Chapter 14
Nagarappavesano — The Entry into the City
King Devānampiyatissa, having granted the people of the city permission to enjoy water sports (salilakīḷā), went out to engage in a royal deer hunt (migava). Surrounded by forty thousand men, he pursued the chase on foot and eventually arrived at Missaka Mountain (Mihintale).
Wishing to reveal the Elders to the king, a deity assumed the form of a stag (gokaṇṇa) and appeared on the mountain. The king saw it and thought:
“This deer is unwary; it would not be proper to shoot it.”
Nevertheless, he drew his bowstring. Immediately the stag fled between the mountains. The king pursued it and, while following it, came into the presence of the Elders. As soon as the king saw the Elders, the stag vanished.
The Elder thought:
“If many monks appear at once, the king may become frightened.”
Therefore he alone revealed himself. Seeing the king standing there in fear, the Elder called:
“Come here, Tissa!”
Hearing himself addressed by name, the king thought:
“Surely this must be a yakkha.”
Then the Elder said:
“Great King, we are ascetics (samaṇā), disciples of the King of Dhamma (Dhammarāja). Out of compassion for you, we have come here from Jambudīpa.”
When the king heard this, his fear disappeared. Remembering the message previously exchanged between himself and Emperor Asoka concerning the Buddhist monks, he became convinced:
“These are indeed ascetics.”
The king laid aside his bow and arrows, approached the Elder respectfully, and sat down nearby. His attendants soon arrived and gathered around him. Then the Elder revealed the other six companions who had come with him. Seeing them, the king asked:
“When did these venerable ones arrive?”
The Elder replied:
“They came together with me.”
The king then asked:
“Are there other ascetics like you in Jambudīpa?”
The Elder replied:
“Indeed there are. Jambudīpa is adorned with monks wearing the saffron robe (kāsāva). There are many disciples of the Buddha who possess the Three Knowledges (tevijjā), who have attained spiritual powers (iddhi), who know the minds of others (cetopariya), who possess the divine ear (dibbasota), and who are arahants.”
The king then asked:
“By what means have you come here?”
The Elder answered:
“Not by land and not by water.”
Hearing this, the king understood that they had arrived through the air by supernatural power.
The Mango Tree Questions
The wise king was tested by the Elder with a series of questions.
The Elder pointed to a mango tree and asked:
“What is the name of this tree?”
The king answered:
“This is a mango tree (amba).”
The Elder continued:
“Besides this mango tree, are there other mango trees?”
The king replied:
“Yes, venerable sir, there are many other mango trees.”
The Elder asked:
“Besides this tree and those mango trees, are there any other trees?”
The king replied:
“Yes, venerable sir, there are many trees that are not mango trees.”
The Elder continued:
“Besides those other mango trees and non-mango trees, is there still another tree?”
The king answered:
“Venerable sir, this very tree.”
The Elder said:
“Excellent, O King. You are wise.”
Then he continued with a similar series of questions concerning the king’s relatives and non-relatives. The king answered correctly each time. Again the Elder declared:
“You are wise, O ruler of men.”
Having recognized the king’s intelligence, the Elder preached the Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta (“The Lesser Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint”). At the conclusion of the discourse, the king and the forty thousand men who accompanied him took refuge in the Three Jewels (saraṇesu patiṭṭhahi).
That evening attendants brought food for the king. The king thought:
“I shall not eat without first asking the Elders.”
When he inquired whether they would eat, the Elder replied:
“We do not eat at this time.”
The king then asked about the proper time and, after learning the monastic discipline, invited the Elders:
“Let us go to the city.”
The Elder replied:
“You go ahead, Great King. We shall remain here.”
The Elder then requested that Bhaṇḍuka accompany them. He explained:
“This young man has already obtained the fruit (āgataphala), understands the Dispensation, and desires ordination. He has been staying with us awaiting the opportunity. We shall ordain him now.”
The king agreed and departed. He promised:
“Tomorrow morning I shall send a chariot. Please come to the city.”
After paying homage, he took Bhaṇḍuka aside and questioned him. Bhaṇḍuka explained everything about the Elder. Hearing this, the king rejoiced and thought:
“What a great blessing has come to me!”
Since Bhaṇḍuka was still a layman, the king had no concern about his accompanying them. After the king departed, the Elder immediately gave Bhaṇḍuka Kumāra both ordination (pabbajjā) and higher ordination (upasampadā) right there at the boundary of the village.
At that very moment Bhaṇḍuka attained arahantship. Then the Elder addressed Sumana Sāmaṇera:
“Proclaim that it is time for the hearing of the Dhamma.”
Sumana asked:
“Venerable sir, over what distance shall I proclaim it?”
The Elder replied:
“Throughout the whole of Tambapaṇṇī (Sri Lanka).”
Using his supernatural powers, Sumana proclaimed the time for hearing the Dhamma throughout the entire island.
At that time the king was seated at a place called Soṇṇipassa with his ministers and was eating when he heard the mighty proclamation. He sent messengers to inquire whether some calamity had occurred.
The answer came:
“There is no danger. The proclamation announces that it is time to hear the Buddha’s teaching.”
Hearing Sumana’s voice, the earth-dwelling devas (bhummadevā) repeated the announcement. In succession the sound ascended all the way to the Brahma world (Brahmaloka). Because of that proclamation a vast assembly of devas gathered together. The Elder preached the Samacitta Sutta to that gathering. Countless devas attained realization of the Dhamma (dhammābhisamaya), and many nāgas and supaṇṇas established themselves in the Triple Refuge.
The gathering of devas around Mahinda was said to resemble the great assembly that once gathered when Venerable Sāriputta taught.
The king sent his splendid chariot together with its charioteer, who approached the Elders and said:
“Please mount the chariot and let us go to the city.”
The Elders replied:
“We shall not ride in the chariot. Go ahead. We shall come behind you.”
After dismissing the delighted charioteer, the Elders rose into the air and flew through the sky. They descended at a place east of the city called Paṭhamatthūpaṭṭhāna. Because the Elders first landed there, a shrine (cetiya) was later established at that location. Even to the present day it is known as Paṭhamacetiya, the First Shrine.
When the women of the royal palace heard of the Elder’s virtues, they all desired to see him. Therefore the king had a beautiful pavilion constructed inside the palace grounds. It was decorated with white cloth and flowers.
The king wondered whether the Elder would sit on the high seats prepared there, because he had heard the monastic rule concerning abstaining from luxurious beds and seats. Meanwhile the charioteer returned and reported that he had seen the Elders floating through the air while adjusting their robes. The king then thought:
“They will not sit on ordinary seats.”
He ordered simple ground coverings to be spread. Then he personally welcomed the Elders, respectfully received the bowl of Mahāmahinda Thera, and escorted him into the city with full honors.
When the royal astrologers saw the arrangement of seats, they declared:
“These monks have taken possession of the island. They will become its true lords.”
The king led the Elders into the palace, where they sat according to rank upon cloth-covered seats. The king himself served them with rice gruel, delicacies, and food. After the meal he sat down respectfully nearby.
The king then summoned Anulā Devī, the wife of the sub-king Mahānāga, who lived in the royal palace. She came accompanied by five hundred women. After paying homage and honoring the Elders, they sat respectfully to one side. The Elder preached the Petavatthu, the Vimānavatthu, and a discourse connected with the Truth (Saccasaṃyutta). At the conclusion of the teaching those women attained the first stage of sanctity (Sotāpatti-phala).
The following day many citizens, having heard of the Elder’s virtues from those who had seen him previously, gathered together desiring to see him. They made a great noise at the palace gate. Learning the reason, the king said:
“There is not enough room here for everyone. Clean and prepare the hall of the auspicious elephant (Maṅgalahatthi-sālā). There the citizens will be able to see the Elders.”
The hall was cleaned, decorated with canopies and ornaments, and prepared appropriately. The great Elder went there and sat down. Then he preached the Devadūta Sutta (“Discourse on the Divine Messengers”). Hearing the teaching, the assembled citizens gained faith, and among them one thousand people attained the first fruit of stream-entry.
Thus the Elder, who was like the Buddha himself (satthukappa) for the island of Laṅkā, established the Dispensation in two places and preached the Dhamma in the language of the island. In this way the True Dhamma became a lamp illuminating the island and a means of carrying its people across the flood of saṃsāra.
Thus ends the Fourteenth Chapter, called:
Nagarappavesano
“The Entry into the City”
in the Mahāvaṃsa, composed for the inspiration (saṃvega) and serene faith (pasāda) of good people.