Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Numerical Discourses

Chapter 17: Breathing

（七） （頂生王） 7. King Mūrdhātā
聞如是： 一時，佛在舍衛國、祇樹、給孤獨園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
爾時，尊者阿難在閑靜之處，獨自思惟。 便生是念： 「諸有生民興愛欲想，便生欲愛。 晝夜習之，無有厭足。」 2. It was then that Venerable Ānanda was staying in a secluded place where he was contemplating by himself. He then thought, “Many are the people who generate notions of craving, which then produce craving. They make a habit of it day and night without tire.”
爾時，尊者阿難向暮即從坐起，著衣正服，便往至世尊所。 到已，頭面禮足，在一面坐。 爾時，尊者阿難白世尊曰： 「向在靜閑之處，便生此念： 『諸有眾生興欲愛想，便生欲愛。 長夜習之，無有厭足。』」 3. Venerable Ānanda rose from his seat in the evening, put on his robes, dressed himself properly, and paid the Bhagavān a visit. Having arrived, he bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet and sat to one side. Venerable Ānanda then said to the Bhagavān, “While I was in a secluded place, I had this thought, ‘Many are the sentient beings who generate notions of craving, which then produce craving. They make a habit of it day and night without tire.’”
世尊告曰： 「如是，阿難，如汝所言。 諸有人民興欲愛想，便增欲想。 長夜習之，無有厭足。 所以者何？ 4. The Bhagavān told him, “Yes, Ānanda, it’s as you say. Many are the people who generate notions of craving, which then increases their craving. They make a habit of it day and night without tire. Why is that?2
「昔者，阿難，過去世時有轉輪聖王，名曰頂生。 以法治化，無有奸罔，七寶成就。 所謂七寶者：輪寶、象寶、馬寶、珠寶、玉女寶、居士寶、典兵寶。 是謂七寶。 復有千子，勇猛強壯。 能降伏諸惡，統領四天下不加刀杖。 5. “Ānanda, there was once a noble wheel-turning king in the past named Mūrdhātā.3 He governed with the Dharma, had no wickedness, and achieved the seven treasures. These seven treasures are the wheel treasure, elephant treasure, horse treasure, jewel treasure, beautiful woman treasure, householder treasure, and army general treasure. These are called the seven treasures. He also had a thousand sons who were brave and powerful. They could defeat various evils and ruled the four continents under heaven without the use of weapons.4
「阿難，當知，爾時頂生聖王便生此念： 『我今有此閻浮提地，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 我亦曾從耆年長老邊聞： 「西有瞿耶尼土，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。」 我今當往統彼國土。』 爾時，阿難，頂生適生斯念。 將四部兵，從此閻浮地沒，便往至瞿耶尼土。 6. “Ānanda, you should know that there was a time when that noble king Mūrdhātā had this thought, ‘Now, the people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in my land of Jambudvīpa. But I heard this once from an elderly senior on the frontier, “To the west, there is the land of Godānīya where the people flourish, and there are many treasures.” Now, I should go and rule that country, too.’ Ānanda, Mūrdhātā proceeded to carry out that thought. Leading a fourfold army, he disappeared from this land of Jambudvīpa and went to the land of Godānīya.5
「爾時，彼土人民見聖王來，皆悉前迎。 禮跪問訊： 『善來，大王！ 今此瞿耶尼國，人民熾盛。 唯願，聖王，當於此治化諸人民，使從法教。』 爾時，阿難，聖王頂生即於瞿耶尼統領人民，乃經數百千年。 7. “When the people of that land saw the noble king arrive, they went out to meet him. They bowed, kneeled, and greeted him: ‘Welcome, Great King! The people of this country of Godānīya are flourishing. Please, Noble King, rule the people here as they should be by making them follow the Dharma teaching.’ Ānanda, the Noble King Mūrdhātā then ruled the people of Godānīya, and many hundreds of thousands of years passed.
「是時，聖王頂生復於餘時便生此念： 『我有閻浮提，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 亦雨七寶乃至于膝。 今亦復有此瞿耶尼，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 我亦曾從長年許聞： 「復有弗于逮。 人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。」 我今當往統彼國土，以法治化。』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王適生斯念。 將四部兵，從瞿耶尼沒，便往至弗于逮。 8. “There was another time when Noble King Mūrdhātā had this thought, ‘The people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in my Jambudvīpa. The seven treasures rain until they’re knee-deep there. The people are also flourishing, and there are many treasures here in Godāniya. I heard this once from an elderly senior, “There’s also Pūrvavideha. The people there flourish, and it has many treasures.” I’ll go now and rule that land with the Dharma.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā then proceeded to carry out that thought. Leading a fourfold army, he disappeared from Goyāniya and went to Pūrvavideha.6
「爾時，彼土人民見聖王來，皆悉前迎。 禮跪問訊，異口、同響而作是語： 『善來，大王！ 今此弗于逮，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 唯願，大王，當於此治化諸人民，使從法教。』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王即於弗于逮統領人民，乃經百千萬歲。 9. “When the people of that land saw the Noble King arrive, they all came out to meet him. Bowing, kneeling, and greeting him, they said this with the same voice from different mouths: ‘Welcome, Great King! The people are flourishing and there are many treasures here in Pūrvavideha. Please, Noble King, rule the people here by making them follow the Dharma teaching.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā then ruled the people of Pūrvavideha, and many hundreds of thousands of years passed.
「是時，聖王頂生復於餘時便生此念： 『我於閻浮提，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 亦雨七寶乃至于膝。 今亦復有此瞿耶尼，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 今亦復有此弗于逮國，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 我亦曾從耆年長老邊聞： 「復有欝單越。 人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 所為自由，無固守者。 壽不中夭，正壽千歲。 在彼壽終必生天上，不墮餘趣。 著劫波育衣，食自然粳米。」 我今當往統領彼國土，以法治化。』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王適生斯念。 將四部兵，從弗于逮沒，便往至欝單越。 10. “There was another time when Noble King Mūrdhātā had this thought, ‘The people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in my Jambudvīpa. The seven treasures rain until they’re knee-deep there. The people are also flourishing, and there are many treasures here in Godāniya. And, now, the people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in this country of Pūrvavideha. I heard this once from an elderly senior on the frontier, “There’s also Uttarakuru. The people there flourish, and it has many treasures. They are independent and have no defenders. They don’t die prematurely and live for exactly a thousand years. When they do die, they are certain to be born up in heaven, not falling to other destinies. They wear cotton clothing and eat naturally polished rice.” I’ll go now and rule that land with the Dharma.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā then proceeded to carry out that thought. Leading a fourfold army, he disappeared from Pūrvavideha and went to Uttarakuru.7
「遙見彼土欝然青色。 見已，便問左右臣曰： 『汝等普見此土欝然青色不乎？』 11. “He saw from a distance that that land was flourishing and green. Seeing that, he asked his ministers around him, ‘Do all of you see how flourishing and green this land is?’
「對曰： 『唯然，見之。』 “They replied, ‘Indeed, we see it.’
「王告群臣曰： 『此是柔軟之草，軟若天衣而無有異。 此等諸賢當於斯坐。』 12. “The King told his ministers, ‘This soft grass is not different in softness from heavenly cloth. Here, you gentlemen must sit on it.’
「小復前行，遙見彼土晃然黃色。 便告諸臣曰： 『汝等普見此土晃然黃色不乎？』 13. “They continued on for a while until they saw the land become a glistening yellow. He then asked his ministers, ‘Do all of you see how glistening yellow the land is?’
「對曰： 『皆悉見之。』 “They replied, ‘All of us see it.’
「大王曰： 『此名自然粳米。 此等諸賢恒食此食。 如今卿等亦當食此粳米。』 14. “The Great King said, ‘This is called naturally polished rice. It’s the usual meal that the gentlemen eat here. Now all of you will eat this rice, too!’
「爾時，聖王小復前行。 復見彼土普悉平正。 遙見高臺顯望殊特。 復告諸臣： 『汝等頗見此土普地平正乎？』 15. “The Noble King continued on a little farther. Again, he saw that that land was entirely a level plain. He also saw a high tower in the distance that looked extraordinary. He again asked his ministers, ‘Do all of you see how level all of this land is?’
「對曰： 『如是，皆悉見之。』 “They replied, ‘Yes, all of us see it.’
「大王報曰： 『此名劫波育樹衣。 汝等亦復當著此樹衣。』 16. “Again, he told his ministers, ‘This is called cotton tree cloth.8 Now, all of you will wear this tree’s cloth!’
「爾時，阿難，彼土人民見大王來，皆起前迎。 禮跪問訊，異音、同響而作是說： 『善來，聖王！ 此欝單越，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 唯願，大王，當於此治化諸人民，使從法教！』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王即於欝單越統領人民，乃經百千萬歲。 17. “When the people of that land saw the Noble King arrive, they all came out to meet him. Bowing, kneeling, and greeting him, they said this with the same sound from different voices: ‘Welcome, Great King! The people are flourishing and there are many treasures here in Uttarakuru. Please, Noble King, rule the people here by making them follow the Dharma teaching.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā then ruled the people of Uttarakuru, and many hundreds of thousands of years passed.
「是時，頂生聖王復於餘時便生此念： 『我今有閻浮地，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 亦雨七寶乃至于膝。 今亦復有此瞿耶尼⋯弗于逮⋯及此欝單越，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 我亦曾從耆年長老邊聞： 「有三十三天。 快樂無比，壽命極長。 衣食自然，玉女營從，不可稱計。」 我今當往領彼天宮，以法治化。』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王適生斯念。 將四部兵，從欝單越沒，便往至三十三天上。 18. “There was another time when Noble King Mūrdhātā had this thought, ‘The people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in my Jambudvīpa. The seven treasures rain until they’re knee-deep there. The people are also flourishing, and there are many treasures here in Godāniya … Pūrvavideha … here in Uttarakuru. I heard this once from an elderly senior on the frontier, “There is the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Their happiness is unmatched, and their life spans are very long. Their clothes and food are natural, and the beautiful women who follow them are indescribable.” I’ll go now and rule that heavenly palace with the Dharma.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā proceeded to carry out that thought. Leading a fourfold army, he disappeared from Uttarakuru and went up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.
「爾時，天帝釋遙見頂生聖王來，便作是說： 『善來，大王！可就此坐！』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王即共釋提桓因一處坐。 二人共坐，不可分別，顏貌舉動。 言語聲響，一而不異。 19. “When Śakra the Lord of Gods saw Noble King Mūrdhātā arrive from afar, he said, ‘Welcome, Great King! Come and sit here!’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā then shared a seat with Śakra the Lord of Gods. The two of them were indistinguishable in appearance and demeanor as they sat together. When they spoke, their voices were the same and not different.9
「爾時，阿難，頂生聖王在彼，乃經數千百歲已，便生此念： 『我今有此閻浮地，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 亦雨七寶乃至于膝。 亦有瞿耶尼⋯亦復有弗于逮⋯亦復有欝單越，人民熾盛，多諸珍寶。 我今至此三十三天，我今宜可害此天帝釋。 便於此間獨王諸天。』 爾時，阿難，頂生聖王適生此念。 即於座上而自退墮至閻浮里地，及四部兵皆悉落墮。 爾時，亦失輪寶，莫知所在。 象寶、馬寶同時命終，珠寶自滅。 玉女寶、居士寶、典兵寶斯皆命終。 20. “Ānanda, after he had been there for many hundreds of thousands of years, Noble King Mūrdhātā had this thought, ‘The people are flourishing, and there are many treasures in my Jambudvīpa. The seven treasures rain until they’re knee-deep there. The people are also flourishing, and there are many treasures here in Godāniya … here in Pūrvavideha … here in Uttarakuru. Now that I’ve reached this Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, I ought to kill Lord Śakra. Then, I will be the only king of the gods.’ Ānanda, Noble King Mūrdhātā proceeded to carry out that thought. When he rose from his seat, he fell back to Jambudvīpa, and his fourfold army were thrown down, too. He then lost the wheel treasure and didn’t know where it was. At the same time, the elephant and horse treasures died, and the jewel treasure was extinguished. The beautiful woman treasure, householder treasure, and army general treasure all died as well.
「爾時，頂生聖王身得重病，諸宗族、親屬普悉運集。 問訊王病： 『云何，大王？ 若使大王命終之後，有人來問此義： 「頂生大王臨命終時，有何言教？」 設有此問，當何以報之？』 21. “That Noble King Mūrdhātā then became gravely ill, and his tribe and kinsmen all gathered together. They greated the King and asked, ‘How is it, Great King? Suppose someone comes and asks us after the Great King dies, “What instructions did Great King Mūrdhātā have before he died?” Supposing we are asked this question, how shall we reply?’
「頂生聖王報曰： 『若使我命終，命終之後有人問者，以此報之： 「頂生王者，領此四天下而無厭足。 復至三十三天，在彼經數百千歲。 意猶生貪，欲害天帝。 便自墮落，即取命終。」』 22. “Noble King Mūrdhātā replied, “If someone were to ask that after my death, tell them this: ‘That King Mūrdhātā ruled these four continents under heaven without tire. He also went to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and stayed there for many hundreds of thousands of years. Then a scheme made him greedy, and he tried to kill Lord Śakra. This caused his own downfall, and then his life came to an end.’”
「汝今，阿難，勿懷狐疑： 『爾時，頂生王者豈異人乎？』 莫作是觀。 所以然者？ 時，頂生王者即我身是。 爾時，我領此四天下及至三十三天，於五欲中無有厭足。 阿難，當以此方便，證知所趣，興貪欲心。 倍增其想，於愛欲中而無厭足。 欲求厭足，當從聖賢智慧中求。」 23. “Now, Ānanda, don’t have this doubt: ‘Was that King Mūrdhātā someone else?’ Don’t make that observation. Why is that? King Mūrdhātā then was myself. I ruled these four continents under heaven, and I reached the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven where I never tired of the five desires. This should prove to you, Ānanda, where it leads when one produces greedy thoughts. It redoubles one’s notions, and one is never satisfied with craving desires. Those who want to pursue satisfaction should seek it in noble wisdom.”
爾時，世尊於大眾中便說此偈： 24. The Bhagavān then spoke these verses for that great assembly:
  • 「貪婬如時雨。
    於欲無厭足，
    樂少而苦多。
    智者所屏棄。
  • “Lust is like the seasonal rains.
    Having no satisfaction with desire,
    One is seldom happy and often pained.
    That is abandoned by the wise.
  • 正使受天欲，
    五樂而自娛
    不如斷愛心，
    正覺之弟子。
  • Even feeling the heavenly desires,
    The entertainment of those five pleasures
    Isn’t like ending thoughts of craving
    Or a disciple’s right awakening.
  • 貪欲延億劫，
    福盡還入獄。
    受樂詎幾時，
    輒受地獄痛。
  • Greedy for a million eons,
    One returns to hell when their merits are gone.
    For however long those pleasures are felt,
    They all bring about the pains of hell.”
「是故，阿難，當以此方便，知於欲而去欲。 永不興其想。 當作是學。」 25. “Therefore, Ānanda, you should understand desire in this way and abandon it. Never generate those notions. Thus, you should train yourselves.”
爾時，阿難聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 26. When Ānanda heard what the Buddha taught, he rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. For the source text, cf. T125.2.568a01-9b12. It’s parallel with MĀ 60. This wheel-turning king was also known as Māndhāta, Māndhātu, or Māndhātṛ. These names were associated with both a mythological king in Brahmanism and a wheel-turning king in Buddhist past life story-telling. It’s not entirely clear to me that the two were originally the same character in the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions, but they both shared the tale of a powerful king who imagined he could unseat Indra himself. The stories are somewhat different beyond this shared portion of the legends. For examples of the Buddhist legend about this king, cf. Divyāvadāna No. 17 and Jātaka No. 258. [back]

  2. The story of King Mūrdhātā that follows is also told as a cautionary tale about the problem of never being satisfied in Jātaka 258 as well. The origin story there involves a monk who becomes infatuated with a woman he saw while in town for alms. [back]

  3. Mūrdhātā. C. 頂生, S. mūrdhātā. The C. translation literally means “crown born,” which also matches the meaning of P. muddhaja and S. mūrdhaja. However, the Māndātāvadāna in the Divyāvadāna provides us with a birth story for Māndhātā, explaining that he was called mūrdhātā because he emerge from a growth on his father’s head. This is likely the reason he was called 頂生 both here and in MĀ 60.

    According to the same story, he was later called Māndhātā because he was breastfed by his father’s harem of a thousand wives. The story glosses māndhāta as equivalent to māṃ dhaya (“suckle me”). It also notes that he was alternatively known as mādhātā. The author(s) of the late Divyāvadāna clearly were aware of the variant names for this character.

    We should note, too, that a king named māndhāta or māndhātṛ occurs in Brahmanical sources. These sources tell somewhat different stories compared to the Buddhist legends. The commonalities are that he was born from his father’s body and that he desired to conquer Indra’s realm and died as a result of this hubris. The Buddhist and Brahmanical tales are quite different beyond these two motifs, but they do indicate interaction between the two traditions. Cf. Wikipedia for a summary of the Brahmanical legends.

    One last thing to note is the possible influence of Greek mythology on the Buddhist birth story of Mūrdhātā, given the likelihood of Greek influence after the time of the Buddha. It echoes the story of Athena’s birth from Zeus’ head. In that tale, Zeus swallows Athena’s mother Metis to prevent her from making a prophesy. He subsequently suffers from a headache because Metis gave birth to Athena while inside his body, and she was growing in his head. His headaches were cured when Hephaestus opens his head and extracts Athena. Taken literally, this birth story sounds bizarre, but it’s possible it was intended to be a metaphor for the development of wisdom, for Athena was the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and crafts. [back]

  4. This story of Mūrdhātā progressively bringing the four continents and then the heavens under his rule is found in MĀ 60 as well, making it a close parallel to this version. So much so that I suspect that EĀ 17.7 is in fact Sarvāstivādin in origin, like many of the other avadānas in this collection. Jātaka 258 presents a truncated story that omits the rule of the four quarters and begins with his desire to rule the heavens and his downfall stemming from the hubris of intending to usurp Indra’s throne. The Divyāvadāna story is more elaborate, detailing Mūrdhātā’s miraculous powers before proceeding to this story of conquest and hubris. [back]

  5. Godānīya. C. 瞿耶尼 (EMC. gɪu-yiă-ṇɪi = Pr. goyani), P. goyāniya, S. godānīya. This was the western continent in mythical Buddhist geography, which perhaps corresponded to Europe, the Near East, or Africa in ancient times. The C. translit. matches the P. reading (but drops the final -ya), which must preserve an older Prakrit name for the western continent. I’ve adopted the Sanskrit equivalent. [back]

  6. Pūrvavideha. C. 弗于逮 (EMC. pɪuət-ɦɪu-dəi = Pr. pu’vude?), P. pubbavideha, S. pūrvavideha. This was the eastern continent in mythical Buddhist geography, which perhaps corresponded to Southeast Asia or Indonesia. The C. translit. sounds vaguely like the S. reading (but drops the final -ha). I’ve adopted the Sanskrit equivalent. [back]

  7. Uttarakuru. C. 欝單越 (EMC. •ɪuət-tan-ɦɪuʌt = Pr. uta’hu?), P. pubbavideha, S. uttarakuru. This was the northern continent in mythical Buddhist geography, which was described as a paradise not unlike a heaven or the later Buddhist concept of a “pure land.” This early C. translit. is difficult to decipher, perhaps representing a variant Prakrit pronunciation of uttarakuru. I’ve adopted the Sanskrit equivalent. [back]

  8. cotton tree cloth. C. 劫波育樹衣 (EMC. kɪʌp-pua-yiuk + “tree” + “cloth” = Pr. kapayik[a]?). 劫波育 was an early transliteration of a word associated with cotton trees. A classical Chinese Buddhist glossary claims that it refers to the flower of a large tropical cotton tree in the south and to mallow plants in the north, both of which were used to produce cloth. In any case, cotton trees do not grow naturally in central Asia today because they are tropical trees. It may be, though, that a kind of cotton tree grew there in prehistoric times when the climate was warmer and wetter. It might explain the Buddhist legends about Uttarakuru, which describe it as a marvelous paradise. [back]

  9. The other versions of this legend are clearer about the arrangement that developed between Indra and Mūrdhātā: They each ruled half of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and shared the same throne as co-rulers. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 13 May 2026

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