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it is time for the sacrifice, great king.” Those ministers, councillors, townsmen, and country folk in the king’s realm… …those great brahmin householders, townsmen, and country folk… …those householders, townsmen, and country folk, King Mahāvijita addressed them: “I wish, sirs, to offer a great sacrifice. May you sirs permit me what would be for my long-term welfare and happiness.” “Let His Majesty the King offer the sacrifice, it is time for the sacrifice, great king.” These four groups of approvers are the requisites for that sacrifice. Eight Requisites 340. “King Mahāvijita was endowed with eight qualities: He was well-born on both sides, pure in lineage from mother and father, up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unblemished, irreproachable by birth. He was handsome, good-looking, pleasing, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion, with a divine complexion, a divine radiance, not of small stature for viewing. He was rich, of great wealth, of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant resources, with abundant grain and provisions, with full treasuries and storehouses. He was powerful, endowed with a four-fold army, obedient, responsive to advice, he crushed, as it were, his enemies with his glory. He was faithful, a giver, a lord of gifts, with an open door for ascetics, brahmins, the poor, the needy, merchants, and beggars, a watering place, he performed meritorious deeds. He was learned in various kinds of knowledge, and he understood the meaning of what was spoken, ‘This is the meaning of this statement, this is the meaning of this statement.’ He was wise, accomplished, intelligent, and capable of contemplating matters past, present, and future. King Mahāvijita was endowed with these eight qualities. Thus, these eight qualities are also requisites for that sacrifice. Four Requisites 341. “The chaplain The chaplain, the brahmin, was endowed with four qualities. Well-born on both sides, from mother and from father, of pure lineage up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unreproached, unblamed, in respect of birth; a reciter, a mantra-holder, master of the three Vedas, with their vocabularies and rituals, their phonology and etymology, and as the fifth, the histories. A master of words, a grammarian, skilled in the Lokāyata and the marks of a Great Man; virtuous, with mature virtue, endowed with mature virtue; wise, accomplished, intelligent, first or second among those who hold the ladle. The chaplain, the brahmin, was endowed with these four qualities. Thus, these four qualities were the requisites for that sacrifice. Three Provisions 342. "Then, brahmin, the chaplain, the brahmin, before the sacrifice, taught King Mahāvijita three provisions. 'It might be, sire, that when you wish to offer a great sacrifice, some regret might arise in you: "Alas, a great mass of my wealth will be lost!" That regret, sire, should not be made by you. It might be, sire, that while you are offering a great sacrifice, some regret might arise in you: "Alas, a great mass of my wealth is being lost!" That regret, sire, should not be made by you. It might be, sire, that after you have offered a great sacrifice, some regret might arise in you: "Alas, a great mass of my wealth has been lost!" That regret, sire, should not be made by you.' These, brahmin, were the three provisions that the chaplain, the brahmin, taught King Mahāvijita before the sacrifice. Ten Aspects 343. "Then, brahmin, the chaplain, the brahmin, before the sacrifice, allayed regret concerning the recipients in ten ways for King Mahāvijita. 'To your sacrifice, sire, will come both those who take life and those who abstain from taking life. As for those who take life, that is their own concern. As for those who abstain from taking life, on their account, sire, offer the sacrifice, prepare the sacrifice, rejoice in the sacrifice, (continue) Let your honor's mind be serene within. Indeed, to your honor's sacrifice will come those who take what is not given, and those who abstain from taking what is not given; ...pe... those who engage in sexual misconduct, and those who abstain from sexual misconduct; those who speak falsely, and those who abstain from false speech; those who speak divisively, and those who abstain from divisive speech; those who speak harshly, and those who abstain from harsh speech; those who speak idly, and those who abstain from idle chatter; those who are covetous, and those who are not covetous; those with ill will, and those without ill will; those with wrong view, and those with right view. Those among them who have wrong view, it is for them alone. But as for those among them who have right view, let your honor sacrifice, let your honor prepare, let your honor rejoice, let your honor's mind be serene within. In these ten ways, indeed, O brahmin, the royal brahmin chaplain allayed the remorse of King Mahāvijita concerning the recipients, even before the sacrifice. Sixteen Ways Then, O brahmin, the royal brahmin chaplain instructed, encouraged, inspired, and gladdened the mind of King Mahāvijita, who was performing the great sacrifice, in sixteen ways. It might be that someone would say to your honor, the king, as he performs the great sacrifice: ‘King Mahāvijita performs a great sacrifice, but he has not invited the khattiyas, the followers, the townspeople, and the country folk; yet your honor, the king, performs such a great sacrifice!’ Even such a speaker, concerning your honor the king, is not in accordance with the Dhamma. For your honor the king has indeed invited the khattiyas, the followers, the townspeople, and the country folk. Let your honor the king know this too. Let your honor sacrifice, let your honor prepare, let your honor rejoice, let your honor's mind be serene within. It might be that someone would say to your honor, the king, as he performs the great sacrifice: ‘King Mahāvijita performs a great sacrifice, but he has not invited the ministers, the councilors, the townspeople, and the country folk…pe… the great brahmin householders, the townspeople, and the country folk…pe… the wealthy householders… both townspeople and country folk, yet His Majesty the King offers such a great sacrifice. Even so, there is no one who can rightly say this of His Majesty the King. For His Majesty the King has invited householders, townspeople, and country folk. By this, let Your Majesty know, let Your Majesty sacrifice, let Your Majesty prepare, let Your Majesty rejoice, let Your Majesty gladden your own heart. Perhaps someone might say of His Majesty the King, while offering a great sacrifice: 'The King, a great conqueror, offers a great sacrifice, but he is not well-born on both sides, from mother and father, of pure lineage back through seven generations of ancestors, not reproached or criticized for his birth, yet His Majesty the King offers such a great sacrifice.' Even so, there is no one who can rightly say this of His Majesty the King. For His Majesty the King is well-born on both sides, from mother and father, of pure lineage back through seven generations of ancestors, not reproached or criticized for his birth. By this, let Your Majesty know, let Your Majesty sacrifice, let Your Majesty prepare, let Your Majesty rejoice, let Your Majesty gladden your own heart. Perhaps someone might say of His Majesty the King, while offering a great sacrifice: 'The King, a great conqueror, offers a great sacrifice, but he is not handsome, good-looking, pleasing, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion, with a divine appearance, a divine radiance, not of mean appearance... and so on... ...nor is he wealthy, of great riches, of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, abundant goods and implements, abundant grain and wealth, with full treasuries and storehouses... and so on... ...nor is he powerful, endowed with a fourfold army, obedient to counsel, able to overcome enemies by his glory... and so on... ...nor is he faithful, a giver, a lord of generosity, with an open door for ascetics, brahmins, the poor, the needy, beggars, a wellspring of merit... and so on... ...nor is he learned in various kinds of knowledge... and so on... ...nor does he understand the meaning of what is said, "This is the meaning of this..."' the meaning of what was said, this is the meaning of what was said" ... (and so on) ... "and he is not wise, skilled, intelligent, capable of thinking about meanings past, future, and present, yet your majesty the king offers such a great sacrifice." Even so, there is no one who can rightly say this to your majesty the king. For your majesty the king is wise, skilled, intelligent, capable of thinking about meanings past, future, and present. By this, your majesty the king should know: Let your majesty sacrifice, let your majesty prepare, let your majesty rejoice, let your majesty gladden your inner heart. It may be that someone might say to your majesty the king, while offering a great sacrifice: ‘The king of the great realm offers a great sacrifice. But his brahmin chaplain is not well-born on both sides, from mother and father, with pure lineage up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unblemished and unreproached by birth; yet your majesty the king offers such a great sacrifice.’ Even so, there is no one who can rightly say this to your majesty the king. For your majesty's brahmin chaplain is well-born on both sides, from mother and father, with pure lineage up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unblemished and unreproached by birth. By this, your majesty the king should know: Let your majesty sacrifice, let your majesty prepare, let your majesty rejoice, let your majesty gladden your inner heart. It may be that someone might say to your majesty the king, while offering a great sacrifice: ‘The king of the great realm offers a great sacrifice. But his brahmin chaplain is not a reciter, a mantra-holder, one who has mastered the three Vedas,