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 saśrāvakasaṃgho rājagṛham upaniśritya viharati veṇuvane kalandakanivāpe | athāyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyanaḥ pūrvāhṇe nivāsya pātracīvaram ādāya rājagṛhaṃ piṇḍāya prāvikṣat* | rājagṛhaṃ piṇḍāya caritvā kṛtabhaktakṛtyaḥ paścādbhaktapiṇḍapātapratikrāntaḥ pātracīvaraṃ pratisamarpya yena gṛdhrakūṭaḥ parvatas tenopasaṃkrāntaḥ | upasaṃkramya gṛdhrakūṭaṃ parvatam avagāhyānyatarad vṛkṣamūlaṃ niśritya niṣaṇṇo divāvihārāya | athāyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyanaḥ pretīm ādrakṣīd dagdhasthūṇāsadṛśīṃ nagnāṃ svakeśasaṃchannāṃ sūcīchidropamamukhīṃ parvatopamakukṣim ādīptāṃ pradīptāṃ prajvalitām ekajvālībhūtāṃ dhmāyantīm ārtasvaraṃ kradantīṃ tṛṣārtāṃ duḥkhāṃ tīvrāṃ kharāṃ kaṭukām amanāpāṃ vedanāṃ vedayamānām* | durgandhāṃ paramadurgandhāṃ varcaḥsadṛśīṃ varcohārāṃ tad api kṛcchreṇāsādayantīm* | dṛṣṭvā ca punar āyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyanaḥ saṃvignaḥ | pretīṃ ca papraccha:

kiṃ tvayā prakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ yasya te īdṛśaṃ phalam iti |

pretī āha: pāpakāriṇy MS: prāgapakāriṇy ahaṃ bhadanta mahāmaudgalyāyana | etam ārthaṃ buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ pṛccha | sa te asmākīnāṃ karmaplotiṃ vyākariṣyati Speyer: -ṣyatīti | yāṃ śrutvānye ’pi satvāḥ pāpakarmaṇaḥ prativiraṃsyantīti | 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 dagdhasthūṇāsadṛśīṃ nagnāṃ svakeśasaṃchannāṃ sūcīchidropamamukhīṃ parvatopamakukṣim ādīptāṃ pradīptāṃ prajvalitām ekajvālībhūtām ārtasvaraṃ krandantīṃ duḥkhāṃ tīvrāṃ kharāṃ kaṭukām amanāpāṃ vedanāṃ vedayamānām* | darśanamātreṇa cāsyā nadyudapānāni śuṣyanti | yadā devo varṣati, tadā tasyā upari savisphuliṅgam aṅgāravarṣaṃ patati, durgandhāṃ paramadurgandhāṃ varcaḥsadṛśāṃ ca varcāhārāṃ tad api kṛcchreṇāsādayantīm* | āha ca:

nagnā svakeśasaṃchannā asthiyantravaducchritā |

ārtasvaraṃ krandamānā duḥkhāṃ vindati vedanām* ||

yena hi varcadhānāni tena dhāvati duḥkhitā
varcaḥ pāsyāmi bhokṣye ca tac ca duḥkhena labhyate ||

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

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

bhūtapūrvaṃ maudgalyāyana vārāṇasyāṃ nagaryām anyatamaḥ pratyekabuddho hīnadīnānukampī prāntaśayanāsanasevī ca | sa vyādhito vārāṇasīṃ piṇḍāya prāviśati | yāvad asya vaidyena sāṃpreyaṃ bhojanam upadiṣṭam* | sa yenānyatamasya śreṣṭhino niveśanaṃ tenopasaṃkrāntaḥ | tena ca śreṣṭhinā dṛṣṭaḥ pṛṣṭaś ca: kena te ārya prayojanam iti | tenoktaṃ kulasāṃpreyeṇa bhojaneneti | tataḥ śreṣṭhinā vadhvā ājñā dattā: āryāya sāṃpreyaṃ bhojanaṃ dātavyam iti | atha tasyā vadhvā mātsaryam utpannam*: yady aham asmai adya bhojanaṃ pradāsyāmi, śvo bhūya āgamiṣyatīti | tayā ekāntam apasṛtya varcasaḥ pātraṃ pūrayitvā upari bhaktena pracchādya tasmai pratyekabuddhāya dattam* | asamanvāhṛtya śrāvakapratyekabuddhānāṃ jñānadarśanaṃ na pravartate | tena pratigṛhītam* | pratigṛhya saṃlakṣitaṃ yathaitad durgandham* | nūnam anayā amedhyasya pūritam iti | tato ’sau mahātmā tadekānte chorayitvā prakrāntaḥ ||

bhagavān āha: kiṃ manyase maudgalyāyana yāsau tena kālena tena samayena śreṣṭhivadhukā, iyaṃ sā pretī | yad upādāyānayā tādṛkpāpaṃ kṛtam* | tataḥ prabhṛti nityaṃ narakatiryakpreteṣūpapadyate, nityaṃ ca varcāhārā | tasmāt tarhi te maudgalyāyana mātsaryaprahāṇāya vyāyantavyaṃ yathā ete doṣā na syur ye tasyāḥ pretyā | evaṃ maudgalyāyana śikṣitavyam* ||

idam avocad bhagavān | āttamanā āyuṣmān mahāmaudgalyāyano ’nye ca devāsuragaruḍakinna­ramahoragādayo bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan* ||