant lands. The city was naturally strong and it contained many rare commodities. Outside it were five monasteries close together, of lofty structure and with very artistic images. Far away, 20,000 li distant in the south was the Sêng-ka-lo (Ceylon) Country, and from this place on calm nights one could see the brilliant light from the pearl on the top of the tope over the Buddha’s Tooth-relic in that country.

Kung-yü (Gu or Ya) T’o

From the Oḍa country a journey south-west, through a forest, for over 1200 li brought the pilgrim to the Kung-yü (or gu or-ya)-t’o country.⁴ This country was above 1000 li in circuit, and its capital was above twenty li in circuit. It was a hilly country bordering on a bay of the sea, with regular harvests, a hot climate. The people were tall and valorous and of a black complexion, having some sense of propriety and not very deceitful. Their written language was the same as that of India, but their ways of speaking were different, and they were not Buddhists. Deva Temples were above 100 in number, and of Tīrthikas there were more than 10000. The country contained some tens of towns which stretched from the slopes of the hills to the edge of the sea. As the towns were naturally strong there was a gallant army which kept the neighbouring countries in awe, and so there was no powerful enemy. As the country was on the sea side it contained many rare precious commodities; the currency was cowries and pearls; and the country produced large dark-coloured elephants which were capable of long journeys.

Ka-leng-ka (Kalinga)

From Kung-yü-t’o the pilgrim travelled through jungle and forest dense with huge trees, south-west for 1400 or 1500 li, to Kalinga. This country he describes as above 5000 li in circuit, its capital⁵ being above twenty li. There were regular seed-time and harvest, fruit and flowers grew profusely, and there were continuous woods for some hundreds of li. The country produced dark wild elephants prized by the neighbouring countries. The climate was hot. The people were rude and headstrong in disposition, observant of good faith and fairness, fast and clear in speech; in their talk and manners they differed somewhat from “Mid-India.” There were few Buddhists, the majority of the people being of other religions. There were above ten Buddhist monasteries, and 500 Brethren, “Students of the Mahāyānist Sthavira school system.” There were more than 100 Deva Temples, and the professed adherents of the various sects were very numerous, the majority being nirgranthas.⁶ This country had once been very densely inhabited; a holy ṛṣi possessing supernatural powers had his hermitage in it; he was once offended by a native and cursed the country; as a consequence of this curse the land became, and remained, utterly depopulated. In the lapse of many years since that event it had gradually become inhabited again, but it still had only a scanty population. Near the south wall of the city (i.e. the capital apparently) was an Asoka tope beside which were a sitting-place and exercise-ground of the Four Past Buddhas. On a ridge of a mountain in the north of the country was a stone tope, above 100 feet high, where a Pratyeka Buddha had passed away at the beginning of the present kalpa when men’s lives extended over countless years.

The Southern Kosala

From Kalinga he went north-west by hill and wood for above 1800 li to Kosala.⁷ This country, more than 6000 li in circuit, was surrounded by mountains and was a succession of woods and marshes, its capital being above 40 li in circuit. The soil of the country was rich and fertile, the towns and villages were close together; the people were prosperous, tall of stature and black in colour; the king was a kṣatriya by birth, a Buddhist in religion, and of noted benevolence. There were above 100 Buddhist monasteries and about 10000 Brethren, all Mahāyānists. Near the South of the city (that is apparently, the capital) was an old monastery with an Asoka tope where Buddha had vanquished Tīrthikas by the exhibition of supernormal powers, and in which Nāgārjuna P’usa had afterwards lodged. Contemporary with this P’usa was the king styled Sha-to-p’o-ha or “Leading-right” (yin-cheng),⁸ who treated Nāgārjuna with ceremonious respect, and kept a guard at his residence.

Deva P’usa from Sêngkala came on a visit to this monastery in order to have a discussion with Nāgārjuna.⁹ When Deva arrived and requested to be admitted, the disciple in charge of the door reported the circumstance. Nāgārjuna, who had heard of the visitor’s fame, merely filled his bowl with water and gave it to the disciple to show to Deva. This last silently dropped a needle into the bowl, and dismissed the disciple. On learning this Nāgārjuna exclaimed—“He is a wise man! It is for the gods to know the hidden springs, and it is the sage who searches out their minute developments; as the man has such excellence call him in at once.” “What do you mean,” asked the disciple,—“is this a case of ‘Silence being eloquence?’”. Nāgārjuna explained that the bowl full of water typified his own universal knowledge, and the dropping of the needle into it typified Deva’s thorough comprehension of all that knowledge. When Deva was admitted he was modest and timid, and he expressed his views clearly and distinctly, wishing to be instructed. Nāgārjuna said to him—“You as a scholar are above your contemporaries, and your excellent discourse sheds glory on your predecessors. I am old and feeble, and meeting one of such superior abilities as you I have a pitcher into which to draw water, and a successor to whom the continuous lamp may be handed over. You can be relied on for propagating the religion. Please come forward, and let us talk of the mysteries of Buddhism.”

Deva was proceeding to enter on an exposition when a look at the majestic face of Nāgārjuna made him forget his words and remain silent. Then he declared himself a disciple, and Nāgārjuna having reassured him taught him the true Buddhism. Nāgārjuna had the secret of long life, and had attained an age of several centuries, with his mental faculties still flourishing, when he voluntarily put an end to his life in the following circumstances. The king Yin-chêng was also some hundreds of years old, and his life depended on that of Nāgārjuna by whom it had been prolonged. This king’s youngest son became impatient to succeed, and learning from his mother the secret of his father’s life, at her instigation he went to the great P’usa, and persuaded him that it was his duty to die on behalf of the young prince. Nāgārjuna, accordingly, cut his own head off with a dry blade of grass, and his death was immediately followed by that of the old king.

To the south-west of this country above 300 li from the capital was a mountain called Po-lo-mo-lo-ki-li,¹⁰ which rose lofty and compact like a single rock. Here king Yin-cheng had quarried for Nāgārjuna a monastery in the mountain, and had cut in the rock a path, communicating with the monastery, for above ten li. The monastery had cloisters and lofty halls; these halls were in five tiers, each with four courts, with temples containing gold life-size images of the Buddha of perfect artistic beauty. It is was well supplied with running water, and the chambers were lighted by windows cut in the rock. In the formation of this establishment the king’s treasury soon became exhausted, and Nāgārjuna then provided an abundant supply by transmuting the rocks into gold.¹¹ In the topmost hall Nāgārjuna deposited the scriptures of Śākyamuni Buddha and the writings of the P’usas. In the lowest hall were the laymen attached to the monastery and the stores, and the three intermediate halls were the lodgings of the Brethren. When the king had finished the construction of this monastery an estimate of the maintenance of the workmen came to nine koti of gold coins. In later times the Brethren had disagreed, and had referred their quarrels to the king; then the retainers of the monastery, fearing that the establishment would become a prey to the lawless, excluded the Brethren, and made new barriers to keep them out; since then there have not been any Brethren in the monastery, and the way of access to it was not known.

An-to-lo (Andhra)

From Kosala he travelled South, through a forest, for above 900 li to the An-to-lo country. This country was above 3000 li in circuit, and its capital P’ing-ch’i (or k’i)-lo¹² was above twenty li in circuit. The country had a rich fertile soil with a moist hot climate; the people were of a violent character; their mode of speech differed from that of “Mid-India” but they followed the same system of writing. There were twenty odd Buddhist monasteries with more than 3000 Brethren. Near the capital was a large monastery with a succession of high halls and storeyed terraces wrought with perfect art, and containing an exquisite image of the Buddha. In front of the monastery was a stone tope some hundreds of feet high, tope and monastery being the work of the arhat A-che-lo (Ācāra, translated by So-hsing, “Performance” or “Rule of Conduct”). Near the south-west of this monastery was an Asoka tope where the Buddha preached, displayed miracles, and received into his religion a countless multitude. Above twenty li further south-west was an isolated hill on the ridge of which was a stone tope where Ch’ên-na¹³ P’usa composed a “yin-ming-lun” or treatise on Logic (or the Science of Inference). Ch’ên-na after the Buddha had departed from this life came under his influence, and entered the Order. The aspirations of his spiritual knowledge were vast and his intellectual strength was deep and sure. Pitying the helpless state of his age he thought to give expansion to Buddhism. As the śāstra on the science of Inference was deep and terse, and students wrought at it in vain, unable to acquire a knowledge of its teachings, he went apart to live in calm seclusion to examine the qualities of the writings on it, and investigate their characteristics of style and meaning. Hereupon a mountain-god took the P’usa up in the air, and proclaimed that the sense of the Yin-ming-lun, originally uttered by the Buddha had been lost, and that it would that day be set forth at large again by Ch’ên-na. This latter then sent abroad a great light which illuminated the darkness. The sight of this light led to the king’s request that Ch’ên-na should proceed at once to the attainment of arhatship. When the P’usa reluctantly agreed to do so, Mañjuśrī appeared, and recalled him to his high designs and aspirations for the salvation of others, and also summoned him to develop for the benefit of posterity the “Yu-ka-shih-ti-lun” (Yogācārya-bhūmi-śāstra), originally delivered by Maitreya. On this Ch’ên-na renounced the idea of an arhat’s career, and devoted himself to a thorough study and development of the treatise on the science of Inference. When he had finished his work on this subject, he proceeded to the propagation of the rich teaching of the Yoga system, and had disciples who were men of note among their contemporaries.

T’ê-Na-Che-ka (Dhanakataka?)¹⁴

From Andhra the pilgrim continued his journey south, through wood and jungle, for over 1000 li and reached the T’ê-na-ka-che-ka country. This was above 6000 li in circuit, and its capital was above 40 li in circuit.¹⁵ The country had a rich soil and yielded abundant crops; there was much waste land and the inhabited towns were few; the climate was warm, and the people were of black complexion, of violent disposition, and fond of the arts. There was a crowd of Buddhist monasteries but most of them were deserted, about twenty being in use, with 1000 Brethren mostly adherents of the Mahāsaṅghika system. There were above 100 Deva-Temples and the followers of the various sects were very numerous.

At a hill to the east of the capital was a monastery called Fu-p’o-shih-lo (Pūrvasilā) or “East Mountain,” and at a hill to the west of the city was the A-fa-lo-shih-lo (Avaraśilā) or “West Mountain” monastery. These had been erected for the Buddha by a former King of the country, who had made a communicating path by the river, and quarrying the rocks had formed high halls with long broad corridors continuous with the steep sides of the hills. The local deities guarded the monasteries, which had been frequented by saints and sages. During the millennium immediately following the Buddha’s decease a thousand ordinary Brethren came here every year to spend the Retreat of the rainy season. On the day of leaving Retreat these all became arhats, and by their supernormal powers went away through the air. Afterwards common monks and arhats sojourned here together, but for more than 100 years there had not been any Brethren resident in the establishment, and visitors were deterred by the forms of wild animals which the mountain-gods assumed.

Not far from the south side of the capital was a mountain-cliff in the Asura’s Palace in which the Śāstra-Master P’o-p’i-fei-ka¹⁶ waits to see Maitreya when he comes to be Buddha. Then we have the story of this renowned dialectician, who “externally displaying the Sāṅkhya garb, internally propagated the learning of Nāgārjuna.” Hearing that Hu-fa (Dharmapāla) P’usa was preaching Buddhism in Magadha with some thousands of disciples, the Śāstra-Master longing for a discussion, set off, staff in hand, to see him. On arriving at Pāṭaliputra he learned that Hu-fa was at the Bodhi-Tree and thither he sent as messenger a disciple with the following message for the P’usa: “I have long yearned to come under the influence of you as a preacher of Buddhism, and a guide to the erring, but have failed to pay my respects to you through the non-fulfilment of a former prayer. I have vowed not to see the Bodhi-Tree in vain. If I visit it I must become Buddha”. Fa-hu sent back a reply that human life was illusory and fleeting, and that he was too much occupied to have a discussion. Messengers and messages went to and fro, but there was no interview. Then the Śāstra-Master went back to his home in this country, and after calm reflection concluded that his doubts could be solved only by an interview with Maitreya as Buddha. He thereupon abstained from food, only drinking water, and for three years repeated before an image of Kuan-tzū-tsai P’usa the “Sui-hsin Dhāraṇi.” After all this that P’usa appeared in his beautiful form, and on hearing the devotee’s desire to remain in this world to see Maitreya, he advised him rather to cultivate a higher goodness which would lead to rebirth in the Tuṣita Heaven and so accelerate an interview with Maitreya. But the Śāstra-Master had made up his mind, and was not to be moved from his resolve. So Kuan-tzu-tsai P’usa directed him to go to this country, to the shrine of the god Vajrapāṇi, in the cliff to the south of the capital, and on reciting the “Vajrapāṇi Dhāraṇi” there he would obtain his desire. The Śāstra-Master acted on the advice, and after three years’ repetition of the dhāraṇi, the god appeared, gave a secret prescription, and told the devotee to make due petition at the Asura’s Palace in the cliff; the rock would then open and he was to enter, on the coming of Maitreya the god would let him know. After three more years’ constancy, the Śāstra-Master with a charmed mustard-seed struck the cliff which thereupon opened. There were at the place many myriads of people who had continued gazing, forgetful of their homes. When the Śāstra-Master passed quietly in, he urged the crowd to follow, but only six ventured after him; the others held back through fear, but they lamented their mistake.

Chu-li-ya (Chulya ?)

From Dhanakaṭaka the pilgrim went south-west above 1000 li to Chu-li-ya.¹⁷ This country was about 2,400 li in circuit, and its capital was above ten li in circuit. It was a wild jungle region with very few settled inhabitants, and bands of highwaymen went about openly; it had a moist hot climate; the people were of a fierce and profligate character and were believers in the Tīrthikas; the Buddhist monasteries were in ruins, and only some of them had Brethren; there were several tens of Deva Temples, and the Digambaras were numerous. To the south-east of the capital, and near it, was an Asoka tope where the Buddha had preached, wrought miracles, overcome Tīrthikas, and received men and devas into his communion. Near the west side of the city was an old monastery where Deva P’usa had discussed with the arhat Uttara. And this is the story of the discussion.¹⁸ Deva had heard of this arhat with supernormal powers and attainments, so he made a long journey to see him and observe his style of teaching. Uttara, being a man content with little, had only one couch in his room, so he made a heap of fallen leaves on which he bade his guest recline. When the arhat was ready Deva stated his difficulties, and the arhat gave his solutions, then Deva replied and put further questions and so on for seven rounds; the arhat unable to reply transported himself secretly to the Tuṣita Paradise and obtained the necessary explanations from Maitreya who told him that he should be very respectful to Deva who was to be a Buddha in the present kalpa; when Uttara imparted his information to Deva the latter recognised it as the teaching of Maitreya; hereupon Uttara gave up his mat to Deva with polite apologies, and treated him with profound respect.

Draviḍa

From Chulya he travelled 1,500 or 1,600 li through wood and jungle south to the Ta-lo-p’i-t’u country. This was above 6,000 li in circuit and its capital Kan-chih-pu-lo was above thirty li in circuit.¹⁹ The region had a rich fertile soil, it abounded in fruits and flowers and yielded precious substances. The people were courageous, thoroughly trustworthy, and public-spirited, and they esteemed great learning; in their written and spoken language they differed from “Mid-India.” There were more than 100 Buddhist monasteries with above 10,000 Brethren all of the Sthavira school. The Deva-Temples were above 80, and the majority belonged to the Digambaras. This country had been frequently visited by the Buddha, and king Asoka had erected topes at the various spots where the Buddha had preached and admitted members into his Order. The capital was the birthplace of Dharmapāla P’usa²⁰ who was the eldest son of a high official of the city. He was a boy of good natural parts which received great development as he grew up. When he came of age a daughter of the king was assigned to him as wife, but on the night before the ceremony of marriage was to be performed, being greatly distressed in mind, he prayed earnestly before an image of Buddha. In answer to his prayer a god bore him away to a mountain monastery some hundreds of li from the capital. When the Brethren of the monastery heard his story they complied with his request, and gave him ordination, and the king on ascertaining what had become of him treated him with increased reverence and distinction. Not far from the south of the capital was a large monastery which was a rendezvous for the most eminent men of the country. It had an Asoka tope above 100 feet high where the Buddha had once defeated Tīrthikas by preaching, and had received many into his communion. Near it were traces of a ‘sitting-place and exercise-walk’ of the Four Past Buddhas.

Mo-lo-kü-t’a (Malakūṭa)

From Kāñcī city he went south above 3000 li to the Mo-lo-ku-t’a (Malakūṭa) country.²¹ This country he describes as being above 5,000 li in circuit with a capital above forty li in circuit. The soil was brackish and barren; the country was a depot for sea-pearls; the climate was very hot and the people were black; they were harsh and impetuous, of mixed religions, indifferent to culture and only good at trade. There were many remains of old monasteries, very few monasteries were in preservation and there was only a small number of Brethren. There were hundreds of Deva-Temples, and the professed adherents of the various sects, especially the Digambaras, were very numerous. Not far from the east side of the capital were the remains of the old monastery built by Asoka’s brother, or Ta-ti or Mahendra, with the foundations and dome, the latter alone visible, of a ruined tope on the east side of the remains. The tope had been built by Asoka to perpetuate the memory of Buddha having preached, made miraculous exhibitions, and brought a countless multitude into his communion at the place. The long lapse of time had served to increase the efficacious powers of the tope and prayers offered at it were still answered.

In the south of the country near the sea was the Mo-lo-ya (Malaya) mountain, with lofty cliffs and ridges and deep valleys and gullies, on which were sandal, camphor and other trees.²² To the east of this was the Pu-ta-lo-ka (Potalaka) mountain with steep narrow paths over its cliffs and gorges in irregular confusion; on the top was a lake of clear water, whence issued a river which, on its way to the sea, flowed twenty times round the mountain. By the side of the lake was a stone Deva-palace frequented by Kuan-tzu-tsai P’usa. Devotees risking life, brave water and mountain to see the P’usa, but only a few succeed in reaching the shrine. To the people at the foot of the mountain who pray for a sight of the P’usa, he appears sometimes as a Pāśupata Tīrthika, or as a Maheśvara, and consoles the suppliant with this answer. To the north-east of Potalaka on the seaside was a city, the way to Sêng-ka-lo (Ceylon) of the south sea, and local accounts made the voyage from it to Ceylon one of about 3000 li to the south-east.

[Yüan Chwang’s account of Ceylon and other islands is full of legend and gossip of no value for our purposes, and may hence be passed over. We return to his account at the point where he resumes his description of the countries visited by him.]

Kung-kan-na-pu-lo

From the Draviḍa country he went north²³ into a jungle infested by troops of murderous highwaymen, passing an isolated city and a small town, and after a journey of above 2000 li he reached the Kung-kin (or kan)-na-pu-lo country. This country was above 5000 li and its capital above thirty li in circuit.²⁴ It had more than 100 Buddhist monasteries and above 10000 Brethren who were students of both “Vehicles.” Close to the capital was a large monastery with above 300 Brethren all men of great distinction. In the temple of this monastery was a tiara of Prince Sarvārthasiddha (that is, the prince who afterwards became Gautama Buddha) which was nearly two feet high adorned with gems and enclosed in a case; on festival days it was exhibited and worshipped, and it could emit a bright light. In the temple of another monastery near the capital was a sandalwood image of Maitreya made by the arhat Śroṇavimśatikoṭi. To the north of the capital was a wood of tāla trees above thirty li in circuit,²⁵ and within the wood was a tope where the Four Past Buddhas had sat and walked for exercise, and near this was the tope over the relics of Śroṇavimśatikoṭi. Near the capital on the east side was a tope which had associations with the Buddha’s preaching; to the southwest of the capital were an Asoka tope at the spot where Śroṇavimśatikoṭi made miraculous exhibitions and had many converts, and besides the tope the remains of a monastery built by that arhat.

Mo-ha-la-ch’a (Maharāṣṭra)

North-west from this he entered a great forest-wilderness ravaged by wild beasts and harried by banded robbers, and travelling 2400 or 2500 li he came to the Mo-ha-la-ch’a (or t’a) country. This country was 6000 li in circuit and its capital, which had a large river on its west side, was above thirty li in circuit. The inhabitants were proud-spirited and war-like, grateful for favours and revengeful for wrongs, self-sacrificing towards suppliants in distress and sanguinary to death with any who treated them insultingly.²⁶ Their martial heroes who led the van of the army in battle went into conflict intoxicated, and their war-elephants were also made drunk before an engagement. Relying on the strength of his heroes and elephants the king treated neighbouring countries with contempt. He was a kṣatriya by birth, and his name was Pu-lo-ki-she.²⁷ The benevolent sway of this king reached far and wide, and his vassals served him with perfect loyalty. The great king Śīlāditya at this time was invading east and west, and countries far and near were giving in allegiance to him, but Mo-ha-la-ch’a refused to become subject to him.

The people were fond of learning, and they combined orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Of Buddhist monasteries there were above 100 and the Brethren who were adherents of both Vehicles, were more than 5000 in number. Within and outside the capital were five Asoka topes where the Four Past Buddhas had sat and walked for exercise and there were innumerable other topes of stone or brick. Not far from the south of the capital was an old monastery in which was a stone image of Kuan-tzu-tsai P’usa of marvellous efficacy.

In the east of this country was a mountain range, ridges one above another in succession, tiers of peaks and sheer summits. Here was a monastery the base of which was in a dark defile, and its lofty halls and deep chambers were quarried in the cliff and rested on the peak, its tiers of halls and storeyed terraces had the cliff on their back and faced the ravine. This monastery had been built by the A-chē-lo (Ācāra) of West India.²⁸ The pilgrim then relates the circumstances in Ācāra’s life which led to the building of the monastery.²⁹ Within the establishment, he adds, was a large temple above 100 feet high in which was a stone image of the Buddha above seventy feet high; the image was surmounted by a tier of seven canopies unattached and unsupported, each canopy separated from the one above it by the space of three feet. The walls of this temple had depicted on them the incidents of the Buddha’s career as Bodhisattva, including the circumstances of his attaining bodhi and the omens attending his final passing away, all great and small were here delineated. Outside the gate of the monastery, on either side north and south, was a stone elephant, and the pilgrim was informed that the bellowing of these elephants caused earthquakes. The P’usa Ch’ên-na or Diṅnāga stayed much in this monastery.

Po-lu-ka-che-p’o (Bharoch)

From this the pilgrim went west³⁰ above 1000 li (about 200 miles), crossed the Nai-mo-t’e river, and came to the Po-lu-kie-(ka)-che-p’an (or p’o)³¹ country. This was 2400 or 2500 li in circuit, and its capital above twenty li; the soil was brackish and vegetation was sparse; salt was made by boiling sea-water, and the people were supported by the sea; they were mean and deceitful, ignorant and believers in both orthodoxy and heterodoxy. There were above ten Buddhist monasteries with 300 Brethren, all students of the Mahāyānist Sthavira school.

—Watters: On Yüan Chwang’s Travels in India, ii pp. 193-241 (cf. Beal: Buddhist Records of the Western World ii, pp. 204-260).