1886.] Sarat Chandra Das —Buddhist and other legends about Khoten. 195 
of light flashed from his person which being thrown back by the 
Buddhas and Bodhisattwas of the ten quarters, were re-absorbed on 
the teacher’s head and a voice from heaven was heard, saying, “ Let 
there be peace and happiness. Amen.” Thereafter the Blessed One 
made magical demonstrations and prophecies about the spread of 
Buddhism. He commanded Shariputra to pierce the mountain ' with 
his trident and Vaisramana to hurl his javelin into it so that the 
wai,ers might run out, when they did so, the teacher himself became 
absorbed in a big image which stopped on the top of Goshirsha hill. 
On the left side of the temple where now stands a small chorten he 
stayed seven days. Being asked by Ananda the circumstances of the 
lake’s becoming dry, he said, “ After I have entered into Nirvana 
this place will be called Li-yul and the fort called Wu-then* (Pan- 
chavati or Naden). A great city will then come into existence. At 
the time of its being ruled by Raja Grama, an image made of 
sandal-wood in which the scent of Buddha’s person has been ab¬ 
sorbed, will come from Aryavarta. Its kings and ministers will 
build three hundred and sixty viharas for the residence of male and 
female mendicants of the Mahay ana school. Bodhisattwas who will 
worship the sacred image, monks and nuns and upasakas (lay de¬ 
votees) who will alv/ays reside there will number five hundred. Half 
of them will be clergy. Bodhisattwas who are not destinedf to 
degradation and the followers of the Mahayana school in general will 
also reside there. This place will be sacred to the Buddhas of past, 
present and future times.” Then commanding the Sramanas always to 
protect this country he allotted to them their respective charges. 
Then the lake became empty and the external symbols of Buddha 
Kashyapa, the chorten of Gomasala Gaudha, Goshirsha Parbata, the 
walled city of Gewai Shul &c. reappeared. 
Tibetan legend about Li-yul. 
Two hundred and fifty years after the Nirvana of Buddha, Dharma 
Asoka the king of Aryavarta after committing many sins took the 
vow of erecting in Jambudwipa temples and chortens to the number 
of 84,000. He visited Li-yul where he found the lake dry and the 
country uninhabited. Coming to the spot where now stands the sacred 
* Wu-then—(Lua-lden or Pancliavati) was fclie chief city of Klioten. Wa in 
Chinese means from or than. 
t There are ten stages of Bodhisattwa perfection—-those who reach the 8th stage 
are not affected by any of their karma so as to be subject to damnation. Being 
free from sin they either remain stationai’y or go upwards to higher stages—but 
never come down. 
