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he spoke to the Blessed One thus: "Indeed, Bhante, we do not blame the Blessed One for anything bodily or verbally. For, Bhante, the Blessed One is the producer of the unarisen path, the generator of the ungenerated path, the proclaimer of the unproclaimed path, the knower of the path, the understander of the path, the expert in the path. And, Bhante, the disciples now dwell following the path, having come after. And I, Bhante, invite the Blessed One to declare. And may the Blessed One not blame me for anything bodily or verbally." "Indeed, Sāriputta, I do not blame you for anything bodily or verbally. You are wise, Sāriputta, you are greatly discerning, Sāriputta, you are widely discerning, Sāriputta, you are joyful in discernment, Sāriputta, you are swift in discernment, Sāriputta, you are sharp in discernment, Sāriputta, you are penetrating in discernment, Sāriputta. Just as, Sāriputta, the eldest son of a wheel-turning monarch rightly continues to turn the wheel set in motion by his father; even so, Sāriputta, you rightly continue to turn the unsurpassed Wheel of Dhamma set in motion by me." "If, Bhante, the Blessed One does not blame me for anything bodily or verbally. But, Bhante, does the Blessed One blame these five hundred bhikkhus for nothing bodily or verbally?" "Indeed, Sāriputta, I do not blame these five hundred bhikkhus for anything bodily or verbally. For among these five hundred bhikkhus, Sāriputta, sixty bhikkhus are possessors of the three knowledges, sixty bhikkhus are possessors of the six supernormal powers, sixty bhikkhus are liberated in both ways, and the others are liberated through wisdom." Then the Venerable Vaṅgīsa rose from his seat... Then, having arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and having saluted the Blessed One with joined hands, he said to the Blessed One: "It occurs to me, Blessed One! It occurs to me, Accomplished One!" "Let it occur to you, Vaṅgīsa," said the Blessed One. Then the Venerable Vaṅgīsa extolled the Blessed One in his presence with fitting verses: Today, on the fifteenth, the day of purity, Five hundred monks are assembled; They have cut the bonds of fetters, They are free from trouble, their rebirth exhausted, these sages. Just as a wheel-turning king, Surrounded by his ministers, Travels around, This earth to the ocean's edge. So, the Victor of the battle, The supreme caravan leader, Is attended by his disciples, The three-knowledge holders, who have abandoned death. All are sons of the Blessed One, There is no chaff here; I salute the destroyer of the dart of craving, The Kinsman of the Sun. 8. The Discourse on More Than a Thousand 216. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery, together with a great community of monks, two and a half hundred monks. At that time the Blessed One was instructing, inspiring, rousing, and gladdening the monks with a Dhamma talk connected with Nibbāna. And those monks, paying attention, taking it to heart, applying their whole mind, listening with keen ears, were hearing the Dhamma. Then it occurred to the Venerable Vaṅgīsa: "The Blessed One is instructing, inspiring, rousing, and gladdening the monks with a Dhamma talk connected with Nibbāna. And those monks, paying attention, taking it to heart, applying their whole mind, listening with keen ears, are hearing the Dhamma. What if I were to extol the Blessed One in his presence with fitting verses?" Then the Venerable Vaṅgīsa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and having saluted the Blessed One with joined hands, he said to the Blessed One: "It occurs to me, Blessed One! It occurs to me, Accomplished One!" "Let it occur to you, Vaṅgīsa," said the Blessed One. Then the Venerable Vaṅgīsa - with fitting verses, he extolled the Blessed One face to face: “More than a thousand bhikkhus attend the Well-gone One, teaching the stainless Dhamma, Nibbāna, free from all fear. “They hear the pure Dhamma, taught by the Perfectly Self-Awakened One; truly the Perfectly Awakened One shines, surrounded by the assembly of bhikkhus. “You are the Nāga of nāgas, Blessed One, the foremost seer of seers; like a great cloud, you shower your disciples. “Having come forth from day-dwelling, desiring to see the Teacher, your disciple, Great Hero, Vangīsa, bows at your feet.” “Vangīsa, were these verses conceived by you beforehand, or did they occur to you on the spot?” “Bhante, these verses were not conceived by me beforehand; rather, they occurred to me on the spot.” “Then, Vangīsa, let verses not conceived beforehand occur to you even more abundantly.” “Yes, Bhante,” replied Venerable Vangīsa to the Blessed One, and then, even more abundantly, he extolled the Blessed One with verses not conceived beforehand: “Having overcome the wrong path of Māra, he walks, breaking through obstacles; behold him, the liberator from bonds, the unattached one, distinguishing things in parts. “He declared the manifold path for crossing the flood; and in that deathless state declared, the Dhamma-seers stand unshaken. “The light-maker, having thoroughly penetrated, saw the transcendence of all standpoints; having known and realized, he taught the supreme to the ten directions. “In such a well-taught Dhamma, what heedlessness for those who know the Dhamma? Therefore, in the teaching of that Blessed One, one should always train diligently in reverence.” 9. The Koṇḍañña Sutta 217. At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, at the Squirrels’ Feeding Place. Then Venerable Aññāsikoṇḍañña, after a long time he approached the Blessed One; having approached, he prostrated with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, and kissed the feet of the Blessed One with his mouth, and massaged them with his hands, and made known his name – “I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One, I am Koṇḍañña, Fortunate One.” Then it occurred to Venerable Vaṅgīsa: “This Venerable Aññāsikoṇḍañña, after a long time, has approached the Blessed One; having approached, he prostrated with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, and kissed the feet of the Blessed One with his mouth, and massaged them with his hands, and made known his name – ‘I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One, I am Koṇḍañña, Fortunate One.’ What if I were to praise Venerable Aññāsikoṇḍañña in the presence of the Blessed One with fitting verses?” Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa, rising from his seat, arranging his upper robe over one shoulder, and raising his hands in anjali towards the Blessed One, said to the Blessed One: “It occurs to me, Blessed One, it occurs to me, Fortunate One.” “Let it occur to you, Vaṅgīsa,” said the Blessed One. Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa praised Venerable Aññāsikoṇḍañña in the presence of the Blessed One with fitting verses: “That elder, Koṇḍañña, is enlightened after the Buddha, of keen exertion; He is a frequent recipient of pleasant abidings, of seclusion. “Whatever should be attained by a disciple, who follows the Teacher’s instruction; All that has been attained by him, who is diligent and trains. “Of great power, possessing the three knowledges, skilled in discerning the minds of others; Koṇḍañña, the Buddha’s heir, bows at the feet of the Teacher.” 10. Moggallāna Sutta 218. At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagaha, on the Black Rock at Isigili, together with a great community of bhikkhus, five hundred bhikkhus, all of them Arahants. Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was examining the minds of those bhikkhus with his own mind, liberated and without substrata. Then it occurred to Venerable Vaṅgīsa: “This Blessed One is dwelling in Rājagaha, at Isigili on the Black Rock, with a great Sangha of monks, of some five hundred monks, all of whom were Arahants. Indeed, the venerable Mahāmoggallāna examines their minds with his mind, freed, without attachments. "What if I were to in the presence of the Blessed One praise the venerable Mahāmoggallāna with fitting verses?" Then the venerable Vaṅgīsa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, having saluted the Blessed One with clasped hands, said to the Blessed One: "It occurs to me, O Blessed One! It occurs to me, O Fortunate One!" "Let it occur to you, Vaṅgīsa," said the Blessed One. Then the venerable Vaṅgīsa in the presence of the Blessed One praised the venerable Mahāmoggallāna with fitting verses: Seated at the foot of the mountain, the sage, gone beyond suffering; His disciples attend upon him, possessing the three knowledges, having abandoned death. He follows them with his mind, Moggallāna, the greatly powerful; Examining their minds, freed, without attachments. Thus, complete in all aspects, the sage, gone beyond suffering; Endowed with many qualities, they attend upon Gotama. 11. The Gaggarā Discourse 219. At one time the Blessed One was staying in Campā on the bank of the Gaggarā Pond, with a great Sangha of monks, some five hundred monks, and seven hundred male lay followers, and seven hundred female lay followers, and many thousands of deities. Indeed, the Blessed One outshone them in both beauty and glory. Then it occurred to the venerable Vaṅgīsa: "Indeed, the Blessed One is staying in Campā on the bank of the Gaggarā Pond, with a great Sangha of monks, some five hundred monks, and seven hundred male lay followers, and seven hundred female lay followers, and many thousands of deities. Indeed, the Blessed One outshines them in both beauty and glory. What if I were to praise the Blessed One in his presence with a fitting verse?" "Let it be so." Then the venerable Vaṅgīsa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, with clasped hands towards the Blessed One, said to the Blessed One, "It occurs to me, Blessed One, it occurs to me, Fortunate One." "Let it occur to you, Vaṅgīsa," said the Blessed One. Then the venerable Vaṅgīsa, in the presence of the Blessed One, praised him with a fitting verse: