buddho bhagavān satkṛto gurukṛto mānitaḥ pūjito rājabhī rājamātrair dhanibhiḥ pauraiḥ śreṣṭhibhiḥ sārthavāhair devair nāgair yakṣair asurair garuḍaiḥ kinnarair mahoragair iti deva­nāgayakṣāsuragaruḍakinna­ramahoragābhyarcito buddho bhagavān jñāto mahāpuṇyo lābhī cīvarapiṇḍapātaśayanāsanaglānapratyayabhaiṣajya­pari­ṣkārāṇāṃ saśrāvakasaṃghaḥ śrāvastyāṃ viharati jetavane ’nāthapiṇḍadasyārāme | tena khalu samayenāyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyanaḥ anyatarasmin vṛkṣamūle niṣaṇṇo divāvihārāya | aśrauṣīd āyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyanaḥ pretyāḥ śabdam ārtasvaraṃ krandantyāḥ, duḥkhāṃ tīvrāṃ kharāṃ kaṭukām amanāpāṃ vedanāṃ vedayamānāyā bhaktaṃ mārgantyāḥ: bubhukṣitāsmi mārṣāḥ, pipāsitāsmi mārṣā iti | tataḥ sthavi­ramahāmaudgalyāyanena pretī dṛṣṭvā pṛṣṭā ca: kiṃ te pāpaṃ kṛtaṃ yenaivaṃvidhāni duḥkhāny anubhaviṣyasīti | pretī āha: āditye hi samudgate na dīpena prayojanam* | bhagavantam etam arthaṃ pṛccha, sa te asmākīnāṃ karmaplotiṃ vyākariṣyatīti | athāyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyano yena bhagavāṃs tenopasaṃkrāntaḥ ||

tena khalu punaḥ samayena bhagavān pratisaṃlayanād vyutthāya catasṛṇāṃ parṣadāṃ madhuramadhuraṃ dharmaṃ deśayati, kṣaudraṃ madhv ivāneḍakam* | anekaśatā ca parṣad bhagavataḥ sakāśān madhuramadhuraṃ dharmaṃ śṛṇoty anijyamānair indriyaiḥ | tato buddhā bhagavantaḥ pūrvālāpinaḥ priyālāpinaḥ ehīti svāgatavādinaḥ smitapūrvaṃgamāś ca | tatra bhagavān āyuṣmantaṃ mahāmaudgalyāyanam idam avocat*: ehi maudgalyāyana svāgataṃ te, kutas tvam etarhy āgacchasīti | maudgalyāyana āha: āgacchāmy ahaṃ bhadanta pretacārikāyāḥ | tatrāhaṃ pretīm adrākṣaṃ sūcīchidropamamukhīṃ parvatopamakukṣiṃ svakeśasaṃchannāṃ nagnām ārtasvaraṃ krandantīṃ duḥkhāṃ tīvrāṃ kharāṃ kaṭukām amanāpāṃ vedanāṃ vedayamānām* | āha ca:

viśuṣkakaṇṭhoṣṭhapuṭā suduḥkhitā pravṛddhaśailopamacarvitāśrayā | Speyer: -cañcitā-

svakeśasaṃchannamukhī digambarā susūkṣmasūcīsadṛśānanā kṛśā ||

nagnā svakeśasaṃchannā asthiyantravaducchritā
kapālapāṇinī ghorā krandantī paridhāvati ||

bubhukṣayā pipāsayā krāntā vyasanapīḍitā | sonst: pipāsayā klānta vyasanapīḍitā

ārtasvaraṃ krandamānā duḥkhāṃ vindanti vedanām* ||

kiṃ tayā prakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ martyaloke sudāruṇam*
yena evaṃvidhaṃ duḥkham anubhavati bhayānakam* || iti

bhagavān āha: pāpakāriṇī maudgalyāyana sā pretī | icchasi tasyā karmaplotiṃ śrotum*? evaṃ bhadanta | tena hi maudgalyāyana śṛṇu, sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca manasi kuru, bhāṣiṣye ||

bhūtapūrvaṃ maudgalyāyana atīte ’dhvani viṃśativarṣasahasrāyuṣi prajāyāṃ kāśyapo nāma samyaksaṃbuddho loka udapādi vidyācaraṇasaṃpannaḥ sugato lokavid anuttaraḥ puruṣadamyasārathiḥ śāstā devamanuṣyāṇāṃ buddho bhagavān* | sa vārāṇasīṃ nagarīm upaniśritya viharati ṛṣipatane mṛgadāve | tasyāṃ ca vārāṇasyām anyatamā gṛhapatipatnī matsariṇī kuṭukuñcikā āgṛhītapariṣkārā kākāyāpi baliṃ na pradātuṃ vyavasyati, prāg evānyeṣāṃ yācakānām* | sā śrama­ṇabrāhmaṇakṛpaṇavanīpakān dṛṣṭvā cittaṃ pradūṣayati | yāvad anyataraḥ piṇḍapātikas tasyā gṛhaṃ praviṣṭaḥ | tasyās taṃ dṛṣṭvā mātsaryam utpannam* | cittaṃ ca pradūṣya imāṃ cintām āpede: yady aham asya satkāraṃ kariṣyāmi, punar apy eṣa āgamiṣyatīti | tatas tayā pāpakāriṇyā aniṣṭaṃ paralokabhayam avigaṇayya sa bhikṣur upanimantrya dvāraṃ baddhvā bhaktacchedaṃ kāritaḥ | bahu ca paribhāṣyoktaḥ: iyaṃ te bhikṣo satkriyā | mā punar idaṃ gṛhaṃ pravekṣyasīti ||

sā tena mātsaryeṇāsevitena bhāvitena bahulīkṛtena preteṣūpapannā | evaṃvidhāni duḥkhāni pratyanubhavati | tasmāt tarhi maudgalyāyana mātsaryaprahāṇāya vyāyantavyam* | ete doṣā na bhaviṣyanti, te tasyāḥ pretyā iti ||

idam avocad bhagavān | āttamanasa āyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyano ’nye ca devāsuragaruḍakinna­ramahoragā bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan* ||