{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/digha/dn20.htm","path":"bud/digha/dn20.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/digha/dn20.htm","text":"At any rate, this discourse is the closest thing in the Pali Canon to a \"who's who\" of the deva worlds, and should provide useful material for anyone interested in the cosmology of early Buddhism.\nThe Commentary reports the belief that the devas enjoy hearing this discourse chanted in Pali. Until recently it was part of many monks' standard memorized repertoire, to be chanted at weddings and the dedication of new buildings. Even today, as many of the traditions of memorization in Asia seem to be falling by the wayside, there are a few monks and laypeople who chant this discourse regularly.\nI have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Great Wood, together with a large Sangha of approximately five hundred bhikkhus, all of them arahants. And most of the devatas from ten world-systems had gathered in order to see the Blessed One and the Bhikkhu Sangha. Then the thought occurred to four devatas of the ranks from the Pure Abodes: \"The Blessed One is dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Great Wood, together with a large Sangha of about five hundred bhikkhus, all of them arahants. And most of the devatas from ten world-systems have gathered in order to see the Blessed One and the Bhikkhu Sangha. Let us also approach the Blessed One and, on arrival, let us each speak a verse in his presence.\"\nThen, just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, those devatas disappeared from among the devas of the Pure Abodes and reappeared before the Blessed One. Having paid homage to the Blessed One, they stood to one side. As they were standing there, one devata recited this verse in the Blessed One's presence:\nA great meeting in the woods:\nThe deva hosts have assembled.\nWe have come to this Dhamma meeting\nTo see the invincible Sangha.\nThe bhikkhus there are concentrated,\nHave straightened their own minds.\nLike a charioteer holding the reins,\nThe wise ones guard their faculties.\nHaving cut through barrenness, cut the cross-bar,\nHaving uprooted Indra's pillar, unstirred,\nThey wander about pure, unstained,\nYoung nagas well tamed by the One with Vision.\nThose who have gone to the Buddha for refuge\nWill not go to the plane of woe.\nOn discarding the human body,\nThey will fill the hosts of the devas.\nThen the Blessed One addressed the monks: \"Monks, most of the devatas from ten world-systems have gathered in order to see the Tathagata and the Bhikkhu Sangha. Those who, in the past, were Pure Ones, Rightly Self-awakened, at most had their devata-gathering like mine at the present. Those who, in the future, will be Pure Ones, Rightly Self-awakened, will at most have their devata-gathering like mine at the present. I will detail for you the names of the deva hosts. I will describe to you the names of the deva hosts. I will teach you the names of the deva hosts. Listen and pay close attention. I will speak.\"\n\"As you say, lord,\" the monks replied. The Blessed One said:\nI recite a verse of tribute.\nThose who live where spirits dwell,\nwho live in mountain caves,\nresolute, concentrated,\nmany, like hidden lions,\nwho have overcome horripilation,\nwhite-hearted, pure,\nserene, and undisturbed:\nKnowing that more than 500 of them\nhad come to the forest of Kapilavatthu,\nthe Teacher then said to them,\ndisciples delighting in his instruction,\n\"The deva hosts have approached.\nDetect them, monks!\"\nListening to the Awakened One's instruction,\nthey made a diligent effort.\nKnowledge appeared to them,\nvision of non-human beings.\nSome saw 100, some 1,000, some 70,000,\nsome had vision of 100,000 non-human beings.\nSome gained vision of innumerable devas\nfilling every direction.\nRealizing all this,\nthe One-with-Vision felt moved to speak.\nThe Teacher then said to them,\ndisciples delighting in his instruction,\n\"The deva hosts have approached.\nDetect them, monks,\nas I describe their glories, one by one.\n7,000 yakkhas inhabiting the land of Kapilavatthu,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\n6,000 yakhas from the Himalayas,\nof varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nFrom Mount Sata 3,000 yakkhas\nof varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nThese 16,000 yakkhas of varied hue\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\n500 yakkhas from Vessamitta, of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nKumbhira from Rajagaha,\nwho dwells on Mount Vepulla,\naccompanied by more than 100,000 yakkhas -- \nKumbhira from Rajagaha:\nHe, too, has come to the forest meeting.\nAnd Dhatarattha, who rules\nas king of the Eastern Direction,\nas lord of the gandhabbas:\nA glorious, great king is he,\nand many are his sons\nnamed Indra, of great strength.\nPowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, they have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nAnd Virulha, who rules\nas king of the Southern Direction,\nas lord of the kumbandas:\nA glorious, great king is he,\nand many are his sons\nnamed Indra, of great strength.\nPowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, they have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nAnd Virupakkha, who rules\nas king of the Western Direction,\nas lord of the nagas:\nA glorious, great king is he,\nand many are his sons\nnamed Indra, of great strength.\nPowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, they have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nAnd Kuvera, who rules\nas king of the Northern Direction,\nas lord of the yakkhas:\nA glorious, great king is he,\nand many are his sons\nnamed Indra, of great strength.\nPowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, they have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nDhatarattha from the Eastern Direction,\nVirulhaka from the South,\nVirupakkha from the West,\nKuvera from the Northern Direction:\nThese four Great Kings\nencompassing the four directions,\nresplendent, stand in the Kapilavatthu forest.\nTheir deceitful vassals have also come\n-- deceptive, treacherous -- \nMaya, Kutendu, vetendu,\nVitu with Vituta,\nCandana, the Chief of Sensual Pleasure,\nKinnughandu, Nighandu,\nPanada, the Mimic,\nMatali, the deva's charioteer,\nCittasena the gandhabba,\nKing Nala, the Bull of the People,\nPa\u00f1casikha has come\nwith Timbaru and his daughter, Suriyavacchasa.\nThese and other kings, gandhabbas with their kings,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nThen there have also come\nnagas from Lake Nabhasa,\nVesali, and Tacchaka.\nKambalas, Assataras,\nPayagas, and their kin.\nAnd from the River Yamuna\ncomes the prestigious naga, Dhatarattha.\nThe great naga Eravanna:\nHe, too, has come\nto the forest meeting.\"\nThey who swoop down swiftly on naga kings,\ndivine, twice-born, winged, their eyesight pure:\n(Garudas) came from the sky to the midst of the forest.\nCitra and Supanna are their names.\nBut the Buddha made the naga kings safe,\nmade them secure from Supanna.\nAddressing one another with affectionate words,\nthe nagas and Supannas made the Buddha their refuge.\n\"Defeated by Indra of the thunderbolt hand,\nAsuras dwelling in the ocean,\nVasava's brothers -- powerful, prestigious -- \nGreatly terrifying Kalaka\u00f1jas,\nthe Danaveghasa asuras\nVepacitti and Sucitti,\nPaharada, with Namuci,\nand Bali's hundred sons, all named Veroca,\narrayed with powerful armies\nhave approached their honored Rahu\n[and said]: 'Now is the occasion, sir,\nof the monk's forest meeting.'\nDevas of water, earth, fire, and wind have come here.\nVarunas, Varunas,\nSoma together with Yasa,\nthe prestigious devas of the hosts\nof goodwill and compassion have come.\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nVendu (Visnu) and Sahali,\nAsama and the Yama twins,\nthe devas dependent on the moon\nsurrounding the moon have come.\nThe devas dependent on the sun\nsurrounding the sun have come.\nDevas surrounding the zodiac stars\nand the sprites of the clouds have come.\nSakka, chief of the Vasus, the ancient donor, has come.\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nThen come the Sahabhu devas,\nblazing like crests of fire-flame.\nThe Arittakas, Rojas,\ncornflower blue.\nVarunas and Sahadhammas,\nAccutas and Anejakas,\nSuleyyas and Ruciras,\nand Vasavanesis have come.\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nSamanas and Great Samanas,\nManusas and Super Manusas,\nthe devas corrupted by fun have come,\nas well as devas corrupted by mind.\nThen come green-gold devas and those wearing red.\nParagas and Great Paragas,\nprestigious devas have come.\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nWhite devas, ruddy-green devas, dawn-devas\nhave come with the Veghanas\nheaded by devas totally in white.\nThe Vicakkhanas have come.\nSadamatta, Haragajas,\nand the prestigious multi-coloreds,\nPajunna, the thunderer,\nwho brings rain to all lands:\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nThe Khemiyas, Tusitas, and Yamas,\nthe prestigious Katthakas,\nLambitakas, and Lama chiefs,\nthe Jotinamas and Asavas,\nthe Nimmanaratis have come,\nas have the Paranimmitas.\nThese ten ten-fold hosts, all of varied hue,\npowerful, effulgent,\nglamorous, prestigious,\nrejoicing, have approached\nthe monks' forest meeting.\nThese 60 deva groups, all of varied hue,\nhave come arranged in order,\ntogether with others in like manner\n[thinking:]\n'We'll see him who has transcended birth,\nwho has no bounds,\nwho has crossed over the flood,\nthe Mighty One, beyond evil,\nlike the moon released from a cloud.'\nSubrahma and Paramatta Brahma,\ntogether with sons of the Powerful One,\nSanankumara and Tissa:\nThey too have come to the forest meeting.\nGreat Brahma, who stands over\n1,000 Brahma worlds,\nwho arose there spontaneously, effulgent:\nPrestigious is he, with a terrifying body.\nAnd ten brahma sovereigns,\neach the lord of his own realm -- \nand in their midst has come\nHarita Brahma surrounded by his retinue.\"\nWhen all these devas\nwith Indras and Brahmas had come,\nMara came as well.\nNow look at the Dark One's foolishness!\n[He said:] \"Come seize them! Bind them!\nTie them down with passion!\nSurround them on every side!\nDon't let anyone at all escape!\"\nThus the great war-lord urged on his dark army,\nslapping the ground with his hand,\nmaking a horrendous din, as when\na storm cloud bursts with thunder,\nlightening, and torrents of rain.\nBut then he withdrew-enraged,\nwith none under his sway.\nRealizing all this,\nthe One-with-Vision felt moved to speak.\nThe Teacher then said to them,\ndisciples delighting in his instruction,\n\"Mara's army has approached.\nDetect them, monks!\"\nListening to the Awakened One's instruction,\nthey made a diligent effort.\nThe army retreated\nfrom those without passion,\nwithout raising even a hair on their bodies.\nHaving all won the battle\n-- prestigious, past fear -- \nthey rejoice with all beings:\nDisciples outstanding among the human race.","title":"DN 20: Mahasamaya Sutta","type":"page"}