the Welfare, Happiness and Peace for all Sentient and Non-Sentient
Beings and for them to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.
University in 116 CLASSICAL LANGUAGES in BUDDHA’S own Words through
http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
Stage, Puniya Bhoomi Bengaluru- Magadhi Karnataka State -Prabuddha Bharat
for
Happiness, welfare and Peace for all Sentient and Non-Sentient beings
and for them to attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal!Make your peace with
that and all will be well.”
Maha-Sudassana-Suttanta
COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic Recovered:2,081,511
Countries and territories without any cases of COVID-19
- 1. Comoros,
- 2. North Korea,
- 3. Yemen,
- 4. The Federated States of Micronesia,
- 5. Kiribati,
- 6. Solomon Islands,
- 7. The Cook Islands,
- 8. Micronesia,
- 9. Tonga,
- 10. The Marshall Islands Palau,
- 11. American Samoa,
- 12. South Georgia
- 13. South Sandwich Islands.
- 14.Saint Helena.
Europe
15. Aland Islands
16.Svalbard -
17. Jan Mayen Islands
-
18. Latin America
19. Africa
British Indian Ocean Territory
French Southern Territories
Lesotho -
Oceania
-
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Heard Island
-
McDonald Islands
Niue
Norfolk Island
Pitcairn
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Wallis and Futuna Islands - Tajikistan,
- Turkmenistan,
- Tuvalu,
- Vanuatu
Are all well, happy and secure!
They are calm, quiet, alert and attentive with their wisdom,
having an equanimity mind not reacting to good and bad thoughts
with a clear understanding that everything is changing!
including
all the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Parlimentarians,
Legislators,Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Political ruling and opposition Party
members, Chief Justices, Judges, Chief Election Commission members Media
persons who were not affected by COVID-19 not wearing face masks but
still alive and who are more deadliest than COVID-19
International
World Organisations including WHO, UNO, Human Rights Commission, All
Chief Justices, Election Commissioners, All Opposition parties Social
Media must unite for
Discovery of Awakened with Awareness Universe
For
the Welfare, Happiness and Peace for all Sentient and Non-Sentient
Beings and for them to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.
1. All EVMs/VVPATs must be replaced with Ballot Papers to save Democracy, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
2.
Whether COVID-19 Virus is natural or a Lab Created One.The affected and
dead peoples’ names and addresses must be made public.
3. Signs and symptoms of the Virus
While it’s not known who got what from whom, whether the virus was even
spread simply having a cold at that time, the case has shaken the
community even if it didn’t “qualify” for a test after showing runny
nose which was listed as a symptom of COVID-19 and advises anyone
feeling unwell to stay home.
Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 is Thrombosis, Not Pneumonia !
It seems that the disease is being attacked wrongly worldwide.
Thanks to autopsies performed by the Italians … it has been shown that
it is not pneumonia … but it is: disseminated intravascular coagulation
(thrombosis).
Therefore, the way to fight it is with antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants.
The protocols are being changed here since !
According to valuable information from Italian pathologists, ventilators and intensive care units were never needed.
If this is true for all cases, it is about to be resolved it earlier than expected.
4. https://theprint.in/…/modis-
Murderer
of democratic institutions (Modi)’s poorly planned 45 days curfew didn’t
save us from COVID-19, but killed economy after gobbling the Master Key
by tampering the fraud EVMs/VVPATs and won elections on behalf of Rowdy
rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS) foreigners from Bene Israel who must be
forced to quit Prabuddha Bharat along with their own mother’s flesh
eaters, stooges, slaves and boot lickers.
With typically shoddy execution, Modi’s national curfew could starve to death.
It is
important to note that countries that have so far done a relatively good
job of containing the COVID-19 pandemic have refrained from imposing a
complete, nation-wide, curfew-like lockdown. These
include Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, and Turkey. Even China, where it all
started, placed only the Hubei province under complete curfew, not the
whole country.
Modi has
put 1.3 billion people under a curfew. Since the authorities are using
the word ‘curfew’ in the context of issuing passes, it is fair to call
it a national curfew.
Modi does
not have the capacity to think through the details of planning and
execution. This is turning out to be another demonetisation, with the
typical Modi problem of mistaking theatrics for achievement.
If we
survive the pandemic, we won’t survive the impending economic collapse.
The economy isn’t on Modi’s radar either. He won a national election
despite disastrous economic policies that gave us a 45
year-high unemployment rate. Why should he worry about the economy? Names list as to how many employees and migrant and daily
workers lost their jobs because of the permanent curfew laid by
governments in the name of COVID-19 and suffering with hunger.
Demonetisation and GST resulted in killing demand, and this poorly
planned national curfew will kill supply chains. We’ll be left with the
great Indian discovery, the zero.
Modi announced a national curfew with little notice. He addressed India
at 8 pm, and the curfew came into force at midnight. Just like
demonetisation. Why couldn’t he have given some notice? Why couldn’t he
have done his TV address at 8 am? Maximising prime time attention, you
see.
The home
ministry issued a list of exemptions but try explaining them to the cops
on the street. The police is doing what it loves to do the most:
beating up Indians with lathis. Meanwhile, lakhs
of trucks are stranded on state borders. Supply chains for the most
essential items have been disrupted, including medicines, milk,
groceries, food and newspaper deliveries.
Nobody in
the Modi’s office seems to be aware of any such thing as crop
harvesting, or the Rabi season, as farmers wonder how they’ll do it amid
this national curfew. Only Modi can manage to be so
clever as to
disrupt the country’s medical supply chain while fighting a
pandemic.Modi is the only major world leader who has not yet announced a
financial package. In his first speech, he said the finance minister
will head a committee, but some in the finance ministry said they heard
of this committee from the Modi’s speech. He did announce Rs 15,000
crore extra to meet the health expenditure arising out of the COVID-19
crisis — that is Rs 5,000 crore less than the amount of money he has
kept aside for his narcissistic and unnecessary project of rebuilding
the Central Vista of New Delhi.
At this
rate, more might die of hunger than of COVID-19. Modi’s poor
administrative skills, zero attention span for details, spell disaster
for this crisis. In a few weeks, we might find ourselves overwhelmed
with an epidemic in defiance of official numbers, while the economy
might start looking like the 1980s.
With a request
for partnership with allyour esteemed organisations for Discovery of
Awakened One with Awareness Universe (DAOAU) for the welfare, happiness
and peace for all societies.
From
Analytic Insight Net - FREE Online Tipiṭaka Law Research & Practice
University in 116 CLASSICAL LANGUAGES in Awakened One with Awareness’s own Words
through
http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
at WHITE HOME
668, 5A main Road, 8th Cross, HAL 3rd
Coronavirus Cases:5,194,879 Deaths 334,622
Democratic governance
Shadow man on COVID-19, US story
Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 is Thrombosis, Not Pneumonia
The CDC says they don’t recommend people wear masks to prevent transmitting the virus if you do not have symptoms.
1. Dasa raja dhamma
3. Kuutadanta Sutta dana
4. priyavacana
5. artha cariya
Assamedha
Sassamedha
Naramedha
Purisamedha
Sammapasa
Vajapeyya
Niraggala
Sila
Samadhi
Panna
Samma-sankappa
Sigalovada Sutta
Brahmajala Sutta
Digha Nikaya (Mahaparinibbana-sutta
dhammamahamatras
Lord Awakened One with Awareness said (in Pali),
‘Na jacca vasalo hoti na jacca hoti brahmano.
Kammuna vasalo hoti kammuna hoti brahmano.’
(Not by his birth man is an outcaste or a Brahman;
Only by his own Kamma man becomes an outcaste or a Brahman.)
Lord Awakened One with Araeness said,
‘Be hurry, O Bhikkhus, to paddle your boat till it shall reach the other side of the river bank.’
Awakened One with awareness said
‘Suddhi asuddhi paccattam nanno nannam visodhaye’ (purity and impurity is the matter of an individual; one can, by no means, purify
another).
little bit about us, “Masaka Kids Africana ‘’”is the group \ Foundation
of young talented Kids in Dancing, from Uganda - Masaka, East
Africa,village called Nyendo - Kayirikiti,
Masaka Kids Africana is composed of African children, from the age of 2
and up. Many have lost one or both parents through the devastation of
war, famine and disease. They represent all the children of a continent
and they demonstrate the potential of African children to become strong
leaders for a better future in their land.
children melt the hearts of audiences with their charming smiles and
delightful African tunes, accompanied by vibrant dance moves. Nearly
every performance is concluded with a thunderous standing ovation. A
marvelous by-product of the concert is the inspiration the music brings
to virtually every listener. In spite of the tragedy that has marred
their young lives, the children are radiant with hope, musically gifted
and wonderfully entertaining.
rely on the generosity of our extended family — people like you — so we
can educate, feed, clothe and support all of our children. Every dollar
we save from our performance is also a dollar earned for the continued
care of our kids. Our music and dance troupe children will soon begin
training again during their school term breaks and over select weekends.
Show your support of music and advocacy – it’s so easy to do.
Kids Africana sponsored children have gone through some of the worst
experiences a child could face — but through dance and song and sharing
their love of Uganda, these children connect to each other and the
world. They see their own potential — they have hope for their future.
10 Best African Music Singles
3 years ago
3 min read
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It was another great year for African music, with artists dropping tunes that made the whole continent dance.
Here are the ten biggest songs that topped the charts throughout the continent.
Babes Wodumo – Wololo
“Wololo” was one of the biggest songs
of 2016 in South Africa, topping the charts across most radio stations
in the country. The song is praised for putting South Africa’s popular
sub-genre, gqom, on the map, and it catapulted 23-year-old Babes Wodumo (real name Bongekile Simelane) to fame across South Africa and the continent. The video for the song has since amassed over 4 million views on YouTube.
Kwesta featuring Cassper Nyovest – Ngud’
South African hip hop artist, Kwesta,
had a good run with his hit single “Ngud” featuring Cassper Nyovest.
The song spent 14 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the iTunes
chart, and was the most played song on South African radio in 2016. It
was produced by DJ Maphorisa and samples Joakim’s remix of “Camino Del
Sol” by Antena. The song is from Kwesta’s 3rd studio album titled “DaKAR II”.
Tekno – Pana
Nigerian muso, Tekno, burned the
airwaves with his sexy, African-inspired dance ballad, “Pana”. The video
for the song has since amassed over 50 million views on YouTube, and
popular the South African dj, Black Coffee, danced to the song as part
of his first dance with his wife, Mbali Mlotshwa, during their wedding
ceremony at Sun City Resort in South Africa.
Sauti Sol featuring Alikiba – Unconditionally Bae
“Unconditionally Bae” was one of East
Africa’s biggest songs as it featured two of the region’s biggest
stars; boy band, Sauti Sol, and Tanzania’s Alikiba. The song is a
danceable love ballad and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2016
MTV Africa Music Awards. It has since amassed more than 4 million views
on YouTube.
Patoranking featuring Wande Coal – My Woman, My Everything
“My Woman, My Everything” by
Nigeria’s Patoranking featuring Wande Coal was the biggest song on the
continent in 2015 and 2016, earning Song of the Year at the 2016 MTV
Africa Music Awards. The song was also popular with Caribbean audiences
who love it for its catchy lyrics and infectious dance hall beat.
AKA featuring Burna Boy, Khuli Chana & Yanga – Baddest
South African hip hop artists
collaborated with some of the continent’s biggest stars to create the
song “Baddest” which was released in 2015, but continued to dominate the
airwaves in 2016. This is mainly attributed to the remix version being
released where AKA featured some of South Africa’s biggest female hip
hop artists, including: Moozlie, Rouge, Fifi Cooper and Gigi Lamayne.
DJ Maphorsia featuring WizKid & DJ Buckz – Soweto Baby
One of South Africa’s top dance music
producers, DJ Maphorisa, collaborated with heavyweights, Wizkid and DJ
Buckz, to create one of the biggest songs on the continent, “Soweto
Baby”. The song won Best Collaboration at the 2016 MTV Africa Music
Awards and the video was filmed in the iconic township of Soweto in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Nasty c ft. Davido & Cassper Nyovest – Juice Back Remix
“Juice Back” by South African hip hop
artist, Nasty C, was the song that catapulted the 18-year-old rapper
into fame back in 2015. The song continued to create a stir across the
continent through his collaboration on a remix with Cassper Nyovest and
Davido. The song was produced by hit maker, Gemini Major, and it has
since amassed over 1.3 million views on YouTube.
EmTee featuring WizKid and AKA – Roll Up Re-Up
EmTee burst into the music scene in
South Africa with the smash hit, “Roll Up,” in 2015 and the hype around
the song continued well into 2016 with a remix of the song featuring
WizKid and AKA. “Roll Up” earned the award of Song of the Year in 2015
at the South African Hip Hop Awards and was nominated for Song of the
Year at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards. EmTee walked away with the
Best Hip Hop award at the ceremony.
Diamond Platnumz featuring Rayvanny – Salome
Diamond Platnumz’s hit single
“Salome” was one of the biggest songs in Tanzania and East Africa. The
song is a remake of Saida Karoli’s hit single from the 90s titled “Maria
Salome”, and is sung entirely in Swahili. The song has since amassed
over 12.9 million views on YouTube.
Share it!
South African journalist based in Johannesburg. A Wits
University graduate, Lebo enjoys writing lifestyle and entertainment
stories.
Maha-Sudassana-Suttanta
Written by T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids
Hits: 1733
INTRODUCTION TO THE MAHA-SUDASSANA-SUTTANTA.
This
Suttanta is an expansion of the conversation recorded in the Book of
the Great Decease (above, Ch. V, § 17). The same legend recurs as the
Maha-Sudassana Jataka, No. 95 in Mr. Fausboll’s edition. As the latter
differs in several important particulars from our Suttanta, 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 Jataka.
The
part enclosed in square brackets | | is the so-called Story of the
Present : and the whole was probably written in Ceylon in the fifth
century of our era. There is every reason to believe, for the reasons
given in my ‘ Buddhist India ‘ (pp. 201-7), that the stories themselves
belong to a very early period in the history of Buddhism and are, many
of them, older even than Buddhism. We may be sure that if this
particular story had been abstracted by the author of the commentary
from our Suttanta, he would not have ventured to introduce such serious
changes into what he regarded as sacred writ.
MAHA-SUDASSANA JATAKA.
•
How transient are all component things.’ This the Master told when
lying on his death-couch, concerning that word of Ananda the Thera, when
he said : — ‘ Do not, O Exalted One, die in this little town,’ and so
on. When the Tathagata was at the Jetavana 1 he thought : —
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 Malalahkara-vatthu this refers here to a residence at
the Jetavana, which took place between the end of § 23 in Chap. II in
the Book of the Great Decease, and the beginning of § 24.
Mr.
Fausboll, by his punctuation, includes these words in the following
thought ascribed to the Exalted One, but I think they only describe the
time at which the thought is supposed to have arisen.
‘The
Thera Sariputta, who was born at Nalagama, has died, on the day of the
full moon in the month of Kattika, in the chamber in which he had been
born 1 ; and Maha-Moggallana in the latter, the dark half of that same
month. As my two chief disciples are thus dead, I too will pass away at
Kusinara.’ Thereupon he proceeded straight on to that place, and lay
down on the Uttarasisaka couch, between the twin Sala trees, never to
rise again.
Then
the venerable Ananda besought him, saying: — ‘Let not the Exalted One
die in this little township, in this little town in the jungle, in this
branch township. Let the Exalted One die in one of the other great
cities, such as Rajagaha, and the rest! ‘
But
the Master answered: — ‘ Say not, Ananda, 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 Maha-Sudassana-Sutta 2} .
Now
on that occasion when Queen Subhadda saw Maha- 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
Kusavati. Set thy heart on these ‘ ; — Then replied Maba-Sudassana:
‘Speak not thus, O queen! But exhort me rather, saying: — “Cast away
desire for these, long not after them 3 .” ‘
1
The text reads ‘ at Varaka.’ But this is a mistake. The word which has
puzzled Mr. Fausboll is ovaraka. The modern name of the village,
afterwards the site of the famous Buddhist university of Nalanda, is
Baragaon. The full-moon day in Kattika is the first of December. An
account of the death of Sariputta will be found in the
Malalahkara-vatthu (Bigandet, ‘Legend,’ &c, 3rd ed., II, 1-25), and
of the murder of Moggallana by the NigawMas in the Dhammapada commentary
(Fausboll, 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. 25-7) is an abridgement.
2
In the earliest description of this conversation (above, ‘ Book of the
Great Decease/ V, 17) there is no mention of this. But it is inserted
most incongruously in the present Suttanta.
3 Both these speeches are different from those given on the same occasion in the Suttanta below.
And
when she asked: — ‘ Why so, O king? ‘ ‘ To-day my time is come, and I
shall die ! ‘was his reply 1 . 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 down even unto a grain of sesamum fruit
there is no such 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: To bring them into full subjection, that is
bliss 2
[In
these verses the words ‘ How transient are all component things! ‘ mean
‘ Dear lady Subhadda, wheresoever and by whatsoever causes made or come
together, compounds 3 , — that is, all those things which possess the
essential constituents [whether material or mental] of existing things 4
, — all these compounds are impermanence itself. For of these form 5 is
impermanent, reason 6 is impermanent, the [mental] eye 7 is
impermanent, and qualities 8 are impermanent. And whatever treasure
there is, 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,
1 This question and answer are not in the Suttanta.
2
All this is omitted in the Suttanta. It is true the verse occurs here,
but it is placed in the mouth of the Teacher, after the account of
Maha-Sudassana’s death.
3 Sankhara.
4 Khandayatanadayo.
5 Rupam.
6 Vififianam.
7 Cakkhum.
8 Dhamma.
having
reached a state 1 , 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
disintegration 2 . 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], and
subject, in this way and in that way, to dissolution. All these
component things therefore, without exception, are impermanent,
momentary, despicable, unstable, disintegrating, trembling, quaking,
unlasting, sure to depart 3 , only for a time 4 , and without substance ;
as temporary as a phantom, as the mirage, or as foam !
‘How
then in these, dear lady Subhadda, can you feel any sign of
satisfaction? Understand rather than “to bring them into subjection,
that is bliss.” For to bring them into subjection, since it involves
mastery over the whole circle of transmigration,
is the same as Nirvana. That and this are one 5 . And there is no other bliss than that.’]
And
when Maha-Sudassana had thus brought his discourse to a point with the
ambrosial great Nirvana, and had made exhortation also to the rest of
the great multitude, saying : — ‘ Give gifts ! Observe the precepts !
Keep the sacred days 6 ! ‘ he became an inheritor of the world of the
gods.
[When
the Master had concluded this lesson in the truth, he summed up the
Jataka, saying: — ‘ She who was then Subhadda the queen was the mother
of Rahula, the great adviser was Rahula, the rest of the retinue the
Buddha’s retinue, and
Maha-Sudassana I myself.’]
The
word translated ‘ component things ‘ or ‘ compounds ‘ is sarikhara,
literally confections, from kar, ‘to make,’ and sam, ‘ together.’ It is a
word very frequently used in Buddhist writings, and a word consequently
of many different connota- tions ; and there is, of course, no exactly
corresponding word
1 Thiti.
2 Bhango.
3 Payata, literally ‘departed.’ The forms payati and payato, given by Childers, should be corrected into payati and payato.
4 Tavakalika. See Jataka I, 121, where the word is used of a cart let out on hire for a time only.
5 Tad ev ekam ekam, which is not altogether without ambiguity.
6 This paragraph, too, is omitted in the Suttanta.
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 sankhara 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 to denote all things which have been brought together,
made up, by pre-existing causes; phenomena in general. 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 meanings just above
explained), of the mental confections only, the mental constituents, of
all sentient beings generally, or of man alone. In this sense it forms
by itself one of the five classes or aggregates (khan d ha) 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’ (pp. 91, 92).
At the time when the Five Nikayas 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
emphasized in the
concluding verse of the above stanza.
Turning
now to the Suttanta itself, we find that the portion of the legend
omitted in the Jataka throws an unexpected light upon the tale ; for it
commences with a long description of the riches and glory of
Maha-Sudassana, and reveals in its details the instructive fact that the
legend is nothing more nor less than a spiritualized 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 connexion 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 s 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 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 interest- ing 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
Suttanta) on the basis of the corresponding passage in the later
Buddhist Sanskrit poem called the Lalita Vistara. The description of the
royal city and of its wondrous Palace of Righteousness has 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
or four 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 Aryan Path, their goal was no longer a change of heart in the
Arahantship 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
Sukhavati-vyuha, the ‘ Book of the Happy Country.’ It is instructive to
find that several of the expressions used are word for word the same as
the corresponding phrases in our much older ‘ Book of the Great King of
Glory.’
Incidentally
the details given in this Suttanta enable us to judge as to what was
considered, at the time when it was put together, to be the greatest
possible luxury and glory of the mightiest and most righteous king. In
spite of the exuberance of some of the language used, the luxury is
after all curiously simple, and mostly of an out-of-door kind. A summary
of the conclusions which can be drawn from the sacred books of the
Buddhists as to the social and economic condition of the Ganges valley,
at the time when those books were composed, will be found in my ‘
Buddhist India,’ ch. IV-VI. The very simple character of the luxury here
depicted is in accordance with the evidence there given.
MAHA-SUDASSANA-SUTTANTA1.
The Great King of Glory
CHAPTER 1
1.
[169] Thus have I heard. The Exalted One was once staying at Kusinara
in the Upavattana, the Sala grove of the Mallas, between the twin Sala
trees, at the time of his death.
2.
Now the venerable Ananda went up to the place where the Exalted One
was, and bowed down before him, and took his seat respectfully on one
side. And when he was so seated, the venerable Ananda said to the
Exalted One : —
Benares. Let the Exalted One die in one of them. There there are many
wealthy nobles and brahmins and heads of houses, believers in the
Tathagata, who will pay due honour to the remains of the Tathagata.’
3.
‘ Say not so, Ananda ! Say not so, Ananda, that this is but a small
wattle-and-daub town, a town in the midst of the jungle, a branch
township. Long ago, Ananda, there was a king, by name Maha-Sudassana, a
king of kings, a righteous man who ruled in righteousness, an anointed
Kshatriya 2 , Lord of the four quarters
1 Sudassana means ‘ beautiful to see, having a glorious appearance and is the name of many kings and heroes in Indian legend.
2
Khattiyo muddhavasitto, which does not occur in the Maha- parinibbana,
the Mahapadana, and the Lakkhawa Suttantas, and other places where this
stock description of a king of kings is found. It is omitted also in the
Lalita Vistara. The Burmese Phayre MS. of the India Office reads here
muddabhisitto, but this is an unnecessary correction. The epithet is
probably inserted here from § 7 below.
of
the earth, conqueror, the protector of his people, possessor of the
seven royal treasures. [170] This Kusinara, Ananda, was the royal city
of king Maha- Sudassana, under the name of Kusavati, 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 Kusavati,
Ananda, was mighty, and prosperous, and full of people, crowded with
men, and provided with all things for food. Just, Ananda, as the royal
city of the gods, A/akamanda by name, is mighty, prosperous, and full of
people, crowded with the gods, and provided with all kinds of food, so,
Ananda, was the royal city Kusavati mighty and prosperous, full of
people, crowded with men, and provided with all kinds of food. Both by
day and by night, Ananda, the royal city Kusavati resounded 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 !”
4.
‘The royal city Kusavati, Ananda, 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!
5.
‘To the royal city Kusavati, Ananda, there were Gates of four colours.
One gate was of gold, and one of silver, and one of jade, and one of
crystal. [171] 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.
1
This enumeration is found also at Jataka I, 3, only that the chank is
added there — wrongly, for that makes the number of cries eleven.
6.
‘The royal city Kusavati, Ananda, 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.
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.
‘And
when those rows of palm trees, Ananda, were shaken by the wind, there
arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and intoxicating 1.
‘Just,
Ananda, as the seven kinds of instruments yield, when well played upon,
to the skilful man, a sound sweet, and pleasant, and charming, and
intoxicating — [172] just even so, Ananda, when those rows of palm trees
were shaken by the wind, there arose a sound sweet, and pleasant, and
charming, and intoxicating.
‘And
whoever, Ananda, in the royal city Kusavati 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.’
1
This section should be compared with one in the Sukhavativyuha,
translated by Professor Max Miiller as follows (’ Journal of the Royal
Asiatic Society,’ 1880, p. 170): —
‘And
again, Sariputra, when those rows of palm trees and strings of bells in
that Buddha country are moved by the wind, a sweet and enrapturing
sound proceeds from them. Yes, O Sariputra, as from a heavenly musical
instrument consisting of a hundred thousand kotis of sounds, when played
by Aryas, 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, § 32, and Jataka I, 32.
7. ‘ The Great King of Glory, Ananda, was the possessor of Seven Precious Things, and was gifted with Four Marvellous Powers.
‘What are those seven ?
1
‘ In the first place, Ananda, when the Great King of Glory, on the
Sabbath day 2 , on the day of 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, 3 with
its nave, its tire, and all its thousand spokes complete.
‘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 Trea- sure 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 king-s invincible 4 .”
8.
‘ Then, Ananda, 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 ! “
‘Then the wondrous Wheel, Ananda, rolled onwards
1
The following enumeration is found word for word in several other Pali
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. § 12.
3 This is the disk of the sun.
4 A king of the rolling wheel.
towards
the region of the East, and after it went the Great King of Glory, and
with him his army, horses, and chariots, and elephants, and men. [173]
And in whatever place, Ananda, 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.
9. ‘Then, Ananda, 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 ! “
‘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
‘Then, Ananda, all the rival kings in the region of the East became subject unto the Great King of Glory.
10.
‘ But the wondrous Wheel, Ananda, 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 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.]
11.
[174] ‘ Now when the wondrous Wheel, Ananda, had gone forth conquering
and to conquer over the whole earth to its very ocean boundary, it
returned back again to the royal city of Kusavati and remained fixed on
the open terrace in front of the entrance to
the inner apartments of the Great King of Glory, as
1
Yathabhuttambhunjatha. Buddhaghosa has no comment on this. I suppose it
means, ‘ Observe the rules current among you regarding clean and
unclean meate.’ If so, the Great King of Glory disregards the teaching
of the Amagandha Sutta (translated in my ‘ Buddhism/ p. 131).
a
glorious adornment to the inner apartments of the Great Kingof Glory. ‘
Such, Ananda, was the wondrous Wheel which appeared to the Great King
of Glory.’
12.
‘Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the
Elephant Treasure J , all white, seven-fold firm 2 , wonderful in power,
flying through the sky — the Elephant-King, whose name was ” The
Changes of the Moon 3 .”
‘When he beheld it the Great King of Glory was pleased at heart at the thought : —
“Auspicious were it to ride upon the Elephant, if only it would submit to be controlled!”
‘Then, Ananda, the wondrous Elephant — like a fine elephant of noble blood long since well trained — submitted to control.
‘And
long ago, Ananda, when the Great King of Glory, to test that wondrous
Elephant, had mounted on to it early in the morning, it passed over
along the broad earth to its very ocean boundary, and then re- turned
again, in time for the morning meal, to the royal city of Kusavati 4 .
‘Such, Ananda, was the wondrous Elephant that appeared to the Great King of Glory.
13. ‘Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Horse Treasure 5 all white
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 n.o
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.’
4 Compare on this and § 29 my • Buddhist Birth Stories/ p. 85, where a similar phrase is used of Kanthaka.
5 Assa-ratanam.
with
a crow-black head, and a dark mane, wonderful in power, flying through
the sky — the Charger-King, whose name was “Thunder-cloud” 1
‘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 ! “
[175] ‘ Then, Ananda, the wondrous Horse — like a fine horse of the best blood long since well trained — submitted to control.
‘
When long ago, Ananda, 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 Kusavati.
‘Such, Ananda, was the wondrous Horse that appeared to the Great King of Glory.
14. ‘Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the Gem-Treasure z . That Gem was the Veluriya, bright, of the finest species, with eight facets, excellently wrought, clear, transparent, perfect in every way.
‘The splendour, Ananda, of that wondrous Gem spread round about a league on everyside.
‘
When, long ago, Ananda, 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.
1And
then too, Ananda, all the dwellers in the villages round about, set
about their daily work, thinking : — ” The daylight hath appeared.”
1
Valahako. Compare the Valahassa-Jataka (Fausboll, No. 196), of which
the Chinese story translated by Mr. Beal at pp. 332-40 of his ‘ Romantic
History,’ &c, is an expanded and altered version. In the Valahaka
Sawyutta of the Sawyutta Nikaya the spirits of the skies are divided
into Uwha-valahakaDeva, Sita-valahaka Deva, Abbha- valahaka Deva,
Vata-valahaka Deva, and Vassa-valahaka Deva, that is, the cloud-spirits
of cold, heat, air, wind, and rain respectively.
2 Mani-ratanam.
‘Such, Ananda, was the wondrous Gem that appeared to the Great King of Glory.’
15.
‘ Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory the
Woman-Treasure 1 graceful in figure, beautiful in appearance, charming
in manner, and of the most fine complexion ; neither 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 2.
‘The
touch too, Ananda, 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.
‘
That Pearl among Women too, Ananda, used to rise up before the Great
King of Glory, [176] 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.
‘That Pearl among
Women too, Ananda, was never, even in thought, unfaithful to the Great
King of Glory — how much less then could she be so with the body !
‘Such, Ananda, was the Pearl among Women who appeared to the Great King of Glory.’
16. ‘ Now further, Ananda, there appeared unto the Great King of Glory a Wonderful Treasurer 3 , possessed,
1 Itthi-ratana;
2 The above description of an ideally beautiful woman is of frequent
occurrence.
3
Gahapati-ratana - 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 fajnilias. 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, of the human race. It is often used in opposition to
brahmana very much as we used ‘yeoman’ in opposition to
‘clerk’ (Jataka I, 83); 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 (Jataka I, 218). The compound brahmawa-gahapatika as a
collective term comes to be about equivalent to ‘ priests and laymen ‘
(see, for instance, below, § 21, and Vinayal, 35, 36). Then again the
gahapati is distinct from the subordinate members of the family, who had
not the control and management of the common property (Samanna Phala
Suttanta 133, = Tevijja Suttanta I, 47); and it is this implication of
the term that is emphasized in the text. Buddhaghosa uses, as an
explanatory phrase, the words se//^i-gahapati.
through
good deeds done in a former birth, of a marvellous power of vision by
which he could discover treasure, whether it had an owner or whether it
had not.
‘He
went up to the Great King of Glory, and said : — ‘ ” Do thou, O King,
take thine ease ! I will deal with thy wealth even as wealth should be
dealt with.”
‘Long
ago, Ananda, 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.”
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!
“[177]
‘Such was the wonderful Treasurer, Ananda, who appeared to the Great King of Glory.’
17.
‘Now further, Ananda, there appeared to the Great King of Glory a
Wonderful Adviser \ 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.
‘He went up to the Great King of Glory, and said: — “Do thou, O King, take thine ease ! I will be thy guide.”
‘Such, Ananda, was the wonderful Adviser who appeared to the Great King of Glory.
‘The Great King of Glory was possessed of these Seven Precious Things.
18. ‘ Now, further, Ananda, the Great King of Glory was gifted with Four Marvellous Gifts 2.
‘What are the Four Marvellous Gifts ?
‘In
the first place, Ananda, 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, Ananda, was endowed with this First Marvellous Gift.
19. ‘ And besides that, Ananda, the Great King of Glory was of long life, and of many years, beyond those of other men.
‘The Great King of Glory, Ananda, was endowed with this Second Marvellous Gift.
20.
‘ And besides that, Ananda, 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 3 .
1 Parinayaka-ratanam. Buddhaghosa says that he was the eldest son of the king. The Lalita Vistara makes him a general.
2
The Four Iddhis. Here again, as elsewhere, it will be noticed that
there is nothing supernatural about these four Iddhis. See the passages
quoted above, Vol. I, pp. 272 foil. They are merely attributes
accompanying or forming part of the majesty (iddhi) of the King of
kings.
3
The same thing is said of Ratthapala in the Ratthapala Sutta, where
Gogerly renders the whole passage : — ‘ Ratthajapala 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,’ 1847-8, p. 98). The gaham is a supposed particular organ or
function situate at the junction of the stomach and intestines.
Moggallana explains it, udare tu tatha pacanalasmiw gahawi
(Abhidhana-ppadipika 972), where Subhuti’s Sinhalese version is ‘
kukshi, pakagni,’ and his English version, ‘the belly, the internal fire
which promotes digestion.’ Buddhaghosa explains samavipakiya
kammaga-tejo-dhatuya, 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
samavepakini gahawi, but he who has appetite (bhattacchando) when the
time for food comes round again, he has the samavepakini gahawi,’ —
which is delightfully nai’ve.
‘The Great King of Glory, Ananda, was endowed with this Third Marvellous Gift.
21.
[178] ‘And besides that, Ananda, the Great King of Glory was beloved
and popular with priests and with laymen alike. Just, Ananda, as a
father is near and dear to his own sons, just so, Ananda, was the Great
King of Glory beloved and popular with priests and with laymen alike.
And just, Ananda, as his sons are near and dear to a father, just so,
Ananda, were priests and laymen alike near and dear to the Great King of
Glory.
‘Once,
Ananda, the Great King of Glory marched out with all his fourfold army
to the pleasure ground. There, Ananda, the priests 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, Ananda, addressed his charioteer, and said : —
“Drive on the chariot slowly, charioteer, that I may look upon my people [priests and laymen] for a longer time ! “
‘This was the Fourth Marvellous Gift, Ananda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed.
‘ These are the Four Marvellous Gifts, Ananda, with which the Great King of Glory was endowed.’
22.
‘ Now to the Great King of Glory, Ananda, there occurred the thought :
—’ ” Suppose, now, I were to make Lotus-ponds in the spaces between
these palms, at every hundred bowlengths.”
‘Then,
Ananda, the Great King of Glory, in the spaces between those palms, at
distances of a hundred bow-lengths, made Lotus-ponds.
‘And
those Lotus-ponds, Ananda, 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.
‘And
to each of those Lotus-ponds, Ananda, 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. [170] 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 balus- trades of crystal, with
cross bars and figure-head of beryl.
‘And
round those Lotus-ponds there ran, Ananda, 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
Pokkharawi, 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 Anuradbapura
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 railings are in Pali thambha, suciyo, unhisa, and vedika, of the
exact meaning of which I am not quite confident. They do not occur in
the description of the Lotus-lakes in Sukhavati. General Cunningham says
that the cross bars of the Buddhist railings are called suciyo in the
inscriptions at Bharahat (’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
vedikas one was at the limit of the tiles and one at the limit of the
parivewa. See below §31; and Rhys Davids, ‘ Buddhist India,’ Figures 6, 7
; pp. 74-6.
23. ‘ Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ananda, there occurred the thought : —
‘
” Suppose, now, I were to have flowers of every season planted in those
Lotus-ponds for all the people to have garlands to put on 1 — to wit,
blue water-lilies and blue lotuses, white lotuses and white
water-lilies.”
[And the king had such flowers planted there accordingly.]
‘ Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ananda, 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.”
[And the king had such bathing-men placed there accordingly.]
‘ Now, to the Great King of Glory, Ananda, 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.”
[180]
‘ Then, Ananda, 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.’
24.
‘ Now, Ananda, the people [priests 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
1
Literally ‘ have garlands planted for all the people to put on ‘ — an
elliptical expression revealing the ideas of that early time as to the
only possible use of flowers. I think the reading should be anavaram.
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 ! “
‘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.”
‘Then they went to the Great King of Glory, and said : —
“A mansion would we build for thee, O King ! “
‘Then, Ananda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent.’
25.
‘ Now, Ananda, 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, and said : —
‘”Come now, Vissakamma, create me a mansion for the Great King of Glory — a palace which shall be called ‘Righteousness ‘.”
“Even
so, lord ! ” said Vissakamma, in assent, Ananda, to Sakka, the king of
the gods. [181] 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.
‘Then, Ananda, 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, Ananda, the Great King of Glory signified, by silence, his consent.
‘So Vissakamma the god, Ananda, created for the Great King of Glory a mansion — a palace to be called
“Righteousness”.’
26.
‘ The Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, 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.
‘
The ground-floor, Ananda, of the Palace of Righteousness, 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.
‘To
the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, 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.
‘The Palace of Righteousness,
Ananda, 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.
‘In
the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, 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. [ 182 ] The staircase of beryl had balustrades of
beryl, with the cross bars and the figure-head of crystal. The stair-
case of crystal had balustrades of crystal, with cross
bars and figure-head of beryl.
‘In
the Palace of Righteousness, Ananda, 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 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.’