Several le north-east from the city was the king’s field, where the heir-apparent sat under a tree, and looked at the ploughers.(16)

Fifty le east from the city was a garden, named Lumbini,(17) where the queen entered the pond and bathed.  Having come forth from the pond on the northern bank, after (walking) twenty paces, she lifted up her hand, laid hold of a branch of a tree, and, with her face to the east, gave birth to the heir-apparent.(18) When he fell to the ground, he (immediately) walked seven paces.  Two dragon-kings (appeared) and washed his body.  At the place where they did so, there was immediately formed a well, and from it, as well as from the above pond, where (the queen) bathed,(19) the monks (even) now constantly take the water, and drink it.

There are four places of regular and fixed occurrence (in the history of) all Buddhas:—­first, the place where they attained to perfect Wisdom (and became Buddha); second, the place where they turned the wheel of the Law;(20) third, the place where they preached the Law, discoursed of righteousness, and discomfited (the advocates of) erroneous doctrines; and fourth, the place where they came down, after going up to the Trayatrimsas heaven to preach the Law for the benefit of their mothers.  Other places in connexion with them became remarkable, according to the manifestations which were made at them at particular times.

The country of Kapilavastu is a great scene of empty desolation.  The inhabitants are few and far between.  On the roads people have to be on their guard against white elephants(21) and lions, and should not travel incautiously.

   NOTES

(1) Kapilavastu, “the city of beautiful virtue,” was the birthplace of Sakyamuni, but was destroyed, as intimated in the notes on last chapter, during his lifetime.  It was situated a short distance north-west of the present Goruckpoor, lat. 26d 46s N., lon. 83d 19s E. Davids says (Manual, p. 25), “It was on the banks of the river Rohini, the modern Kohana, about 100 miles north-west of the city of Benares.”

(2) The father, or supposed father, of Sakyamuni.  He is here called “the king white and pure” ({.} {.} {.}).  A more common appellation is “the king of pure rice” ({.} {.} {.}); but the character {.}, or “rice,” must be a mistake for {.}, “Brahman,” and the appellation= “Pure Brahman king.”

(3) The “eldest son,” or “prince” was Sakyamuni, and his mother had no other son.  For “his mother,” see chap. xvii, note 3.  She was a daughter of Anjana or Anusakya, king of the neighbouring country of Koli, and Yasodhara, an aunt of Suddhodana.  There appear to have been various intermarriages between the royal houses of Kapila and Koli.

(4) In “The Life of the Buddha,” p. 15, we read that “Buddha was now in the Tushita heaven, and knowing that his time was come (the time for his last rebirth in the course of