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B0102010201mahāpadānasuttaṃ (great causation sutra)

English

conqueror of the four quarters, having attained stability in the country, endowed with the seven treasures. These seven treasures are his: namely, the wheel treasure, the elephant treasure, the horse treasure, the gem treasure, the woman treasure, the householder treasure, and the leader treasure, the seventh. Moreover, he has more than a thousand sons, brave, heroic in form, crushers of enemy armies. He, this earth, bounded by the ocean, conquers without rod, without weapon, by righteousness, and dwells therein. But if he goes forth from home to homelessness, he becomes an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, one who has removed the veil from the world. 35. "Indeed, O king, this prince has well-planted feet. That this prince, O king, has well-planted feet, this is a mark of a great man for him. "On the soles of this prince's feet, O king, wheels have appeared, with a thousand spokes, with felloes, with naves, complete in all their aspects. That this, O king, for him, On the soles of the prince's feet below, wheels are born, with a thousand spokes, with felloes, with naves, complete in all their parts; this is a great mark of a great man for him. This, O king, is the prince with long heels… This, O king, is the prince with long fingers and toes. This, O king, is the prince with soft and tender hands and feet. This, O king, is the prince with webbed hands and feet. This, O king, is the prince with high insteps. This, O king, is the prince with legs like an antelope. This, O king, is the prince who, standing upright without bending, touches and strokes his knees with both hands. This, O king, is the prince whose private parts are concealed in a sheath. This, O king, is the prince of golden complexion, whose skin is like burnished gold. This, O king, is the prince with very fine skin; because of the fineness of his skin, dust and dirt do not cling to his body. This, O king, is the prince with one hair per pore; each hair is born in a single pore. This, O king, is the prince with hairs standing erect; his hairs are born erect, blue-black, like collyrium, curling in spirals, and turning to the right. This, O king, is the prince with a body straight as Brahma's. This, O king, is the prince with seven convexities. This, O king, is the prince with the front part of his body like a lion's. This, O king, is the prince with a full space between his shoulders. This, O king, is the prince with the circumference of a banyan tree; as tall as his body is, so wide is his arm-span; as wide as his arm-span is, so tall is his body. This, O king, is the prince with evenly rounded shoulders. This, O king, is the prince with a supreme sense of taste. This, O king, is the prince with a lion-like jaw. This, O king, is the prince with forty teeth. This, O king, is the prince with even teeth. This, O king, is the prince with no gaps between his teeth. This, O king, is the prince with very white canine teeth. This, O king, is the prince with a large tongue. This, O king, is the prince with a voice like Brahma, speaking like the karavīka bird. This, O king, is the prince with very dark blue eyes. This, O king, is the prince with cow-like eyelashes. ... This prince, lord, has a tuft of hair between his eyebrows, white and soft like cotton down. That this prince, lord, has a tuft of hair between his eyebrows, white and soft like cotton down, this too is a mark of a Great Man for this Great Man. ‘This prince, lord, has a head like a turban. That this prince, lord, has a head like a turban, this too is a mark of a Great Man for this Great Man. 36. ‘This prince, lord, is endowed with these thirty-two marks of a Great Man. For a Great Man endowed with these, there are only two destinies, no other. If he lives in a house, he becomes a Wheel-turning King, righteous, a king of righteousness, ruling the four quarters, victorious, having attained stability in the country, endowed with the seven treasures. These are his seven treasures: the wheel treasure, the elephant treasure, the horse treasure, the gem treasure, the woman treasure, the householder treasure, and the adviser treasure as the seventh. He has more than a thousand sons, brave, of heroic form, crushing enemy armies. He conquers and dwells over this earth, bounded by the ocean, without rod, without sword, by righteousness. But if he goes forth from home to homelessness, he becomes an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, one who has removed the veil in the world.’ The Name Vipassī 37. Then, bhikkhus, King Bandhumā clothed the Brahmin seers in new garments and satisfied them with all delights. Then, bhikkhus, King Bandhumā appointed nurses for Prince Vipassī. Some gave him milk, some bathed him, some held him, some carried him in their arms. And for Prince Vipassī, after he was born, a white parasol was held day and night— ‘May neither cold nor heat, nor grass, nor dust, nor dew afflict him.’ And Prince Vipassī, after he was born, was dear and pleasing to many people. Just as Just as, monks, a blue lotus, or a red lotus, or a white lotus is dear and pleasing to many people; even so, monks, Prince Vipassī was dear and pleasing to many people. He was carried from hip to hip. 38. ‘‘Born, monks, Prince Vipassī had a sweet voice, a melodious voice, a pleasant voice, a charming voice. Just as, monks, in the Himavanta mountains, the Karavīka bird species has a sweet voice, a melodious voice, a pleasant voice, a charming voice; even so, monks, Prince Vipassī had a sweet voice, a melodious voice, a pleasant voice, a charming voice. 39. ‘‘When Prince Vipassī was born, monks, a divine eye, born of kamma-result, appeared to him, by which he saw a yojana all around, by day and by night. 40. ‘‘Born, monks, Prince Vipassī gazed without blinking, just like the Tāvatiṃsa gods. ‘The prince gazes without blinking,’ monks, thus the name ‘Vipassī, Vipassī’ arose for Prince Vipassī. 41. ‘‘Then, monks, King Bandhumā, seated in the court of justice, made Prince Vipassī sit on his lap and instructed him in matters of justice. There, monks, Prince Vipassī, seated on his father’s lap, discerned and discerned matters of justice with wisdom. ‘The prince discerns and discerns matters of justice with wisdom,’ monks, thus the name ‘Vipassī, Vipassī’ arose for Prince Vipassī even more so. 42. ‘‘Then, monks, King Bandhumā had three palaces built for Prince Vipassī: one for the rainy season, one for the winter, one for the summer; and he provided five strands of sensual pleasure. There, monks, Vipassī the prince, for four months in the rainy season palace, attended by musical instruments that played by themselves, did not descend to the lower palace. First Recitation Section. An Old Man 43. Then, monks, after many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, Vipassī the prince addressed his charioteer: “Harness, good charioteer, fine, splendid chariots. Let us go to the pleasure park to see the beautiful grounds.” “Yes, my lord,” monks, the charioteer, having assented to Prince Vipassī, harnessed fine, splendid chariots and reported to Prince Vipassī: “Your fine, splendid chariots are harnessed, my lord. Do now as you deem fit.” Then, monks, Prince Vipassī mounted a fine, splendid chariot and set out for the pleasure park with fine, splendid chariots. 44. Then, monks, Prince Vipassī, as he was going to the pleasure park, saw a man, old, bent like a roof-gable, stooped, leaning on a staff, trembling as he walked, afflicted, his youth gone. Having seen him, he addressed the charioteer: “What, good charioteer, is this man like? His hair is not like others, his body is not like others.” “That, my lord, is called an old man.” “What, good charioteer, is this called an old man?” “That, my lord, is called an old man. He will not live much longer now.” “What, good charioteer, am I too subject to old age, not beyond old age?” “You, my lord, and we, all are subject to old age, not beyond old age.” “Then, good charioteer, enough of the pleasure park for today. Turn back from here to the palace.” “Yes, my lord,” monks, the charioteer, having assented to Prince Vipassī, turned back from there to the palace. There, monks, Vipassī The prince went to the inner palace, distressed, dejected, and pondered: ‘Fie upon birth, indeed, sirs! For where there is birth, old age will appear!’ 45. ‘‘Then, monks, King Bandhumā had his charioteer summoned and said to him: ‘Did the prince enjoy himself, good charioteer, in the pleasure garden? Was the prince pleased, good charioteer, in the pleasure garden?’ ‘No, sire, the prince did not enjoy himself in the pleasure garden. No, sire, the prince was not pleased in the pleasure garden.’ ‘What then, good charioteer, did the prince see while going to the pleasure garden?’ ‘The prince, sire, while going to the pleasure garden, saw a man who was old, bent like a roof-ridge, stooped, leaning on a staff, trembling as he walked, afflicted, his youth gone. Having seen him, he said to me: ‘‘What has happened to this man, good charioteer? His hair is not like others’, his body is not like others’.’’ ‘‘That, sire, is called an old man.’’ ‘‘What then, good charioteer, is an old man?’’ ‘‘That, sire, is called an old man who will not live much longer.’’ ‘‘What then, good charioteer, am I also subject to old age, not beyond old age?’’ ‘‘You, sire, and we, all are subject to old age, not beyond old age.’’ ‘‘‘In that case, good charioteer, enough of the pleasure garden for today. Return to the inner palace from here.’’’ ‘‘‘Yes, sire,’ I, sire, having assented to Prince Vipassī, returned to the inner palace from there. That prince, sire, went to the inner palace, distressed, dejected, and pondered: ‘‘Fie upon birth, indeed, sirs! For where there is birth, old age will appear!’’’ The Sick Man 46. ‘‘Then, monks, this thought occurred to King Bandhumā: ‘May Prince Vipassī not fail to rule the kingdom, may Prince Vipassī not go forth from home to homelessness,