The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3)
Chapter 7: The Four Mahārājas
Toh 557
Degé Kangyur, vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 1.b–62.a
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light has held great importance in Buddhism for its instructions on the purification of karma. In particular, much of the sūtra is specifically addressed to monarchs and thus has been significant for rulers—not only in India but also in China, Japan, Mongolia, and elsewhere—who wished to ensure the well-being of their nations through such purification. Reciting and internalizing this sūtra is understood to be efficacious for personal purification and also for the welfare of a state and the world.
In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu has a dream in which a prayer of confession emanates from a shining golden drum. He relates the prayer to the Buddha, and a number of deities then vow to protect it and its adherents. The ruler’s devotion to the sūtra is emphasized as important if the nation is to benefit. Toward the end of the sūtra are two well-known narratives of the Buddha’s previous lives: the account of the physician Jalavāhana, who saves and blesses numerous fish, and that of Prince Mahāsattva, who gives his body to a hungry tigress and her cubs.
This is the shortest version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light preserved in the Kangyur. It comprises twenty-one chapters, was translated into Tibetan primarily from Sanskrit, and is the only version for which a complete Sanskrit manuscript survives.
Acknowledgements
This text was translated by Peter Alan Roberts, who translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Ling Lung Chen and Wang Chipan were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the initial copyeditor. Thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing checked the translation against the Chinese sources. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and André Rodrigues was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of May Gu, George Gu, Likai Gu and Tiffany Tai, Lillian Gu and Jerry Yen.
Text Body
The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light
Chapter 7: The Four Mahārājas
Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, and with their upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on their right knee and, with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said, “Venerable149 Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, is taught by all the tathāgatas; it is viewed by all the tathāgatas; it is thought of150 by all the tathāgatas; it is possessed by all the assemblies of bodhisattvas; it is paid homage to by all the hosts of devas; it is offered to by all the hosts of devas; it is praised by all the hosts of the lords of devas; it is offered to, praised, and honored by all the protectors of the world; it illuminates all the divine mansions; it brings supreme happiness to all beings; it extinguishes all the suffering in the hells, in the lives of animals, and in the realm of Yama; it brings fears to an end; it repels all the armies of enemies; it brings the calamity151 of famines to an end; it brings the calamity152 of disease to an end; it dispels all planetary influences;153 it brings perfect peace; it ends misery and troubles; and it brings to an end various kinds of calamities—it overcomes a hundred thousand calamities.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if you extensively elucidate this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, [F.15.b] through hearing the Dharma, through the liquid of the amṛta of the Dharma, then the divine bodies of we Four Mahārājas and our armies and attendants will increase in their great magnificence; diligence, strength, and power will arise in our bodies; and magnificence, splendor, and good fortune will enter our bodies.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas possess the Dharma, teach the Dharma, and are Dharma kings.
“Venerable Bhagavat, through the Dharma we are the kings of devas, nāgas, asuras, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. We repel the terrible hosts of cruel bhūtas who steal the vitality of others.154
“Venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas, and the twenty-eight great generals of the yakṣas and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, are continually looking at all of Jambudvīpa with our pure divine vision, which transcends that of humans, and we defend it and protect it.
“Venerable Bhagavat, for that reason we Four Mahārājas are given the name world protectors.
“Venerable Bhagavat, wherever in this Jambudvīpa a country is defeated by an enemy army—or is stricken by the calamity of famine, or the calamity of disease, or a hundred various calamities, a thousand calamities, or a hundred thousand calamities—then, venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas will inspire the bhikṣus who possess this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when we Four Mahārājas inspire dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus through miracles and blessings, they will teach this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, in whatever land they are in, and all the various calamities—a hundred calamities, a thousand calamities—that have appeared in that land will cease. [F.16.a]
“Venerable Bhagavat, in whatever lands there are dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus who possess this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light then in those lands The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light will be heard.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when a human king listens to and hears this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, he will guard those bhikṣus who possess this lord of sūtras from all adversaries; he will defend them, keep them in his care, and protect them.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas will guard all the beings who dwell in the domain of that human king; we will guard them, defend them, keep them in our care, protect them, and bring them peace and well-being.155
“Venerable Bhagavat, if a human king156 were to make happy, through whatever brings happiness, the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras,157 then, venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas will, through the requisites for happiness, bring the perfection of happiness and requisites to the beings who dwell in all the dominions of those human kings.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when human kings honor, revere, attend upon, and make offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras, then, venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas will cause all kings to greatly honor, revere, attend upon, and make offerings to those human kings, and they will be praised in all their dominions.”
Then the Bhagavat congratulated the Four Mahārājas, saying, “Excellent, excellent, Mahārājas! Excellent, excellent, you Mahārājas! [F.16.b]
“It is thus: you have served past jinas, have generated roots of merit, have honored many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas, have possessed the Dharma, have taught the Dharma, and have been kings of devas and humans through the Dharma.
“It is thus: for a long time, you have had the motivation to benefit all beings; you have had the motivation of happiness and love; you have had the superior motivation of wishing to bring benefit and happiness to all beings; you have prevented that which is not beneficial; and you have been dedicated to accomplishing every happiness for all beings.
“You Four Mahārājas have guarded the kings who have been dedicated to honoring and making offerings to The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, and defended them, kept them in your care, protected them, saved them from attack,158 and brought them peace and well-being.
“Therefore, 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.
“Therefore, you Four Mahārājas, with your army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, will be victorious in the battle between the devas and asuras. You will defeat the asuras. In this way, The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light subjugates all opposing armies. For that reason, you should guard the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras. You should defend them, keep them in your care, protect them, and bring them peace and well-being.”
Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, [F.17.a] and with their upper robes over one shoulder, they knelt on their right knee and, with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said, “Venerable Bhagavat, in the future, when this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light is performed in any village, town, market town, district, kingdom, or royal capital; when it is performed in the domain of any human king; and when, venerable Bhagavat, any human king who acts as a king in accordance with the commitment of the lord of devas and with this treatise on kingship, and always listens to, worships, and makes offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, and honors, venerates, worships, and makes offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this Lord King of Sūtras, and always listens to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, then at that time, through the liquid amṛta of this Dharma, through the water of the river of listening to the Dharma, the divine bodies of we Four Mahārājas and our army, attendants, and many hundred thousands of yakṣas will increase in their great magnificence, and we will have great diligence, power, and strength. Our magnificence, splendor, and good fortune will also increase.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas, with our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, will now and in future times be present in these very bodies in any village, town, market town, district, kingdom, or royal capital where this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light is performed.
“We will guard the human kings who listen to, worship, and make offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. We will defend them, keep them in our care, protect them, save them from attack,159 and bring them peace and well-being. [F.17.b]
“We will guard the royal courts,160 the kingdoms, and their dominions. We will defend them, keep them in our care, protect them, save them from attack, and bring them peace and well-being. We will free those dominions from all fear, harm, and disturbances, and we will repel the armies of enemies.
“If a human king who listens to, worships, and makes offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light has a neighboring enemy king, and if, venerable Bhagavat, that king thinks, ‘I will go with my fourfold army to that domain to destroy it,’ then, venerable Bhagavat, at that time, in that time, through the power of the magnificence of this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, that neighboring enemy king will enter into battle with other kings, who will enter his domain and bring ruin to his domain. They will bring dreadful ruin to that king. Bad planetary influences and diseases will also appear in his domain. There will be hundreds of various kinds of difficulties in his domain.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if a neighboring enemy king goes to that king’s domain, there will be hundreds of various kinds of calamities and hundreds of various kinds of tribulations.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if a neighboring enemy king gathers together his fourfold army and leaves his domain as an invading army and with those four divisions of his army enters another domain in order to destroy a domain where this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, is present, then, venerable Bhagavat, [F.18.a] we Four Mahārājas, with our army, attendants, and countless hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, in these very bodies, will go there, and we will drive back the enemy army that is en route.161 We will cause them hundreds of various calamities and create obstacles for them. In that way, the army of the enemy will not even be able to enter that domain, let alone cause its destruction.”
Then the Bhagavat congratulated the Four Mahārājas, saying, “Excellent, excellent, Mahārājas! Excellent, excellent, you Mahārājas! You have accomplished this for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of asaṃkhyeya eons, and for the sake of the highest, most complete enlightenment you should guard, defend, keep in your care, protect, save from attack, and bring peace and well-being to a human king who listens to, worships, and makes offerings162 to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light.
“You should also guard, defend, keep in your care, protect, save from attack, and bring peace and well-being to their royal courts,163 cities, kingdoms, and dominions. You should also free those dominions from all fear, harm, and disturbances. You should repel the armies of enemies.
“You should be eager for there to be no fighting, no quarreling, no contention, and no disputes among the human kings who dwell throughout all of Jambudvīpa.
“In this Jambudvīpa of yours, you Four Mahārājas and your army and attendants, may the eighty-four thousand kings in the eighty-four thousand cities each delight in their own domains. May they each delight in their own sovereignty. [F.18.b] May they not be harmful to each other’s aggregation of wealth. May they not attack each other. May the kings be happy with the sovereignty that they have obtained through their own accumulation of karma in the past. May they not destroy each other’s dominion. May they not cause harm to each other in order to destroy each other’s dominion.
“When the eighty-four thousand kings in the eighty-four thousand cities in this Jambudvīpa are loving toward each other; when they have loving and altruistic minds; when they have no fighting, no quarreling, no contention, and no disputes among them and are each happy with their own domains, because of that, you Four Mahārājas, your army and attendants, and this Jambudvīpa will flourish. It will have good harvests. It will be delightful. It will be filled with many people. It will have fertile earth. The cycles of periods of time, months, fortnights, and years will be fortuitous. Both day and night, the planets, the lunar asterisms, the moon, and the sun will move harmoniously. The rain will fall on the earth at the appropriate times. The beings who dwell in Jambudvīpa will have all wealth and grain. They will have numerous possessions, without miserliness. They will be generous. They will follow the path of the ten good actions. Most will be reborn in the higher blissful realms. The mansions of the devas will be filled with devas and their children.
“Mahārājas, where there is a human king who listens to, worships, and makes offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light; and honors, venerates, worships, and makes offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light; and who, out of kindness to you Four Mahārājas, your army and attendants, and your many hundred thousands of yakṣas, always listens to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, [F.19.a] then through the water of the river of listening to the Dharma, the liquid amṛta of this Dharma, your divine bodies will be refreshed, and your divine bodies will increase in their great magnificence, and you will develop diligence, power, and strength. Your magnificence, splendor, and good fortune will also increase.
“Those human kings will have also made inconceivably vast offerings to me, the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni. Those human kings will also have made offerings of all inconceivably vast, immense requisites to many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of past, future, and present tathāgatas. Therefore, a great guardianship will be created for those human kings. Those human kings will be guarded, defended, cared for, protected, saved from attacks, and endowed with peace and well-being. There will be a great guardianship created for all their queens, their princes, their harems, and their entire court.164 They will be guarded, defended, cared for, protected, saved from attacks, and endowed with peace and well-being. All the deities who dwell in the royal court will have greater magnificence, greater strength, and inconceivable bliss and happiness. They will experience various kinds of pleasure. The cities and the kingdom will also be guarded, defended, unharmed, without enemies, and not oppressed, harmed, or disturbed by enemy armies.”
Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa said to the Bhagavat, [F.19.b] “Venerable Bhagavat,165 the human king who wishes to listen to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, and who wishes to have a great guardianship for himself; who wishes for a great guardianship for all his queens, their princes and princesses, and the harem; who wishes to bring the highest, superior, inconceivable great peace and well-being to his entire court;166 who wishes to increase his great sovereignty inconceivably in his lifetime; who wishes to possess inconceivable kingship; who wishes to possess an incalculable accumulation of merit; who wishes for his entire domain to be completely guarded; who wishes for it to be protected; who wishes for there to be no harm to his domain; and who wishes for there to be no enemies, no oppression from enemy armies, no disease, and no disturbances—venerable Bhagavat, that human king, with an undistracted mind, with veneration and service, should listen respectfully to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light.
“In order to listen to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, that human king should enter a superior royal palace. Having entered, he should sprinkle perfume and scatter a variety of flower petals in the royal palace. Where the perfume has been sprinkled, he should set up a high Dharma throne, well adorned with a variety of adornments. He should adorn that place well with a variety of parasols, banners, and flags. That human king should wash his body. He should put on new, perfectly clean clothes and adorn himself with various kinds of jewelry. [F.20.a] He should set out for himself a low seat, and seated on that he should not have the arrogant conceit of a king.
“He should have no attachment to the power of kingship. With a mind devoid of all arrogance, pride, and conceit, he should listen to this Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light. He should also perceive the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu as a teacher.
“That human king, at that time, in that time, should regard his principal queen, princes, princesses, and harem in a pleasing and beneficial way. He should speak to his principal queen, princes, princesses, and harem with pleasant words. He should have various offerings assembled for listening to the Dharma. He should be delighted by inconceivable, unequaled joy. He should be blissful with inconceivable joy and happiness. He should have delighted senses. He should think he will attain a great benefit.167 He should be delighted with a great delight. He should welcome the dharmabhāṇaka with great pleasure.”
After they had spoken, the Bhagavat said to the Four Mahārājas, “Mahārājas, at that time, in that time, that human king should wear clothes that are all white, beautiful, and new. He should adorn himself well with various adornments and jewelry. He should hold a white parasol. With great royal power and a great royal display, he should hold various auspicious articles168 and leave the royal palace to go to welcome the dharmabhāṇaka.169
“Why is that? It is because however many steps the human king takes, that number of hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons in saṃsāra is eliminated, and he will become a cakravartin king that number of hundreds of thousands of quintillions of times. However many steps he takes, [F.20.b] in that lifetime his great sovereignty will increase inconceivably that number of times. He will attain as his abode for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons a vast and immense divine aerial palace made of the seven precious materials. He will obtain hundreds of thousands of divinely human royal families with a vastness that is a divine vastness. In all his lifetimes, he will have great sovereignty; he will have a long life; he will live for a long time; he will have eloquence; he will be an excellent speaker; he will be famous; he will be widely renowned; he will be worthy of praise; he will benefit the world and its devas and asuras; he will attain the vast, vast happiness of devas and humans; he will have great might; he will possess the power of the strength of a great champion; he will be handsome and attractive; he will possess a perfectly developed, excellent color; in all his lifetimes he will meet a tathāgata; he will obtain a kalyāṇamitra; and he will possess an incalculable aggregation of merit.
“Mahārājas, seeing the benefit of such qualities, the human king should go a yojana to greet the dharmabhāṇaka—he should go a hundred yojanas, a thousand yojanas, to greet him. He should conceive of that dharmabhāṇaka as the Teacher. He should think, ‘Today the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni will enter this my royal palace. Today the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni will take his meal in this my royal palace. Today I will hear the Dharma of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni, which is contrary to all worlds. Today, through hearing the Dharma, I will progress irreversibly toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. Today I have pleased many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas. [F.21.a] Today I have made an immense, vast, inconceivably great offering to the buddha bhagavats of the past, the future, and the present. Today I have brought to an end all the suffering in the hells, in rebirth as animals, and in the land of Yama. Today I have planted the roots of merit that are the seed for attaining many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of the bodies of a king and a lord of the Brahmā devas. Today I have planted the roots of merit that are the seed for attaining many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of the bodies of a Śakra. Today I have planted the roots of merit that are the seed for attaining many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of the bodies of a cakravartin king. Today I have attained liberation170 from saṃsāra for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons. Today I have obtained an immense, vast, unsurpassable, inconceivable aggregation of merit. Today I have created a great guardianship for all in my harem. Today I have brought the highest, superior, perfect, inconceivable peace and well-being to this royal palace. Today I have guarded this entire domain. It will be defended, unharmed, without enemies, and without the oppression of invading armies, disease, and disturbances.’
“Mahārājas, if the king who with this reverence for the Dharma honors, venerates, worships, and makes offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, and dedicates the best part to you Four Mahārājas, [F.21.b] your army, your attendants, the host of devas, and the many hundred thousands of yakṣas, then he will manifest the merit, he will manifest the good karma, and in that life his great sovereignty will increase incalculably. In that life he will possess the incalculable great magnificence of a king, and he will be adorned by splendor, good fortune, and magnificence. All his opponents will be eliminated, in accord with the Dharma, together with all his enemies.”
When the Bhagavat had said that, the Four Mahārājas said to him, “Venerable Bhagavat, if there is a human king with such a reverence for the Dharma as that—one who honors, venerates, worships, and makes offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light, and who, for our sake, purifies and cleans the royal palace, and sprinkles it well with various perfumes—then he will be listening to the Dharma together with us, the Four Mahārājas. If he gives a little share of his roots of merit to us and all devas, then, venerable Bhagavat, as soon as the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu comes to his seat, that king, for the sake of us, the Four Mahārājas, should spread the aroma of various scents.
“Venerable Bhagavat, as soon as he perfumes with various scents, in order to make an offering to The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, there will appear from the various aromas vines of various perfumes and incenses. In that instant, that moment, that fraction of a second, in the sky above each of our palaces, the palaces of the Four Mahārājas, there will be present a parasol composed of the vines of various perfumes and incenses, [F.22.a] and there will spread a vast aroma. There will appear a golden light that will illuminate our palaces.
“Venerable Bhagavat, the vines of various perfumes and incenses, in that instant, that moment, that fraction of a second, will appear as parasols composed of vines of various perfumes and incenses present in the sky above the palaces of Brahmā, the lord of Sahā; of Śakra, the lord of the devas; of the great goddess Sarasvatī; of the great goddess Dṛḍhā; of the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya171 and the other twenty-eight great yakṣa generals; of the great deity Maheśvara; of the great yakṣa general Vajrapāṇi; of the great yakṣa general Māṇibhadra; of Hārītī with her entourage of five hundred children; of the nāga king Anavatapta; and of the nāga king Sāgara.172 A vast aroma will spread and a golden light will appear inside those palaces, and that light will illuminate everything.”
When the Four Mahārājas had said that, the Bhagavat said to them, “Mahārājas, parasols comprised of vines of various perfumes and incenses will be present not only in the sky above the palaces of each of you Four Mahārājas. Why is that? As soon as the human king perfumes with those aromas as an offering to The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, there will arise from the censer in his hands vines of perfumes and incense. In that instant, in that moment, in that fraction of a second, throughout all the world realms in the trichiliocosm, where there are a billion moons, a billion suns, a billion great oceans, a billion Sumeru kings of mountains, [F.22.b] a billion Cakravāḍa and Mahācakravāḍa kings of mountains, a billion four-continent world realms, a billion Mahārājakāyikas, a billion Trāyastriṃśas, and so on, up to a billion paradises of the state of neither perception nor nonperception; throughout all those world realms in the billion world realms, there will be parasols composed of those vines of incenses and perfumes in the sky above the palaces of the hosts of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. A vast aroma will spread, and a golden light will appear inside those divine palaces, and that light will illuminate everything.
“Mahārājas, just as parasols composed of vines of incenses and perfumes are present above all the divine palaces in the world realms in these billion world realms, in the same way, as soon as the king makes an offering of perfuming with scent The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, then through the power of the magnificence of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light there will appear vines of perfume and incense. In that instant, in that moment, in that fraction of a second, parasols composed of vines of incenses and perfumes will be present in the sky above the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas, as numerous as the sand grains of the Ganges River, who are in the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms, as numerous as the sand grains of the Ganges River, that are in the many world realms in the ten directions. They will perfume many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas with an extremely vast variety of perfumes and incenses. They will shine with a golden light that will illuminate many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms as numerous as the sand grains of the Ganges River. [F.23.a]
“Mahārājas, as soon as those miracles occur, many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas,173 as numerous as the sand grains of the Ganges River will regard that dharmabhāṇaka, and they will congratulate him, saying, ‘Well done, well done, good man! It is excellent, excellent, that you, good man, wish to teach extensively the way of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, which has such a profound meaning, which has such a profound illumination, and which possesses inconceivable qualities. Any being who merely listens to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light will have merit that is not insignificant, not to mention someone who obtains it, possesses it, explains it,174 reads it, learns it, and teaches it extensively to an assembly. Why is that? Good man, it is because on hearing this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas, as soon as they hear it, become irreversible in their progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment.’ [B3]
“Then, at that time, in that time, the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas in many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms, as numerous as the sand grains of the Ganges River, in the same words, in one voice, as one speech, will say to the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu who is seated on the Dharma throne, ‘Good man, in a future time you will go to the Bodhimaṇḍa.
“ ‘Good man, when you have gone to the supreme, sublime Bodhimaṇḍa, you will sit at the foot of the king of trees, and you will manifest performing with determination many hundreds of thousands of quintillions175 of disciplines and ascetic practices that are superior to all the three worlds and transcend all beings. [F.23.b]
“ ‘Good man, you will perfectly adorn the Bodhimaṇḍa.
“ ‘Good man, you will protect all the world realms of a billion worlds.
“ ‘Good man, at the foot of the king of trees, you will be victorious over the innumerable armies of Māra, who have terrifying forms, terrifying presence, hideous manifestations, and various hideous forms.
“ ‘Good man, having gone to the supreme, sublime Bodhimaṇḍa, you will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of complete buddhahood that is beyond analogy and is complete peace, spotless, and profound.
“ ‘Good man, you will be seated upon the central, eternal vajra seat. You will turn the Dharma wheel that is praised by all the jinas,176 is supremely profound, and has the twelve forms.177
“ ‘Good man, you will beat the unsurpassable great drum of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will blow the unsurpassable conch of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will raise the great banner of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will light the unsurpassable lamp of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will send down the unsurpassable rain of the Dharma.
“ ‘Good man, you will free many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings from the terrifying ocean of great terrors.
“ ‘Good man, you will free many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings from the wheel of saṃsāra.
When the Bhagavat had said that, the Four Mahārājas said to him, [F.24.a] “Venerable Bhagavat, when we see a human king who has developed roots of merit with a hundred thousand buddhas, who possesses an incalculable aggregation of merit, and who sees these qualities that arise in this life and the future from this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, then, venerable Bhagavat, out of kindness for him, when we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, are invoked by the vines of various perfumes and incenses at each of our dwellings, we will immediately, in order to listen to the Dharma, make our bodies invisible and will go to the king’s palace,179 which has been well swept, excellently sprinkled with various perfumes, and excellently adorned with various decorations. Brahmā, the lord of Sahā; Śakra, the lord of the devas; the great goddess Sarasvatī; the great goddess Śrī; the great goddess Dṛḍhā; the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya; the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals; the deity Maheśvara; the great yakṣa general Vajrapāṇi; the great yakṣa general Māṇibhadra; Hārītī with her entourage of five hundred children; the nāga king Anavatapta; the nāga king Sāgara; and many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of devas, with their bodies invisible, will come to the human king’s palace, which has been adorned with various decorations. In order to listen to the Dharma, they will come to the dharmabhāṇaka’s high Dharma throne, which has been perfectly adorned with various adornments and set up on a floor that has been scattered with flowers.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, all in unison, as soon as we have been satiated by the liquid amṛta of the Dharma, will become guardians of that human king, the human king who is aided by a kalyāṇamitra,180 who has accomplished goodness, and who makes the vast gift of the unsurpassable Dharma. [F.24.b] We will defend him, keep him in our care, protect him, and bring him peace and well-being. We will guard, defend, keep in our care, protect, and bring peace and well-being to that royal palace,181 that city, and that domain. We will save them from attack. We will free those in that domain from all fear, harm, disease, and disturbances.
“Venerable Bhagavat, when someone is a human king and in that human king’s domain there appears The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, then, venerable Bhagavat, if that human king does not honor, venerate, worship, and make offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, and we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, are not satiated by hearing this Dharma and by the liquid amṛta of the Dharma, and are not worshiped, then the brilliance of our bodies will not increase. Our diligence, power, and might will not develop, and magnificence, splendor, and good fortune will not increase within our bodies.
“Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, will abandon that domain.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if we abandon that domain, all the devas who dwell in that domain will also abandon it.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if the devas abandon that domain, there will various kinds of troubles in that domain. There will be terrible troubles for the king. [F.25.a] All the beings who dwell in that domain will become belligerent, quarrelsome, contentious,182 and disputatious. Various malign planetary influences and illnesses will occur. Shooting stars will fall from every direction. The planets and lunar asterisms will be in disharmony. The moon will pass through the sky as if it is the sun. Though the moon and sun will be in the sky, eclipses will continually obscure them. From time to time there will be swirling rainbow colors183 in the sky. The ground will shake. Cavities in the ground will emit sounds. A fierce wind will arise in the domain. A fierce rain will fall. There will be the calamity of famine. The country will be defeated by an enemy army and ruined. The beings there will suffer many troubles. That domain will experience unhappiness.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if we, the Four Mahārājas, and our army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, along with that domain’s devas and nāgas, abandon that domain, there will be hundreds of such calamities, thousands of such various calamities.
“Venerable Bhagavat, if there is a human king who wishes to be well guarded; who wishes to experience the various joys of a king for a long time; who wishes to enjoy for a long time the pleasures of being a king; who wishes to make all the beings who dwell in his domain happy; who wishes to defeat all the armies of his adversaries; who wishes to protect his entire domain for a long time; who wishes to be a Dharma king; and who wishes to free his domain from all fear, harm, disease, and disturbances, [F.25.b] then, venerable Bhagavat, that human king should listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. He should honor, venerate, worship, and make offerings to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. We, the Four Mahārājas, and our army and attendants should become satisfied by this accumulation of the roots of merit through listening to the Dharma and by this liquid amṛta of the Dharma. The great brilliance of these divine bodies of ours should be increased.
“Why is that? Venerable Bhagavat, the human king should listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“Venerable Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is much greater than, far superior to, all the various worldly and nonworldly treatises taught by the lord of Brahmās; all the various treatises taught by Śakra, the lord of the devas; and all the various worldly and nonworldly treatises taught for the benefit of beings by ṛṣis who possessed the five higher cognitions.
“Venerable Bhagavat, a tathāgata is much greater than, far superior to, a hundred thousand lords of the Brahmās, the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of Śakras, and all the hundreds of thousands of quintillions of ṛṣis endowed with the five higher cognitions, and he teaches extensively this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light in order to benefit beings.
“The bhagavat arhat samyaksaṃbuddha has the blessing of the power of great compassion, which is far superior to that of a hundred thousand quintillion lords of the Brahmās; he has a tathāgata’s unsurpassable wisdom, which is far superior to the divine knowledge of a hundred thousand quintillion Śakras; and he has a blessing that is far superior to that of all the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of ṛṣis who have the various forms of the five higher cognitions. The bhagavat arhat samyaksaṃbuddha teaches this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light extensively in this Jambudvīpa for the sake of all beings so that the kings of humans who dwell throughout Jambudvīpa will have sovereignty; so that all beings will become happy; so that all domains will be guarded and defended; [F.26.a] so that there will be no harm or enemies in all dominions; so that the armies of adversaries will be defeated and will retreat; so that there will be no disease or disturbances; so that human kings will light the great lamp of the Dharma and illuminate their own domains; so that the mansions of the devas will be filled with devas and their children; so that we, the Four Mahārājas, and our armies, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, and all the hosts of devas that dwell in Jambudvīpa, will be satiated and worshiped; so that our divine bodies will increase in great magnificence; so that diligence, might, and great strength develop in our bodies; so that there will be good harvests; so that there will be happiness throughout all Jambudvīpa, which will become filled with beings and people; so that all beings who dwell in Jambudvīpa will be happy, experiencing various kinds of happiness; so that all beings will experience the vast, vast happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons; and so that they will be in the company of buddha bhagavats and in a future time will all attain the highest, most complete enlightenment.
“Whatever worldly or nonworldly kingly duties,184 treatises on kingship, or kingly deeds throughout Jambudvīpa bring happiness to all beings, they are all taught, described, and explained by the bhagavat arhat tathāgata samyaksaṃbuddha in this185 Lord King186 of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. [F.26.b]
“Venerable Bhagavat, because of that cause and condition, a human king should reverently listen with conviction to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, reverently worship it, and reverently make offerings to it.”
When the Four Mahārājas had said that, the Bhagavat said to them, “Therefore, you Four Mahārājas, with your army and attendants, should with great enthusiasm guard the kings who with conviction listen to, worship, and make offerings to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“Mahārājas, you should cause the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord king of sūtras to possess buddha activity.187 They will perform buddha activity in this world with its devas, humans, and asuras. They will extensively and correctly teach this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.
“You, the Four Mahārājas, should ensure that the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess this lord of sūtras are guarded, are unharmed, have no illness, have no disturbances, and are happy. [F.27.a]
“Guard, defend, take in your care, protect, and bring peace and well-being to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who will teach this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”
Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knee, and with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat.
The Bhagavat then spoke these verses to the Four Mahārājas: [F.27.b]
Lord of Sūtras of those with the ten strengths,
The Four Maharajas, on hearing these verses from the Bhagavat, were astonished, amazed, and overjoyed. Through the power of the Dharma, they briefly wept and shed tears. Their bodies shook and their limbs trembled, and they felt joy, bliss, and happiness. They scattered divine coral tree flowers toward the Bhagavat.
When they had scattered them, they rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knee, and with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said, “Venerable Bhagavat, we, the Four Mahārājas, each with five hundred yakṣas, will always follow behind the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu in order to guard and protect that dharmabhāṇaka.”
This concludes “The Four Mahārājas,” the seventh chapter of “The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”
Bibliography
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gser ’od dam pa’i mdo. Toh 555, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 2023.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) 2024.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 557, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 1.a–62.a.
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Jin guangming jin 金光明經. Taishō 663 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra by Dharmakṣema, a.k.a. Tan Wuchen 曇無讖).
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Other References in Tibetan
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Pema Karpo (pad ma dkar po). gser ’od dam pa nas gsungs pa’i bshags pa. In The Collected Works of Kun-mkhyen padma dkar po, vol. 9 (ta), pp. 519–24. Darjeeling: kargyu sungrab nyamso khang, 1973–74.
Other References in English and Other Languages
Bagchi, S., ed. Suvarṇaprabhāsasūtram. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1967. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.
Banerjee, Radha. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra. London: British Library, 2006. http://idp.bl.uk/downloads/GoldenLight.pdf.
Buswell Jr., Robert E., and Donald Lopez Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Di, Guan. “The Sanskrit Fragments Preserved in Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Peking University.” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo: Soka University, 2014): 109–18.
Lewis, Todd T. “Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Guṃlā Dharma.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16, no. 2 (Winter 1993): 309–54.
Nanjio Bunyiu, Idzumi Hokei. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra: A Mahāyāna Text Called “The Golden Splendour.” Kyoto: The Eastern Buddhist Society, 1931.
Nobel, Johannes (1937). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Nach den Handschriften und mit Hilfe der tibetischen und chinesischen Übertragungen. Leipzig: Harrassowitz.
Nobel, Johannes (1944). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Nobel, Johannes (1944, 1950). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetishcen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Radich, Michael (2014). “On the Sources, Style and Authorship of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇaprabhasa-sūtra T644 Ascribed to Paramārtha (Part 1).” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo: Soka University, 2014): 207–44.
Radich, Michael (2016). “Tibetan Evidence for the Sources of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra T 664 A Ascribed to Paramārtha.” Buddhist Studies Review 32.2 (2015): 245–70. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
Tanaka, Kimiaki. An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kālacakratantra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Tyomkin, E. N. “Unique Sanskrit Fragments of ‘The Sūtra of Golden Light’ in the Manuscript Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies.” In Manuscripta Orientalia vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995): 29–38. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences.
Yuama, Akira. “The Golden Light in Central Asia.” In Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2003 (Tokyo: Soka University, 2004): 3–32.
Translations
Emmerick, R. E. The Sūtra of Golden Light. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 2004.
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Sutra of Golden Light, 21-Chapter.
Nobel, Johannes. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Das Goldglanz-Sutra, ein Sanskrittext des Mahayana Buddhismus. I-Tsing’s chinesische Version und ihre Übersetzung. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1958.