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

11." Nowise save through thy word, O Exalted One, nowise save through thy word, O Blessed One ! From the moment when I had gone over, in absolute and entire faith to the Exalted One, from that moment, lord, [207] did I who am destined not to be reborn in states of woe, been conscious of that destiny ; and I now desire to become a Once-returner. Now, lord, I have been sent on a message concerning some business by King Vessava;za to King Viru/haka ; and on my way I saw the Exalted One entering the Brick House, and sitting down to think over, to cogitate upon, to concentrate his whole mind upon the deceased Magadhese adherents, in the resolve to know their future, their fate after this life ; whither the good men are bound, what their destiny is. Now it was only the moment before, lord, that I had heard face to face and had understood from his own mouth from King Vessava/za, how he had said to his assembly whither those good men were bound, and what their destiny was, so it occurred to me that I would visit the Exalted One, and I would announce it to him. These, lord, are the two reasons why I came forth to visit the Exalted One \

1 2 2. In days gone by, lord, in days long long gone by, it came to pass that on the night of the feast of the fifteenth day at the full moon in the month for entering upon Retreat3, the month Asa/hi, the whole of the gods in the retinue of the Thirty-Three were assembled

1 These two reasons are : firstly, that he had heard a statement by Vessavawa ; secondly, that (having noticed, on his way, how the Exalted One had been thinking on that very matter) he wished to report it to him.

2 Recurs slightly altered below, Maha-Govinda Suttanta, § 2.

3 Vassupanayika. Vassa is here used in its technical sense of the yearly Retreat during the rains. See A. I, 51 ; Vin. I, 137.

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together, seated in the hall of Good Counsel. And around them on every side a vast celestial company was seated ; and at the four quarters of the firmament sat the Four Great Kings. There was Dhatara^a, king of the East, seated facing the west, presiding over his host ; Viru/haka, king of the South, seated facing the north, presiding over his host ; Virupakkha, king of the West, seated facing the east, presiding over his host ; and Vessava;m, king of the North, seated facing the south, presiding over his host. [208] Whenever, lord, all the gods in the heaven of the Thirty-Three are assembled and seated in their hall of Good Counsel, with a vast celestial company seated around them on every side, and with the Four Great Kings at the four quarters of the firmament, this is the order of the seats of the Four. After that come our seats. . And those gods, lord, who had been recently reborn in the hosts of the Thirty-Three because they had lived the higher life under the Exalted One, they outshone the other gods in appearance and in glory. And thereat, lord, the Thirty-Three were glad and of good cheer, were filled with joy and happiness, saying : — " Verily, sirs, the celestial hosts are waxing, the titanic hosts are waning."

13. Now, lord, Sakka, ruler of the gods, when he saw the satisfaction felt by the retinue of the Threeand-Thirty, expressed his approval in these verses : —

The Three-and-Thirty, verily, both gods and lord,