Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (234)

Why did King of Boundlessness (Anantarāja) fall into the human world?

Original text: 在彼时久。作是思惟。可退彼天。我独为主。作是念已。王及兵众。即时退堕。宝庄严城。宝箧园中。时守园者。见是事已。告城中人。作是唱言。今有天人。退没于此。

Explanation: After King of Boundlessness had been in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven for a long time, he thought like this: I should drive away Śakra, the lord of that heaven, and rule this heaven alone by myself. After he gave rise to such a thought, King of Boundlessness and his four kinds of troops immediately fell and descended into the Precious Treasury Garden (宝箧园) of the city adorned with jewels (宝庄严城) in the human world. At that time, the keeper of the garden, upon seeing this happen, told the people in the city, proclaiming: "Just now a deva has fallen down from heaven and descended here."

Original text: 时彼国王。名曰作爱。闻是说已。速严驾驭。诣彼园中。见如上事。怪未曾有。即敕排备。种种香花。末香涂香。诣彼王所。偏袒右肩。右膝着地。长跪合掌。安慰问讯。白彼王言。圣天至此。为当是谁。彼即答曰。汝昔曾闻。有转轮王。名无边称不。作爱王言。我闻耆旧说。昔有王名无边称。威德自在。领四天下。与四兵众。乘空而上。三十三天。汝所闻者。岂异人乎。则我身是。

Explanation: At that time, the king of the city adorned with jewels was named King Udayana. After hearing about this matter, he immediately prepared a carriage and hurried to the garden. Seeing what had happened as described above, he found it strange, something that had never occurred before. The king then ordered people to prepare various fragrant flowers, powdered incense, and paste incense, and went to where King of Boundlessness was. With his right shoulder bared and his right knee on the ground, he knelt for a long time with palms joined, offering greetings and consolation to King of Boundlessness. He said to King of Boundlessness: "Venerable deva, who are you that have come here?" King of Boundlessness replied: "Have you ever heard of a wheel-turning king named King of Boundlessness in the past?" King Udayana said: "I have heard the elders say that in the past there was a king named King of Boundlessness, majestic and virtuous, sovereign and free, ruling over the four continents, who with his four kinds of troops ascended through the sky to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven." King of Boundlessness said: "The one you have heard of is no one else—it is precisely me."