1. Out of the multitude of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who had flocked from other worlds, Bodhisattvas eight times equal to the sands of the river Ganges then rose from the assembled circle. Their joined hands stretched out towards the Lord to pay him homage, they said to him: If the Lord will allow us, we also would, after the extinction of the Lord, reveal this Dharmaparyâya in this Saha-world; we would read, write, worship it, and wholly devote ourselves to that law. Therefore, O Lord, deign to grant to us also this Dharmaparyâya. And the Lord answered: Nay, young men of good family, why should you occupy yourselves with this task? I have here in this Saha-world thousands of Bodhisattvas equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, forming the train of one Bodhisattva; and of such Bodhisattvas there is a number equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, each of these Bodhisattvas having an equal number in their train, who at the end of time, at the last period after my extinction, shall keep, read, proclaim this Dharmaparyâya. No sooner had the Lord uttered these words than the Saha-world burst open on every side, and from within the clefts arose many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas with gold-coloured bodies and the thirty-two characteristic signs of a great man, who had been staying in the element of ether underneath this great earth, close to this Saha-world. These then on hearing the word of the Lord came up from below the earth. Each of these Bodhisattvas had a train of thousands of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers; each had a troop, a great troop, as teacher of a troop. Of such Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a troop, a great troop, as teachers of a troop, there were hundred thousands of myriads of kotis equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, who emerged from the gaps of the earth in this Saha-world. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of fifty Ganges rivers; much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of forty Ganges rivers; Of 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Ganges river; of 1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/10, 1/20, 1/50, 1/100, 1/1000, 1/100,000, 1/10,000,000, 1/100 X 10,000,000, 1/1000 X 10,000,000, 1/100 X 1000 X 10,000,000, 1/100 X 1000 X 10,000 X 10,000,000 part of the river Ganges. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas; of one koli; of one hundred thousand; of one thousand; Of 500; Of 400; Of 300; Of 200; Of 100; Of 50; Of 40; Of 30; Of 20; Of 10; Of 5, 4, 3, 2. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having one follower. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas standing isolated. They cannot be numbered, counted, calculated, compared, known by occult science, the Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who emerged from the gaps of the earth to appear in this Saha-world. And after they had successively emerged they went up to the Stûpa of precious substances which stood in the sky, where the Lord Prabhûtaratna, the extinct Tathâgata, was seated along with the Lord Sâkyamuni on the throne. Whereafter they saluted the feet of both Tathâgatas, &c., as well as the images of Tathâgatas produced by the Lord Sâkyamuni from his own body, who all together were seated on thrones at the foot of various jewel trees on every side in all directions, in different worlds. After these Bodhisattvas had many hundred thousand times saluted, and thereon circumambulated the Tathâgatas, &c., from left to right, and celebrated them with various Bodhisattva hymns, they went and kept themselves at a little distance, the joined hands stretched out to honour the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c., and the Lord Prabhûtaratna, the Tathâgata, &c. And while those Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who had emerged from the gaps of the earth were saluting and celebrating the Tathâgatas by various Bodhisattva hymns, fifty intermediate kalpas in full rolled away, during which fifty intermediate kalpas the Lord Sâkyamuni remained silent, and likewise the four classes of the audience. Then the Lord produced such an effect of magical power that the four classes fancied that it had been no more than one afternoon, and they saw this Saha-world assume the appearance of hundred thousands of worlds replete with Bodhisattvas. The four Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas who were the chiefest of that great host of Bodhisattvas, viz. the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva called Visishtakâritra i.e. of eminent conduct, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Anantakâritra i.e. of endless conduct, the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva called Visuddhakâritra i.e. of correct conduct, and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Supratishthitakâritra i.e. of very steady conduct, these four Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas standing at the head of the great host, the great multitude of Bodhisattvas stretched out the joined hands towards the Lord and addressed him thus: Is the Lord in good health? Does he enjoy well-being and good ease? Are the creatures decorous, docile, obedient, correctly performing their task, so that they give no trouble to the Lord? And those four Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas addressed the Lord with the two following stanzas:

2. Does the Lord of the world, the illuminator, feel at ease? Dost thou feel free from bodily disease, O Perfect One?

3. The creatures, we hope, will be decorous, docile, performing the orders of the Lord of the world, so as to give no trouble. And the Lord answered the four Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who were at the head of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhisattvas: So it is, young men of good family, I am in good health, well-being, and at ease. And these creatures of mine are decorous, docile, obedient, well performing what is ordered; they give no trouble when I correct them; and that, young men of good family, because these creatures, owing to their being already prepared under the ancient, perfectly enlightened Buddhas, have but to see and hear me to put trust in me, to understand and fathom the Buddha-knowledge. And those who fulfilled their duties in the stage of disciples have now been introduced by me into Buddha-knowledge and well instructed in the highest truth. And at that time the Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas uttered the following stanzas:

4. Excellent, excellent, O great Hero! we are happy to hear that those creatures are decorous, docile, well performing their duty';

5. And that they listen to thy profound knowledge, O Leader, and that after listening to it they have put trust in it and understand it. This said, the Lord declared his approval to the four Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who were at the head of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas, saying: Well done, young men of good family, well done, that you so congratulate the Tathâgata. And at that moment the following thought arose in the mind of the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Maitreya and the eight hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges: We never yet saw so great a host, so great a multitude of Bodhisattvas; we never yet heard of such a multitude, that after issuing from the gaps of the earth has stood in the presence of the Lord to honour, respect, venerate, worship him and greet him with joyful shouts. Whence have these Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas flocked hither? Then the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Maitreya, feeling within himself doubt and perplexity, and inferring from his own thoughts those of the eight hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges, stretched out his joined hands towards the Lord and questioned him about the matter by uttering the following stanzas:

6. Here are many thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas, numberless, whom we never saw before; tell us, O supreme of men!

7. Whence and how do these mighty persons come? Whence have they come here under the form of great bodies'?

8. All are great Seers, wise and strong in memory, whose outward appearance is lovely to see; whence have they come?

9. And each of those Bodhisattvas, O Lord of the world, has an immense train, like the sands of the Ganges.

10. The train of each glorious Bodhisattva is equal to the sands of sixty Ganges in full. All are striving after enlightenment.

11. Of such heroes and mighty possessors of a troop the followers are equal to the sands of sixty Ganges.

12. There are others, still more numerous, with an unlimited train, like the sands of fifty, forty, and thirty Ganges; 12, 13. Who have a train equal to the sands of twenty Ganges. Still more numerous are the mighty sons of Buddha, who have each a train equal to the sands of ten, of five Ganges. Whence, O Leader, has such an assembly flocked hither?

13. There are others who have each a train of pupils and companions equal to the sands of four, three, or two Ganges.

14. There are others more numerous yet; it would be impossible to calculate their number in thousands of kotis of Æons.

15. Equal to a half Ganges, one third, one tenth, one twentieth, is the train of those heroes, those mighty Bodhisattvas.

16. There are yet others who are incalculable; it would be impossible to count them even in hundreds of kotis of Æons.

17. Many more yet there are, with endless trains; they have in their attendance kotis, and kotis and again kotis, and also half kotis.

18. Other great Seers again, beyond computation, very wise Bodhisattvas are seen in a respectful posture.

19. They have a thousand, a hundred, or fifty attendants; in hundreds of kotis of Æons one would not be able to count them.

20. The suite of some of these heroes consists of twenty, of ten, five, four, three, or two; those are countless.

21. As to those who are walking alone and come to their rest alone, they have now flocked hither in such numbers as to be beyond computation.

22. Even if one with a magic wand in his hand would try for a number of Æons equal to the sands of the Ganges to count them, he would not reach the term.

23. Where do all those noble, energetic heroes, those mighty Bodhisattvas, come from?

24. Who has taught them the law or duty? and by whom have they been destined to enlightenment? Whose command do they accept? Whose command do they keep?

25. Bursting forth at all points of the horizon through the whole extent of the earth they emerge, those great Sages endowed with magical faculty and wisdom.

26 more verses…