“The messenger pulled him by force.

The Greater Vehicle “grasped” him, making his feelings meritorious; li could not be discarded; it [used] “force” [to hold him].

The poor son thought, ‘I am caught though I am not guilty. I shall be killed.’ More and more frightened, the poor son fainted and fell to the ground.

He felt extremely unhappy. He had faults but was innocent, and he came to grasp the transformative teaching of the Greater [Vehicle]. His mind was very much disturbed; he was “helpless with agony, and fell to earth.”

Seeing all this in the distance, the father said to the messenger, ‘I do not want him any more. Do not bring him forcibly! Pour cold water on his face and bring him to himself! Do not talk with him any more!’

[Now, the Buddha provisionally] suspended and did not entertain the idea of [presenting] the transformative teaching of the Greater [Vehicle]. These are words [with] provisionary [value] (or metaphorical words) that he said merely to the messenger.

[The messenger poured water on the son. The son was brought to himself.] The messenger said to him, ‘Now you are released. You can go anywhere you like.’

If [the Buddha] praises the transformative teaching of the Greater [Vehicle], the son would be “helpless with agony, falling [to earth].” So he simply suspended the transformative teaching of the Greater [Vehicle]. The son was then “brought to.” [The phrase] sprinkling him [with cool] water expresses this. The statement that “the messenger said to the son, ‘I am now letting you go”‘ also is a provisionary (or metaphorical) statement.