1 La/Mivana (Sansk. yash/ivana), literally, ' stick forest/ means a forest consisting of bambus. General Cunningham has the following note about this bambu forest: 'In 1862, when I was at Rajgir (i.e. Rag-agaha), I heard the bambu forest always spoken of as Jaktiban; ... I fixed the position of the bambu forest to the south-west of Rajgir on the hill lying between the hot-springs of Tapoban and old Ra^agr/ha/ Reports, III, 140.
The word we have rendered sacred shrine is ^Tetiya.
I, 22, 4. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. I 37
gods and men ; he preaches that Truth (Dhamma)
which is glorious in the beginning, glorious in the
middle, glorious at the end, in the spirit and in the
letter ; he proclaims a consummate, perfect, and pure
life." It is good to obtain the sight of holy men
(Arahats) like that/
3. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara, sur-
rounded by twelve myriads of Magadha Brahma/zas
and householders1, went to the place where the
Blessed One was ; having approached him and
respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down
near him. And of those twelve myriads of Magadha
Brahma^as and householders some also respectfully
saluted the Blessed One and sat down near him ;
some exchanged greeting with the Blessed One,
having exchanged with him greeting and complaisant
words, they sat down near him ; some bent their
clasped hands towards the Blessed One and sat
down near him ; some shouted out their name and
their family name before the Blessed One and sat
down near him ; some silently sat down near him.
4. Now those twelve myriads of Magadha Brih-
ma/zas and householders thought : 'How now is
this? has the great Samara placed himself under
the spiritual direction of Uruvela Kassapa, or has
Uruvela Kassapa placed himself under the spiritual
direction of the great Samara ?'
And the Blessed One, who understood in his mind
the reflection which had arisen in the minds of those
twelve myriads of Magadha Brahma/zas and house-
holders, addressed the venerable Uruvela Kassapa
1 The word householder (gahapati) is used here, as is the case not unfrequently, to denote householders of the third caste. Com- pare Rh. D.'s note on Maha-sudassana Sutta, p. 260.
1 38 MAHAVAGGA. I, 22, 5.
in this stanza : * What knowledge have you gained,
O inhabitant of Uruvela, that has induced you, who
were renowned for your penances1, to forsake your
sacred fire? I ask you, Kassapa, this question: How
is it that your fire sacrifice has become deserted?'
5. * But if your mind, Kassapa (said the Blessed
One5), found there no more delight, — either in visible
things, or sounds, or tastes, — what is it in the world
of men or gods in which6 your mind, Kassapa, now
finds delight? Tell me that.'
(Kassapa replied) : ' I have seen the state of peace
(i. e. Nirvana) in which the basis of existence
(upadhi3) and the obstacles to perfection (kin-
1 Literally, 'who is known as emaciate/ This is said with reference to the mortifications practised by the Ga/ilas or Vana- prasthas. The Mahabharata (III, 1499) uses the same adjective (kma) of a Ga/ila. Vadano we take for a participle, but it is possible also to read vada no, ' tell us/ which Professor Jacobi (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morg. Ges., XXXIV, p. 187) prefers. Buddhaghosa takes kisakovadano for a compound of kisaka and ovadana : tapasanaw ovadako anusasako.
2 The meaning is: The mantras which are recited at the sacrifices contain praises of visible things, &c, and the rewards that are promised to him who offers such sacrifices do not extend beyond that same sphere.
3 The Pali word is upadhi, which is translated by Childers, 'substratum of being.' See our note on chap. 5. 2. In this passage upadhi is said to refer to the Khandhas (Buddhaghosa).
4 Here we have the Vedic distinction of greater and smaller sacrifices (ya^atayas and^uhotayas).
5 The words 'said the Blessed One' (ti Bhagava avo/fca) are probably interpolated from a gloss, as they destroy the metre.
6 Doubtless Buddhaghosa is right in explaining ko by kva.
I, 22, 8. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 1 39
hna1) have ceased, which is free from attachment
to sensual existence, which cannot pass over into
another state, which cannot be led to another state ;
therefore I took no more delight in sacrifices and
offerings/
6. Then the venerable Uruvela Kassapa rose from
his seat, adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one
shoulder, prostrated himself, inclining his head to the
feet of the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One :
' My teacher, Lord, is the Blessed One, I am his pupil ;
my teacher, Lord, is the Blessed One, I am his
pupil/ Then those twelve myriads of Magadha
Brahma^as and householders understood : ' Uruvela
Kassapa has placed himself under the spiritual direc-
tion of the great Samara/
7, 8. And the Blessed One, who understood in
his mind the reflection that had arisen in the minds
of those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahma^as
and householders, preached to them in due course
(&c, as in chap. 7, j J 5, 6, down to:). Just as a clean
cloth free from black specks properly takes the dye,
thus eleven myriads of those Magadha Br&hma^as
and householders with Bimbisara at their head, while
sitting there, obtained the pure and spotless Eye
of the Truth (that is, the knowledge) : ' Whatsoever
is subject to the condition of origination is subject
1 Akm/£ana here, and elsewhere, used as an epithet of Arahatship, refers to the state of mind in which the ki^^anas, that is, lust, malice, and delusion (so in the Sa^giti Sutta of the Digha Nikaya), have ceased to be. It is literally 'being without the somethings/ which are the things that stand in the way, the obstacles to Buddhist perfection; and Buddhaghosa (in the Su- mahgala Vilasini on the passage in the Sawgiti Sutta) explains accordingly kinkana. by pa/ibodha.
140 MAHAVAGGA. I, 22, 9.
also to the condition of cessation/ One myriad announced their having become lay-pupils.
9. Then the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara,
having seen the Truth (&c down to) de-
pendent on nobody else for the knowledge of the
Teacher's doctrine, said to the Blessed One : ' In
former days, Lord, when I was a prince, I entertained
five wishes ; these are fulfilled now. In former days,
Lord, when I was a prince, I wished : " O that I might
be inaugurated as king." This was my first wish,
Lord ; this is fulfilled now. " And might then the holy,
absolute Sambuddha come into my kingdom/ ' This
was my second wish, Lord ; this is fulfilled now.
10. * "And might I pay my respects to Him, the
Blessed One." This was my third wish, Lord; this
is fulfilled now. "And might He the Blessed One
preach his doctrine (Dhamma) to me." This was my
fourth wish, Lord ; this is fulfilled now. " And might I
understand His, the Blessed One's doctrine." This was
my fifth wish, Lord ; this is fulfilled now. These were
the five wishes, Lord, which I entertained in former
days when I was a prince ; these are fulfilled now.
11. ' Glorious, Lord ! (&c, as in chap. 7. 10, down
to :) who has taken his refuge in Him. And might
the Blessed One, Lord, consent to take his meal
with me to-morrow together with the fraternity of
Bhikkhus/
The Blessed One expressed his consent by re- maining silent.
12. Then the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara,
when he understood that the Blessed One had
accepted his invitation, rose from his seat, respect-
fully saluted the Blessed One, and, passing round
him with his right side towards him, went away.
I, 22, 13. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 141
And when the night had elapsed, the Magadha king
Seniya Bimbisara ordered excellent food, both hard
and soft, to be prepared, and had dinner-time an-
nounced to the Blessed One in the words : ' It is
time, Lord, the meal is ready/ And in the forenoon
the Blessed One, having put on his under-robes,
took his alms-bowl, and with his /£ivara on entered
the city of Ra^agaha accompanied by a great number
of Bhikkhus, by one thousand Bhikkhus who all had
been 6Wilas before.
13. At that time Sakka the king of the devas,
assuming the appearance of a young Brahman, walked
in front of the Bhikkhu fraternity with Buddha
at its head, singing the following stanzas : ' The
self-controlled One with the self-controlled, with the
former Ga/ilas, the released One with the released,
the Blessed One, gold-coloured like an ornament
of sing! gold x, has entered Ra^agaha.
' The emancipated One with the emancipated, with the former GWilas, &c.
' He who has crossed (the ocean of passion) with
them who have crossed (it), with the former GWilas,
the released One with the released, the Blessed
One, gold-coloured like an ornament of sihgi gold,
has entered Ra^agaha.
* He who is possessed of the ten Noble States2
1 Gold colour is one (the 17th) of the thirty-two lakkha^a which form the characteristics of Buddha as a mahapurisa.
2 The ten ariyavasas. Buddhaghosa says : dasasu ariyava- sesu vutthavaso. The Samgiti Sutta gives the ten Noble States, as follows: 1. being free from the five bad qualities (pan^anga), 2. being possessed of the six good qualities (/£^a/anga), 3. being guarded in the one thing (ekarakkha), 4. observing four things (/fcaturapassena), 5. rejecting each of the four false truths (pa- nunna pa/£/£eka-sa/£/£a), 6. seeking right things (samavayasa-
142 MAHAVAGGA. I, 22, 14.
and of the ten Powers l, who understands the ten
Paths of Kamma 2 and possesses the ten (attributes
of Arahatship) 3, the Blessed One, surrounded by
ten hundred of followers, has entered Ra^agaha.'
14. The people when they saw Sakka the king
of the devas, said : * This youth indeed is handsome ;
this youth indeed has a lovely appearance ; this
youth indeed is pleasing. Whose attendant may
this youth be ?'
When they talked thus, Sakka the king of the
devas addressed those people in this stanza : * He
who is wise, entirely self-controlled, the unrivalled
Buddha, the Arahat, the most happy upon earth :
his attendant am 1/
15. And the Blessed One went to the palace
of the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara. Having
gone there, he sat down with the Bhikkhus who
followed him, on seats laid out for them. Then the
Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara with his own hands
served and offered excellent food, both hard and soft,
to the fraternity of Bhikkhus with the Buddha at
dhesana), 7. having pure aims (anavila-sawkappa), 8. being full of ease (passaddhakaya-sawkhara), 9. being emancipated in heart (suvimutta^itta), 10. being emancipated in ideas (suvi- muttapawwa). The Sa/rcgiti then further enlarges on the meaning of each of these ten.
1 The ten Balas, which are ten kinds of knowledge (#a«a); see Burnouf, Lotus, p. 781 and following, and compare Gataka I, 78.
2 Buddhaghosa explains dasadhammavidu by dasakammapatha- vidu.
3 Buddhaghosa explains dasabhi ft upeto by supplying ase- khehi dhammehi. The first eight of the ten asekha dhamma consist in the full perfection of sammadi/Mi (right belief) and the other categories enumerated in the formula of the Noble Eightfold Path; the ninth and tenth are the perfection ofsammawa^a (right knowledge) and sammavimutti (right emancipation).
I, 22, 18. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 1 43
its head ; and when the Blessed One had finished
his meal and cleansed his bowl and his hands, he
sat down near him.
16. Sitting near him the Magadha king Seniya
Bimbisara thought : * Where may I find a place for
the Blessed One to live in, not too far from the
town and not too near, suitable for going and coming,
easily accessible for all people who want (to see
him), by day not too crowded, at night not exposed
to much noise and alarm, clean of the smell of
people, hidden from men, well fitted for a retired
life?'
17. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara
thought : ' There is the Ve/uvana 1, my pleasure
garden, which is not too far from the town and not
too near, suitable for going and coming, .... (&c,
down to a retired life). What if I were to make
an offering of the Ve/uvana pleasure garden to
the fraternity of Bhikkhus with the Buddha at its
head?'
18. And the Magadha king Seniya Bimbisara
took a golden vessel (with water in it, to be poured
over the Buddha's hand); and dedicated (the garden)
to the Blessed One (by saying), 'I give up this
Ve/uvana pleasure garden, Lord, to the fraternity
of Bhikkhus with the Buddha at its head.' The
Blessed One accepted the arama (park). Then
the Blessed One, after having taught, incited,
animated, and gladdened the Magadha king Seniya