THE following translation is made from a text based on three MSS. from the same sources as those referred to at the commencement of the Tevigga Sutta, and referred to in my notes by the same letters.
This Sutta follows in the Dîgha Nikâya immediately after the Book of the Great Decease, and is based on the same legend as the Mahâ-Sudassana Gâtaka, No. 95 in Mr. Fausböll's edition. As the latter differs in several important particulars from our Sutta, it is probably not taken directly from it, but is merely derived from the same source. To facilitate comparison between the two I add here a translation of the Gâtaka, which has not been reached as yet in my 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' and which is very short.
The part enclosed in brackets is the comment, which was probably written in Ceylon in the fifth century of our era, and I have included that part of the comment which is explanatory of the words in the verse, as it is of more than usual interest. There is every reason to believe, for the reasons given in the Introduction to the 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' that the stories themselves belong to a very early period in the history of Buddhism; and we may be sure that if this particular story had been abstracted by the author of the commentary from our Sutta, he would not have ventured to introduce such serious changes into what he regarded as sacred writ.
['How transient are all component things.' This the Master told when lying on his death-couch, concerning that word of Ânanda the Thera, when he said, 'Do not, O Blessed One, die in this little town,' and so on.
When the Tathâgata was at the Getavana[1] he thought 'the Thera Sâriputta, who was born at Nâlagâma, has died, on the day of the full moon in the month of Kattika, in that very village[2]; and Mahâ Moggallâna in the latter, the dark half of that same month. As my two chief disciples are thus dead; I too will pass away at Kusinârâ.' Thereupon he proceeded straight on to that place, and lay down on the Uttara-sîsaka couch, between the twin Sâla trees, never to rise again.
Then the venerable Ânanda besought him, saying, 'Let
[1. It is not easy with our present materials to reconcile the apparently conflicting statements with regard to the Buddha's last journey. According to the Mâlâlankâra-vatthu this refers here to a residence at the Getavana, which took place between the end of § 30 in Chap. II, in the Book of the Great Decease, and the beginning of § 31. It will be noticed that § 31 speaks of 'the monastery,' which is apparently an undesigned confirmation of this tradition. (Such undesigned circumstances, however really undesigned, are very far, of course, from proving the actual truth of the tradition. They would only show that it was older than the time when the works in which they occur were put into their present shape.)
Mr. Fausböll, by his punctuation, includes these words in the following thought ascribed to the Blessed One, but I think they only describe the time at which the thought is supposed to have arisen.
2. Or perhaps 'at Varaka.' I do not understand the word varaka, which has puzzled Mr. Fausböll. The modern name of the village, afterwards the site of the famous Buddhist university of Nâlanda, is Baragaon. The full-moon day in Kattika is the 1st of December. An account of the death of Sâriputta will be found in the Mâlâlankâra-vatthu (Bigandet, 'Legend,' &c., 3rd ed., II, 1-25), and of the murder of Moggallâna by the Niganthas in the Dhammapada commentary (Fausböll, p. 298 seq.), of which Spence Hardy's account ('Manual of Buddhism,' p. 338) is nearly a translation; and Bigandet's account (loc. cit. pp. 25-27) is an abridgment.]
not the Blessed One die in this little township[1], in this little town in the jungle, in this branch township. Let the Blessed One die in one of the other great cities, such as Râgagaha, and the rest!'
But the Master answered, 'Say not, Ânanda, that this is a little township, a little town in the jungle, a branch township. I was dwelling formerly in this town at the time when I was Sudassana, the king of kings; and then it was a great city, surrounded by a jewelled rampart, twelve leagues in length!'
And at the request of the Thera, he, telling the tale, uttered the Mahâ-Sudassana Sutta.]
Now on that occasion when Queen Subhaddâ saw Mahâ Sudassana, when he had come down out of the Palace of Righteousness, and was lying down, not far off, on the appropriate couch, spread out in the grove of the seven kinds of gems, and when she said: 'Thine, O king, are these four and eighty thousand cities, of which the chief is the royal city of Kusavâtî. Quicken thy desire after these!'
Then replied Mahâ Sudassana, 'Speak not thus, O queen! but exhort me rather, saying, "Cast away desire for these, long not after them[2]!"
And when she asked, 'Why so, O king?' 'To-day my time is come, and I shall die!' was his reply[3].
Then the weeping queen, wiping her eyes, brought herself with difficulty and distress to address him accordingly. And having spoken, she wept, and lamented; and the other four and eighty thousand women wept too, and lamented; and of the attendant courtiers not one could restrain himself, but all also wept.
But the Bodisat stopped them all, saying, 'Enough my friends! Be still!' And he exhorted the queen, saying, 'Neither do thou, O queen, weep: neither do thou lament. For even unto a grain of sesamum fruit there is no such
[1. Khuddaka-nagarake. See the note on Mahâparinibbâna Sutta, ver. 60. Both these speeches are different from those given on the same occasion in the Sutta below.
2. This question and answer are not in the Sutta.]
thing as a compound which is permanent! All are transient, all have the inherent quality of dissolution!'
And when he had so said, he further uttered this stanza:
'How transient are all component things!
Growth is their nature and decay:
They are produced, they are dissolved again:
And then is best,--when they have sunk to rest[1]!'
[In these verses the words 'How transient are all component things!' mean 'Dear lady, Subhaddâ, wheresoever and by whatsoever causes made or come together, compounds[2],--that is, all those things which possess the essential constituents (whether material or mental) of existing things[3],--all these compounds are impermanence itself. For of these form[4] is impermanent, reason[5] is impermanent, the (mental) eye[6] is impermanent, and qualities[7] are impermanent. And whatever treasure there be, whether conscious or unconscious, that is transitory. Understand therefore "How transient are all component things!"
'And why? "Growth is their nature and decay." These, all, have the inherent quality of coming into (individual) existence, and have also the inherent quality of growing old; or (in other words) their very nature is to come into existence and to be broken up. Therefore should it be understood that they are impermanent.
'And since they are impermanent, when "they are produced, they are dissolved again." Having come into existence, having reached a state[8], they are surely dissolved. For all these things come into existence, taking an individual form; and are dissolved, being broken up. To them as soon as there is birth, there is what is called a state; as soon as there is a state, there is what is called
[1. All this is omitted in the Sutta. It is true the verse occurs there, but it is placed in the Sutta in the mouth of the Teacher, after the account of Mahâ Sudassana's death.
The last clause is literally, 'Blessed is their cessation,' where the word for cessation, upasamo, is derived from the word sam, 'to be calm, to be quiet,' and means cessation by sinking into rest. Compare below.
2. Sankhârâ.
3. Khandâyatanâdayo.
4. Rûpam.
5. Viññânam.
6. Kakkhum.
7. Dhammâ.
8. Thiti.]
disintegration[1]. For to the unborn there is no such thing as state, and there is no such thing as a state which is without disintegration. Thus are all compounds, having attained to the three characteristic marks (of impermanency, pain, and want of any abiding principle[2]), subject, in this way and in that way, to dissolution. All these component things therefore, without exception, are impermanent, momentary[3], despicable, unstable, disintegrating, trembling, quaking, unlasting, sure to depart[4], only for a time[5], and without substance;--as temporary[5] as a phantom, as the mirage, or as foam!
'How then in these, dear lady Subhaddâ, is there any sign of ease? Understand rather that "then is best, when they have sunk to rest;" but their sinking to rest, their cessation, comes from the cessation of the whole round (of life), and is the same as Nirvâna. That and this are one[6]. And hence there is no such thing as ease.']
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And when Mahâ Sudassana had thus brought his discourse to a point with the ambrosial great Nirvâna, he made exhortation also to the rest of the great multitude, saying, 'Give gifts! Observe the precepts! Keep the sacred days[7]!' and became an inheritor of the world of the gods.
[When the Master had concluded this lesson in the truth, he summed up the Gâtaka, saying, 'She who was then Subhaddâ the queen was the mother of Râhula, the great adviser was Râhula, the rest of the retinue the Buddha's retinue, and Mahâ Sudassana I myself.']
[1. Bhango.
2. Anekkam, dukkham, anattam. See Gâtaka I, 275; and, on the last, Mahâparinibbâna Sutta I, to, and Mahâ Vagga I, vi, 38-47.
3. Khanikâ. See Oldenberg's note on Dîpavamsa I, 53.
4. Pâyâtâ, literally 'departed.' The forms payâti and payâto, given by Childers, should be corrected into pâyâti and pâyâto. See Gâtaka I, 146.
5. Tâvakâlikâ, See Gâtaka I, 121, where the word is used of a cart let out on hire for a time only.
6. 'Tad ev ekam ekam, which is not altogether without ambiguity.
7. This paragraph, too, is omitted in the Sutta.]
The word translated 'component things' or 'compounds' in this Gâtaka is sankhârâ, literally confections, from kar, 'to do,' and sam, 'together.' It is a word very frequently used in Buddhist writings, and a word consequently of many different connotations; and there is, of course, no exactly corresponding word in English. 'Production' would often be very nearly correct, although it fails entirely to give the force of the preposition sam; but a greater objection to that word is the fact that it is generally used, not of things that have come into being of themselves, but of things that have been produced by some one else. It suggests, if it does not imply, a producer; which is contrary to the whole spirit of the Buddhist passages in which the word sankhârâ occurs. In this important respect the word 'compound' is a much more accurate translation, though it lays somewhat too much stress on the sam.
The term Confections (to coin a rendering) is sometimes used, as in the first line of these verses (as used in this connection), to denote all things which have been brought together, made up, by pre-existing causes; and in this sense it includes, as the commentator here points out, all those material or mental qualities which unite to form an individual, a separate thing or being, whether conscious or unconscious.
It is more usually used, with special reference to their origin from pre-existing causes, and with allusion to the wider class denoted by the same word, of the mental confections only, of all sentient beings generally, or of man alone. In this sense it forms by itself one of the five classes or aggregates (khandhâ) into which the material and mental qualities of each separate individual are divided in Buddhist writings--the class of dispositions, capabilities, and all that goes together to make what we call character. This class has naturally enough been again divided and subdivided; and a full list of the Confections in this sense, as now acknowledged by orthodox Buddhists, will be found in my manual 'Buddhism.' At the time when the Pâli Pitakas reached their present form, no such elaborate list of Confections in detail seems to have been made; but the
general sense of the word was, as is quite clear from the passages in which it occurs, the idea which these details together convey. It is this second and more usual meaning of the term which is more especially emphasised in the concluding verse of the above stanza.
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I have ventured to dwell so far on the word Confections, because the commentator here says that the cessation of these Confections is the same thing as Nirvâna; and the question of Nirvâna engrosses so large a share of the attention of those who are interested in Buddhism.
Whether it is entitled to do so is open to serious question. The Buddhist salvation was held to consist in a change of heart, a modification of personal character, to be attained to in this world, and forming the subject of Gotama's first discourse, 'The Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness[1].' When looked at from different points of view this state of mind was denoted, in the very numerous passages in which it is mentioned or referred to, under a great variety of different names or epithets, suggestive of the different points of view from which it could be regarded. The term Nibbâna, or Nirvâna, is only one of those epithets; and it is a most significant fact, to which I would invite especial attention, that it is an epithet comparatively very seldom employed in the Pâli Pitakas themselves. It is to the state of mind itself, the salvation which every Arahat has reached while yet alive, in a word, to Arahatship, that importance ought to be attached, rather than to that particular connotation of it suggested by the word Nirvâna.
One of the many ideas involved in Arahatship was the absolute dissolution of individuality. Gotama, whether rightly or wrongly is here of no importance, held that freedom from pain, absolute ease, happiness, was incompatible with existence as a distinct individual (whether animal, god, or man). The cessation of the Confections, so far from being a thing to be dreaded, was the inevitable result of the emancipation of heart and mind in Arahatship.
[1. The Dhamma-kakka-ppavattana Sutta, translated below.]
p. 244 But it was not a thing to be desired, and could not, in fact, be brought about apart from all the other things involved in Arahatship. The formation of these Confections ceases in Nirvâna, and in Nirvâna alone; and when the poet declares that their cessation is blessed, he is saying the same thing as if he had said 'Nirvâna is blessed[1].'
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Turning now to the Sutta itself, we find that the portion of the legend omitted in the Gâtaka throws an unexpected light upon the tale; for it commences with a long description of the riches and glory of Mahâ Sudassana, and reveals in its details the instructive fact that the legend is nothing more nor less than a spiritualist's sun-myth.
It cannot be disputed that the sun-myth theory has become greatly discredited, and with reason, by having been used too carelessly and freely as an explanation of religious legends of different times and countries which have really no historical connection with the earlier awe and reverence inspired by the sun. The very mention of the word sun-myth is apt to call forth a smile of incredulity, and the indubitable truth which is the basis of the theory has not sufficed to protect it from the shafts of ridicule. The 'Book of the Great King of Glory' seems to afford a useful example both of the extent to which the theory may be accepted, and of the limitations under which it should always be applied.
It must at once be admitted that whether the whole story is based on a sun-story, or whether certain parts or details of it are derived from things first spoken about the sun, or not, it is still essentially Buddhistic. A large proportion of its contents has nothing at all to do with the worship of the sun; and even that which has, had not, in
[1. In this respect it should be noticed that the very word here used for cessation, upasamo, is used as one among a string of epithets of Arahatship at Dhamma-kakka-ppavattana Sutta, § 3, = Gâtaka I, 97, and again in Dhammapada, verses 368, 381. In this last passage the whole of the phrase in the last verse in our stanza recurs in the accusative case as an equivalent to Arahatship, and the comma inserted by Mr. Fausböll between sankhârûpasamam and sukham is, in both verses, unnecessary.]
the mind of the author, when the book was put together. Whether indebted to a sun-myth or not, it is therefore perfectly true and valid evidence of the religious belief of the people among whom it was current; and no more shows that the Buddhists were unconscious sun worshippers than the story of Samson, under any theory of its possible origin, would prove the same of the Jews.
What we really have is a kind of wonderful fairy tale, a gorgeous poem, in which an attempt is made to describe in set terms the greatest possible glory and majesty of the greatest possible king, in order to show that all is vanity, save only righteousness-just such a poem as a Jewish prophet might have written of Solomon in all his glory. It would have been most strange, perhaps impossible, for the author to refrain from using the language of the only poets he knew, who had used their boldly figurative language in an attempt to describe the appearance of the sun.
To trace back all the rhetorical phrases of our Sutta to their earliest appearance in the Vedic hymns would be an interesting task of historical philology, though it would throw more light upon Buddhist forms of speech than upon Buddhist forms of belief. In M. Senart's valuable work, 'La Legende du Bouddha,' he has already done this with regard to the seven treasures (mentioned in the early part of the Sutta) on the basis of the corresponding passage in the later Buddhist Sanskrit poem called the Lalita Vistara. The descriptions of the royal city and of its wondrous Palace of Righteousness have been probably originated by the author, though on the same lines; and it reminds one irresistibly, in many of its expressions, of the similar, but simpler and more beautiful poem in which a Jewish author, some three centuries afterwards, described the heavenly Jerusalem.
When the Northern Buddhists, long afterwards, had smothered the simple teaching of the founder of their religion under the subtleties of theological and metaphysical speculation, and had forgotten all about the Noble Path, their goal was no longer a change of heart in the Arahatship to be reached on earth, but a life of happiness, under a change of outward condition, in a heaven of bliss
beyond the skies. One of the most popular books among the Buddhists of China and Japan is a description of this heavenly paradise of theirs, called the Sukhâvatî-vyûha, the 'Book of the Happy Country,' the Sanskrit text of which has been just published by Professor Max Müller in the volume of the journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for the present year. It is instructive to find that several of the expressions used are word for word the same as the corresponding phrases in the 'Book of the Great King of Glory.'
1. Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once staying at Kusinârâ in the Upavattana, the Sâla grove of the Mallas, between the twin Sâla trees, at the time of his death.
2. Now the venerable Ânanda went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and bowed down before him, and took his seat respectfully on one side. And when he was so seated, the venerable Ânanda said to the Blessed One:
2 'Let not the Blessed One die in this little wattel and daub town, in this town in the midst of the jungle, in this branch township. For, Lord, there are other great cities, such as Kampâ, Râgagaha, Sâvatthi, Sâketa, Kosambi, and Benâres. Let the Blessed One die in one of them. There there are many wealthy nobles and Brâhmans and heads of houses, believers in the Tathâgata, who will pay due honour to the remains of the Tathâgata.'
3. 'Say not so, Ânanda! Say not so, Ânanda,
[1. Sudassana means 'beautiful to see, having a glorious appearance,' and is the name of many kings and heroes in Indian legend.
2. From here down to the end of the next section is found also, nearly word for word, in the Mahâparinibbâna Sutta, above, pp. 99, 100. Compare also Mahâ-Sudassana Gâtaka, No. 95.]
that this is but a small wattel and daub town, a town in the midst of the jungle, a branch township. Long ago, Ânanda, there was a king, by name Mahâ-Sudassana, a king of kings, a righteous man who ruled in righteousness, an anointed Kshatriya[1], Lord of the four quarters of the earth, conqueror, the protector of his people, possessor of the seven royal treasures. This Kusinârâ, Ânanda, was the royal city of king Mahâ-Sudassana, under the name of Kusâvatî[2], and on the east and on the west it was twelve leagues in length, and on the north and on the south it was seven leagues in breadth. That royal city Kusâvatî, Ânanda, was mighty, and prosperous, and full of people, crowded with men, and provided with all things for food. just, Ânanda, as the royal city of the gods, Âlakamandâ by name, is mighty, prosperous, and full of people, crowded with the gods, and provided with all kinds of food, so. Ânanda, was the royal city Kusâvatî mighty and prosperous, full of people, crowded with men, and provided with all kinds of food. Both by day and by night, Ânanda, the royal city Kusâvatî resounded
[1. Khattiyo muddhâvasitto, which does not occur in the Mahâparinibbâna Sutta, the Mahâpadhâna Sutta, the Lakkhana Sutta, and other places where this stock description of a Kakkavatti is found. It is omitted also in the Lalita Vistara. The Burmese Phayre MS. of the India Office reads here muddâbhisitto, but this is an unnecessary correction. So the name of the Hindu caste mentioned in the Sahyâdri Khanda of the Skanda Purâna is spelt both ways. The epithet is probably inserted here from § 12 below.
2. Kusâvatî was the name of a famous city mentioned as the capital of Southern Kusala in post-Buddhistic Sanskrit plays and epic poems. In the Mahâbhârata it is called Kusavatî. It is said to have been so named after Kusa, son of Râma, by whom it was built; and it is also called Kusasthalî.]
with the ten cries; that is to say, the noise of elephants, and the noise of horses, and the noise of chariots; the sounds of the drum, of the tabor, and of the lute; the sound of singing, and the sounds of the cymbal and of the gong; and lastly, with the cry, "Eat, drink, and be merry[1]!"
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4. 'The royal city Kusâvatî, Ânanda, was surrounded by Seven Ramparts. Of these, one rampart was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal, and one of agate, and one of coral, and one of all kinds of gems[2]!'
[1. This enumeration is found also at Gâtaka, p. 3, only that the chank is added there--wrongly, for that makes the number of cries eleven.
2. Beryl, agate, and coral are doubtful renderings of Pâli names of precious substances, the exact meaning of which has been discussed on the very slender evidence available (and hence, it seems to me, with very little certain result) by Burnouf in the 'Lotus de la Bonne Loi,' pp. 319-321; and Professor Max Müller has a further note in the journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1890, p. 178. The Pâli words here are in the first column:
|
1. Sovannamayo, |
Suvarnasya; |
|
2. Rûpimayo, |
Rûpasya; |
|
3. Veluriyamayo, |
Vaidûryasya; |
|
4. Phalikamayo, |
Sphatikasya; |
|
5. Lohitankamayo, |
Lohitamuktasya; |
|
6. Masâragallamayo, |
Asmagarbhasya; |
|
7. Sabbaratanamayo, |
Musâragalvasya: |
those in the second being taken from the Sukhavatîvyûha in the corresponding to § 6 below. It is quite possible that passage the writers of these passages used the rarer words only as names of precious substances, without attaching any clearly distinct meaning to each (compare Rev. xxi. 19-21). The Pâli author seems to have been hard put to it to find enough names to fill up the sacred number seven; just as in the 'Seven jewels' of the Dhamma, the sacred number seven is reached by giving to one jewel two distinct names (Pañk indriyâni = pañka balâni). At Kulla Vagga IX, 1, 4. we find the following enumeration of {footnote p. 250} ratanas as found in the ocean, though only Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6 are really produced there:
|
1. Mutta. |
6. Pavâlam. |
|
2. Mani. |
7. Ragatam. |
|
3. Veluriyo. |
8. Gâtarûpam. |
|
4. Sankho. |
9. Lohitanko. |
|
5. Silâ |
10. Masâragallam. |
]
5. 'To the royal city Kusâvatî, Ânanda, there were Four Gates. One gate was of gold, and one of silver, and one of jade, and one of crystal. At each gate seven pillars were fixed; in height as three times or as four times the height of a man. And one pillar was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal, and one of agate, and one of coral, and one of all kinds of gems.
6. 'The royal city Kusâvatî, Ânanda, was surrounded by Seven Rows of Palm Trees. One row was of palms of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal, and one of agate, and one of coral, and one of all kinds of gems.
7. 'And the Golden Palms had trunks of gold, and leaves and fruits of silver. And the Silver Palms had trunks of silver, and leaves and fruits of gold. And the Palms of Beryl had trunks of beryl, and leaves and fruits of crystal. And the Crystal Palms had trunks of crystal, and leaves and fruits of beryl. And the Agate Palms had trunks of agate, and leaves and fruits of coral. And the Coral Palms had trunks of coral, and leaves and fruits of agate. And the Palms of every kind of Gem had trunks and leaves and fruits of every kind of gem.
8.[1] 'And when those rows of palm trees, Ânanda,
[1. This section and § 9 should be compared with one in the Sukhavatîvyûha, translated by Professor Max Müller as follows (journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1880, p. 170):
'And again, O Sâriputra, when those rows of palm trees and {footnote p. 251} strings of bells in that Buddha country are moved by the wind, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from them. Yes, O Sâriputra, as from a heavenly musical instrument consisting of a hundred thousand kotis of sounds, when played by Âryas, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds; a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from those rows of palm trees and strings of bells moved by the wind.
'And when the men there hear that sound, reflection on Buddha arises in their body, reflection on the Law, reflection on the Assembly.'
Compare also below, § 81, and Gâtaka I, 32.]
were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
'Just, Ânanda, as the seven kind of instruments yield, when well played upon, to the skilful man, a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating-just even so, Ânanda, when those rows of palm trees were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
9. 'And whoever, Ânanda, in the royal city Kusâvatî were at that time gamblers, drunkards, and given to drink, they used to dance round together to the sound of those palms when shaken by the wind.
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10. 'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was the possessor of Seven Precious Things, and was gifted with Four Marvellous Powers.'
'What are those seven?'
11.[1] 'In the first place, Ânanda, when the Great King of Glory, on the Sabbath day[2], on the day of
[1. The following enumeration is found word for word in several other Pâli Suttas, and occurs also, in almost identical terms, in the Lalita Vistara (Calcutta edition, pp. 14-19).
2. 'Uposatha, a weekly sacred day; being full-moon day, new-moon day, and the two equidistant intermediate days. Comp. § 21.]
the full moon, had purified himself, and had gone up into the upper story of his palace to keep the sacred day, there then appeared to him the heavenly Treasure of the Wheel[1], with its nave, its tire, and all its thousand spokes complete.
12. 'When he beheld it the Great King of Glory thought:
'"This saying have I heard, 'When a king of the warrior race, an anointed king, has purified himself on the Sabbath day, on the day of the full moon, and has gone up into the upper story of his palace to keep the sacred day; if there appear to him the heavenly Treasure of the Wheel, with its nave, its tire, and all its thousand spokes complete-that king becomes a king of kings invincible.' May I, then, become a king of kings invincible[2]."
13. 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory rose from his seat, and reverently uncovering from one shoulder his robe, he held in his left hand a pitcher, and with his right hand he sprinkled water up over the Wheel, as he said:
'"Roll onward, O my Lord, the Wheel! O my Lord, go forth and overcome!"
14. 'Then the wondrous Wheel, Ânanda, rolled onwards towards the region of the East, and after it went the Great King of Glory[3], and with him his
[1. Kakka-ratanam, where the kakka is the disk of the sun.
2. Kakkavattirâgâ.
3. Atha kho kakka-ratanam puratthimam disam pavatti anvad eva râgâ Mahâsudassano, &c. Here anvad must be the Sanskrit anvañk. The Lalita Vistara has anveti in the corresponding passage, and the (Phayre Burmese) MS. here reads anud eva. The verb in the second clause must be supplied, as {footnote p. 253} is the case in the one or two other passages where I have met with this phrase.]
army, horses, and chariots, and elephants, and men. And in whatever place, Ânanda, the Wheel stopped, there the Great King of Glory took up his abode, and with him his army, horses, and chariots, and
elephants, and men.
15. 'Then, Ânanda, all the rival kings in the region of the East came to the Great King of Glory and said:
'"Come, O mighty king! Welcome, O mighty king! All is thine, O mighty king! Do thou, O mighty king, be a Teacher to us!"
16. 'Thus spake the Great King of Glory:
'"Ye shall slay no living thing.
'"Ye shall not take that which has not been given.
'"Ye shall not act wrongly touching the bodily desires.
'"Ye shall speak no lie.
'"Ye shall drink no maddening drink.
'"Ye shall eat as ye have eaten[1]."
17. 'Then, Ânanda, all the rival kings in the region of the East became subject unto the Great King of Glory.
18. 'But the wondrous Wheel, Ânanda, having plunged down into the great waters in the East, rose up out again, and rolled onward to the region of the South [and there all happened as had happened
[1. Yathâbhuttambhuñgatha. Buddhaghosa has no comment on this. I suppose it means, 'Observe the rules current among you regarding clean and unclean meats.' If so, the Great King of Glory disregards the teaching of the Âmagandha Sutta, quoted in 'Buddhism,' p. 131.]
in the region of the East. And in like manner the wondrous Wheel rolled onward to the extremest boundary of the West and of the North; and there, too, all happened as had happened in the region of the East].
19. 'Now when the wondrous Wheel, Ânanda, had gone forth conquering and to conquer o'er the whole earth to its very ocean boundary, it returned back again to the royal city of Kusâvatî and remained fixed on the open terrace in front of the entrance to the inner apartments of the Great King of Glory, as a glorious adornment to the inner apartments of the Great King of Glory.
20. 'Such, Ânanda, was the wondrous Wheel which appeared to the Great King of Glory.
------------------------
21. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Elephant Treasure[1], all white, sevenfold firm[2], wonderful in power, flying through the sky--the Elephant-King, whose name was "The Changes of the Moon[3]."
22. 'When he beheld it the Great King of Glory was pleased at heart at the thought
[1. Hatthi-ratana.
2. Satta-ppatittho, that is, perhaps, in regard to its four legs, two tusks, and trunk. The expression is curious, and Buddhaghosa has no note upon it. It is quite possible that it merely signifies 'exceeding firm,' the number seven being used without any hard and fast interpretation.
3. Uposatho. In the Lalita Vistara its name is 'Wisdom' (Bodhi). Uposatha is the name for the sacred day of the moon's changes-first, and more especially the full-moon day; next, the new-moon day; and lastly, the days equidistant between these two. It was therefore a weekly sacred day, and, as Childers says, may often be well rendered 'Sabbath.']
'"Auspicious were it to ride upon that Elephant, if only it would submit to be controlled!"
23. 'Then, Ânanda, the wondrous Elephant--like a fine elephant of noble blood long since well trained--submitted to control.
24. 'When as before, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory, to test that wondrous Elephant, mounted on to it early in the morning, it passed over along the broad earth to its very ocean boundary, and then returned again, in time for the morning meal, to the royal city of Kusâvatî[1].
25. 'Such, Ânanda, was the wondrous Elephant that appeared to the Great King of Glory.
26. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Horse Treasure[2], all white with a black head, and a dark mane, wonderful in power, flying through the sky-the Charger-King, whose name was "Thunder-cloud[3]."
27. 'When he beheld it, the Great King of Glory was pleased at heart at the thought:
'"Auspicious were it to ride upon that Horse if only it would submit to be controlled!"
28. 'Then, Ânanda. the wondrous Horse--like
[1. Compare on this and § 29 my 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 85, where a similar phrase is used of Kanthaka.
2 Assa-ratanam.
3 Valâhako. Compare the Valâhassa Gâtaka (Fausböll, No. 196, called in the Burmese MS. Valâhakassa Gâtaka), of which the Chinese story translated by Mr. Beal at pp. 332-340 of his 'Romantic History,' &c., is an expanded and altered version. In the Valâhaka Samyutta of the Samyutta Nikâya the spirits of the skies are divided into Unha-valâhakâ Devâ, Sîta-valâhakâ Devâ, Abbha-valâhakâ Devâ, Vâta-valâhakâ Devâ, and Vassa-valâhakâ Devâ, that is, the cloud-spirits of cold, heat, air, wind, and rain respectively.]
a fine horse of the best blood long since well trained--submitted to control.
29. 'When as before, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory, to test that wondrous Horse, mounted on to it early in the morning, it passed over along the broad earth to its very ocean boundary, and then returned again, in time for the morning meal, to the royal city of Kusâvatî.
30. 'Such, Ânanda, was the wondrous Horse that appeared to the Great King of Glory.
------------------------
31. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Gem-Treasure[1]. That Gem was the Veluriya, bright, of the finest species, with eight facets, excellently wrought, clear, transparent, perfect in every way.
32. 'The splendour, Ânanda, of that wondrous Gem spread round about a league on every side.
33. 'When as before, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory, to test that wondrous Gem, set all his fourfold army in array and raised aloft the Gem upon his standard top, he was able to march out in the gloom and darkness of the night.
34. 'And then too, Ânanda, all the dwellers in the villages, round about, set about their daily work, thinking, "The daylight hath appeared."
35. 'Such, Ânanda, was the wondrous Gem that appeared to the Great King of Glory.
------------------------
36. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Woman-Treasure[2], graceful in figure, beautiful in appearance, charming in manner, and of the most fine complexion; neither
[1. Mani-ratanam.
2 Itthi-ratanam.]
very tall, nor very short; neither very stout, nor very slim; neither very dark, nor very fair; surpassing human beauty, she had attained unto the beauty of the gods[1].
37. 'The touch too, Ânanda, of the skin of that wondrous Woman was as the touch of cotton or of cotton wool: in the cold her limbs were warm, in the heat her limbs were cool; while from her body was wafted the perfume of sandal wood and from her mouth the perfume of the lotus.
38. 'That Pearl among Women too, Ânanda, used to rise up before the Great King of Glory, and after him retire to rest; pleasant was she in speech, and ever on the watch to hear what she might do in order so to act as to give him pleasure.
39. 'That Pearl among Women too, Ânanda, was never, even in thought, unfaithful to the Great King of Glory--how much less then could she be so with the body!
40. 'Such, Ânanda, was the Pearl among Women who appeared to the Great King of Glory.
------------------------
41. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared unto the Great King of Glory a Wonderful Treasurer[2], possessed, through good deeds done in a
[1. The above description of an ideally beautiful woman is of frequent occurrence.
2. Gahapati-ratanam. The word gahapati has been hitherto usually rendered 'householder,' but this may often, and would certainly here, convey a wrong impression. There is no single word in English which is an adequate rendering of the term, for it connotes a social condition now no longer known among us. The gahapati was the head of a family, the representative in a village community of a family, the pater familias. So the god of fire, with allusion to the sacred fire maintained in each household, is called in the Rig-veda the grihapati, the pater familias, {footnote p. 258} of the human race. Thence it is often used in opposition to brâhmana very much as we might use 'yeoman' in opposition to 'clerk' (Gâtaka I, 83, and below, § 53); and the two combined are used in opposition to people of other ranks and callings held to be less honourable than that of clerk or yeoman (Gâtaka I, 218). In this respect the term gahapati is nearly equivalent, though from a different point of view, to the Kshatriyas and Vaisyas of the Hindu caste division; but the compound brâhmana-gahapatikâ as a collective term comes to be about equivalent to 'priests and laymen' (see, for instance, below, § 53, and Mahâ Vagga I, 22; 3, 4, &c.). Then again the gahapati is distinct from the subordinate members of the family, who had not the control and management of the common property (Sâmañña Phala Sutta, 133, = Tevigga Sutta I, 47); and it is this implication of the term that is emphasised in the text. Buddhaghosa uses, as an explanatory phrase, the words setthi-gahapati. See further the passages quoted in the index to the Kulla Vagga (p. 354).]
former birth, of a marvellous power of vision by which he could discover treasure, whether it had an owner or whether it had not.
42. 'He went up to the Great King of Glory, and said:
'"Do thou, O king, take thine case! I will deal with thy wealth even as wealth should be dealt with."
43. 'Then, as before, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory, to test that wonderful Treasurer, went on board a boat, and had it pushed out into the current in the midst of the river Ganges. Then he said to the wonderful steward:
'"I have need, O Treasurer, of yellow gold!"
'"Let the ship then, O Great King, go alongside either of the banks."
'"It is here, O Treasurer, that I have need of yellow gold."
44. 'Then the wonderful Treasurer reached down to the water with both his hands, and drew up a jar
full of yellow gold, and said to the Great King of Glory--
'"Is that enough, O Great King? Have I done enough, O Great King?"
'And the Great King of Glory replied:
'"It is enough, O Treasurer. You have done enough, O Treasurer. You have offered me enough, O Treasurer!"
45. 'Such was the wonderful Treasurer, Ânanda, who appeared to the Great King of Glory.
------------------------
46. 'Now further, Ânanda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory a Wonderful Adviser[1], learned, clever, and wise; and qualified to lead the Great King of Glory to undertake what he ought to undertake, and to leave undone what he ought to leave undone.
47. 'He went up to the Great King of Glory, and said:
'"Do thou, O King, take thine ease! I will be thy guide."
48. 'Such, Ânanda, was the wonderful Adviser who appeared to the Great King of Glory.
'The Great King of Glory was possessed of these Seven Precious Things.
------------------------
49. 'Now further, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was gifted with Four Marvellous Gifts[2].'
'What are the Four Marvellous Gifts?'
[1. Parinâyaka-ratanam. Buddhaghosa says that he was the eldest son of the king; but this is probably a mere putting back into the Sutta of a later idea derived from the summary in the Gâtaka. The Lalita Vistara makes him a general.
2. Katûhi iddhîhi. Here again, as elsewhere, it will be noticed that there is nothing supernatural about these four Iddhis. See {footnote p. 260} the notes above on the 'Book of the Great Decease,' I, 1; III, 2. They are merely attributes accompanying or forming part of the majesty (iddhi) of the Kakkavatti.]
50. 'In the first place, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was graceful in figure, handsome in appearance, pleasing in manner, and of most beautiful complexion, beyond what other men are.
'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this First Marvellous Gift.
51. 'And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was of long life, and of many years, beyond those of other men.
'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this Second Marvellous Gift.
52. 'And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was free from disease, and free from bodily suffering; and his internal fire was neither too hot nor too cold, but such as to promote good digestion, beyond that of other men[1].
[1. Samavepâkiniyâ gahaniyâ samannâgato nâtisîtâya nâkkunhâya. The same thing is said of Ratthapâla in the Ratthapâla Sutta, where Gogerly renders the whole passage, 'Ratthapâla is healthy, free from pain, having a good digestion and appetite, being troubled with no excess of either heat or cold' (journal of the Ceylon Asiatic Society, 1847-1848, p. 98). The gahani is a supposed particular organ or function situate at the junction of the stomach and intestines. Moggallâna explains it, udare tu tathâ pâkanalasmim gahani (Abhidhâna-ppadîpikî, 972), where Subhûti's Sinhalese version is 'kukshi, pakâgni,' and his English version, 'the belly, the internal fire which promotes digestion.' Buddhaghosa explains samavipâkiyâ kammagâ-tego-dhâtuyâ, and adds, 'If a man's food is dissolved the moment he has eaten it, or if it remains like a lump, he has not the samavepâkini gahani, but he who has appetite (bhattakkhando) when the time for food comes round again, he has the samavepâkini gahani,'--which is delightfully naïve.]
'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, was endowed with this Third Marvellous Gift.
53. 'And besides that, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory was beloved and popular with Brâhmans and with laymen alike[1]. Just, Ânanda, as a father is near and dear to his own sons, just so, Ânanda, was the Great King of Glory beloved and popular with Brâhmans and with laymen alike. And just, Ânanda, as his sons are near and dear to a father, just so, Ânanda, were Brâhmans and laymen alike near and dear to the Great King of Glory.
54. 'Once, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory marched out with all his fourfold army to the pleasure ground. There, Ânanda, the Brâhmans and laymen went up to the Great King of Glory, and said:
'"O King, pass slowly by, that we may look upon thee for a longer time!"
'But the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, addressed his charioteer, and said:
'"Drive on the chariot slowly, charioteer, that I may look upon my people (Brâhmans and laymen) for a longer time!"
55. 'This was the Fourth Marvellous Gift, Ânanda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed.
56. 'These are the Four Marvellous Gifts, Ânanda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed.
------------------------
57. 'Now to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, there occurred the thought:
'"Suppose, now, I were to make Lotus-ponds
[1. Brâhmana-gahapatikânam. See the note on § 41.]
in the spaces between these palms, at every hundred bow lengths."
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory, in the spaces between those palms, at distances of a hundred bow lengths, made Lotus-ponds.
58. 'And those Lotus-ponds, Ânanda, were faced with tiles of four kinds. One kind of tile was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
59. 'And to each of those Lotus-ponds, Ânanda, there were four flights of steps, of four different kinds. One flight of steps was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal. The flight of golden steps had balustrades of gold, with the cross bars and the figure head of silver. The flight of silver steps had balustrades of silver, with the cross bars and the figure head of gold. The flight of beryl steps had balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars and the figure head of crystal. The flight of crystal steps had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure head of beryl.
60. 'And round those Lotus-ponds there ran, Ânanda, a double railing. One railing was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden railing had its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its capitals of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver, and its cross bars and its capitals of gold[1].
[1. Pokkharani, the word translated Lotus-pond, is an artificial pool or small lake for water plants. There are some which are probably nearly as old as this passage still in good preservation in Anurâdhapuru in Ceylon. Each is oblong, and has its tiles and its four flights of steps, and some had railings. The balustrades, cross bars, figure head, and railing are in Pâli thambhâ, sûkiyo, unhîsam, and vedikâ, of the exact meaning of which I am not quite confident. They do not occur in the description {footnote p. 263} of the Lotus-lakes in Sukhavatî. General Cunningham says that the cross bars of the Buddhist railings are called sûkiyo in the inscriptions at Bharhut (The Stupa of Bharhut, p. 127). Buddhaghosa, who is good enough to tell us the exact number of the ponds-to wit, 84,000, has no explanation of these words, merely saying that of the two vedikâs one was at the limit of the tiles and one at the limit of the parivena. The phrases in the text are repeated below, §§ 73-87, of the Palace of Righteousness.]
61. 'Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, there occurred the thought:
'"Suppose, now, I were to have flowers of every season planted in those Lotus-ponds for the use of all the people-to wit, blue water lilies and blue lotuses, white lotuses and white water lilies."
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory had flowers of every season planted in those Lotus-ponds for the use of all the people-to wit, blue water lilies and blue lotuses, white lotuses and white water lilies.
62. 'Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, occurred the thought:
'"Suppose, now, I were to place bathing-men on the banks of those Lotus-ponds, to bathe such of the people as come there from time to time."
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory placed bathing-men on the banks of those Lotus-ponds, to bathe such of the people as come there from time to time.
63. 'Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, occurred the thought:
'"Suppose, now, I were to establish a perpetual grant by the banks of those Lotus-ponds--to wit, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked, means of conveyance for those who have need of it, couches for the tired, wives for
those who want wives, gold for the poor, and money for those who are in want."
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory established a perpetual grant by the banks of those Lotus-ponds--to wit, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked, means of conveyance for those who needed it, couches for the tired, wives for those who wanted wives, gold for the poor, and money for those who were in want.
------------------------
64. 'Now, Ânanda, the people (Brâhmans and laymen) went to the Great King of Glory, taking with them much wealth. And they said:
'"This abundant wealth, O King, have we brought here for the use of the King of Kings. Let the King accept it of us!"
'"I have enough wealth, my friends, laid up for myself, the produce of righteous taxation. Do you keep this, and take away more with you!"
65. 'When those men were thus refused by the King they went aside and considered together, saying:
'"It would not beseem us now, were we to take back this wealth to our own houses. Suppose, now, we were to build a mansion for the Great King of Glory."
66. 'Then they went to the Great King of Glory, and said:
'"A mansion would we build for thee, O King!"'
'"Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent.
------------------------
67. 'Now, Ânanda, when Sakka, the king of the gods, became aware in his mind of the thoughts that
were in the heart of the Great King of Glory, he addressed Vissakamma the god[1], and said:
'"Come now, Vissakamma, create me a mansion for the Great King of Glory--a palace which shall be called 'Righteousness[2].'"
68. '"Even so, Lord!" said Vissakamma, in assent, Ânanda, to Sakka, the king of the gods. And as instantaneously as a strong man might stretch forth his folded arm, or draw in his arm again when it was stretched forth, so quickly did he vanish from the heaven of the Great Thirty-Three, and appeared before the Great King of Glory.
69. 'Then, Ânanda, Vissakamma the god said to the Great King of Glory:
'"I would create for thee, O King, a mansion--a palace which shall be called 'Righteousness!'"
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent.
------------------------
70. 'So Vissakamma the god, Ânanda, created for the Great King of Glory a mansion--a palace to be called "Righteousness."
71. 'The Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was on the east and on the west a league in length, and on the north and on the south half a league in breadth.
72. 'The ground-floor, Ânanda, of the Palace of Righteousness[3], in height as three times the height to which a man can reach, was built of bricks, of four kinds. One kind of brick was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
[1. Vissakammam devaputtam, where devaputtam means not 'son of a god,' but 'belonging to, born into the class of, the gods.'
2. Dhammam nâma Pâsâdam.
3. Dhammassa pâsâdassa vatthum.]
73. 'To the Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, there were eighty-four thousand pillars of four kinds. One kind of pillar was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
74. 'The Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was fitted up with seats of four kinds. One kind of seat was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
75. 'In the Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, there were twenty-four staircases of four kinds. One staircase was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal. The staircase of gold had balustrades of gold, with the cross bars and the figure head of silver. The staircase of silver had balustrades of silver, with the cross bars and the figure head of gold. The staircase of beryl had balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars and the figure head of crystal. The staircase of crystal had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure head of beryl.
76. 'In the Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, there were eighty-four thousand chambers of four kinds. One kind of chamber was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
'In the golden chamber a silver couch was spread; in the silver chamber a golden couch; in the beryl chamber a couch of ivory; and in the crystal chamber a couch of coral.
'At the door of the golden chamber there stood a palm tree of silver; and its trunk was of silver, and its leaves and fruits of gold.
'At the door of the silver chamber there stood a palm tree of gold; and its trunk was of gold, and its leaves and fruits of silver.
'At the door of the beryl chamber there stood a palm tree of crystal; and its trunk was of crystal, and its leaves and fruits of beryl.
'At the door of the crystal chamber there stood a palm tree of beryl; and its trunk was of beryl, and its leaves and fruits of crystal.
------------------------
77. 'Now there occurred, Ânanda, to the Great King of Glory this thought:
'"Suppose, now, I were to make a grove of palm trees, all of gold, at the entrance to the chamber of the Great Complex[1], under the shade of which I may pass the heat of the day."
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory made a grove of palm trees, all of gold, at the entrance to the chamber of the Great Complex, under the shade of which he might pass the heat of the day.
78. 'The Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was surrounded by a double railing. One railing was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden railing had its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its figure head of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver, and its cross bars and its figure head of gold[2].
79. 'The Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was hung round with two networks of bells. One network of bells was of gold, and one was of silver.
[1. Mahâvyûhassa kutâgârassa dvâre. The 'Great Complex' contains a double allusion, in the same spirit in which the whole legend has been worked out: 1. To the Great Complex as a name of the Sun-God recorded as a unity of the four mythological deities, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pragumna, and Aniruddha; and 2. To the Great Complex as a name of a particular kind of deep religious meditation or speculation.
2. See above, § 60, and the note on § 54.]
p. 268 The golden network had bells of silver, and the silver network had bells of gold.
80. 'And when those networks of bells, Ânanda, were shaken by the wind there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
'Just, Ânanda, as the seven kind of instruments yield, when well played upon, to the skilful man, a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating--just even so, Ânanda, when those networks of bells were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
81. 'And whoever, Ânanda, in the royal city Kusâvatî were at that time gamblers, drunkards, and given to drink, they used to dance round together to the sound of those networks of bells when shaken by the wind.
------------------------
82. 'When the Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was finished it was hard to look at, destructive to the eyes. just, Ânanda, as in the last month of the rains in the autumn time, when the sky has become clear and the clouds have vanished away, the sun, springing up along the heavens, is hard to look at, and destructive to the eyes,--just so, Ânanda, when the Palace of Righteousness was finished was it hard to look at, and destructive to the eyes.
------------------------
83. 'Now there occurred, Ânanda, to the Great King of Glory this thought:
'"Suppose, now, in front of the Palace of Righteousness, I were to make a Lotus-lake to bear the name of 'Righteousness.'"
'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory made a Lotus-lake to bear the name of "Righteousness."
84. 'The Lake of Righteousness, Ânanda, was on the east and on the west a league in length, and on the north and on the south half a league in breadth.
85. 'The Lake of Righteousness, Ânanda, was faced with tiles of four kinds. One kind of tile was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal.
86. 'The Lake of Righteousness, Ânanda, had four and twenty flights of steps, of four different kinds. One flight of steps was of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal. The flight of golden steps had balustrades of gold, with the cross bars and the figure head of silver. The flight of silver steps had balustrades of silver, with the cross bars and the figure head of gold. The flight of beryl steps had balustrades of beryl, with the cross bars and the figure head of crystal. The flight of crystal steps had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure head of beryl.
87. 'Round the Lake of Righteousness, Ânanda, there ran a double railing. One railing was of gold, and one was of silver. The golden railing had its posts of gold, and its cross bars and its capitals of silver. The silver railing had its posts of silver, and its cross bars and its capitals of gold.
88. 'The Lake of Righteousness, Ânanda, was surrounded by seven rows of palm trees. One row was of palms of gold, and one of silver, and one of beryl, and one of crystal, and one of agate, and one of coral, and one of all kinds of gems.
89. 'And the golden palms had trunks of gold, and leaves and fruits of silver. And the silver palms had trunks of silver, and leaves and fruits of gold. And the palms of beryl had trunks of beryl,
and leaves and fruits of crystal. And the crystal palms had trunks of crystal, and leaves and fruits of beryl. And the agate palms had trunks of agate, and leaves and fruits of coral. And the coral palms had trunks of coral, and leaves and fruits of agate. And the palms of every kind of gem had trunks and leaves and fruits of every kind of gem.
90. 'And when those rows of palm trees, Ânanda, were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
'Just, Ânanda, as the seven kind of instruments yield, when well played upon, to the skilful man, a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating,--just even so, Ânanda, when those rows of palm trees were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating.
91. 'And whoever, Ânanda[1], in the royal city Kusâvatî were at that time gamblers, drunkards, and given to drink, they used to dance round together to the sound of those palms when shaken by the wind.
------------------------
92. 'When the Palace of Righteousness, Ânanda, was finished, and the Lotus-lake of Righteousness was finished, the Great King of Glory entertained with all good things those of the Samanas who, at that time, were held in high esteem, and those of the Brâhmans who, at that time, were held in high esteem. Then he ascended up into the Palace of Righteousness.'
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End of the First Portion for Recitation.
[1. This paragraph is perhaps repeated by mistake; but it is scarcely less in harmony with its context at § 8 than it is here. It is more probable that § 92 followed, originally, immediately after § 82, with the Lotus-lake clause omitted.]
1. 'Now there occurred, Ânanda, this thought to the Great King of Glory:
'"Of what previous character, now, may this be the fruit, of what previous character the result, that I am now so mighty and so great?"
2. 'And then occurred, Ânanda, to the Great King of Glory this thought:
'"Of three qualities is this the fruit, of three qualities the result, that I am now so mighty and so great,--that is to say, of giving, of self-conquest, and of self-control[1]."
------------------------
3. 'Now the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, ascended up into the chamber of the Great Complex; and when he had come there he stood at the door, and there he broke out into a cry of intense emotion:
'"Stay here, O thoughts of lust!
'"Stay here, O thoughts of ill-will!
'"Stay here, O thoughts of hatred!
'"Thus far only, O thoughts of lust!
'"Thus far only, O thoughts of ill-will
'"Thus far only, O thoughts of hatred!"
4. 'And when, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory had entered the chamber of the Great Complex,
[1. I have here translated kamma by 'previous character' and by 'quality.' The easiest plan would, no doubt, have been, to preserve in the translation the technical term karma, which is explained at some length in 'Buddhism,' pp. 99-106.]
and had seated himself upon the couch of gold, having put away all passion and all unrighteousness, he entered into, and remained in, the First Ghâna,--a state of joy and ease, born of seclusion, full of reflection, full of investigation.
5. 'By suppressing reflection and investigation, he entered into, and remained in, the Second Ghâna,--a state of joy and ease, born of serenity, without reflection, without investigation, a state of elevation of mind, of internal calm.
6. 'By absence of the longing after joy, he remained indifferent, conscious, self-possessed, experiencing in his body that ease which the noble ones announce, saying, "The man indifferent and self-possessed is well at ease," and thus he entered into, and remained in, the Third Ghâna.
7. 'By putting away ease, by putting away pain, by the previous dying away both of gladness and of sorrow, he entered into, and remained in, the Fourth Ghâna,--a state of purified self-possession and equanimity, without ease, and without pain[1].
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8. 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory went out from the chamber of the Great Complex, and entered the golden chamber and sat himself down on the silver couch. And he let his mind pervade
[1. The above paragraphs are an endeavour to express the inmost feelings when they are first strung to the uttermost by the intense effects of deep religious emotion, and then feel the effects of what may be called, for want of a better word, the reaction. Most deeply religious natures have passed through such a crisis; and though the feelings are perhaps really indescribable, this passage is dealing, not with a vain mockery, but with a very real event in spiritual experience.]
one quarter of the world with thoughts of Love; and so the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade with heart of Love, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure, free from the least trace of anger or ill-will.
9. 'And he let his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of Pity; and so the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade with heart of Pity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure, free from the least trace of anger or ill-will.
10. 'And he let his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of Sympathy; and so the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade with heart of Sympathy, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure, free from the least trace of anger or ill-will.
11. 'And he let his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of Equanimity[1]; and so the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, did he continue to pervade with heart of Equanimity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure, free from the least trace of anger or ill-will.
[1. These are the four Appamaññas or infinite feelings, also called (e.g. below, § II, 36) the four Brahma-vihâras. They are here very appropriately represented to follow immediately after {footnote p. 274} the state of feeling described in the Ghânas; but they ought to be the constant companions of a good Buddhist (see Khaggavisâna Sutta 8; and compare also Tevigga Sutta III, 7; Gâtaka, vol. i. p. 246; and the Araka Gâtaka, No. 169).]
12. 'The Great King of Glory, Ânanda, had four and eighty thousand cities, the chief of which was the royal city of Kusâvatî:
'Four and eighty thousand palaces, the chief of which was the Palace of Righteousness:
'Four and eighty thousand chambers, the chief of which was the chamber of the Great Complex:
'Four and eighty thousand divans, of gold, and silver, and ivory, and sandal wood, spread with long-haired rugs, and cloths embroidered with flowers, and magnificent antelope skins; covered with lofty canopies; and provided at both ends with purple cushions:
'Four and eighty thousand state elephants, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which the king of elephants, called "the Changes of the Moon," was chief:
'Four and eighty thousand state horses, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which "Thunder-cloud," the king of horses, was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand chariots, with coverings of the skins of lions, and of tigers, and of panthers,--of which the chariot called "the Flag of Victory" was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand gems, of which the Wondrous Gem was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand wives, of whom the Queen of Glory was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand yeomen, of whom the Wonderful Steward was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand nobles, of whom the Wonderful Adviser was the chief:
'Four and eighty thousand cows, with jute trappings, and horns tipped with bronze:
'Four and eighty thousand myriads of garments, of delicate textures, of flax, and cotton, and silk, and wool:
'Four and eighty thousand dishes, in which, in the evening and in the morning, rice was served[1].
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13. 'Now at that time, Ânanda, the four and eighty thousand state elephants used to come every evening and every morning to be of service to the Great King of Glory.
14. 'And this thought occurred to the Great King of Glory:
'"These eighty thousand elephants come every evening and every morning to be of service to me. Suppose, now, I were to let the elephants come in alternate forty thousands, once each, every alternate hundred years!"
15. 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory said to the Great Adviser:
'"O, my friend, the Great Adviser! these eighty thousand elephants come every evening and every morning to be of service to me. Now, let the elephants come, O my friend, the Great Adviser, in
[1. Most of the trappings and cloths here mentioned are the same as those referred to in the Magghima Sîla, §§ 5, 6, 7 recurring in the Tevigga Sutta, and in the Brahmagâla Sutta. The whole paragraph is four times repeated below, §§ 29, 31, 33, 37.]
alternate forty thousands, once each, every alternate hundred years!"
'"Even so, Lord!" said the Wonderful Adviser, in assent, to the Great King of Glory.
16. 'From that time forth, Ânanda, the elephants came in alternate forty thousands, once each, every alternate hundred years.
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17. 'Now, Ânanda, after the lapse of many years, of many hundred years, of many thousand years, there occurred to the Queen of Glory[1] this thought:
'"'Tis long since I have beheld the Great King of Glory. Suppose, now, I were to go and visit the Great King of Glory."
18. 'Then, Ânanda, the Queen of Glory said to the women of the harem:
'"Arise now, dress your hair, and clad yourselves in fresh raiment. 'Tis long since we have beheld the Great King of Glory. Let us go and visit the Great King of Glory!"
19. "'Even so, Lady!" said the women of the harem, Ânanda, in assent, to the Queen of Glory. And they dressed their hair, and clad themselves in fresh raiment, and came near to the Queen of Glory.
20. 'Then, Ânanda, the Queen of Glory said to the Great Adviser:
'"Arrange, O Great Adviser, the fourfold army in array. 'Tis long since I have beheld the Great King of Glory. I am about to go to visit the Great King of Glory."
[1. Subhaddâ Devî. Subhadda, 'glorious, magnificent,' is a not uncommon name both for men and women in Buddhist and post-Buddhistic Hindu literature.]
21. '"Even so, O Queen!" said the Great Adviser, Ânanda, in assent, to the Queen of Glory. And he set the fourfold army in array, and had the fact announced to the Queen of Glory in the words:
'"The fourfold army, O Queen, is set for thee in array. Do now whatever seemeth to thee fit."
22. 'Then, Ânanda, the Queen of Glory, with the fourfold army, repaired, with the women of the harem, to the Palace of Righteousness. And when she had arrived there she mounted up into the Palace of Righteousness, and went on to the chamber of the Great Complex. And when she had reached it, she stopped and leant against the side of the door.
23. 'When, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory heard the noise he thought:
'"What, now, may this noise, as of a great multitude of people, mean?"
24. And going out from the chamber of the Great Complex, he beheld the Queen of Glory standing leaning up against the side of the door. And when he beheld her, he said to the Queen of Glory:
'"Stop there, O Queen! Enter not!"
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25. 'Then the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, said to one of his attendants:
'"Arise, good man! take the golden couch out of the chamber of the Great Complex, and make it ready under that grove of palm trees which is all of gold."
26. '"Even so, Lord!" said the man, in assent, to the Great King of Glory. And he took the golden couch out of the chamber of the Great Complex, and made it ready under that grove of palm trees which was all of gold.
27. 'Then, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory laid himself down in the dignified way a lion does; and lay with one leg resting on the other, calm and self-possessed.
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28. 'Then, Ânanda, there occurred to the Queen of Glory this thought:
'"How calm are all the limbs of the Great King of Glory! How clear and bright is his appearance! O may it not be that the Great King of Glory is dead[1]!"
29. 'And she said to the Great King of Glory:
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand cities, the chief of which is the royal city of Kusâvatî. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand palaces, the chief of which is the Palace of Righteousness. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand chambers, the chief of which is the chamber of the Great Complex. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand divans, of gold, and silver, and ivory, and sandal wood, spread with long-haired rugs, and cloths embroidered with flowers, and magnificent antelope skins; covered with lofty canopies; and provided at both ends with purple cushions. Arise,
[1. The rather curious connexion between these clauses is worthy of notice in comparison with the legend of the 'Transfiguration' just before the Buddha's death (above, pp. 80-82).]
p. 279 O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand state elephants, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,-of which the king of elephants, called 'the Changes of the Moon,' is chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand state horses, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network, of which 'Thunder-cloud,' the king of horses, is the chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand chariots, with coverings of the skins of lions, and of tigers, and of panthers,-of which the chariot called 'the Flag of Victory' is the chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand gems, of which the Wondrous Gem is the chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand wives, of whom the Queen of Glory is the chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand yeomen, of whom the Wonderful Steward is the chief. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand nobles, of whom the Wonderful Adviser is the
chief Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand cows, with jute trappings, and horns tipped with bronze. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand myriads of garments, of delicate textures, of flax, and cotton, and silk, and wool. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!
'"Thine, O King, are those four and eighty thousand dishes, in which, in the evening and in the morning, rice is served. Arise, O King, re-awaken thy desire for these! quicken thy longing after life!"
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30. 'When she had thus spoken, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory said to the Queen of Glory:
'"Long hast thou addressed me, O Queen, in pleasant words, much to be desired, and sweet. Yet now in this last time you speak in words unpleasant, disagreeable, not to be desired."
31. '"How then, O King, shall I address thee?"
'"Thus, O Queen, shouldst thou address me:--The nature of all things near and dear to us, O King, is such that we must leave them, divide ourselves from them, separate ourselves from them[1]. Pass not away, O King, with longing in thy heart. Sad is the death of him who longs, unworthy is the death of him who longs[2]. Thine, O King, are these
[1. The Pâli words are the same as those at the beginning of the constantly repeated longer phrase to the same effect in the Book of the Great Decease.
2. Compare Gâtaka, No. 34.]
four and eighty thousand cities, the chief of which is the royal city of Kusâvatî. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand palaces, the chief of which is the Palace of Righteousness. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand chambers, the chief of which is the chamber of the Great Complex. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand divans, of gold, and silver, and ivory, and sandal wood, spread with long-haired rugs, and cloths embroidered with flowers, and magnificent antelope skins; covered with lofty canopies; and provided at both ends with purple cushions. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand state elephants, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which the king of elephants, called 'the Changes of the Moon,' is chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand state horses, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which 'Thunder-cloud,' the king of horses, is the chief Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand chariots, with coverings of the skins of lions, and of tigers, and of panthers,--of which the chariot called 'the Flag of Victory' is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand gems, of which the Wondrous Gem is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand wives, of whom the Queen of Glory is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand yeomen, of whom the Wonderful Steward is the chief Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand nobles, of whom the Wonderful Adviser is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and. eighty thousand cows, with jute trappings, and horns tipped with bronze. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand myriads of garments, of delicate textures, of flax, and cotton, and silk, and wool. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand dishes, in which, in the evening and in the morning, rice is served. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!"
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32. 'When he thus spake, Ânanda, the Queen of Glory wept and poured forth tears.
33. 'Then, Ânanda, the Queen of Glory wiped away her tears, and addressed the Great King of Glory, and said:
'"The nature of all things near and dear to us, O King, is such that we must leave them, divide
ourselves from them, separate ourselves from them. Pass not away, O King, with longing in thy heart. Sad is the death of him who longs, unworthy is the death of him who longs. Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand cities, the chief of which is the royal city of Kusâvatî. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand palaces, the chief of which is the Palace of Righteousness. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand chambers, the chief of which is the chamber of the Great Complex. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand divans, of gold, and silver, and ivory, and sandal wood, spread with long-haired rugs, and cloths embroidered with flowers, and magnificent antelope skins; covered with lofty canopies; and provided at both ends with purple cushions. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand state elephants, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which the king of elephants, called 'the Changes of the Moon,' is chief Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand state horses, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which 'Thunder-cloud,' the king of horses, is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand
chariots, with coverings of the skins of lions, and of tigers, and of panthers,--of which the chariot called 'the Flag of Victory' is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand gems, of which the Wondrous Gem is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand wives, of whom the Queen of Glory is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand yeomen, of whom the Wonderful Steward is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand nobles, of whom the Wonderful Adviser is the chief. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand cows, with jute trappings, and horns tipped with bronze. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand myriads of garments, of delicate textures, of flax, and cotton, and silk, and wool. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
'"Thine, O King, are these four and eighty thousand dishes, in which, in the evening and in the morning, rice is served. Cast away desire for these! long not after life!
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34. 'Then immediately, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory died. Just, Ânanda, as when a yeoman has eaten a hearty meal he becomes all drowsy,
just so were the feelings he experienced, Ânanda, as death came upon the Great King of Glory.
35. 'When the Great King of Glory, Ânanda, had died, he came to life again in the happy world of Brahmâ.
36. 'For eight and forty thousand years, Ânanda, the Great King of Glory lived the happy life of a prince; for eight and forty thousand years he was viceroy and heir-apparent; for eight and forty thousand years he ruled the kingdom; and for eight and forty thousand years he lived, as a layman, the noble life in the Palace of Righteousness. And then, when full of noble thoughts, he died; he entered, after the dissolution of the body, the noble world of Brahma[1].
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37. 'Now it may be, Ânanda, that you may think "The Great King of Glory of that time was another person." But, Ânanda, you should not view the matter thus. I at that time was the Great King of Glory.
'Mine at that time were the four and eighty thousand cities, of which the chief was the royal city of Kusâvatî.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand palaces, of which the chief was the Palace of Righteousness.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand chambers, of which the chief was the chamber of the Great Complex.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand divans,
[1. The 'noble thoughts' are the Brahma-vihâras, described above, Chap. II, §§ 8-11. The 'noble life' is the Brahmakariyam, which does not mean the same as it does in Sanskrit. The adjective Brahma may have reference here also to the subsequent (and consequent?) rebirth in the Brahma-loka.]
of gold, and silver, and ivory, and sandal wood, spread with long-haired rugs, and cloths embroidered with flowers, and magnificent antelope skins; covered with lofty canopies; and provided at both ends with purple cushions.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand state elephants, with trappings of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which the king of elephants, called "the Changes of the Moon," was chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand state horses, with trappings, of gold, and gilded flags, and golden coverings of network,--of which "Thunder-cloud," the king of horses, was the chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand chariots, with coverings of the skins of lions, and of tigers, and of panthers,--of which the chariot called "the Flag of Victory" was the chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand gems, of which the Wondrous Gem was the chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand wives, of whom the Queen of Glory was the chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand yeomen, of whom the Wonderful Steward was the chief.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand nobles, of whom the Wonderful Adviser was the chief,
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand cows, with jute trappings, and horns tipped with bronze.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand myriads of garments, of delicate textures, of flax, and cotton, and silk, and wool.
'Mine were the four and eighty thousand dishes, in which, in the evening and in the morning, rice was served.
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38. 'Of those four and eighty thousand cities, Ânanda, one was that city in which, at that time, I used to dwell--to wit, the royal city of Kusâvatî.
'Of those four and eighty thousand palaces too, Ânanda, one was that palace in which, at that time, I used to dwell--to wit, the Palace of Righteousness.
'Of those four and eighty thousand chambers too, Ânanda, one was that chamber in which, at that time, I used to dwell--to wit, the chamber of the Great Complex.
Of those four and eighty thousand divans too, Ânanda, one was that divan which, at that time, I used to occupy--to wit, one of gold, or one of silver, or one of ivory, or one of sandal wood.
'Of those four and eighty thousand state elephants too, Ânanda, one was that elephant which, at that time, I used to ride--to wit, the king of elephants, "the Changes of the Moon."
'Of those four and eighty thousand horses too, Ânanda, one was that horse which, at that time, I used to ride--to wit, the king of horses, "the Thunder-cloud."
'Of those four and eighty thousand chariots too, Ânanda, one was that chariot in which, at that time, I used to ride--to wit, the chariot called "the Flag of Victory."
'Of those four and eighty thousand wives too, Ânanda, one was that wife who, at that time, used to wait upon me--to wit, either a lady of noble birth, or a Velâmikânî.
'Of those four and eighty thousand myriads of suits of apparel too, Ânanda, one was the suit of apparel which, at that time, I wore--to wit, one of delicate texture, of linen, or cotton, or silk, or wool.
'Of those four and eighty thousand dishes too, Ânanda, one was that dish from which, at that time, I ate a measure of rice and the curry suitable thereto.
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39. 'See, Ânanda, how all these things are now past, are ended, have vanished away. Thus impermanent, Ânanda, are component things; thus transitory, Ânanda, are component things; thus untrustworthy, Ânanda, are component things. Insomuch, Ânanda, is it meet to be weary of, is it meet to be estranged from, is it meet to be set quite free from the bondage of all component things!
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40. 'Now I call to mind, Ânanda, how in this spot my body had been six times buried. And when I was dwelling here as the righteous king who ruled in righteousness, the lord of the four regions of the earth, the conqueror, the protector of his people, the possessor of the seven royal treasures--that was the seventh time.
41. 'But I behold not any spot, Ânanda, in the world of men and gods, nor in the world of Mâra, nor in the world of Brahma,--no, not among the race of Samanas or Brâhmans, of gods or men,--where the Tathâgata for the eighth time will lay aside his body[1].'
[1. The whole of this conversation between the Great King of Glory and the Queen is very much shorter in the Gâtaka, the enumeration of the possessions of the Great King being omitted (except the first clause referring to the four and eighty thousand cities), and clauses 34-38, 40, and 41 being also left out, § 39 and the concluding being placed in the mouth of the King immediately after § 33. This may be perhaps partly explained by the narrative style in which the Gâtakas are composed--a style incompatible {footnote p. 289} with the repetitions of the Suttas, and confined to the facts of the story.
But I think that no one can read this Sutta in comparison with the short passage found in the Book of the Great Decease (above, pp. 99-101) without feeling that the latter is the more original of the two, and that the legend had not, when the Book of the Great Decease was composed, attained to its present extended form.
We seem therefore really to have three stages of the legend before us, and though the Gâtaka story was actually put into its present shape at a known date (the fifth century of our era) long after the latest possible date for the Book of the Great King of Glory, it has probably preserved for us a reminiscence of what the legend was at the time when the Book of the Great Decease was composed.]
42. Thus spake the Blessed One; and when the Happy One had thus spoken, once again the Teacher said:
How transient are all component things!
Growth is their nature and decay:
They are produced, they are dissolved again:
And then is best, when they have sunk to rest[1]!'
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End of the Mahâ-Sudassana Sutta.
[1. On this celebrated verse, see the note at Mahâparinibbâna Sutta VI, 16, where it is put into the mouth of Sakka, the king of the gods, and the discussion in the Introduction to this Sutta.]