Ratnāvalī, Chapter Two

kadalī pāṭitā yadvan niḥśeṣāvayavaiḥ saha |
na kiṃ cit puruṣas tadvat pāṭitaḥ saha dhātubhiḥ ||RV2.1||
Just as there is nothing left of a plaintain tree when it, along with its parts, is split up,/ So it is when some person, along with the dhātus, or constituent elements, is split apart. //

sarva-dharmā an-ātmāna ity ato bhāṣitaṃ jinaiḥ |
dhātu-ṣaṭkaṃ ca taiḥ sarvaṃ nirṇītaṃ tac ca nārthataḥ ||RV2.2||
Therefore it is said by the victorious ones that all dharmas are without a self./ The entirety of the six elements has been marked out by them, and it in practice is not.//

naivam ātmā na cānātmā yāthābhūtyena labhyate |
ātmānātma-kṛte dṛṣṭī vavārāsmān mahā-muniḥ ||RV2.3||
Neither self nor non-self is conceived, in this way, as real./ Therefore the Great Sage rejected both views – whether consisting of self or of negation of self.//

dṛṣṭa-śrutādyaṃ muninā na satyaṃ na mṛṣoditam |
pakṣād dhi pratipakṣaḥ syād ubhayaṃ tac ca nārthataḥ ||RV2.4||
Sights, sounds, and so forth were said by the Sage to be neither true nor false./ For one side is liable to lead to its opposite, but both in practice are not. //

iti satyānṛtātīto loko ’yaṃ paramārthataḥ |
asmād eva ca tattvena nopaity asti ca nāsti ca ||RV2.5||
Thus, ultimately, this world is beyond truth and falsity. / And for this very reason it really does not lend itself to “does exist” and “does not exist.”//

yac caivaṃ sarvathā neti sarva-jñas tat kathaṃ vadet |
sāntam ity atha-vānantaṃ dvayaṃ vādvayam eva vā ||RV2.6||
When thus [the world] in every way is not, how could the All-Knowing One say of it:/ “It has an end” or else “It has no end,” or both, or neither? //

[Question / Objection]
asaṃkhyeyā gatā buddhās tatheṣyanty atha sāṃpratāḥ |
koṭy-agraśaś ca sattvāntas tebhyas traikālya-jo mataḥ ||RV2.7||
Countless buddhas have gone, and likewise will come, and are of the present. /
And according to them – [when they speak] in terms of ending and beginning – the end of existence is understood to be born from threefold temporality. //

vṛddhi-hetur na lokasya kṣayas traikālya-sambhavaḥ |
sarva-jñena kathaṃ tasya pūrvānto ’vyākṛtaḥ kṛtaḥ ||RV2.8||
The cause of the world's expansion is not of the world. Its extinction is brought about through threefold temporality./ How could the beginning and end of the world have been left unexplained by an All-Knowing One?//

[Answer]
etat tad dharma-gāmbhīryaṃ yat tad guhyaṃ pṛthag-jane |
māyopamatvaṃ lokasya buddhānāṃ śāsanāmṛtam ||RV2.9||
Here is that profundity of dharma which is a mystery to the common man./ The world's resemblance to an illusion is the deathless nectar of the teaching of buddhas. //

māyā-gajasya dṛśyeta yathā janmānta eva ca |
na ca kaś cit sa tattvena janmāntaś caiva vidyate ||RV2.10||
Just as the birth and the end might be seen of a phantom elephant,/ Though no such limit is really to be found,//

māyopamasya lokasya tathā janmānta eva ca |
dṛśyate paramārthena na ca janmānta eva ca ||RV2.11||
So the birth and the end of the illusion-like world are seen,/ But ultimately there is no birth and no end.//

yathā māyā-gajo naiti kutaś cid yāti na kva cit |
citta-mohana-mātratvād bhāvatvena na tiṣṭhati ||RV2.12||
Just as a phantom elephant does not come from anywhere, does not go anywhere, / And does not endure as an existing thing, because it is nothing but the mind making a mistake, //

tathā māyopamo loko naiti yāti na kutra cit |
citta-mohana-mātratvād bhāvatvena na tiṣṭhati ||RV2.13||
So the illusion-like world does not come from and does not go to any place whatever, / And does not endure as an existing thing, because it is nothing but the mind making a mistake.//

traikālya-vyativṛttātmā loka evaṃ nu ko ’rthataḥ |
yo ’sti nāsty atha vāpi syād anyatra vyavahārataḥ ||RV2.14||
Thus being inherently transcendent over threefold temporality, what exactly is the world, in practice? / [What is a world] which – except conventionally – might be existent or else non-existent?

catuṣ-prakāram ity asmāt sānto ’nanto dvayo ’dvayaḥ |
buddhena hetor nānyasmād ayam avyākṛtaḥ kṛtaḥ ||RV2.15||
On these grounds, with regard to “the four possibilities” – having an end, not having an end, both, neither – / And on no grounds but these, this world was left unexplained by the Buddha.//

śarīrāśucitā tāvat sthūlā pratyakṣa-gocarā |
satataṃ dṛśyamānāpi yadā citte na tiṣṭhati ||RV2.16||
The body's uncleanness which here and now is gross, perceptible before the eyes, / Though it is constantly in view does not remain in the mind. //

tadātisūkṣmo gambhīraḥ saddharmo ’yaṃ anālayaḥ |
apratyakṣaḥ kathaṃ citte sukhenāvatariṣyati ||RV2.17||
Then how could this true dharma which is extremely subtle, profound, of no fixed abode, / Not apprehended by the senses – how could it easily be absorbed into the mind?

sambudhyāsmān nivṛtto ’bhūd dharmaṃ deśayituṃ muniḥ |
durjñānam atigāmbhiryāj jñātvā dharmam imaṃ janaiḥ ||RV2.18||
Fully awake, the Sage turned back from teaching the dharma; / He had realized how hard this dharma would be for people to realize, because of this surpassing profundity. //

vināśayati durjñāto dharmo ’yam avipaścitam |
nāstitā-dṛṣṭi-samale yasmād asmin nimajjati ||RV2.19||
Wrongly understood, this dharma causes the dullard's ruin,/ Since he sinks into this dirt which is the nihilist view.//

aparo ’py asya durjñānān mūrkhaḥ paṇḍita-mānikaḥ |
pratikṣepa-vinaṣṭātmā yāty avīcim adhomukhaḥ ||RV2.20||
Because this [dharma] is so hard to know, the other kind of fool – one who fancies himself to be an authority – / Being inherently riven by contradictions, goes headlong into Avīci Hell.//

dur-bhuktena yathānnena vināśam adhigacchati |
su-bhuktenāyur ārogyaṃ balaṃ saukhyāni cāśnute ||RV2.21||
Just as one goes to ruin by eating badly, / But obtains long life, freedom from disease, strength and comforts by eating well, //

dur-jñātena tathānena vināśam adhigacchati |
samyag-jñātena tu sukhaṃ bodhiṃ cāpnoty anuttarām ||RV2.22||
So one goes to ruin by understanding this [dharma] badly,/ But by understanding fully and well one attains happiness, and the unsurpassed awakening of bodhi.//

tasmād atra pratikṣepaṃ dṛṣṭiṃ tyaktvā ca nāstikīm |
saṃyag-jñāna-paraṃ yatnaṃ kuru sarvārtha-siddhaye ||RV2.23||
Therefore abandoning contradiction in this matter, and the nihilist view, /
Make the effort whose chief object is the integral act of knowing, in the direction of Accomplishment of Every Aim (Sarvātha-siddhi). //

Alludes to the Buddha's childhood name Sarvātha-siddha (see Aśvaghoṣa, SN2.63).

dharmasyāsyāparijñānād ahaṃkāro ’nuvartate |
tataḥ śubhāśubhaṃ karma tato janma śubhāśubham ||RV2.24||
From incomplete knowing of this dharma, there follows “I”-making. / From that stems karma, good and bad. Thence birth, good and bad. //

tasmād yāvad avijñāto dharmo ’haṃkāra-śātanaḥ |
dāna-śīla-kṣamā-dharme tāvad ādaravān bhava ||RV2.25||
Therefore, as long as the dharma which cuts out “I”-making is not yet fully understood, / Be sincere in the dharma of free giving, ethical conduct and forbearance.//

dharma-pūrvāṇi kāryāṇi dharma-madhyāni pārthiva |
sādhayan dharma-niṣṭhāni neha nāmutra sīdati ||RV2.26||
While accomplishing tasks preparatory to dharma, tasks inside of dharma, and tasks grounded in dharma, / A lord of the earth sinks not into despondency, either here and now or hereafter.//

dharmāt kīrtiḥ sukhaṃ caiva neha bhīr na mumūrṣataḥ |
para-loke sukhaṃ sphītaṃ tasmād dharmaṃ sadā bhaja ||RV2.27||
By virtue of dharma there is good-repute and happiness, there is no fear either here and now or at the point of death; / And there is abundant happiness in the world hereafter. So constantly serve dharma.//

dharma eva parā nītir dharmāl loko ’nurajyate |
rañjitena hi lokena neha nāmutra vañcyate ||RV2.28||
The supreme plan of action is dharma itself. Through dharma the world is gratified./ When the world is gratified, one is not caused to go astray, either here and now or hereafter. //

adharmeṇa tu yā nītis tayā loko ’parajyate |
lokāparañjanāc caiva neha nāmutra nandati ||RV2.29||
The world is left discontented, however, by that plan of action which goes against dharma; / And when the world is expressing discontent, one does not feel glad, either here and now or hereafter. //

parātisandhāna-parā kaṣṭā durgati-paddhatiḥ |
anartha-vidyā duṣprajñair artha-vidyā kathaṃ kṛtā ||RV2.30||
How can knowledge whose chief object is deceiving others, how can harmful knowledge which is a path to miserable realms, / How can useless knowledge, be made by dullards into useful know-how? //

parātisandhāna-paro nītimān katham arthataḥ |
yena janma-sahasrāṇi bahūny ātmaiva vañcyate ||RV2.31||
How can a strategist whose chief object is deceiving others truly have a plan of action? / By those means he deceives only himself through many thousands of births.//

ripor apriyam anvicchan dosāṃs tyaktvā guṇān śraya |
sva-hitāvāptir evaṃ te ripoś cāpy apriyaṃ bhavet ||RV2.32||
[Even when] wishing frustration upon an enemy, you should abandon faults and take possession of virtues. / In this way you obtain your own benefit. And at the same time the enemy may be frustrated. //

dānena priya-vadyena hitenaikārtha-caryayā |
ebhir ācara lokasya dharmasyaiva ca saṅgraham ||RV2.33||
By the means of giving, loving speech, useful service, and co-operation – / Effect by these means the bringing together of the world and dharma.//

viśvāsaṃ janayaty ekaṃ satyaṃ rājñāṃ yathā dṛḍham |
tathaivānṛtam apy eṣām aviśvāsa-karaṃ param ||RV2.34||
Just as the sheer truthfulness of kings generates firm trust, / So equally does their falsity cause deepest distrust.//

nāvisaṃvāda-vat satyaṃ [na bhā]vodbhavam arthataḥ |
paraikānta-hitaṃ satyam ahitatvān mṛṣetarat ||RV2.35||
Truthfulness is not absence of false assertions, nor in practice is it conjured up out of something. / Truthfulness is singular devotion to helping others. From hostility, on the contrary, stems untruth. //

The Chinese has實意起無違, “True intention gives rise to no contradictions.” But the Sanskrit sugggests the opposite – if we translate visaṃvāda as contradiction, the meaning is that truthfulness is not without contradictions.

doṣān pracchādayaty ekas tyāgo rājñāṃ yathojjvalaḥ |
tathā kārpaṇyam apy eṣāṃ guṇa-sarva-svaghātakam ||RV2.36||
Just as a single shining act of free giving overshadows [all] faults of kings; / So equally is stinginess a self-directed destruction of all their virtues.//

upaśāntasya gāmbhīryaṃ gāmbhīryād gauravaṃ param |
gauravād dīptir ājñā ca tasmād upaśamaṃ bhaja ||RV2.37||
In tranquillity there is profundity; out of profundity emerges deepest respect;/ With respect comes splendour and authority. Therefore partake of tranquillity. //

ahārya-buddhiḥ prājñatvād a-para-pratyayaḥ sthiraḥ |
nātisaṁdhīyate rājā tasmāt prajñāparo bhava ||RV2.38||
From wisdom stems understanding that nobody can take away, and firm non-reliance on others – / One is not deceived. Therefore, O King, be devoted above all to wisdom.//

satya-tyāga-śama-prajñā-catur-bhadro narādhipaḥ |
dharmaś catur-bhadra iva stūyate deva-mānuṣaiḥ ||RV2.39||
A leader of men possessed of the four boons of truthfulness, generosity, calmness and wisdom, / Is praised by gods and men in the same way that a dharma possessed of the four boons is praised.//

nigṛhya-vādibhiḥ śuddhaiḥ prajñā-kāruṇya-nirmalaiḥ |
sahāsīnasya satataṃ prajñā dharmaś ca vardhate ||RV2.40||
In one who sits together with those who are restrained in speech, cleansed, untainted in wisdom and compassion, / Wisdom and dharma constantly grow. //

durlabhāḥ pathya-vaktāraḥ śrotāras tv atidurlabhāḥ |
tebhyo ’tidurlabhatamā ye pathyasyāśu-kāriṇaḥ ||RV2.41||
Rare are speakers of what is salutary, but very rare are listeners. / Rarer still than these, are ones who are prompt to put what is salutary into practice.//

pathyam apy apriyaṃ tasmāj jñātvā śīghraṃ samācara |
pibed auṣadham apy ugram ārogyāyātmavān iva ||RV2.42||
Having understood, therefore, that something is salutary but also unpleasant, go for it at once, / As [a patient still] in possession of himself would drink even revolting medicine for the sake of freedom from disease. //

jīvitārogya-rājyānāṃ cintayānityatāṃ sadā |
tataḥ saṃvegavān dharmam ekāntena prayatsyase ||RV2.43||
Constantly reflect that life, health and sovereignty are impermanent; / On that basis, bestirred, you will apply yourself to dharma as your only end.//

avaśyaṃ maraṇaṃ paśyan pāpād duḥkhaṃ mṛtasya ca |
aihikena sukhenāpi na pāpaṃ kartum arhasi ||RV2.44||
Seeing that death is inevitable and that in death suffering follows from wrongdoing, / You should not do wrong, even when it brings temporary relief. //

kasmiṃś cid abhayaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ bhayaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ kva cit kṣaṇe |
yady ekasmin samāśvāsaḥ kim ekasmin na te bhayam ||RV2.45||
Sometimes no danger is seen and at the next moment danger is seen./ If in one instance you breathe easy, in the next instance do you feel no fear? // 

madyāt paribhavo loke kārya-hānir dhana-kṣayaḥ |
akārya-kāraṇam mohān [madyaṃ tyaja tataḥ sadā] ||RV2.46||
由酒遭他輕 損事減身力
由癡行非事 故智人斷酒
Intoxication leads to disgrace in the world, setting aside of what is to be done, and loss of wealth. / Bewilderment of the mind leads to the doing of what ought not to be done. Therefore always avoid intoxicating drink [Chinese: Therefore a wise person cuts out alcohol.] //

[RV2.47]
圍碁等嬉戲 生貪瞋憂諂
誑妄惡口因 故應恒遠離
Silly amusements like playing Go
Are the cause of greed, anger, grief and flattery
As well as trickery, wildness and bad-mouthing;
Therefore one should constantly stay away from them.

[RV2.48]

婬逸過失生 由想女身淨
尋思女身中 實無一毫淨
The fault of lust arises
From the impression that a woman's body is clean.
If one visits the inside of a woman's body in one's thinking,
In reality there is not one speck that is clean.

[RV2.49]
女口涎唾器 齒舌垢臭穢
鼻臭由洟流 目淚種類處
A woman's mouth is a vessel of drool and spit,
Her teeth and tongue are grimy, malodorous, dirty,
Her nose smells of snot and running mucous,
Her eyes are the site of assorted teary discharges.

[RV2.50]

腹屎尿腸器 餘身骨肉聚
癡人迷可厭 故貪著此身
The belly is a vessel of faeces, urine, and guts;
The rest of the body a collection of bones and flesh.
An ignorant person is confused about what should be abhorred,
And therefore lusts for this body.

[RV2.51]
根門最臭穢 是厭惡身因
於中若生愛 何緣得離欲
If this disgusting, unhygienic body
Where foul-smelling impurities ooze even from the sensory orifices,
Is the condition in which sensual love arises,
In what circumstances will one ever be able to become free from desire?

[RV2.52]
譬如屎尿器 豬好在中戲
於身不淨門 多欲戲亦爾
As, for example, in a trough of urine and filth,
Pigs love to play,
So, in a body's unclean orifices
A person of abundant desire loves to frolic.

[RV2.53]
此門所以生 為棄身土穢
癡人邪愛著 不顧己善利
These orifices via which
Bodily excrements are discharged,
Ignorant people wrongly crave
Instead of seeking their own welfare.

[RV2.54]
汝自見一分 屎尿等不淨
此聚說名身 云何汝生愛
See for yourself for a minute
The faeces, urine and other impurities
Which make up this conglomeration called a body.
How then can you generate sensual love?

[RV2.55]
赤白為生種 廁汁所沷養
如知身不淨 何意苦生愛
śukra-śoṇita-saṃparka-bījaṃ viṇ-mūtra-vardhitam |
amedhya-rūpam ājānan rajyase ’tra kayecchayā ||RV2.55||
Knowing it to be an unholy form sprung from contact between semen and blood, full of faeces and urine,/ By what kind of desire are you enamoured of it? //

[RV2.56]
穢聚可憎惡 臭濕皮纏裹
若能處中臥 則愛著女身
amedhya-puñje pracchanne tat-kledārdreṇa carmaṇā |
yaḥ śayīta sa nārīṇāṃ śayīta jaghanodare ||RV2.56||
When a man lays himself down with the unholy mass whose covering of skin is dampened by those discharges,/ He is laying himself down with women's backsides and bowels. //

[RV2.57]
若可愛可憎 衰老及童女
女身皆不淨 汝何處生欲
Since whether she is lovely or odious,
Old or young,
A woman's body, in every case, is unclean,
Where does your desire come from?

[RV2.58]
設糞聚好色 軟滑相端正
起愛則不應 愛女身亦爾
If a dung-heap has an attractive colour,
Is soft and smooth, and upright in appearance,
Still it is not appropriate to fall in love with it.
Loving a woman's body is also like that.

[RV2.59]
內臭極不淨 外皮所覆藏
是死屍種性 云何見不知
Inside there are organs which are foul-smelling and extremely unclean,
Outside those organs are covered by skin.
How can you look at but not see this thing
Which in essence is a kind of corpse?

[RV2.60]
皮不淨如衣 不可暫解浣
云何穢聚皮 可權時汰淨
[They say] the skin is not unclean; it is like a robe –
One that is impossible, for the present, to understand how to wash!
How can skin, when it is a mass of impurities,
Have an appointed hour for washing?

[RV2.61]
畫瓶滿糞穢 外飾若汝憎
此身穢種滿 云何汝不厭
If a decorated pot filled with filth
Disgusts you despite the outer ornamentation,
How can this body, which is full of assorted impurities,
Fail to disgust you?

[RV2.62]
若汝憎不淨 云何不惡身
香華鬘飲食 本淨而能污
If you abhor what is unclean,
Why not the unhygienic body
Which is able to befoul the fragrant flowers of chaplets,
And food and drink, that were originally pure?

[RV2.63]
如汝併憎惡 於自他糞穢
云何汝不厭 自他不淨身
As you abhor what is noxious
In the filth of self and others,
Why do you not abhor
Your own and others' impure bodies?

[RV2.64]
如女身不淨 自身穢亦爾
是故離欲人 於內外相稱
Just as a woman's body is unclean,
So is one's own body foul.
For this reason, a person who transcends desire
Speaks of the mutual relation between inside and outside.

[RV2.65]
九門流不淨自證自浣濯
若不知不淨 而造愛欲論
Impurities flowing through the nine orifices,
One washes by oneself from one's own body.
If one fails to see any impurity
And composes romantic literature,

[RV2.66]
希有極無知 無慚及輕他
於最不淨身 何方利益汝
How strange that is, how extremely lacking in discernment,
Shameless, and unappreciative of others.
Where for you is the profit
In a body which is so extremely unclean?

[RV2.67]
多眾生因此 無明覆其心
為塵欲結怨 如狗鬥爭糞
Because of this [lack of discernment], many living beings
Have their minds engulfed in ignorance.
Out of desire for dust they bear grudges,
Quarreling like dogs over what is filthy.

[RV2.68]
如搔癢謂樂 不癢最安樂
如此有欲樂 無欲人最樂
Just as scratching an itch is said to be pleasurable,
But not to have an itch is most comfortable,
So this possession of a desire is pleasurable,
But a person who is free of desire is happiest.

[RV2.69]
若汝思此義 離欲不得成
由思欲輕故 不遭婬逸過
If you think in this way,
Even if you are unable to realize transcendence of desire,
Because of thinking light of desire,
You will not enter into excessive lust.

[RV2.70]
從獵感短壽 怖苦重逼惱
未來決受此 故應堅行悲
Through hunting one has a short life,
Fear and suffering are heavy, and one is plagued by anger.
In future [the hunter] inevitably suffers this.
Therefore one should steadfastly practise compassion.

[RV2.71]
何人若他見 生彼極驚怖
譬糞穢污身 流出毒惡蛇
A person who would see the other
Experiencing extreme fear,
Is like a snake whose body is fouled by filth,
Spitting out poison and malice.

[RV2.72]
是人若至彼 眾生得安樂
譬夏月大雲 田夫見欲雨
When a real human being encounters other sentient beings,
And they are able to be easy and joyful,
It is like a farmer seeing a great cloud in the light of a summer moon,
And knowing that it is going to rain.

[RV2.73]
故汝捨惡法 決心修善行
為自他俱得 無上菩提果
Therefore you must abandon wrong practices,
And resolve to cultivate good actions,
So that self and others together
Might gain the end which is the supreme truth of bodhi.

[RV2.74]
是菩提根本 心堅如山王
因十方際悲 及無二依智
The root of this bodhi
Is a mind which is as steadfast as the king of mountains,
Because of compassion extending as far as the ten directions
And non-dual reliance on wisdom.

[RV2.75]
大王汝諦聽 此因我今說
感三十二相 能莊嚴汝身
Listen, O great King,
To these causes that I shall now expound
Of being rewarded by the thirty-two signs.
It is possible for them to adorn your body.

三十二相, the thirty-two signs, are called in Sanskrit mahāpuruṣa-lakṣaṇa, marks of a great man.

[RV2.76]
支提聖尊人 供養恒親侍
手足寶相輪 當成轉輪王
By serving offerings to sacred and venerable people
And constantly waiting closely on them,
You will become a wheel-rolling king
The treasures of your hands and feet having the sign of the wheel. 

[RV2.77]
手足滑柔軟 身大七處高
由施美飲食 於他等豐足
Having hands and feet that are smooth and soft,
And the body being magnificent, statuesque in the seven places,
Derives from having served in abundance to others
Beautiful food and drink.

七處平等 “the seven places being level and even” refers to feet, hands, shoulders, and head.

[RV2.78]
身圓滿端直 指足跟圓長
汝當感長壽 由悲濟死囚
With a body that is full and upright,
With fingers, toes and heels that are round and long,
You will experience long life
Because of compassion for condemned prisoners.

[RV2.79]
大王堅持法 令清淨久住
由此足安平 當得成菩薩
Steadfastly maintaining dharma, Great King,
Live a pure and long life.
From this you will be able to become a bodhisattva
Whose feet are balanced and even. 

[RV2.80]
行布施愛語 利行及同利
由此指網密 手足八十文
Practise free giving, loving words,
Beneficial conduct and cooperation:
And from this, your fingers will be closely joined;
Your hands and feet will [conform with] the eighty signs.

[RV2.81]
腳趺高可愛 旋毛端向上
由長不棄背 本所受持法
Your ankles will be stately and lovely,
The tips of your hair whorl will be growing upward,
Because you have long refused to abandon
Dharma received and maintained in the past.

[RV2.82]
由恭敬施受 明處及工巧
故得鹿王膞 及聰明大智
Because of reverence for learning and the arts,
Because of making them available and receiving them,
You will get the calves of a king-stag
And the brightness of great wisdom.

[RV2.83]
他求自有物 我疾能惠施
由此臂傭大 得為世化主
“My possessions, with my blessings,
I am swiftly able to give to those who seek them.”
From this attitude you will be broad-shouldered,
And you will be able to become a master who changes the world.

[RV2.84]
親愛若別離 菩薩令和集
此感陰藏相 恒服慚羞衣
Where loved ones are divided
The bodhisattva causes reconciliation:
This is rewarded by the sign of the sexual organ
Being constantly clothed in modesty.

[RV2.85]
常施樓殿具 細軟可愛色
故感天色身 潤滑光微妙
Because of always providing palace furnishings
Which are finely woven with lovely colours,
You will be rewarded by a body with a heavenly colour
And a soft sheen.

[RV2.86]
由施無上護 如理順尊長
感一孔一毛 白毫端嚴面
Through giving the supreme safeguards,
And following honourable veterans according to principle,
You will be rewarded by one hair in each hair pore
And by the circle of white hair neatly adorning your face.

[RV2.87]
常說善愛語 又能順正教
上身如師子 頸圓喻甘浮
Always propounding the good with loving words
While being able to follow true teaching,
You will have an upper body like a lion's,
With a neck that is round, as if softly floating.

[RV2.88]
看病給醫藥 或令他養護
故得腋下滿 千脈別百味
Because of nursing, and administering medicines,
Or causing others to provide care,
You will obtain fullness below the armpits
And a thousand veins will have a hundred distinct flavours. [??]

[RV2.89]
於自他法事 常能為端首
頂骨鬱尼沙 橫豎頰匿瞿
If you are always able to be level headed,
In matters of dharma relating to self and others,
Your skull will have the uṣṇīṣa protrusion
And horizontally and vertically your face 匿瞿 [??]

Hopkins: [your body] will be symmetrical like a banyan tree.

[RV2.90]
由長時巧說 實美滑善言
得八相梵音 及舌根脩廣
Through speaking skillfully over a long period
True and beautiful speech which is fluent and good,
You will obtain the eight signs and the Brahma-sound,
Along with the long and broad tongue.

[RV2.91]
已知事實利 數數為他說
得好如師子 面門方可愛
Knowing from experience things of true benefit
And widely expounding them for others,
You will agreeably obtain lion-like
Facial features and lovely proportions.

[RV2.92]
由尊他不輕 隨順行正理
齒白齊必勝 譬若真珠行
Through honouring and not slighting others,
And acting in accordance with the true principle,
You will have white teeth that are uniform and excellent,
Like lines of pearls.

[RV2.93]
由數習此言 謂實不兩舌
故具四十齒 平滑堅遒淨
Because of becoming accustomed to this speech,
That is, truthful speech, without two tongues,
You will be endowed with forty teeth,
Even, smooth, hard, strong and clean.

[RV2.94]
由瞻視眾生 滑無貪瞋癡
眼珠青滑了 瞼睫如牛王
Through watching over living beings
Mildly, without greed, hatred or ignorance,
Your eyeballs will be clear and their tracking smooth,
Your eyelids and lashes like a king of bulls.

[RV2.95]
由如此略說 大人相及因
轉輪王菩薩 美飾汝應知
By such a summarized exposition
Of the signs of a great person, along with causes of those signs,
You should know the beautiful adornments
Of a bodhisattva who is a wheel-rolling king.

[RV2.96]
隨相有八十 從慈悲流生
大王我不說 為避多文辭
There are eighty lesser signs
Which flow forth from compassion.
I shall not expound those, O Great King,
In order to avoid too many sentences.

[RV2.97]
雖諸轉輪王 同有此相好
淨明及可愛 終不逮如來
Even wheel-rolling kings
Have these auspicious signs in common,
[But their signs] in purity and loveliness
Do not come close to a tathāgata's.

[RV2.98]
從菩薩善心 一念中一分
輪王相好因 尚不能等此
From a bodhisattva's will to the good are caused,
Even if only for one fraction of one moment of consciousness,
The auspicous signs of a wheel-rolling king –
But they can never equal those [of a tathāgata] at all.

[RV2.99]

一人萬億劫 修善根生長
於佛一毛相 此因亦不感
If a person for trillions of kalpas
Cultivated good roots and developed them,
This cause would not amount
To even one hair of a sign of a buddha.

[RV2.100]

諸佛與輪王 相中一分等
譬如螢與日 於光微有似
Any partial correspondence in terms of signs
Between buddhas and wheel-rolling kings,
Is like the faint similarity that exists, in power of illumination,
Between a firefly and the sun.

寶行王正論雜品第二
True Advice to a King of Jewel-Conduct – Chapter 2, A Mix