The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1)
Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land

757 Then the Bhagavat praised the Four Mahārājas, saying “excellent, excellent!” on hearing that they would defend and guard those who possessed the sūtra and those who honored and made offerings to the supremely victorious sūtra The Sublime Golden Light.

He then said, “You Four Mahārājas have honored, served, made offerings to, venerated, and praised many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas in the past, and you have generated roots of merit, have truly accomplished the Dharma, and have always taught the Dharma; by guiding the world through the Dharma in this way, you have long had the motivation of great love to constantly benefit beings. Because of the cause and condition of aspiring to bring happiness, you are now enjoying its perfect ripening.

“If there is a king who honors and makes offerings to the supremely victorious sūtra The Sublime Golden Light, you should make an effort to guard him and cause him to obtain happiness.

“You Four Mahārājas with your army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas will guard the way of the Dharma of the buddha bhagavats of the past, future, and present. You will protect it and keep it in your care.758

“Therefore, if you Four Mahārājas, and also your followers and the countless, incalculable hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, guard this sūtra, then you will be guarding the true Dharma of the buddhas of the past, future, and present.

“Therefore, when you Four Mahārājas and also your deva followers and the yakṣas [F.86.a] battle with the asuras, you will always attain the benefits of victory.

“If you guard and possess this sūtra, then through the power of this sūtra many sufferings, attacks from enemies, famine, illness, and disease will all cease and be dispelled. Therefore, if you see the four kinds of followers759 obtaining this king of sūtras, possessing it, reading it, and reciting it, then with a diligent mind you should guard them, dispel all harm, and bring them happiness.”

The Four Mahārājas then rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, they knelt on their right knees, and with palms together in homage they said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, in the future, when this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is promulgated and is present in any land, village, town, mountain, forest, or solitary wilderness, and the king of that land listens to it single-mindedly and possesses it, praises it, makes offerings to it, and supplies requisites, making an offering of them, to the four kinds of followers who possess this sūtra, and protects them with a very trusting mind, he will dispel harm and unhappiness. Because of those causes and conditions, we will protect that king and many people and bring them happiness. We will banish misery and suffering far away, increase lifespans, and create a perfection of magnificence.

“Bhagavat, if the king of that land, on seeing the four kinds of followers possessing this sūtra, reverently protects them and offers and provides them with whatever they need as if they were his parents, then we Four Mahārājas will continually protect him, and he will be revered by the entire multitude of beings. [F.86.b]

“Therefore, for that purpose, we, together with an incalculable number of yakṣas and spirits, with our bodies unseen, will secretly be in the places where this king of sūtras is promulgated and is present, and we will defend and protect it so that its promulgation will be free from obstacles.

“We will protect and remember the individuals, the kings, and so on, who will listen to this sūtra, so that harm will be dispelled, they will be brought to happiness, and enemies who come from other regions will be repulsed.

“When any human king listens to this sūtra, if a neighboring enemy prepares a fourfold invading army with the thought, ‘I will defeat those lands,’ then, Bhagavat, the power of the blessing of this king of sūtras will cause that neighboring enemy to face another opposing enemy and be defeated.

“If many bad omens and diseases occur in his land,760 and at that time a neighboring king, on seeing that, prepares his fourfold army and goes to that land to defeat it, then at that time we, together with an incalculable and endless number of yakṣas and spirits, each one with a body unseen, will give our protection and aid so that the opposing enemy will become naturally subdued and unable to consider even going to that land, let alone engaging in a battle with armies and weapons.”

Then the Bhagavat said to the Four Mahārājas, “It is excellent, excellent that you mahārājas will defend and protect this sūtra.

“Many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons ago, I practiced various austerities and attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. Having attained omniscience, I taught this Dharma so that any human king who obtains this sūtra, honors it, and makes offerings to it will have all harms cease and will have perfect happiness. [F.87.a]

“He will protect the villages, towns, and markets and will repel invading enemies. There will never be any harm, fighting, or dispute for all the kings within Jambudvīpa.

“Four Mahārājas, know that the eighty-four thousand kings of the eighty-four thousand villages, towns, mountains, and markets in this Jambudvīpa will experience the happiness of what is enjoyed in their own domains and will have independence. Because they enjoy increased wealth, jewels, and prosperity, they will not steal from one another but will enjoy the ripened results of their past causes. Therefore, they will not give rise to bad thoughts and desire and seek the lands of others. They will all have few desires and give rise to thoughts of benefiting others. There will be no suffering from fighting, quarreling, bondage, and so on. The people living in those lands will also naturally experience happiness; those above and below will be in harmony like water and milk mixed, so that they will be pleasant and respectful to one another. They will delight in one another and therefore be affectionate, loving, and compassionate and will benefit one another, thus generating roots of merit. Through those causes and conditions, this Jambudvīpa will become happy,761 with excellent harvests; the population will increase, filling the land; the great earth will become powerful;762 the temperature will be even; there will be no adverse seasons; the sun, moon, planets, and constellations will not leave their orbits but will be constant; the wind will rise and the rain fall at the appropriate times; there will be freedom from bad omens; wealth and jewels will be obtained and will increase; [F.87.b] the people’s minds will be without miserliness and they will be generous; they will follow the path of the ten good actions; and when people pass away, most will be reborn in the higher realms, so that the population of the paradises will increase.

“Mahārājas, in the future, when there is a human king who listens to this sūtra, protects it, reverently makes offerings to it, and wishes to venerate and praise the four kinds of followers who possess the sūtra, and moreover wishes to bring benefit and happiness to you and your followers and your entire entourage of countless hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, and for that reason that king constantly listens to this sublime king of sūtras and possesses it, then through the power of hearing this sublime, supreme flavor of the amṛta of the river of the Dharma, the power of your bodies and minds and those of others will increase so that you will have diligence and increased courage, merit, and magnificence.

“If those human kings listen single-mindedly to this sūtra and possess it, then they will be making vast, immense, extremely rare offerings to me, the perfect buddha, Śākyamuni, and those who make those offerings to me will have made offerings to the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of past, future, and present buddhas. Those who have made offerings to the buddhas of the three times will attain an immeasurable aggregation of inconceivable merit. Therefore, because of that cause and condition, you and the others will have protected those kings and their queens, attendants, and courts, and you will eliminate harm and misery. If they also establish the deities who guard the palace in the constant enjoyment of happiness, then they will possess inconceivable merit. [F.88.a] The humans who live in those lands will experience a variety of the happinesses of the five sensory pleasures, and all bad things will cease.”

Then the Four Mahārājas said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, in the future, a human king who aspires to listen to this Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light and wishes to protect and defend himself, his queens, his princes, and so on, as far as the palace attendants, and so on, and also the cities, markets, and palaces; and who wishes to attain763 sublime, supreme, inconceivable happiness and the bliss of solitude; and who wishes to have in that life a noble and high sovereignty, to possess, spread, and constantly increase his power;764 and if he also wishes to accumulate an endless, immeasurable aggregation of inconceivable merit and wishes for there to be no invading armies, misery, disturbances, demons, or obstacles in his land, then, Bhagavat, that human king should be attentive, undistracted, and reverential and listen sincerely to this sublime, supreme king of sūtras and possess it.

“When he wishes to listen to this Dharma, he should first adorn a sublime, supreme palace that is dear to the king, sprinkle scented water on a clear area, scatter various sublime, perfect flowers, set up a lion throne as a superior Dharma seat, adorn it with various jewels, and erect parasols, banners, and flags. He should burn priceless incense and have music played. Then, that human king should wash his body clean, anoint his body with perfumed ointments, put on new, clean clothes, adorn himself with strings of jewelry, and sit on a low seat, [F.88.b] without thoughts of superiority, forsaking the demonstration of his power. He should listen to this king of sūtras free of pride and with one-pointed mindfulness.

“He should also perceive the upādhyāya who recites this Dharma to be a great teacher. He should have love for his queens, princes, attendants, and court within the palace, and they should look at one another with great happiness. He should speak to them with gentle words and an air of harmony. His own body and mind should be filled with great happiness, thinking, ‘Today I have attained pure thoughts and this immense, vast, great, superior benefit,’ and he should make offerings to this king of sūtras.

“Thinking in that way when he sees the upādhyāya who recites the Dharma coming toward him, he should reverently perceive him as a rarity.”765

Then the Bhagavat said to the Four Mahārājas, “Mahārājas, in that way, this upādhyāya who recites the Dharma766 should not be without a welcome. At that time, in that moment,767 that human king should wear clean, new clothes and adorn himself with various strings of jewels. He should himself hold a white parasol, incense, and flowers, and, assembling his army and having music played extensively, he should come out of the city on foot. In order to gain auspiciousness, with an attitude of reverence he should welcome the upādhyāya who recites the Dharma.768

“Four Mahārājas, for what cause and condition should the human king himself honor and make offerings in that way? It is because with each step in which the human king lifts and sets down his foot, he is honoring, making offerings to, serving, and showing reverence to a hundred thousand quintillion bhagavats. Moreover, for that number of eons he will truly transcend the suffering of saṃsāra. [F.89.a] Moreover, he will enjoy the superior, supreme enjoyments of a cakravartin king for that number of eons. Through the power of each step, his merit in that life will increase so that he will have independent sovereignty and an inconceivable ripening of results, will be venerated by entire multitudes, and for countless hundreds of thousands of eons will enjoy a divine palace made of the seven precious materials that is delighted in by devas and humans. In all his lifetimes, he will be a king with a long life and eloquent words and will be trusted by devas and humans. He will have no fears or terrors. He will have great fame and be looked up to by entire multitudes. He will enjoy the highest bliss among devas and humans. He will attain great strength. He will have the qualities of great magnificence. The features of his body will be excellent and beautiful beyond equal or analogy. He will see the teacher of devas and humans. He will meet kalyāṇamitras. He will accomplish an immeasurable accumulation of merit and have perfect good fortune.

“Mahārājas, know this: those human kings, in order to see measureless, various beneficial qualities, will themselves go from one yojana up to a hundred thousand yojanas in order to greet the dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāyas, and they will perceive those dharmabhāṇaka upādhyāyas to be the Teacher.769

“Then, when he goes to the town or city, he should think, ‘Today the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni is coming to my palace and will receive my offerings, and he will teach me the Dharma. Through the power of my hearing the Dharma, I will become irreversible in my progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment, [F.89.b] so that this is the same as meeting many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha bhagavats. Today I have made very immense, vast, supreme, superior offerings of pleasant requisites of various kinds to the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present and honored them. Today I have uprooted all the suffering in the world of Yama, the hells, the pretas, and the animal rebirths. Today I have planted the roots of merit for attaining countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of rebirths as cakravartins, Śakras, and Brahmās. Today I have saved countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings from the suffering of saṃsāra and placed them in the bliss of nirvāṇa. Today I have accumulated an endless, incalculable aggregation of inconceivable merit.770 I have established in happiness the many attendants and people in the palace and brought peace to the land, so that there are no harms, pernicious poisons, or malevolent humans. Enemies from elsewhere will not come and cause harm and there will be no misery or illness.’

“Mahārājas, know this: When at that time those kings in that way revere and venerate the true Dharma and make offerings to, honor, venerate, and praise the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this sublime sūtra, if they first dedicate the roots of merit and supreme merit that come from that solely to you and your followers, then those human kings will possess the great merit of good karma as a cause and condition, and in that life they will attain great power and their magnificence will increase. They will be adorned by splendor and supreme features, and all their adversaries will be eliminated by the true Dharma.” [F.90.a]

The Four Mahārājas then said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, when any human king in that way honors the true Dharma with reverence and listens to this sūtra, and honors, makes offerings to, venerates, and praises the four kinds of followers who possess this sūtra, then at that time, that king, in order to please us, should sprinkle scented water and scatter many sublime, perfect flowers upon the place where the Dharma seat is situated, and place and arrange seats for the Four Mahārājas. Then we will listen to the Dharma together with that king.

“That king should then dedicate to us whatever share of the merit of good roots will be beneficial for us.771

“Bhagavat, at that time, that human king should supplicate the dharmabhāṇaka to teach the Dharma, and when the dharmabhāṇaka is on their seat, the king should burn various sublime, supreme incenses for us and then make an offering to this sūtra.

“Bhagavat, at that time, the aroma of that incense772 will in a single instant rise into the sky and pervade our aerial palaces. It will transform into a parasol of incense, and our divine entourages will smell the supreme aroma of the incense. The smoke of the incense will have a golden light that will illuminate our palaces and the residence of Brahmā, and all the residences of Śakra, lord of devas; of the goddess Sarasvatī; of the great goddess Śrī; of Sthāvarā, goddess of the earth; of the great general Saṃjñeya; of the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals; of Maheśvara, the king of devas; of Vajrapāṇi, the lord of secrets; of the great general Māṇibhadra; of Hārītī with her entourage of five hundred children; of the nāga king Anavatapta; and of the nāga king Sāgara.773 [F.90.b]

“Bhagavat, in that way, the aroma of the incense in the aerial palaces of each of those and their entourages, and of others, will instantly transform into parasols of incense that are seen and their aroma experienced. Their colored light rays will also be seen to illuminate all the divine aerial palaces.”

The Bhagavat said to the Four Mahārājas, “Mahārājas, the light rays of the incense will not illuminate, transform into parasols of incense, and radiate great light rays solely at those aerial palaces. When the human king holds the censer in his hands, burns the sublime, supreme incense, and makes an offering to this sūtra, the smoke of that incense will in an instant, in a moment, fill up the billion suns and moons, the billion Sumerus, kings of mountains, the billion four-continent worlds that are in the trichiliocosm world realm, and all the palaces of the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas that there are in the trichiliocosm world realm‍—it will spread and fill all of space. The various kinds of incense aromas will transform into parasols of incense,774 and those parasols will be golden in color and will illuminate all divine palaces.

“In that way, all the clouds of incense and parasols of incense of various kinds there will be in the trichiliocosm world realm are the result of the power of the magnificence of The Sublime Golden Light, the Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras.

“And when the human king holds the censer in his hands and makes an offering to this sūtra, it is not only this trichiliocosm world realm that is pervaded by all the various aromas of that incense. In an instant, in a moment, they pervade countless, endless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms in the ten directions that are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River. [F.91.a] They become parasols of incense in the skies above all the buddha realms and completely illuminate them in a similar fashion.

“At that time, those many buddhas will be aware of and know those excellent aromas of the incense, and they will see the canopies of incense and their golden color. The buddha bhagavats of the ten directions, who are as numerous as the sand grains in the Ganges River, will manifest miracles, and those many buddha bhagavats, seeing and discriminating in the same way, will praise the dharmabhāṇaka, speaking to him in unison: ‘It is excellent, excellent that you, great being, have widely, greatly promulgated this wonderful, extremely profound sūtra and have perfected an incalculable, endless, and inconceivable accumulation of merit.’

“The merit of someone who listens to this sūtra is vast in extent, let alone that of someone who writes it out, obtains it, possesses it, reads it, teaches it to others, and practices it in accordance with its teaching. Why is that? Noble ones, it is because those who hear The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light become irreversible in their progress to the highest, most complete enlightenment.

“At that time, the tathāgatas in countless, innumerable hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms, as numerous as the sand grains in the Ganges River, will speak in unison to the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu who is seated on the Dharma throne, praising him with the words, ‘Well done! Well done! Noble one, in a future time, through the power of your diligence, you will accomplish countless hundreds of thousands of ascetic practices. When you have completed the accumulations, you will transcend many āryas, [F.91.b] you will emerge from the three realms and become a supreme leader, and you will sit at the foot of a Bodhi tree, will be adorned by that which is superior, and will be a refuge for the beings who have the necessary factors in the trichiliocosm world realm. You will eliminate the terrifying armies of Māra and will realize the extremely profound, highest, most complete enlightenment.

“ ‘Noble one, having sat upon the vajra seat, you will turn the Dharma wheel that is praised by the buddhas and is unsurpassable, very profound, and has twelve wonderful aspects. You will beat the supreme, great drum of the highest Dharma. You will blow the extremely wonderful conch of the highest Dharma. You will raise the superior banner of the highest Dharma. You will light the extremely bright lamp of the highest Dharma. You will send down the rain of the unsurpassable amṛta of the Dharma. You will cut through the measureless bondage of the enemies, the kleśas. You will make countless, endless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings transcend the ocean of great terrors. You will free them from the endless births and deaths of saṃsāra. You will meet countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas.’ ”775

Then the Four Mahārājas said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, the complete practice of776 The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light has such countless benefits in the future and the present. Therefore, when for that reason the human kings who have listened to this extremely wonderful sūtra will have developed good roots from all the countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas, we will guard those kings and think of them. [F.92.a]

“Moreover, in order that this measureless benefit can be seen, in each of the aerial palaces belonging to us, the Four Mahārājas, and also our entourages, along with countless hundreds of millions of yakṣas,777 parasols of clouds of the aromas of incense and various kinds of miraculous manifestations will be seen.

“At that time, we will make our bodies invisible, and in order to listen to the Dharma, we will go to the perfectly cleaned and beautifully adorned palace of such a king. In the same way, Brahmā, Śakra, the great goddess Sarasvatī, the great goddess Śrī, Sthāvarā, who is the goddess of the earth, the great general Saṃjñeya, the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals, the deity Maheśvara, Vajrapāṇi, who is the lord of secrets, the great general Māṇibhadra, Hārītī with her entourage of five hundred children, the nāga king Anavatapta, the nāga king Sāgara, and the entourages of countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of devas, yakṣas, and so on, in order to listen to the Dharma, each with their body invisible, will come to the place where the Dharma is to be taught, which is the human king’s palace in which a superior Dharma seat has been beautifully arranged.

“Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, and also our entourages and the yakṣas, single-mindedly, together with that human king, will become kalyāṇamitras and great patrons of the unsurpassable Dharma, and through that cause we will be satisfied by the taste of its amṛta. For that reason, we will guard that king, completely dispel harm, and cause him to attain happiness. We will cause all bad actions and bad omens to cease in his palace, cities, towns, and land.” [F.92.b]

Then the Four Mahārājas simultaneously placed the palms of their hands together and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if there is a human king in whose land this sūtra is present but who does not promulgate it, rejects it in his mind, has no aspiration to listen to it, does not make offerings to it, does not venerate it, does not praise it, and who on seeing the four kinds of followers who possess the sūtra does not venerate them, make offerings to them, or serve them, then we, the Four Mahārājas, our followers, and countless devas will not hear this extremely profound and wonderful Dharma. The flavor of its amṛta will be abandoned, the continuity of the true Dharma will be destroyed, there will be no magnificence and power, the lower existences will increase, devas and humans will diminish, and beings will drown in the river of saṃsāra and will go astray from the route to nirvāṇa, so that, Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, our followers, the yakṣas, and so on, on seeing this will abandon that land and will have no intention to defend it and protect it. It will not be we alone who abandon that king, for the countless devas of great virtue who protect that land will also forsake that land. Because they forsake it, various kinds of calamities will occur in that land, and the kingdom will be destroyed. The entire population will be without virtuous motivation and will bind each other, slay each other, abuse each other, quarrel with each other, slander each other, deceive each other, and punish the innocent. Because of having such states of mind there will be illness and disease, [F.93.a] a comet778 will appear repeatedly, two suns will appear simultaneously, there will be continuous comets,779 there will be the inauspicious omens of gray rainbows,780 shooting stars will fall, the earth will shake, sounds will come from wells, untimely severe rain will fall and winds will blow, there will always be the calamity of famine, grain will not ripen, the people of the land will experience calamities of suffering from the violence of invading enemies, and there will be unhappiness and no joy throughout the land.

“Bhagavat, if we, the Four Mahārājas, the countless thousands of devas, and the deities of great virtue who previously protected the land abandon it, then at that time there will arise countless hundreds of thousands of such evil omens.

“Bhagavat, if any human king wishes to protect his land so that it will constantly enjoy happiness, wishes to bring many beings to happiness,781 wishes to eliminate his adversaries, wishes for his own kingdom to always increase and spread, and wishes for the true teachings to remain in the world so that harmful suffering, bad actions, and evil qualities will cease, then, Bhagavat, the ruler of those lands should listen to and obtain this sublime king of sūtras, and he should honor, serve, and make offerings to those who read, recite, acquire, and possess this sūtra.

“Also, through the power of the blessing of the good roots of listening to the Dharma, we, the Four Mahārājas and our entourage of countless deities, will taste the flavor of the unsurpassable amṛta of the Dharma, [F.93.b] which will be a benefit782 for us and our followers, and the other devas will also obtain a perfect benefit.783 Why is that? Because a human king has listened single-mindedly to this sūtra and obtained it.

“Bhagavat, Mahābrahmā has constantly taught worldly and nonworldly instructions to beings. Śakra, the lord of the devas, has also taught various kinds of instructions, and the ṛṣis who possess the five higher cognitions have taught many instructions. But, Bhagavat, although there are these countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of instructions by Brahmā, Śakra, and the ṛṣis endowed with the five higher cognitions, nevertheless, The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, which the Buddha Bhagavat taught for devas and humans with a motivation of love, compassion, and kindness, is a hundred thousand quintillion times superior to those former instructions. They cannot even serve as an analogy for it. Why is that? Because through its power all the kings in Jambudvīpa will guide the world through the true Dharma and bring happiness to beings. We and our followers will give our protection so that there will be no calamity of suffering‍—moreover, there will be no calamity of invasion;784 bad, unvirtuous actions will all be cast far away; all demons and hinderers785 in the land will be dispelled; and through the guidance of this true Dharma there will be no conflict.

“For this purpose, the human kings will light the lamp of Dharma in their own lands, bringing infinite illumination, and will benefit786 the hosts of devas and their entourages.

“Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas [F.94.a] and our innumerable following of devas and yakṣas, the devas in Jambudvīpa, and all pretas, through the power of these causes and conditions, will taste the flavor of the unsurpassable amṛta of the Dharma and will possess magnificence and power. There will be the perfect radiance of light, all beings will become happy, and moreover they will in the future enjoy extreme happiness constantly for countless, inconceivable hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons. Also, this will please countless buddhas,787 and they will develop good roots and attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. All such incalculable, endless benefit788 transcends that from the retinue of greatly compassionate Brahmā, is greater than that from greatly wise Śakra, and is superior to that from the ṛṣis with the five higher cognitions who have accomplished various ascetic practices. Therefore, it is a hundred thousand quintillion times greater than them.

“The indescribable Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha has taught for the sake of beings the wonderful, valid teaching of this kind of sūtra, and from its clear comprehension the rulers of the lands in Jambudvīpa and the many communities of humans in the world will protect the Dharma rites and the land, and humans will be guided and inspired.

“All these benefits of the merit for everyone attaining happiness through the power of the blessing of this king of sūtras comes from the vast promulgation of this sūtra because of the power of the love and compassion of the great teacher Śākyamuni.

“Therefore, Bhagavat, in order to have such causes and conditions, human kings should obtain this sublime sūtra, [F.94.b] make offerings to it, honor it, revere it, and praise it. Why is that? This sūtra is called the supreme king of sūtras because it benefits all due to its inconceivable and supreme qualities.”

The Bhagavat then said to the Four Mahārājas, “If you, the Four Mahārājas, with your followers and the countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of deva followers, see a human king single-mindedly listening to this sūtra, making offerings to it, honoring it, revering it, and praising it, you should guard him and dispel harm. That will then cause you to experience perfect bliss. If the four kinds of followers are widely promulgating this king of sūtras, then as that is truly the vast activity of a buddha among devas and humans, it will benefit countless beings. You should constantly guard and defend such individuals. Ensure that there will be no other factors that will bring harm to those four kinds of followers, and that their bodies and minds will be in solitude and happiness so that this king of sūtras will spread and bring a continuous benefit to beings throughout the future.”

Then the deva king Vaiśravaṇa789 rose from his seat and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I have the rite of the dhāraṇī of the precious wish-fulfilling jewel. Any being who wishes to possess it will gain immeasurable qualities. They will complete the two accumulations of merit and wisdom.790 [F.95.a] Those who seek to possess it should first recite this mantra of protection for the body. The mantra is thus:

“Bhagavat, by reciting this mantra and applying the mantra seven times to a white cord, each time untying a knot, and then tying it to the upper arm, the benefit will be that demons will be unable to find them. They should blend many incenses into one, which means equal amounts of bdellium, sandalwood, frankincense, and pinwheel flower,793 and, holding a censer in their hands, they should burn the incense and make an offering. They should wash themselves perfectly clean, wear new, clean clothes and, in a solitary house,794 repeat the mantra that invokes Vaiśravaṇa, the king of devas. This is the mantra:

“After repeating this mantra completely seven times, they should then recite the essence mantra. Before reciting those mantras, they should bow down reverently to the Three Jewels and then do the recitation beginning with the name of Vaiśravaṇa, the lord of devas. Then wealth will be bestowed, all the aspirations of beings will be completely fulfilled, and happiness will be bestowed upon them.

“Having paid homage in that way, if they recite the essence mantra of the precious wish-fulfilling jewel of King Vaiśravaṇa, the happiness they wish for will be bestowed.”

Then Vaiśravaṇa, the lord of devas, recited in the presence of the Bhagavat the essence mantra of the precious wish-fulfilling jewel: [F.95.b]

“When reciting the mantra, it should first be repeated a full thousand times. Then afterward, in a clean room, they should plaster a narrow area of the floor with cow dung, making a small circle, and then single-mindedly make an offering with whatever food they have. They should continuously burn excellent incense so that its smoke is continually rising. They should maintain mindfulness of the previous essence mantra night and day, repeating it just loudly enough so that they themselves can hear it but others will be unaware of it.

“At that time, Jinarṣabha,801 the son of Vaiśravaṇa, will manifest in the form of a youth and come before them and ask, ‘Why have you called my father?’ They should answer him, ‘I seek wealth in order to make offerings to the Three Jewels, and so I pray for him to bestow it on me.’ At that time, Jinaṛṣabha,802 on hearing those words, will return to his father and say to his father, ‘Today a human practitioner of virtue is single-mindedly making offerings to the Three Jewels, but because he is lacking in wealth, he is supplicating you, father.’ Then the father will say, ‘You should go to him quickly and give him a hundred kārṣāpaṇas every day,’ and so he will then come to them.

“If they see such an omen because they have been reciting the mantra,803 they should know that their goal will be accomplished. They should burn the incense alone in a clean room, and in front of their bed they should place a small incense container. Then every dawn they should look inside to see what wealth they have acquired within that incense container. On those days that they acquire wealth, they should offer incense, flowers, and food to the Three Jewels and use it all for gifts to the poor and destitute. [F.96.a] They should not be miserly and keep the wealth,804 but instead they should have a motivation of love and compassion for beings. They should not develop a motivation of anger, deception, or malice. If anger arises, it will destroy the power of their accomplishment, so they should always guard the mind and not become angry.

“Moreover, while possessing this mantra, if they always think of and praise me, the deva king Vaiśravaṇa, and my sons, daughters, and retinue,805 they will always follow the ten good actions, and those deities will increase and augment the power of their merit, increase all good actions, and gain the realization of enlightenment. Numerous deities, on seeing this, will all be overjoyed and come together to guard an individual who is reciting the mantra.

“Moreover, those mantra holders will have a long life, will live for innumerable years, will always be free of the three lower existences, and will never be harmed. They will obtain the precious wish-fulfilling jewel and treasures. They will attain higher cognitions, power, and the fulfillment of all their aspirations. Even if they seek advice on what to do,806 that will be accomplished just as wished for. They will even understand the language of all wild animals.

“Bhagavat, if someone wishes to see the manifestation of my body when they are reciting the mantra, then on the eighth or fifteenth day of the month they should have an image of the Buddha painted on white cotton made beautiful with various pigments and a binding medium.807 The artist who paints that image should take the eight vows. He should paint an image of Great Goddess Śrī on the Buddha’s left. On the Buddha’s right he should paint me, King Vaiśravaṇa, with my sons, daughters, and entourage, [F.96.b] and it should be placed upon a throne.808

“Scatter various flowers, burn excellent, perfect incense, and keep lamps alight day and night. Excellent, perfect food and drink of various kinds should be offered with a motivation of veneration in the three periods and the mantra recited. Do not have a motivation for gain.809

“When invoking me, they should recite this mantra:

“Bhagavat, when I see humans who recite the mantra and, moreover, make such vast offerings, I will develop a motivation of love and affection and rejoicing, and I will transform into the form of a child or young person, or an old man, or a bhikṣu, and, holding the precious wish-fulfilling jewel and a bowl of gold in my hands, I will enter the circle812 and show veneration with my body. I will speak the name of the Buddha and say to those reciting the mantra, ‘You will accomplish your goals exactly as you have wished,’ so that if they wish to vanish into a forest, if they wish to obtain jewels, if they wish to inspire affection and honor from the entire multitude of beings, if they wish to acquire wealth such as gold and silver, if they wish to attain the accomplishments of the mantra, or if they wish to acquire the higher cognitions, [F.97.a] a very long life, or excellent perfect pleasures, there will be no wish of his that cannot be accomplished.

“Today, though I reveal only this much, whatever is wished for will be accomplished, and whatever unending precious treasures that have not been attained, whatever ultimate qualities that are not possessed, they will be accomplished. It may be possible for the sun and moon to fall onto a narrow piece of ground, it may be possible for this great earth to sometimes transform into something else,813 but my words of truth could never fail, so that wished-for happiness will always be obtained.

“Bhagavat, if someone who acquires this king of sūtras, possesses it, reads it, and recites it were to recite this mantra, then without fatigue they would quickly accomplish the rites.814

“Bhagavat, today I have taught this mantra for the sake of beings who are in poverty and afflicted by suffering. Therefore, they will gain a great benefit, and they will all attain wealth, happiness, independence, and freedom from harm.

“I will follow those individuals as long as they live, guard them, and dispel all harm. Moreover, I will illuminate with light as far as a hundred steps all around those individuals who possess and promulgate this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and recite the mantra. I will have the hundreds of thousands of yakṣas continually serve them and be their servants for whatever they wish, so that there will be nothing that they wish that cannot be accomplished.

“My words of truth that I speak are not untrue, which the Bhagavat alone has the power to know.” [F.97.b]

Vaiśravaṇa, the king of devas, having uttered this mantra, at that time the Bhagavat said, “Mahārāja,815 it is well done, well done, that you tear open the net of the suffering of poverty for all beings so that they attain happiness,816 and that you have taught this mantra in order to promulgate this sūtra widely in the world.”817

The Four Mahārājas then simultaneously rose from their seats and, with their upper robes over one shoulder, bowed down their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet, knelt on their right knees, reverently placed their palms together, and praised the qualities of the Bhagavat with these wonderful verses:

At that time, when the Four Mahārājas had praised the Bhagavat, the Bhagavat spoke these verses to the Four Mahārājas:

The Four Mahārājas, on hearing these verses, were happy, delighted, and overjoyed. They therefore said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we have never before heard such a profound and wonderful sūtra as this.” Overpowered with joy, they shed tears and wept, and their limbs833 trembled and shook. Because of the manifestation of such a marvelous, wonderful, inconceivable thing, they scattered divine coral tree flowers and great coral tree flowers upon the Bhagavat and made superior offerings to him. They said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, each with a following of five hundred yakṣas, will always be present and perfectly guard here and there this sūtra and those dharmabhāṇakas and defend them so that they will be defended by the light of wisdom. If any line of verse or word of this sūtra is omitted, in order that they be remembered and not omitted, we will bestow an extremely superior doorway to the power of retention, so that the sūtra will be complete. [F.99.a]

“Moreover, we will ensure that this sublime, supreme king of sūtras, wherever it is present, will be promulgated widely among beings and will not quickly vanish.”

At that time, when the Bhagavat taught this Dharma within that large assembly, countless beings gained the eloquence of great wisdom and accumulated an incalculable aggregation of merit; freed from the harm of misery, they attained happiness of mind, became learned in various treatises, attained the path of abandoning saṃsāra, became irreversible, and quickly realized enlightenment.