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Thus, with all their modes and details, with all their characteristics, I recollected my manifold past lives. This, O brahmin, in the first watch of the night, was the first knowledge attained by me. Ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose. Darkness was dispelled, light arose— just as it is for one who abides diligent, ardent, and resolute. This, O brahmin, was my first breakthrough, like a chick from its eggshell. 13. With my mind thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, without blemish, rid of defilements, When it was soft, workable, steady, having attained imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings. Then with the divine eye, purified, surpassing human, I saw beings passing away, reappearing; inferior, superior; beautiful, ugly; well-destined, ill-destined. I understood beings according to their deeds: 'Indeed, these beings, sirs, endowed with misconduct in body, endowed with misconduct in speech, endowed with misconduct in mind, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong view, undertaking deeds based on wrong view— they, at the breaking up of the body, after death, reappeared in a state of woe, a bad destination, a state of ruin, in hell. Or these beings, sirs, endowed with good conduct in body, endowed with good conduct in speech, endowed with good conduct in mind, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right view, undertaking deeds based on right view— they, at the breaking up of the body, after death, reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, purified, surpassing human, I saw beings passing away, reappearing; inferior, superior; beautiful, ugly; well-destined, ill-destined. I understood beings according to their deeds. This, indeed, for me, brahmin, in the middle watch of the night, was the second knowledge attained. Ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose. Darkness was dispelled, light arose— as is fitting for one who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute. This, indeed, for me, brahmin, was the second breakthrough, like a chick breaking out of its eggshell. Thus, when... With my mind concentrated, purified, cleansed, without blemish, rid of defilements, soft, workable, steadfast, attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is suffering.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the cessation of suffering.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘These are the taints.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the origin of the taints.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the cessation of the taints.’ I directly knew, as it actually is, ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.’ When I knew and saw thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensual desire, my mind was liberated from the taint of existence, my mind was liberated from the taint of ignorance. With liberation, the knowledge ‘It is liberated’ arose. I directly knew: ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.’ This, O brahmin, was the third knowledge I attained in the last watch of the night. Ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose. Darkness was dispelled, light arose— as happens to one who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute. This, O brahmin, was my third breakthrough— like a chick from its eggshell.” 15. When this was said, the brahmin of Verañjā said to the Blessed One: “Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama, magnificent! Excellent, good Gotama! Just as, good Gotama, one might set upright what was overturned, or reveal what was hidden, or show the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the darkness, so that those with eyes might see forms, even so has the Dhamma been made clear by the good Gotama in many ways. I go for refuge to the good Gotama, and to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. May the good Gotama remember me as a lay follower, who has gone for refuge from this day forth as long as life lasts. And may the good Gotama consent to spend the rainy season retreat in Verañjā, together with the Sangha of monks. The Blessed One consented by his silence. Then the brahmin Verañja, knowing the Blessed One's consent, rose from his seat, saluted the Blessed One, and keeping him on his right, departed. 16. Now at that time, Verañjā was suffering from a famine, a scarcity of food, with white bones (of the dead) scattered, and food given by lot, not easy to sustain life by gleaning or begging. Now at that time, horse-merchants from the northern country, had come to Verañjā for the rainy season retreat, with about five hundred horses. For them, in the horse stables, a measure of horse-fodder was set aside for the monks. The monks, having dressed in the morning, and taking their bowls and robes, entered Verañjā for alms. Not obtaining alms, they went for alms in the horse stables, and brought the horse-fodder to the monastery, and pounded it in a mortar, and ate it. Then the venerable Ānanda, having ground the rice-gruel on a stone, offered it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One partook of it. The Blessed One heard the sound of a mortar. Tathāgatas, though knowing, sometimes ask, sometimes do not ask; knowing the time, they ask, knowing the time, they do not ask; Tathāgatas ask what is connected with benefit, not what is not connected with benefit. For Tathāgatas, what is not connected with benefit is a bridge-breaker. In two ways, the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, question the bhikkhus: "We shall teach the Dhamma," or "We shall lay down a training rule for the disciples." Then the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ānanda: "What, Ānanda, is that sound of a mortar?" Then the venerable Ānanda reported that matter to the Blessed One. "Good, good, Ānanda! By you, Ānanda, good people, it has been won. Later generations will despise rice and meat porridge." 17. Then the venerable Mahāmoggallāna approached the Blessed One; having approached and saluted the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the venerable Mahāmoggallāna said to the Blessed One: "Now, venerable sir, Verañjā is suffering from famine, a two-year famine, with white bones, with stalks as food. It is not easy to sustain life by gleaning and collecting alms. The lower layer of this great earth, venerable sir, is rich— just like pure honey, unadulterated, so delicious. May I, venerable sir, turn over the earth. the monks will eat the mushroom-like growth." "But Moggallāna, what will you do with the creatures that live in the earth?" "For one day, Venerable Sir, I will create a hand—just like the great earth. I will transfer the creatures that live in the earth onto it. With one hand, I will turn over the earth." "Enough, Moggallāna, do not desire to turn over the earth. Beings might become confused." "Very well, Venerable Sir, let the entire community of monks go to Uttarakuru for alms." "Enough, Moggallāna, do not desire for the entire community of monks to go to Uttarakuru for alms." 18. Then, while Venerable Sāriputta was in seclusion, this thought arose in his mind: "For which Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, was the holy life not long-lasting? For which Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, was the holy life long-lasting?" Then, Venerable Sāriputta, having risen from his seclusion in the evening, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Sāriputta said to the Blessed One: "Here, Venerable Sir, while I was in seclusion, this thought arose in my mind: 'For which Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, was the holy life not long-lasting? For which Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, the holy life of the Buddhas, the Fortunate Ones, endured for a long time.” “Of which Buddhas, Fortunate Ones, Venerable Sir, did the holy life not endure for a long time, and of which Buddhas, Fortunate Ones, did the holy life endure for a long time?” “Of the Fortunate One Vipassī, Sāriputta, of the Fortunate One Sikhī, and of the Fortunate One Vessabhū, the holy life did not endure for a long time. Of the Fortunate One Kakusandha, Sāriputta, of the Fortunate One Koṇāgamana, and of the Fortunate One Kassapa, the holy life endured for a long time.” 19. “What, Venerable Sir, was the reason, what was the cause, why the holy life of the Fortunate One Vipassī, of the Fortunate One Sikhī, and of the Fortunate One Vessabhū, did not endure for a long time?” “The Fortunate One Vipassī, Sāriputta, the Fortunate One Sikhī, and the Fortunate One Vessabhū were weary of teaching the Dhamma to their disciples in detail. And their Suttas, Geyyas, Veyyākaraṇas, Gāthās, Udānas, Itivuttakas, Jātakas, Abbhutadhammas, and Vedallas were few. No training rules were laid down for the disciples. No Pātimokkha was proclaimed. With the disappearance of those Buddhas, Fortunate Ones, and with the disappearance of their disciples, the Buddha-followers, those later disciples, of various names, various clans, various castes, various families, who had gone forth, quickly caused that holy life to disappear. Just as, Sāriputta, various flowers placed on a board, not held together by a thread, These the wind scatters, disperses, destroys. For what reason? Because they were not collected by a thread. Even so, Sāriputta, with the disappearance of those Buddhas, the Fortunate Ones, with the disappearance of the disciples who followed the Buddhas, those later disciples, of various names, various clans, various castes, various families, who had gone forth, they quickly made that holy life disappear. And those Fortunate Ones were untiring in admonishing their disciples, encompassing mind with mind. Formerly, Sāriputta,