d had collected in clouds in this kingdom to wait for the
World-honored one.

Then the bhikshuni Utpala thought in her heart, "To-day the kings, with
their ministers and people, will all be meeting and welcoming Buddha. I
am but a woman; how shall I succeed in being the first to see him?"
Buddha immediately, by his spirit-like power, changed her into the
appearance of a holy Chakravartti king, and she was the foremost of all
in doing reverence to him.

As Buddha descended from his position aloft in the Trayastrims'as
heaven, when he was coming down, there were made to appear three flights
of precious steps. Buddha was on the middle flight, the steps of which
were composed of the seven precious substances. The king of Brahma-loka
[4] also made a flight of silver steps appear on the right side, where
he was seen attending with a white chowry in his hand. Sakra, Ruler of
Devas, made a flight of steps of purple gold on the left side, where he
was seen attending and holding an umbrella of the seven precious
substances. An innumerable multitude of the devas followed Buddha in his
descent. When he was come down, the three flights all disappeared in the
ground, excepting seven steps, which continued to be visible. Afterwards
king As'oka, wishing to know where their ends rested, sent men to dig
and see. They went down to the yellow springs without reaching the
bottom of the steps, and from this the king received an increase to his
reverence and faith, and built a vihara over the steps, with a standing
image, sixteen cubits in height, right over the middle flight. Behind
the vihara he erected a stone pillar, about fifty cubits high, with a
lion on the top of it. [5] Let into the pillar, on each of its four
sides, there is an image of Buddha, inside and out shining and
transparent, and pure as it were of lapis lazuli. Some teachers of
another doctrine once disputed with the S'ramanas about the right to
this as a place of residence, and the latter were having the worst of
the argument, when they took an oath on both sides on the condition
that, if the place did indeed belong to the S'ramanas, there should be
some marvellous attestation of it. When these words had been spoken, the
lion on the top gave a great roar, thus giving the proof; on which their
opponents were frightened, bowed to the decision, and withdrew.

Through Buddha having for three months partaken of the food of heaven,
his body emitted a heavenly fragrance, unlike