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

' The purpose of the spirits, O Vase/^as, is this : — That venerable brother Maha Kassapa is now journeying along the way from Pava to Kusinara with a great company of the brethren, with five hundred brethren. The funeral pyre of the Exalted One shall not catch fire until the venerable Maha Kassapa shall have been able reverently to salute the feet of the Exalted One.'

' Even according to the purpose of the spirits so, sir, let it be!'

22. Then the venerable Maha Kassapa went on to Maku/a-bandhana of Kusinara, to the shrine of the Mallas, to the place where the funeral pyre of the Exalted One was. And when he had come up to it he arranged his robe on one shoulder ; and after bowing down with clasped hands, he thrice walked reverently round the pyre, and then, uncovering the feet, he bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Exalted One.

And those five hundred brethren arranged their rcbes on one shoulder ; and bowing down with claspedl86 XVI. MAHA PARINIBBANA SUTTANTA. D. ii. 163. hands, they thrice walked reverently round the pyre, and then bowed down in reverence at the feet of the Exalted One [164].

And when the homage of the venerable Maha Kassapa and of those five hundred brethren was ended, the funeral pyre of the Exalted One caught fire of itself1.

23. Now as the body of the Exalted One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen. Only the bones remained behind. Just as one sees no soot or ash when ghee or oil is burned ; so, as the body of the Exalted One burned itself away, from the skin and the integument, and the flesh, and the nerves, and the fluid of the joints, neither soot nor ash was seen. Only the bones remained behind. And of those five hundred pieces of raiment the very innermost and outermost were both consumed.

And when the body of the Exalted One had been burnt up, there came down streams of water from the sky and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One ; and there burst forth streams of water from the storehouse of the waters [beneath the earth], and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One. The Mallas of Kusinara also brought water scented

1 It is possible that we have here the survival of some ancient custom. Spence Hardy appropriately refers to a ceremony among Jews (of what place or time is not mentioned) in the following terms : — ' Just before a Jew is taken out of the house to be buried, the relatives and acquaintances of the departed stand round the coffin ; when the feet are uncovered ; and each in rotation lays hold of the great toes, and begs pardon for any offence given to the deceased, and requests a favourable mention of them in the next world ' (' Manual of Buddhism,' p. 348).

The Buddhist bhikkhus in Siam and the great majority of those in Ceylon (the adherents of the Siyam-samagama) always keep one shoulder uncovered. It is evident that the bhikkhus in Burma and those in Ceylon, who belong to the Amara-pura-samagama, are more in accordance with ancient custom in wearing the robe ordinarily over both shoulders. ,

D. ii. 165. THE MOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. 1 87 with all kinds of perfumes, and extinguished the funeral pyre of the Exalted One'.

Then the Mallas of Kusinara surrounded the bones of the Exalted One in their council hall with a lattice work of spears, and with a rampart of bows ; and there for seven days they paid honour, and reverence, and respect, and homage to them with dance, and song, and music, and with garlands and perfumes.

24. Now the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, heard the news that the Exalted One had died at Kusinara.

Then the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, the son of the queen of the Videha clan, sent a messenger to the Mallas, saying, — ' The Exalted One was a Kshatriya and so am I. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the Exalted One. Over the remains of the Exalted One will I put up a sacred cairn, and in their honour will I celebrate a feast ! '