Saɱyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
55. Sot'Āpatti Saɱyutta
2. Sahassaka or Rājakārama Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
55. Kindred Sayings on Streamwinning
2. Thousandfold or Royal Park
Sutta 18
Paṭhama Deva-Cārika Suttaɱ
Visiting the Devas (a)
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1] THUS have I heard:
Once the venerable Moggallāna the Great was staying near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Now the venerable Moggallāna the Great,
just as a strong man might stretch out his bent arm,
or draw in his outstretched [319] arm, -
even so did he vanish from Jeta Grove
and appear among the Devas of the Thirty-Three.
Then a number of the Devas of the Thirty-Three
came to see the venerable Moggallāna the Great,
and on coming to him
saluted him
and stood at one side.[1]
As they thus stood
the venerable Moggallāna the Great said this to those Devas:
"It is a good thing, friends, to be blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha
thus:
'He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.'
As a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha
some beings here,[2]
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is a good thing, friends, to be blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Norm
thus:
'Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise.'
As a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Norm
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is a good thing, friends, to be blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Order
thus:
'Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.
That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.
Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'
As a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Order
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is a good thing, friends, to be blessed
with the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted,
which lead to concentration of the mind.
As a result of being blessed with the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World."
§
"It is indeed a good thing, most worthy sir, -
this winning of unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
thus:
'He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.'
True it is that as a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is indeed a good thing, most worthy sir, -
this winning of unwavering loyalty to the Norm
thus:
'Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise.'
True it is that as a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Norm
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is indeed a good thing, most worthy sir, -
this winning of unwavering loyalty to the Order
thus:
'Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.
That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.
Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'
True it is that as a result of being blessed with unwavering loyalty to the Order
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World.
■
"It is indeed a good thing, most worthy sir, -
this winning of virtues dear to the Ariyans,
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted,
which lead to concentration of the mind.
True it is that as a result of being blessed with the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
some beings here,
when body breaks up,
after death
are reborn in the Happy Lot,
in the Heaven World."
The Devas when they visit here do not sit because this place is perceived as incredably filthy. [No spot to be caught sitting.] It stinks thousands of miles into space. But what of this case, where they are in their own realm? Is this, perhaps, just a pick-up by the scribe? See below which could be seen as confirming the scribe's confusion.
— p.p.
[1] Devas apparently do not sit down.
"Idha" most frequently refers to "In this Dhamma," or "In this case." When "This World" is spoken of, it is the world of creation. The entire cosmos. Again, to assume a distinction in 'space' between the heavens and earth (here vs. there) is to impose a view of the construction of the universe that is particular to the human mind and moreso to that of the Judeao/Christian and even moreso to the English mind. Finally, M's 'here,' in this case, may reasonably have been speaking of the Realm of the Thirty and Three. These gods are subject to rebirth as are all living beings and need to know the way to rebirth in the heavens as much as any other.
— p.p.
[2] Idha, apparently Moggallāna forgets that he is already in the next world; idha being generally used of 'this world.'
