Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

' " 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 anavarazw.

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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 1 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.

1 So Vissakamma the god, Ananda, created for the Great King of Glory a mansion — a palace to be called " Righteousness ".'

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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.

A

1 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 staircase of crystal had balustrades of crystal, with cross bars and figure-head of beryl.