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 rājagṛhe viharati veṇuvane kalandakanivāpe | yadā devadattena mohapuruṣeṇa bhagavato vadhārthena dhanapālako hastināga utsṛṣṭaḥ, udapāno viṣacūrṇena cāvakīrṇaḥ, vadhakapuruṣāś cotsṛṣṭāḥ | sa bhagavato dīrgharātraṃ vadhakaḥ pratyarthikaḥ pratyamitraḥ, bhagavāṃś cāsya maitracitto hitacitto ’nukampācittena na pratyupasthitaḥ | tadā bhikṣavo bhagavantaṃ papracchuḥ: paśya bhagavan yāvad ayaṃ devadatto bhagavato vadhāyodyataḥ, bhagavāṃś cāsya maitracitto hitacitto ’nukampacittenā pratyupasthita iti ||

bhagavān āha: kim atra bhikṣava āścaryaṃ yad idānīṃ tathāgato vigatarāgo vigatadveṣo vigatamohaḥ parimukto jāti­jarāv­yādhi­maraṇa­śoka­pari­deva­duḥkha­daurmanasyopāyāsebhyaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvākārajñaḥ sarvaj­ñānaj­ñeyavaśiprāptaḥ | yat tu mayā atīte ’dhvani sarāgeṇa sadveṣeṇa samohena daharakavayasyavasthitena vadhāya parākrāntasyāsyāntike naivaṃ cittaṃ dūṣitam* | tac chṛṇuta, sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca manasi kuruta, bhāṣiṣye ’ham* ||

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavo ’tīte ’dhvani vārāṇasyāṃ nagaryāṃ brahmadatto nāma rājā rājyaṃ kārayati ṛddhaṃ ca sphītaṃ ca kṣemaṃ ca subhikṣaṃ ca ākīrṇabahujanamanuṣyaṃ ca praśānta­kalikalahaḍimbaḍa­maraṃ taskararogāpagataṃ śālīkṣugomahiṣīsaṃpannam akhilam akaṇṭakam* | ekaputram iva rājyaṃ pālayati | sa rājā śrāddho bhadraḥ kalyāṇāśaya ātmahitaparahitapratipannaḥ kāruṇiko mahātmā dharmakāmaḥ prajāvatsalaḥ sarvapradaḥ sarvaparityāgī niḥsaṅgaparityāgī ca mahatī tyāge vartate | tasya ca rājño durmatir nāma devī caṇḍā roṣaṇī sāhasikā | ekaputraś ca dharmapālo nāmnā tasyā eva durmatyāḥ sakāśāj jātaḥ | sa ca dharmapālo dayāvān śrāddho bhadraḥ kalyāṇāśaya ātmahitaparahitapratipannaḥ kāruṇiko mahātmā dharmakāmaḥ prajāvatsalaḥ | sarveṣāṃ ca vārāṇaseyānāṃ brāhmaṇagṛhapatīnām iṣṭaḥ kāntaḥ priyo manāpo darśanena | sa copādhyāyasakāśaṃ gatvā dārakaiḥ saha lipiṃ paṭhati ||

yāvad rājā apareṇa samayena vasantakālasamaye saṃpuṣpiteṣu pādapeṣu haṃ­sakrauñcama­yūra­śukaśārikākokilajīvañjīvakanirghoṣite vanaṣaṇḍe devyā sahāntaḥpuraparivṛta udyānabhūmiṃ nirgataḥ | tatra ca rājña udyāne ’ntaḥpurajanena saha krīḍata īrṣyāroṣaparītā durmatir devī kupitā | rājñā cāsyā ardhaṃ pītakaṃ varjitam* | tayā kupitayā rājcaḥ saṃdeśo visarjitaḥ: putrasyāhaṃ rudhiraṃ pibeyam*, yady ahaṃ tavārdhaṃ pītakaṃ pibeyam iti | kāmān khalu pratisevamānasya nāsti kiṃcit pāpakaṃ karmākaraṇīyam iti | tato rājā brahmadatto dhārmiko ’pi san kāma­rāga­parya­vasānavi­gamād antaḥpurajanena sāntvyamāno ’pi krodhāgninā prajvalitaḥ | tatas tena saṃpravṛddhakrodhenājñā dattā: gacchata, dharmapālasya galaṃ chitvā rudhiraṃ pāyayatainām iti ||

tato dārakaśālāvasthito dharmapālaḥ kumāraḥ śrutvā rodituṃ pravṛttaḥ | evaṃ cāha: dhik satvasabhāgatāṃ saṃsāre, yatra nāma krodhavaśād aṅganiḥsṛtam api sutaṃ parityajantīti | tato dharmapālaḥ sarvālaṃkāravibhūṣitaḥ pituḥ pādayor nipatya kathayati: sādhu tāta prasīda | niraparādhaṃ mā māṃ parityākṣīḥ | iṣṭāś ca sarveṣāṃ pitṝṇāṃ putrā iti | rājā kathayati: putraka yadi te mātā kṣamate, aham api kṣame iti | tato dharmapālaḥ prarudan mātuḥ sakāśam upasaṃkrāntaḥ pādayor nipatya kṛtakarapuṭa uvāca: amba kṣamasva, mā māṃ jīvitād vyaparopayeti | sā evaṃ karuṇadīnavilambitair akṣarair ucyamānā na kṣamate | tato vadhyaghātais tīkṣṇena śastreṇa dharmapālasya kumārasya galaṃ chitvā durmatir devī rudhiraṃ pāyitā | na ca durmatyā vipratisāro jātaḥ | dharmapālo ’pi kumāro mātāpitṛvadhyaghāteṣu cittaṃ prasādya kālagataḥ ||

bhagavān āha: kiṃ manyadhve bhikṣavo yo ’sau tena kālena tena samayena dharmapālo nāma kumāro babhūva, ahaṃ saḥ | sā durmatir devī, eṣa devadattaḥ | tadāpi me vadhakahastagatenāsya maitraṃ cittam utpāditam* | idānīm apy aham asya vadhāyodyatasya maitracitto hitacittaḥ anukampācittaḥ | tasmāt tarhi bhikṣava evaṃ śikṣitavyam: yat sarvasatveṣu maitraṃ cittaṃ bhāvayiṣyāmaḥ | ity evaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ śikṣitavyam* ||

idam avocad bhagavān | āttamanasas te bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan* ||