Mucilinda.
Le bouddha méditait, la sixième semaine après l'Éveil, assis sous un arbre, au bord d'un lac. Un violent orage éclata et la pluie fit peu à peu monter dangereusement les eaux. Le cobra Mucilinda, le roi des nâgas, sortit du lac, enroula ses anneaux sous le corps du bouddha et déploya ses capuchons heptacéphales en éventail au-dessus de lui pour le protéger de la pluie durant tout le temps que dura l'orage.Le bouddha, perdu dans sa méditation, les yeux clos, resta dans cette position jusqu'à la fin de l'orage, ignorant tout du danger qui le guettait.
Thus have I heard. On a certain occasion, subsequent to his attainment of Buddhahood, the Blessed One dwelt at Uruvela, on the banks of the stream Neranjara at the foot of the Mucilinda tree. At that time, the Blessed One, having sat in an attitude of meditation for seven days, experienced the bliss of Emancipation. Now it came pass that a great cloud appeared, out of season, and for seven days rain fell, cold winds blew and darkness prevailed. And the Serpent King, Mucilinda, came forth from his hidden realm and winding his coils seven times around the body of the Blessed One, he formed with his serpent's hood a great canopy above the head of the Buddha, and he uttered these words to himself; "may no coldness touch the Blessed One, nor any heat, may no gadflies or gnats, or winds, or sunheat distress the Blessed One." And the Blessed One, at the close of the seventh day arose from that state of trance and Mucilinda, the Serpent King, seeing that the sky was clear and cloudless, loosed his coils from around the body of the Blessed One and concealing his own nature, took upon him the form of a youth and stood before the Blessed One with folded hands, worshipping him.
And the Blessed One, in this connection, on that occasion, breathed forth this solemn utterance: "How sweet the solitude of the peaceful, of him who has heard and perceived the Truth ! Happy to be without malice! restraintful towards all beings!Happy are the passion-free! Happy he who overcomes Desire ! To have removed the notion 'I am', that is the supreme joy !"
