[Translated originally from the Sanskrit Sarvāstivāda Madhyamāgama to Classical Chinese by a team led by Sarvāstivāda scholar Gautama Saṃghadeva of Kāśmīra in 398CE.
Translated from the Chinese Taisho Tripiṭaka back to Sanskrit by Ramakrishnan Suryanarayanan in 2024-26.]
madhyamāgame saptadharmavarge prathame laukikapuṇyasūtraṃ saptamam.
evaṃ mayā śrutam. ekasminsamaye bhagavānkauśāmbyāṃ viharatisma ghoṣilārāme.
atha khalvāyuṣmānmahācundaḥ sāyāhnasamaye pratisaṃlayanādvyutthāya yena bhagavāṃstenopajagāma. upetya bhagavataḥ pādau śirasā vanditvaikānte nyaṣīdat. ekāntaniṣaṇṇa āyuṣmānmahācundo bhagavantametadavocat—śakyate nu bhagavan, laukikaṃ puṇyaṃ prajñapayitumiti.
bhagavānavocat—śakyate cunda. saptemāni cunda laukikapuṇyāni mahāpuṇyāni mahāphalāni mahāyaśaskāni mahānuśaṃsāni bhavanti. katamāni sapta. iha cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā bhikṣusaṅghāya vihāraṃ maṇḍapaṃ ca dadāti. idaṃ cunda prathamaṃ laukikapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
punaraparaṃ cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā tasminvihāre mañcapīṭhaṃ rallakaṃ kambalaṃ tūlikāṃ śayanopaskaraṃ ca dadāti. idaṃ cunda dvitīyaṃ laukikapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
punaraparaṃ cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā tasminvihāre sarvanavaśuddhapraṇītacīvarāṇi dadāti. idaṃ cunda tṛtīyaṃ laukikapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
punaraparaṃ cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā tasminvihāre saṅghāya nityaṃ prātaryāguṃ madhyāhne bhojanaṃ ca dadāti. ārāmikānpreṣyānparicārakānanupradadāti. vāte vā vṛṣṭau vā hime vā tuṣāre vā svayamārāmamupagamya bhikṣusaṅghāya bhūyasīṃ pūjāṃ karoti. yathā bhuktavanto bhikṣavo vātavṛṣṭihimatuṣārairna bādhyeranna caiṣāṃ cīvarāṇi klidyeyū, rātriṃdivaṃ sukhitā dhyānapratisaṃlayane yujyeyuriti. idaṃ cunda saptamaṃ laukikapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
yasya cunda śrāddhasya kulaputrasya vā kuladuhiturvemāni sapta laukikāni puṇyānyabhiniṣpannāni bhavanti, tasya gacchato vāgacchato vā tiṣṭhato vā niṣaṇṇasya vā suptasya vā jāgrato vā divā vā rātrau vā tatpuṇyaṃ nityamutpadyate pravardhate vipulībhavati ca. tadyathā cunda gaṅgānadī mūlātprabhūtā mahāsamudramanupraviśatyantare ca gambhīratarā vipulatarā ca bhavati. evameva cunda yasya śrāddhasya kulaputrasya vā kuladuhiturvemāni sapta laukikāni puṇyānyabhiniṣpannāni bhavanti, tasya gacchato vāgacchato vā tiṣṭhato vā niṣaṇṇasya vā suptasya vā jāgrato vā divā vā rātrau vā tatpuṇyaṃ nityamutpadyate pravardhate vipulībhavati ca.
atha khalvāyuṣmānmahācunda utthāyāsanādekāṃsamuttarāsaṅgaṃ kṛtvā dakṣiṇaṃ jānumaṇḍalaṃ pṛthivyāṃ pratiṣṭhāpya yena bhagavāṃstenāñjaliṃ praṇāmya bhagavantametadavocat—śakyate nu bhagavan, lokottaraṃ puṇyaṃ prajñapayitumiti.
bhagavānavocat—śakyate cunda. santi cundānyāni sapta lokottarāṇi puṇyāni mahāpuṇyāni mahāphalāni mahāyaśaskāni mahānuśaṃsāni. katamāni sapta. iha cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā śṛṇoti tathāgato vā tathāgataśrāvako vāmukasminpradeśe viharatīti. śrutvā ca pramudito bhavati paramayā prītyā samanvāgataḥ. idaṃ cunda prathamaṃ lokottarapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
punaraparaṃ cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā śṛṇoti tathāgato vā tathāgataśrāvako vā tasmātpradeśādihāgantumicchatīti. śrutvā ca pramudito bhavati paramayā prītyā samanvāgataḥ. idaṃ cunda dvitīyaṃ lokottarapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
punaraparaṃ cunda śrāddhaḥ kulaputro vā kuladuhitā vā śṛṇoti tathāgato vā tathāgataśrāvako vā tasmātpradeśādihānuprāpta iti. śrutvā ca pramudito bhavati paramayā prītyā samanvāgataḥ. prasannena cittena svayaṃ darśanāyopasaṅkrāmati vandanāya pūjanāya ca. pūjayitvā ca buddhaṃ dharmaṃ bhikṣusaṅghaṃ ca śaraṇaṃ gacchati śikṣāpadāni ca samādatte. idaṃ cunda saptamaṃ lokottarapuṇyaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāphalaṃ mahāyaśaskaṃ mahānuśaṃsam.
yasya cunda śrāddhasya kulaputrasya vā kuladuhiturvemāni sapta laukikāni puṇyānyabhiniṣpannāni bhavantyanyāni ca sapta lokottarāṇi puṇyāni, tasya tatpuṇyaṃ na śakyaṃ saṃkhyātumiyanti puṇyānīyanti puṇyaphalānīyanti puṇyavipākā iti. api tvaparimāṇamaprameyamasaṃkhyeyaṃ mahāpuṇyaskandha ityeva saṃkhyāṃ gacchati.
tadyathā cunda jambūdvīpe pañca mahānadyaḥ sravanti. tadyathā gaṅgā yamunā sarayūrajiravatī mahī ca. tā mahāsamudramanupraviśanti. antare ca tāsāṃ vāri na śakyaṃ saṃkhyātumiyanti jalaprasthānīyanti jaladroṇānīti. api tvaparimāṇamaprameyamasaṃkhyeyaṃ mahājalaskandha ityeva saṃkhyāṃ gacchati. evameva cunda yasya śrāddhasya kulaputrasya vā kuladuhiturvemāni sapta laukikāni puṇyānyabhiniṣpannāni bhavantyanyāni ca sapta lokottarāṇi puṇyāni, tasya tatpuṇyaṃ na śakyaṃ saṃkhyātumiyanti puṇyānīyanti puṇyaphalānīyanti puṇyavipākā iti. api tvaparimāṇamaprameyamasaṃkhyeyaṃ mahāpuṇyaskandha ityeva saṃkhyāṃ gacchati.
tasminsamaye bhagavānimā gāthā abhāṣata—
gaṅgānadī yathā śuddhā sutīrthā ceti viśrutā
ratnākarassamudro hi salilānāṃ nṛpaḥ smṛtaḥ
nadīnāṃ salilaṃ yadvatprapūjyate janaissadā
sarvā nadyastathāyānti mahāntamudadhiṃ prati
evameva naro dattvā vastramannañca pānakam
śayyāmāsanakañcaiva tūlikāṃ pīṭhakaṃ tathā
anantampuṇyamāsādya gacchatīṣṭampadaṃ hi saḥ
yathā sarvāṇi toyāni praviśanti mahārṇavam
idamavocadbhagavān. āttamanā āyuṣmānmahācundaste ca bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitamabhyanandan.
laukikapuṇyasūtraṃ saptamam.